diff --git a/python/CMakeLists.txt b/python/CMakeLists.txt
index 8cce8eab9..4331975cd 100644
--- a/python/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/python/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -61,8 +61,7 @@ target_include_directories(_mir PRIVATE ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/src ${PROJECT_BINA
 target_link_libraries(_mir PRIVATE mir)
 target_compile_definitions(_mir PRIVATE NPY_NO_DEPRECATED_API=NPY_1_7_API_VERSION)
 
-# _mir.so installs at site-packages root (not inside mir/) — matches setup.py Extension("_mir")
-install(TARGETS _mir DESTINATION ${MIR_PYTHON_INSTALL_DIR} COMPONENT python)
+install(TARGETS _mir DESTINATION ${MIR_PYTHON_INSTALL_DIR}/mir COMPONENT python)
 install(FILES
     mir/src/mir/__init__.py
     mir/src/mir/griddef.py
diff --git a/python/mir/build_chain.sh b/python/mir/build_chain.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index 6dd7e838c..000000000
--- a/python/mir/build_chain.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,60 +0,0 @@
-# (C) Copyright 1996- ECMWF.
-#
-# This software is licensed under the terms of the Apache Licence Version 2.0
-# which can be obtained at http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.
-#
-# In applying this licence, ECMWF does not waive the privileges and immunities
-# granted to it by virtue of its status as an intergovernmental organisation nor
-# does it submit to any jurisdiction.
-
-# building & publishing of a wheel with mir-python only, with requirements for mirlib & eckitlib etc wheels
-# assumed to be executed *inside* wheelmaker docker image, or at least:
-# - have access to the setup_utils python package
-# - uv installed
-# - manylinux-compatible compilation stack
-# - env var PYVERSION, eg 3.11
-
-# TODO unify with eckit/python/eckit/build_chain.sh, by moving to ci-utils/wheelmaker
-
-set -euo pipefail
-
-# prepare python
-rm -rf .venv
-uv venv --python python$PYVERSION .venv
-source .venv/bin/activate
-uv pip install --upgrade -r ./requirements.txt twine build
-
-TEST_PYPI=${TEST_PYPI:-no}
-if [ "$TEST_PYPI" = "yes" ] ; then
-    EXTRA_PIP="--no-cache --index-url https://test.pypi.org/simple/"
-    TARGET="--repository testpypi"
-else
-    EXTRA_PIP=""
-    TARGET=""
-fi
-
-# mir-python prereqs
-# TODO get these from pyproject...
-if [ -n "$INSTALL_LOCALLY" ] ; then
-    # TODO reuse the dep resolver from setup utils
-    uv pip install --no-cache $INSTALL_LOCALLY/eckitlib* $INSTALL_LOCALLY/eccodeslib* $INSTALL_LOCALLY/atlaslib* $INSTALL_LOCALLY/mirlib*
-else
-    uv pip install --prerelease=allow $EXTRA_PIP mirlib
-fi
-PRF=".venv/lib/python$PYVERSION/site-packages"
-if [ "$(uname)" == "Darwin" ] ; then L="lib" ; else L="lib64" ; fi
-export MIR_LIB_DIR="$PRF/eckitlib/$L:$PRF/eccodeslib/$L:$PRF/mirlib/$L"
-export MIR_INCLUDE_DIRS="$PRF/eckitlib/include:$PRF/eccodeslib/include:$PRF/mirlib/include"
-
-# build
-rm -rf build dist
-PYTHONPATH=/buildscripts python -m build --no-isolation --wheel .
-
-# test
-uv pip install ./dist/*
-# pytest tests/ # TODO re-enable after fixed
-twine check dist/*whl
-
-# upload
-# NOTE we don't upload because of execution via ci-utils/wheelmaker/buildscripts/multirelease.sh, which uploads on its own
-# twine upload --verbose --skip-existing dist/*whl
diff --git a/python/mir/pyproject.toml b/python/mir/pyproject.toml
index 64f77a01e..fc2c37bcd 100644
--- a/python/mir/pyproject.toml
+++ b/python/mir/pyproject.toml
@@ -32,8 +32,9 @@ classifiers = [
 	"Operating System :: MacOS",
 	"Topic :: Scientific/Engineering",
 ]
-dependencies = ["eckit", "findlibs", "numpy", "pyyaml", "scipy"]
-dynamic = ["version"]
+# NOTE don't list `dependencies` in this file, use setup.py instead
+dynamic = ["version", "dependencies"]
+
 
 [project.scripts]
 mir-weight-matrix-convert = "mir.tools.weight_matrix_convert:main"
@@ -44,3 +45,4 @@ version = {file = "VERSION"}
 
 [tool.setuptools.packages.find]
 where = ["src"]
+exclude = ["_mir*"]
diff --git a/python/mir/setup.py b/python/mir/setup.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..639de7dea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python/mir/setup.py
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+import os
+from setuptools import setup
+import platform
+from wheel.bdist_wheel import bdist_wheel
+import sys
+
+with open('VERSION', 'r') as fVersion:
+    version = fVersion.readlines()[0].strip()
+install_requires = [
+    f"mirlib=={version}",
+    f"eckit=={version}",
+    "findlibs",
+    "numpy>=2.0,<3.0", # NOTE may need tighter range in case of ABI issues. Dont forget to keep in sync with pre-compile.sh (or cmake files if numpy install refactored)
+    "scipy",
+    "pyyaml",
+]
+
+# NOTE see ci-utils/wheelmaker/buildscripts/setup_utils, we need to get the right abi compat tag
+class bdist_wheel_ext(bdist_wheel):
+    def get_tag(self):
+        python, abi, plat = bdist_wheel.get_tag(self)
+        return python, abi, f"manylinux_2_28_{platform.machine()}"
+
+
+ext_kwargs = {
+    "darwin": {},
+    "linux": {"cmdclass": {"bdist_wheel": bdist_wheel_ext}},
+}
+
+setup(
+    version=version,
+    package_data={
+        "": ["*.so"],
+    },
+    has_ext_modules=lambda: True,
+    install_requires=install_requires,
+    **ext_kwargs[sys.platform],
+)
diff --git a/python/mir/src/mir/__init__.py b/python/mir/src/mir/__init__.py
index fda7c7598..3c0f6126a 100644
--- a/python/mir/src/mir/__init__.py
+++ b/python/mir/src/mir/__init__.py
@@ -8,16 +8,12 @@
 # does it submit to any jurisdiction.
 
 
-from ctypes import CDLL
-
-# init section -- ensure libmir.so is loaded, utilizing findlibs instead of relying on rpath
 import findlibs
 
-m = findlibs.find("mir")
-CDLL(m)
+findlibs.load("mir")
 
-from _mir import *
 from eckit.geo import Grid
+from mir._mir import *
 
-__version__ = version()
+__lib_version__ = version()
 __git_sha1__ = git_sha1()
diff --git a/python/mirlib/buildconfig b/python/mirlib/buildconfig
index 010e0421e..82006b58b 100644
--- a/python/mirlib/buildconfig
+++ b/python/mirlib/buildconfig
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@
 # TODO we duplicate information -- pyproject.toml's `name` and `packages` are derivable from $NAME and must stay consistent
 
 NAME="mir"
-CMAKE_PARAMS="-Deckit_ROOT=/tmp/mir/prereqs/eckitlib -Deccodes_ROOT=/tmp/mir/prereqs/eccodeslib -Datlas_ROOT=/tmp/mir/prereqs/atlaslib-ecmwf -DENABLE_ECKIT_GEO=1"
+_HERE="$(dirname -- "$(readlink -f -- "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")")"
+PYTHON_INSTALL_DIR=$(cd -- "$_HERE/../mir/src" && pwd) # dont use readlink -m here, not macos portable
+CMAKE_PARAMS="-Deckit_ROOT=/tmp/mir/prereqs/eckitlib -Deccodes_ROOT=/tmp/mir/prereqs/eccodeslib -Datlas_ROOT=/tmp/mir/prereqs/atlaslib-ecmwf -DENABLE_ECKIT_GEO=1 -DENABLE_PYTHON=1 -DMIR_PYTHON_INSTALL_DIR=$PYTHON_INSTALL_DIR -DPython3_FIND_VIRTUALENV=ONLY"
 PYPROJECT_DIR="python/mirlib"
 DEPENDENCIES='["eccodeslib", "eckitlib", "atlaslib-ecmwf"]'
diff --git a/python/mirlib/pre-compile.sh b/python/mirlib/pre-compile.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..60df41e73
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python/mirlib/pre-compile.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# python bindings are built via cmake, as part of the overall compile.sh action
+# this requires numpy present -- but currently the cmake files only check
+# numpy presence, dont pip install it on its own. Hence we hack the install here
+
+uv pip install 'numpy>=2.0,<3.0' cython