diff --git a/cargo_build.py b/cargo_build.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d78ceb9e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cargo_build.py
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+
+"""This script manages Cargo builds
+while keeping the artifact directory within the build tree
+instead of the source tree.
+"""
+
+from pathlib import Path
+import shlex
+import subprocess
+import sys
+
+source_dir = Path(__file__).absolute().parent
+
+args = sys.argv[1:]
+binary_dir = "debug"
+
+if '--release' in args:
+    binary_dir = "release"
+
+# The file produced by Cargo will have a special name
+try:
+    i = args.index('--rename')
+except ValueError:
+    filename = None
+else:
+    args.pop(i)
+    filename = args.pop(i)
+
+# The target destination of the produced file is a positional argument
+out_path = [arg for arg in args if not arg.startswith('--')]
+if out_path:
+    out_path = out_path[0]
+    i = args.index(out_path)
+    args.pop(i)    
+
+subprocess.run(['sh', "{}/cargo.sh".format(shlex.quote(source_dir.as_posix())), 'build']
+    + args,
+    check=True)
+
+if out_path:
+    out_path = Path(out_path).absolute()
+    out_basename = out_path.name
+    filename = filename or out_basename
+    subprocess.run(['cp', '-a',
+        './{}/{}'.format(shlex.quote(binary_dir), shlex.quote(filename)),
+        out_path],
+        check=True)
+
diff --git a/cargo_build.sh b/cargo_build.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index 840bc1c6..00000000
--- a/cargo_build.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,34 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/sh
-
-# This script manages Cargo builds
-# while keeping the artifact directory within the build tree
-# instead of the source tree
-
-set -e
-
-SCRIPT_PATH="$(realpath "$0")"
-SOURCE_DIR="$(dirname "$SCRIPT_PATH")"
-
-RELEASE=""
-BINARY_DIR="debug"
-if [ "${1}" = "--release" ]; then
-    shift
-    BINARY_DIR="release"
-    RELEASE="--release"
-fi
-
-if [ "${1}" = "--rename" ]; then
-    shift
-    FILENAME="${1}"
-    shift
-fi
-OUT_PATH="$(realpath "${1}")"
-shift
-OUT_BASENAME="$(basename "${OUT_PATH}")"
-FILENAME="${FILENAME:-"${OUT_BASENAME}"}"
-
-sh "$SOURCE_DIR"/cargo.sh build $RELEASE "$@"
-
-if [ -n "${OUT_PATH}" ]; then
-    cp -a ./"${BINARY_DIR}"/"${FILENAME}" "${OUT_PATH}"
-fi
diff --git a/debian/control b/debian/control
index ff713e71..f57b943a 100644
--- a/debian/control
+++ b/debian/control
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ Build-Depends:
  librust-xkbcommon-0.4+wayland-dev (>= 0.4),
  libwayland-dev (>= 1.16),
  lsb-release,
+ python3,
  rustc,
  wayland-protocols (>= 1.14),
 Standards-Version: 4.1.3
diff --git a/debian/rules b/debian/rules
index 1eddb6f9..0238bd0d 100755
--- a/debian/rules
+++ b/debian/rules
@@ -8,6 +8,22 @@ ifeq ($(DEB_HOST_ARCH),mips64el)
  export RUSTFLAGS = -Ctarget-feature=+xgot
 endif
 
+# the below avoids an FTBFS on mips64el with a GOT > 64kb
+DEB_HOST_ARCH := $(shell dpkg-architecture -qDEB_HOST_ARCH)
+ifeq ($(DEB_HOST_ARCH),mips64el)
+ xgot = -Ctarget-feature=+xgot
+else
+ xgot = 
+endif
+
+# Don't use paths that may change between builds.
+# No need to care about $HOME
+# because Cargo will not place any source in ~/.cargo.
+# The build directory is a subdirectory of the source directory,
+# so it doesn't need to be explicitly taken care of.
+export RUSTFLAGS = --remap-path-prefix=$(CURDIR)=/remap-pwd $(xgot)
+
+
 distrel := $(shell lsb_release --codename --short)
 ifneq (,$(filter $(distrel),buster amber))
 	legacy = true
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index a1a073a4..c0eac362 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ cargo_toml = custom_target(
 
 dep_cargo = find_program('cargo')
 cargo_script = find_program('cargo.sh')
-cargo_build = find_program('cargo_build.sh')
+cargo_build = find_program('cargo_build.py')
 
 subdir('data')
 subdir('protocols')
diff --git a/src/data.rs b/src/data.rs
index ab0c4d5a..41123b24 100644
--- a/src/data.rs
+++ b/src/data.rs
@@ -746,13 +746,21 @@ mod tests {
 
     use ::logging::ProblemPanic;
 
-    const THIS_FILE: &str = file!();
-
     fn path_from_root(file: &'static str) -> PathBuf {
-        PathBuf::from(THIS_FILE)
-            .parent().unwrap()
-            .parent().unwrap()
-            .join(file)
+        let source_dir = env::var("SOURCE_DIR")
+            .map(PathBuf::from)
+            .unwrap_or_else(|e| {
+                if let env::VarError::NotPresent = e {
+                    let this_file = file!();
+                    PathBuf::from(this_file)
+                        .parent().unwrap()
+                        .parent().unwrap()
+                        .into()
+                } else {
+                    panic!("{:?}", e);
+                }
+            });
+        source_dir.join(file)
     }
 
     #[test]
diff --git a/src/meson.build b/src/meson.build
index f5bd27ae..d85be960 100644
--- a/src/meson.build
+++ b/src/meson.build
@@ -80,6 +80,7 @@ test(
     'rstest',
     cargo_script,
     args: ['test'] + cargo_build_flags,
+    env: ['SOURCE_DIR=' + meson.source_root()],
     # this is a whole Carg-based test suite, let it run for a while
     timeout: 900,
     depends: [build_rstests, cargo_toml],
diff --git a/tests/meson.build b/tests/meson.build
index e78a714d..103c631d 100644
--- a/tests/meson.build
+++ b/tests/meson.build
@@ -77,13 +77,23 @@ foreach layout : [
     if layout == 'emoji'
         extra += ['allow_missing_return']
     endif
-
+    
+    # Older Cargo seens to be sensitive to something
+    # about the RUST_FLAGS env var, and rebuilds all tests when it's set,
+    # increasing test time by 2 orders of magnitude.
+    # Let it have its way.
+    if get_option('legacy') == true
+        timeout = 300
+    else
+        timeout = 30
+    endif
     test(
         'test_layout_' + layout,
         cargo_script,
         args: ['run'] + cargo_build_flags
             + ['--example', 'test_layout', '--', layout]
             + extra,
+        timeout: timeout,
         workdir: meson.build_root(),
     )
 endforeach