diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 14fedc737..335b3e2df 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -526,7 +526,7 @@ if(${BUILD_PYTHON})
       "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/build/pytimestamp"
     COMMAND
       "${Python3_EXECUTABLE}" ${SETUP_PY} build_ext -L ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR} -b ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/python -t${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/python &&
-      "${Python3_EXECUTABLE}" ${SETUP_PY} build
+      "${Python3_EXECUTABLE}" ${SETUP_PY} build_py
     DEPENDS
       ${PYSRC} ${SETUP_PY} ${SETUP_CFG} notcurses
     COMMENT "Building Python wrappers"
diff --git a/debian/control b/debian/control
index 0b48a0515..86f0efa90 100644
--- a/debian/control
+++ b/debian/control
@@ -98,6 +98,7 @@ Package: python3-notcurses
 Section: python
 Architecture: any
 Depends: ${misc:Depends}, ${python3:Depends}, ${shlibs:Depends}
+Provides: ${python3:Provides}
 Description: Python wrappers for notcurses (Python 3)
  Python wrappers for the notcurses TUI library.
  .
diff --git a/debian/python3-notcurses.prerm b/debian/python3-notcurses.prerm
index ecb9d1dd7..e31f4b10f 100755
--- a/debian/python3-notcurses.prerm
+++ b/debian/python3-notcurses.prerm
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ set -e
 
 # --------------------- copied from dh-python 4.20191017 ---------
 if which py3clean >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-  py3clean -p python3-notcurses.interface 
+  py3clean -p python3-notcurses.interface 2> /dev/null || true
 else
   dpkg -L python3-notcurses.interface | perl -ne 's,/([^/]*)\.py$,/__pycache__/\1.*, or next; unlink $_ or die $! foreach glob($_)'
   find /usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/ -type d -name __pycache__ -empty -print0 | xargs --null --no-run-if-empty rmdir
diff --git a/debian/rules b/debian/rules
index a38f0856f..911e4e2c9 100755
--- a/debian/rules
+++ b/debian/rules
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ override_dh_auto_configure:
 override_dh_auto_build:
 	dh_auto_build
 	cd python && python3 setup.py build_ext -L../obj-$(DEB_HOST_MULTIARCH) -I../include
-	cd python && python3 setup.py build
+	cd python && python3 setup.py build_py
 
 override_dh_auto_install:
 	dh_auto_install -B $(BUILDDIR)
diff --git a/python/src/notcurses.py b/python/src/notcurses.py
index baf99e4f7..59c8c7ea0 100644
--- a/python/src/notcurses.py
+++ b/python/src/notcurses.py
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 import sys
-import locale
 import _cffi_backend
 from _notcurses import lib, ffi
 
@@ -99,27 +98,3 @@ class Ncdirect:
     def setBg(self, rgb):
         checkRGB(rgb)
         lib.ncdirect_bg(self.nc, rgb)
-
-if __name__ == '__main__':
-    locale.setlocale(locale.LC_ALL, "")
-    nc = Notcurses()
-    c = Cell(nc.stdplane())
-    c.setBgRGB(0x80, 0xc0, 0x80)
-    nc.stdplane().setBaseCell(c)
-    dims = nc.stdplane().getDimensions()
-    r = 0x80
-    g = 0x80
-    b = 0x80
-    for y in range(dims[0]):
-        for x in range(dims[1]):
-            nc.stdplane().setFgRGB(r, g, b)
-            nc.stdplane().setBgRGB(b, r, g)
-            nc.stdplane().putSimpleYX(y, x, b'X')
-            b = b + 2
-            if b == 256:
-                b = 0
-                g = g + 2
-                if g == 256:
-                    g = 0
-                    r = r + 2
-    nc.render()
diff --git a/python/src/notcurses/__main__.py b/python/src/notcurses/__main__.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..07cbfe2a0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python/src/notcurses/__main__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+import sys
+import locale
+import notcurses
+import _cffi_backend
+from _notcurses import lib, ffi
+
+locale.setlocale(locale.LC_ALL, "")
+nc = notcurses.Notcurses()
+c = Cell(nc.stdplane())
+c.setBgRGB(0x80, 0xc0, 0x80)
+nc.stdplane().setBaseCell(c)
+dims = nc.stdplane().getDimensions()
+r = 0x80
+g = 0x80
+b = 0x80
+for y in range(dims[0]):
+    for x in range(dims[1]):
+        nc.stdplane().setFgRGB(r, g, b)
+        nc.stdplane().setBgRGB(b, r, g)
+        nc.stdplane().putSimpleYX(y, x, b'X')
+        b = b + 2
+        if b == 256:
+            b = 0
+            g = g + 2
+            if g == 256:
+                g = 0
+                r = r + 2
+nc.render()