diff --git a/.github/workflows/build-linux-packages.yaml b/.github/workflows/build-linux-packages.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..74b1003
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/build-linux-packages.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,140 @@
+name: build-linux-packages
+
+on:
+  release:
+    types:
+      - published
+  workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      version:
+        description: 'Package version (e.g., 3.2.1)'
+        required: false
+        default: ''
+
+jobs:
+  build-packages:
+    name: Build ${{ matrix.format }} for ${{ matrix.arch }}
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    strategy:
+      matrix:
+        arch: [amd64, arm64]
+        format: [deb, rpm]
+
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout code
+        uses: actions/checkout@v7
+
+      - name: Set up Python
+        uses: actions/setup-python@v6
+        with:
+          python-version: '3.11'
+
+      - name: Determine version
+        id: version
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+
+          # Use workflow input if provided, otherwise extract from pyproject.toml
+          if [ -n "${{ github.event.inputs.version }}" ]; then
+            VERSION="${{ github.event.inputs.version }}"
+          elif [ "${GITHUB_EVENT_NAME}" = "release" ]; then
+            VERSION="${GITHUB_REF_NAME#v}"
+          else
+            VERSION=$(python -c "import tomllib; f = open('pyproject.toml', 'rb'); data = tomllib.load(f); f.close(); print(data['project']['version'])")
+          fi
+
+          echo "version=${VERSION}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          echo "Package version: ${VERSION}"
+
+      - name: Install nfpm
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          echo "deb [trusted=yes] https://repo.goreleaser.com/apt/ /" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/goreleaser.list
+          sudo apt-get update
+          sudo apt-get install -y nfpm
+
+      - name: Install Python build dependencies
+        run: |
+          python -m pip install --upgrade pip
+          pip install build virtualenv
+
+      - name: Build Python wheel
+        run: |
+          python -m build --wheel
+
+      - name: Create vendored virtual environment
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+
+          # Create a fresh venv in dist/venv
+          mkdir -p dist
+          python -m virtualenv dist/venv
+
+          # Install structkit and its dependencies into the venv
+          dist/venv/bin/pip install --upgrade pip
+          dist/venv/bin/pip install dist/*.whl
+
+          # Clean up unnecessary files to reduce package size
+          find dist/venv -type d -name "__pycache__" -exec rm -rf {} + 2>/dev/null || true
+          find dist/venv -type f -name "*.pyc" -delete 2>/dev/null || true
+          find dist/venv -type f -name "*.pyo" -delete 2>/dev/null || true
+          rm -rf dist/venv/lib/python*/site-packages/pip* || true
+          rm -rf dist/venv/lib/python*/site-packages/setuptools* || true
+
+      - name: Set architecture for nfpm
+        id: arch
+        run: |
+          if [ "${{ matrix.arch }}" = "amd64" ]; then
+            echo "nfpm_arch=amd64" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          elif [ "${{ matrix.arch }}" = "arm64" ]; then
+            echo "nfpm_arch=arm64" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          fi
+
+      - name: Build ${{ matrix.format }} package
+        env:
+          VERSION: ${{ steps.version.outputs.version }}
+          ARCH: ${{ steps.arch.outputs.nfpm_arch }}
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+
+          # Build the package using nfpm
+          if [ "${{ matrix.format }}" = "deb" ]; then
+            nfpm package \
+              --packager deb \
+              --config packaging/debian/nfpm.yaml \
+              --target dist/
+          elif [ "${{ matrix.format }}" = "rpm" ]; then
+            nfpm package \
+              --packager rpm \
+              --config packaging/rpm/nfpm.yaml \
+              --target dist/
+          fi
+
+          # List generated packages
+          ls -lh dist/*.{deb,rpm} 2>/dev/null || true
+
+      - name: Upload package artifacts
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v7
+        with:
+          name: structkit-${{ steps.version.outputs.version }}-${{ matrix.arch }}-${{ matrix.format }}
+          path: |
+            dist/*.deb
+            dist/*.rpm
+          retention-days: 90
+
+  summary:
+    name: Build Summary
+    needs: build-packages
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    if: always()
+
+    steps:
+      - name: Generate summary
+        run: |
+          echo "## Linux Package Build Complete" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+          echo "" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+          echo "Built packages for:" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+          echo "- Debian/Ubuntu (.deb) - amd64, arm64" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+          echo "- Fedora/RHEL (.rpm) - amd64, arm64" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+          echo "" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+          echo "Download artifacts from the Actions tab above." >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
diff --git a/packaging/README.md b/packaging/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b5b766e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packaging/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,229 @@
+# Linux Distribution Packages
+
+This directory contains the configuration and tooling for building `.deb` (Debian/Ubuntu) and `.rpm` (Fedora/RHEL) packages for the structkit CLI.
+
+## Package Structure
+
+- `debian/` — Debian/Ubuntu package configuration
+- `rpm/` — Fedora/RHEL package configuration
+- `structkit-shim.sh` — Wrapper script installed at `/usr/bin/structkit`
+
+## Architecture
+
+The packages install structkit in a vendored Python virtual environment to handle dependencies that may not be available in distribution repositories:
+
+- **Vendored environment**: `/usr/lib/structkit/venv/` — Complete Python environment with all dependencies
+- **CLI wrapper**: `/usr/bin/structkit` — Shim script that invokes the vendored structkit
+- **Documentation**: `/usr/share/doc/structkit/` — README and LICENSE files
+
+This approach ensures:
+- No conflicts with system Python packages
+- Consistent dependency versions across distributions
+- Simple installation without requiring pip or virtual environment management
+
+## Building Packages Locally
+
+### Prerequisites
+
+Install required tools:
+
+**Debian/Ubuntu:**
+```bash
+sudo apt-get update
+sudo apt-get install -y python3 python3-pip python3-virtualenv
+```
+
+**Fedora/RHEL:**
+```bash
+sudo dnf install -y python3 python3-pip python3-virtualenv
+```
+
+**Install nfpm** (cross-platform package builder):
+```bash
+# Option 1: Using apt (Debian/Ubuntu)
+echo "deb [trusted=yes] https://repo.goreleaser.com/apt/ /" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/goreleaser.list
+sudo apt-get update
+sudo apt-get install -y nfpm
+
+# Option 2: Using yum/dnf (Fedora/RHEL)
+echo '[goreleaser]
+name=GoReleaser
+baseurl=https://repo.goreleaser.com/yum/
+enabled=1
+gpgcheck=0' | sudo tee /etc/yum.repos.d/goreleaser.repo
+sudo dnf install -y nfpm
+
+# Option 3: Direct download
+# See: https://nfpm.goreleaser.com/install/
+```
+
+### Build Steps
+
+1. **Install Python build dependencies:**
+   ```bash
+   python3 -m pip install --upgrade pip build virtualenv
+   ```
+
+2. **Build the Python wheel:**
+   ```bash
+   python3 -m build --wheel
+   ```
+
+3. **Create vendored virtual environment:**
+   ```bash
+   mkdir -p dist
+   python3 -m virtualenv dist/venv
+   dist/venv/bin/pip install --upgrade pip
+   dist/venv/bin/pip install dist/*.whl
+   ```
+
+4. **Build Debian package (amd64):**
+   ```bash
+   VERSION=$(python3 -c "import tomllib; f = open('pyproject.toml', 'rb'); data = tomllib.load(f); f.close(); print(data['project']['version'])")
+   ARCH=amd64 nfpm package --packager deb --config packaging/debian/nfpm.yaml --target dist/
+   ```
+
+5. **Build RPM package (amd64):**
+   ```bash
+   VERSION=$(python3 -c "import tomllib; f = open('pyproject.toml', 'rb'); data = tomllib.load(f); f.close(); print(data['project']['version'])")
+   ARCH=amd64 nfpm package --packager rpm --config packaging/rpm/nfpm.yaml --target dist/
+   ```
+
+The built packages will be in the `dist/` directory:
+- `structkit_${VERSION}_amd64.deb`
+- `structkit-${VERSION}-1.x86_64.rpm`
+
+## Installing Packages
+
+### Debian/Ubuntu
+
+```bash
+# Download the .deb package, then:
+sudo dpkg -i structkit_VERSION_amd64.deb
+
+# If there are dependency issues, resolve them with:
+sudo apt-get install -f
+```
+
+### Fedora/RHEL
+
+```bash
+# Download the .rpm package, then:
+sudo dnf install ./structkit-VERSION-1.x86_64.rpm
+
+# Or using rpm directly:
+sudo rpm -ivh structkit-VERSION-1.x86_64.rpm
+```
+
+### Verify Installation
+
+After installation, verify that structkit is working:
+
+```bash
+structkit info
+structkit --help
+```
+
+## CI/CD: GitHub Actions Workflow
+
+The `.github/workflows/build-linux-packages.yaml` workflow automatically builds packages when:
+
+1. **On release** — Triggered when a new GitHub release is published
+2. **Manual dispatch** — Can be triggered manually from the Actions tab
+
+The workflow:
+- Builds packages for both `amd64` and `arm64` architectures
+- Creates both `.deb` and `.rpm` packages (4 total artifacts)
+- Uploads packages as GitHub Actions artifacts (90-day retention)
+- Can be triggered with a custom version via workflow dispatch
+
+### Triggering a Manual Build
+
+1. Go to **Actions** → **build-linux-packages**
+2. Click **Run workflow**
+3. Optionally specify a version (defaults to version in `pyproject.toml`)
+4. Click **Run workflow**
+
+### Downloading Built Packages
+
+After the workflow completes:
+1. Go to the workflow run page
+2. Scroll to **Artifacts** section
+3. Download the desired package(s):
+   - `structkit-VERSION-amd64-deb`
+   - `structkit-VERSION-arm64-deb`
+   - `structkit-VERSION-amd64-rpm`
+   - `structkit-VERSION-arm64-rpm`
+
+## Package Contents
+
+Each package includes:
+
+- `/usr/bin/structkit` — CLI entry point (wrapper script)
+- `/usr/lib/structkit/venv/` — Vendored Python environment with:
+  - Python interpreter
+  - structkit and all dependencies
+  - Site packages (PyYAML, requests, openai, jinja2, etc.)
+- `/usr/share/doc/structkit/README.md` — Project README
+- `/usr/share/doc/structkit/LICENSE` — MIT License
+
+## Maintenance
+
+### Updating Package Metadata
+
+Package metadata is defined in:
+- `packaging/debian/nfpm.yaml` — Debian package configuration
+- `packaging/rpm/nfpm.yaml` — RPM package configuration
+
+Common fields to update:
+- `maintainer` — Package maintainer contact
+- `description` — Package description
+- `depends` — Runtime dependencies
+- `recommends` — Recommended packages
+
+### Version Synchronization
+
+The package version is automatically extracted from `pyproject.toml` during builds. Ensure the version in `pyproject.toml` is updated before building or releasing.
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+### Package Installation Issues
+
+If you encounter dependency issues:
+
+**Debian/Ubuntu:**
+```bash
+sudo apt-get update
+sudo apt-get install -f
+```
+
+**Fedora/RHEL:**
+```bash
+sudo dnf install ca-certificates
+```
+
+### CLI Not Working After Install
+
+Verify the installation:
+```bash
+which structkit                    # Should show /usr/bin/structkit
+ls -la /usr/lib/structkit/venv/    # Should show Python environment
+/usr/lib/structkit/venv/bin/structkit --help  # Direct invocation
+```
+
+If the shim script fails, you can directly invoke:
+```bash
+/usr/lib/structkit/venv/bin/structkit [command]
+```
+
+## Future Enhancements
+
+This is Phase 1 of Linux distribution packaging. Not included in this PR:
+
+- Submission to Debian mentors or Fedora review
+- PPA/COPR repository setup
+- Official distribution repository inclusion
+- Package signing/verification
+- Marketplace/catalog integration
+
+These may be addressed in future phases based on community adoption and requirements.
diff --git a/packaging/debian/nfpm.yaml b/packaging/debian/nfpm.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ebbae3d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packaging/debian/nfpm.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+name: "structkit"
+arch: "${ARCH}"
+platform: "linux"
+version: "${VERSION}"
+section: "devel"
+priority: "optional"
+maintainer: "httpdss <https://github.com/httpdss>"
+description: |
+  YAML-first project scaffolding tool with remote content fetching,
+  AI/MCP integration, and DevOps automation.
+  .
+  structkit is a powerful CLI tool for generating project structures
+  from YAML templates, with support for remote content fetching,
+  AI-powered generation, and Model Context Protocol integration.
+vendor: "httpdss"
+homepage: "https://structkit.app/"
+license: "MIT"
+
+# Runtime dependencies (minimal - we vendor Python and dependencies)
+depends:
+  - ca-certificates
+
+# Recommended packages
+recommends:
+  - git
+
+contents:
+  # Vendored Python environment with all dependencies
+  - src: ./dist/venv
+    dst: /usr/lib/structkit/venv
+
+  # CLI shim script
+  - src: ./packaging/structkit-shim.sh
+    dst: /usr/bin/structkit
+    file_info:
+      mode: 0755
+
+  # Documentation
+  - src: ./README.md
+    dst: /usr/share/doc/structkit/README.md
+    file_info:
+      mode: 0644
+
+  - src: ./LICENSE
+    dst: /usr/share/doc/structkit/LICENSE
+    file_info:
+      mode: 0644
+    packager: deb
diff --git a/packaging/rpm/nfpm.yaml b/packaging/rpm/nfpm.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a4276e2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packaging/rpm/nfpm.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+name: "structkit"
+arch: "${ARCH}"
+platform: "linux"
+version: "${VERSION}"
+release: "1"
+maintainer: "httpdss <https://github.com/httpdss>"
+description: |
+  YAML-first project scaffolding tool with remote content fetching,
+  AI/MCP integration, and DevOps automation.
+
+  structkit is a powerful CLI tool for generating project structures
+  from YAML templates, with support for remote content fetching,
+  AI-powered generation, and Model Context Protocol integration.
+vendor: "httpdss"
+homepage: "https://structkit.app/"
+license: "MIT"
+
+# Runtime dependencies (minimal - we vendor Python and dependencies)
+depends:
+  - ca-certificates
+
+# Recommended packages
+recommends:
+  - git
+
+contents:
+  # Vendored Python environment with all dependencies
+  - src: ./dist/venv
+    dst: /usr/lib/structkit/venv
+
+  # CLI shim script
+  - src: ./packaging/structkit-shim.sh
+    dst: /usr/bin/structkit
+    file_info:
+      mode: 0755
+
+  # Documentation
+  - src: ./README.md
+    dst: /usr/share/doc/structkit/README.md
+    file_info:
+      mode: 0644
+
+  - src: ./LICENSE
+    dst: /usr/share/doc/structkit/LICENSE
+    file_info:
+      mode: 0644
diff --git a/packaging/structkit-shim.sh b/packaging/structkit-shim.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..073d858
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packaging/structkit-shim.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# Shim script for structkit CLI
+# Executes structkit from the vendored Python environment
+
+set -e
+
+STRUCTKIT_HOME="/usr/lib/structkit"
+PYTHON_BIN="${STRUCTKIT_HOME}/venv/bin/python"
+STRUCTKIT_MODULE="${STRUCTKIT_HOME}/venv/bin/structkit"
+
+if [ ! -f "${PYTHON_BIN}" ]; then
+    echo "Error: structkit Python environment not found at ${STRUCTKIT_HOME}" >&2
+    echo "Please reinstall structkit." >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+exec "${STRUCTKIT_MODULE}" "$@"