diff --git a/scripts/build-package-dry-run-simulation.sh b/scripts/build-package-dry-run-simulation.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000000000..bcf7c0e922b722
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/build-package-dry-run-simulation.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+# 'exit 1' in subshells will exit this script with a return value of 1,
+# but 'exit 0' in subshells will not
+set -e -u
+
+TERMUX_SCRIPTDIR=$(cd "$(realpath "$(dirname "$0")")"; cd ..; pwd)
+. "$TERMUX_SCRIPTDIR/scripts/properties.sh"
+. "$TERMUX_SCRIPTDIR/scripts/build/termux_step_setup_variables.sh"
+. "$TERMUX_SCRIPTDIR/scripts/build/termux_error_exit.sh"
+TERMUX_ON_DEVICE_BUILD=false
+BUILDSCRIPT_NAME="build-package.sh"
+TMPDIR=$(mktemp -d 2>/dev/null || mktemp -d -t 'mytmpdir')
+NDK="$TMPDIR/dummy-ndk"
+
+# Please keep synchronized with the logic of lines 468-547 of build-package.sh
+declare -a PACKAGE_LIST=()
+while (($# >= 1)); do
+	case "$1" in
+		*"/$BUILDSCRIPT_NAME") ;;
+		-a)
+			if [ $# -lt 2 ]; then
+				termux_error_exit "./build-package.sh: option '-a' requires an argument"
+			fi
+			shift 1
+			if [ -z "$1" ]; then
+				termux_error_exit "Argument to '-a' should not be empty."
+			fi
+			export TERMUX_ARCH="$1"
+			;;
+		-d) export TERMUX_DEBUG_BUILD=true ;;
+		-*) ;;
+		*) PACKAGE_LIST+=("$1") ;;
+	esac
+	shift 1
+done
+
+# please keep synchronized with the logic of lines 592-656 of build-package.sh
+for ((i=0; i<${#PACKAGE_LIST[@]}; i++)); do
+	(
+		TERMUX_PKG_NAME=$(basename "${PACKAGE_LIST[i]}")
+		export TERMUX_PKG_BUILDER_DIR=
+		for package_directory in $TERMUX_PACKAGES_DIRECTORIES; do
+			if [ -d "${TERMUX_SCRIPTDIR}/${package_directory}/${TERMUX_PKG_NAME}" ]; then
+				export TERMUX_PKG_BUILDER_DIR=${TERMUX_SCRIPTDIR}/$package_directory/$TERMUX_PKG_NAME
+				break
+			fi
+		done
+		if [ -z "${TERMUX_PKG_BUILDER_DIR}" ]; then
+			termux_error_exit "No package $TERMUX_PKG_NAME found in any of the enabled repositories. Are you trying to set up a custom repository?"
+		fi
+		TERMUX_PKG_BUILDER_SCRIPT=$TERMUX_PKG_BUILDER_DIR/build.sh
+
+		mkdir -p "$NDK"
+		echo "Pkg.Revision = $TERMUX_NDK_VERSION_NUM" > "$NDK/source.properties"
+		termux_step_setup_variables
+
+		# Please keep synchronized with the logic of lines 2-50 of scripts/build/termux_step_start_build.sh
+		source "$TERMUX_PKG_BUILDER_SCRIPT"
+
+		if [ -n "${TERMUX_PKG_EXCLUDED_ARCHES:=""}" ] && [ "$TERMUX_PKG_EXCLUDED_ARCHES" != "${TERMUX_PKG_EXCLUDED_ARCHES/$TERMUX_ARCH/}" ]; then
+			echo "Skipping building $TERMUX_PKG_NAME for arch $TERMUX_ARCH"
+			exit 0
+		fi
+
+		if [ "$TERMUX_DEBUG_BUILD" = "true" ] && [ "$TERMUX_PKG_HAS_DEBUG" = "false" ]; then
+			echo "Skipping building debug build for $TERMUX_PKG_NAME"
+			exit 0
+		fi
+
+		termux_error_exit "Ending dry run simulation (a normal build would have continued)"
+	)
+done
+
+if [ ${#PACKAGE_LIST[@]} -gt 0 ]; then
+	# at least one package name was parsed, but none of them reached "exit 1",
+	# so exit with return value 0 to indicate that no packages would have been built
+	echo "Ending dry run simulation ($BUILDSCRIPT_NAME would not have built any packages)"
+	exit 0
+fi
+
+# if this point is reached, assume that a combination of arguments
+# that is either invalid or is not implemented in this script
+# has been used, and the real build-package.sh
+# needs to be run so that its own parser can interpret the arguments
+# and display the appropriate error message
+termux_error_exit "Ending dry run simulation (unknown arguments, pass to the real $BUILDSCRIPT_NAME for more information)"
diff --git a/scripts/run-docker.sh b/scripts/run-docker.sh
index 8800bd97bb05f9..0b2b69d4b62b39 100755
--- a/scripts/run-docker.sh
+++ b/scripts/run-docker.sh
@@ -3,6 +3,20 @@ set -e -u
 
 TERMUX_SCRIPTDIR=$(cd "$(realpath "$(dirname "$0")")"; cd ..; pwd)
 
+# If build-package-dry-run-simulation.sh returns a non-zero exit value, or if
+# $1 (the first argument passed to this script which runs docker) does not contain
+# $BUILDSCRIPT_NAME, this condition will evaluate false and this script which
+# runs docker will continue.
+BUILDSCRIPT_NAME="build-package.sh"
+case "${1:-}" in
+	*"/$BUILDSCRIPT_NAME")
+		if "$TERMUX_SCRIPTDIR/scripts/build-package-dry-run-simulation.sh" "$@" > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+			echo "$0: Exiting since $BUILDSCRIPT_NAME would not have built any packages"
+			exit 0
+		fi
+		;;
+esac
+
 CONTAINER_HOME_DIR=/home/builder
 UNAME=$(uname)
 if [ "$UNAME" = Darwin ]; then