diff --git a/apt/private/dpkg_status.sh b/apt/private/dpkg_status.sh
index 866545d..1dc689f 100755
--- a/apt/private/dpkg_status.sh
+++ b/apt/private/dpkg_status.sh
@@ -8,19 +8,17 @@ shift 2
 tmp_out=$(mktemp)
 
 while  (( $# > 0 )); do
-    control="$($bsdtar -xf "$1" --to-stdout ./control)"
-    echo "$control" | head -n 1 >> $tmp_out
-    echo "Status: install ok installed" >> $tmp_out
-    echo "$control" | tail -n +2 >> $tmp_out
-    echo "" >> $tmp_out
+    $bsdtar -xf "$1" --to-stdout ./control |
+    awk '{
+        print $0; 
+        if (NR == 1) { print "Status: install ok installed"};
+    } END { print "" }
+    ' >> $tmp_out
     shift
 done
 
-mtree_out=$(mktemp)
 echo "#mtree
 ./var/lib/dpkg/status type=file uid=0 gid=0 mode=0644 contents=$tmp_out
-" > $mtree_out
+" | "$bsdtar" $@ -cf "$out" "@-"
 
-"$bsdtar" $@ -cf "$out" "@$mtree_out"
-
-rm $tmp_out $mtree_out
\ No newline at end of file
+rm $tmp_out
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/apt/private/dpkg_statusd.sh b/apt/private/dpkg_statusd.sh
index e2e1fb5..c9a4c8a 100755
--- a/apt/private/dpkg_statusd.sh
+++ b/apt/private/dpkg_statusd.sh
@@ -16,8 +16,14 @@ tmp=$(mktemp -d)
 awk -v pkg="$package_name" '{ 
     if ($1=="#mtree") {
         print $1; next
-    };  
+    };
+    # strip leading ./ prefix
     sub(/^\.?\//, "", $1);
-    $1 = "./var/lib/dpkg/status.d/" pkg "/" $1 " contents=./" $1; 
+
+    if ($1 ~ /^control/) {
+        $1 = "./var/lib/dpkg/status.d/" pkg " contents=./" $1; 
+    } else if ($1 ~ /^md5sums/) {
+        $1 = "./var/lib/dpkg/status.d/" pkg ".md5sums contents=./" $1; 
+    }
     print $0
-}'  | "$bsdtar" $@ -cf "$out" -C "$tmp/" @-
+}' | "$bsdtar" $@ -cf "$out" -C "$tmp/" @-
diff --git a/examples/statusd/BUILD.bazel b/examples/statusd/BUILD.bazel
index c389d5b..4e2b4e9 100644
--- a/examples/statusd/BUILD.bazel
+++ b/examples/statusd/BUILD.bazel
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ assert_tar_listing(
     actual = "statusd",
     expected = """\
 #mtree
-./var/lib/dpkg/status.d/ca-certificates/control time=1611051064.0 mode=644 gid=0 uid=0 type=file size=793 sha1digest=214a8bc9b7e7ce33fbd2e08b0b01aa5e2b717495
-./var/lib/dpkg/status.d/ca-certificates/md5sums time=1611051064.0 mode=644 gid=0 uid=0 type=file size=14644 sha1digest=80ae4d6a7dbfeefd6e16ccab344671c6f7426422
+./var/lib/dpkg/status.d/ca-certificates time=1611051064.0 mode=644 gid=0 uid=0 type=file size=793 sha1digest=214a8bc9b7e7ce33fbd2e08b0b01aa5e2b717495
+./var/lib/dpkg/status.d/ca-certificates.md5sums time=1611051064.0 mode=644 gid=0 uid=0 type=file size=14644 sha1digest=80ae4d6a7dbfeefd6e16ccab344671c6f7426422
 """,
 )