diff --git a/build/openssh/patches/series b/build/openssh/patches/series
index d2ffe6cb20..230b5d9be7 100644
--- a/build/openssh/patches/series
+++ b/build/openssh/patches/series
@@ -20,3 +20,4 @@ sshd_config.patch
 0029-Accept-LANG-and-LC_-environment-variables-from-clien.patch
 0031-Restore-tcpwrappers-libwrap-support.patch
 test.patch
+zlib-check.patch
diff --git a/build/openssh/patches/zlib-check.patch b/build/openssh/patches/zlib-check.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c86c680265
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build/openssh/patches/zlib-check.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+From cb4ed12ffc332d1f72d054ed92655b5f1c38f621 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
+From: Darren Tucker <dtucker@dtucker.net>
+Date: Sat, 19 Aug 2023 07:39:08 +1000
+Subject: [PATCH] Fix zlib version check for 1.3 and future version.
+
+bz#3604.
+---
+ configure.ac | 2 +-
+ 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)
+
+diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
+index 07893e87065..e3128dfcbb4 100644
+--- a/configure.ac
++++ b/configure.ac
+@@ -1464,7 +1464,7 @@ else
+ 	[[
+ 	int a=0, b=0, c=0, d=0, n, v;
+ 	n = sscanf(ZLIB_VERSION, "%d.%d.%d.%d", &a, &b, &c, &d);
+-	if (n != 3 && n != 4)
++	if (n < 1)
+ 		exit(1);
+ 	v = a*1000000 + b*10000 + c*100 + d;
+ 	fprintf(stderr, "found zlib version %s (%d)\n", ZLIB_VERSION, v);
diff --git a/build/pkg/build.sh b/build/pkg/build.sh
index 36a65c9bd1..2296d162ff 100755
--- a/build/pkg/build.sh
+++ b/build/pkg/build.sh
@@ -60,6 +60,9 @@ BUILD_DEPENDS_IPS="
 : ${PKG_SOURCE_BRANCH:=r$RELVER}
 VER+="-$PKG_SOURCE_BRANCH"
 
+# some python modules require rust to be built
+PATH+=:$OOCEBIN
+
 clone_source() {
     clone_github_source pkg \
         "$PKG_SOURCE_REPO" "$PKG_SOURCE_BRANCH" "$PKG5_CLONE"