diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index ce19b2d..13ef949 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -101,6 +101,13 @@ The first time you want to concretize a new spec that is not yet installed, the
   - `compiler-wrapper` : Spack's own compiler wrapper, needed to compile packages.
   - anything that is not available as external package, of course.
 
+### Optional: Auto-generating external packages
+
+* EESSI provides a "database" of packages: [`eessi_api_metadata_software.json`](https://www.eessi.io/api_data/data/eessi_api_metadata_software.json)
+* This database might be sufficient (to be tested) to generate a spack
+  `packages.yaml` tracking all EESSI-provided tools as external packages.
+* in `share/eessi_spack/generate_packages.py` we provide some initial work to
+  parse the EESSI "database", and to generate a spack-readable `packages.yaml`
 
 ### Demo Example script
 The [`quick_start.sh`](quick_start.sh) bash script demonstrates the recommended approach to configure a new Spack installation and prepare the `packages.yaml` config file that exposes EESSI-provided packages to Spack.
diff --git a/share/eessi_spack/generate_packages.py b/share/eessi_spack/generate_packages.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5a6c9ea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/share/eessi_spack/generate_packages.py
@@ -0,0 +1,144 @@
+import json
+import pprint as pp
+import re
+import sys
+import yaml
+
+try:
+    data = json.load(sys.stdin)
+except json.JSONDecodeError:
+    print("Error: Invalid JSON passed.", file=sys.stderr)
+    sys.exit(1)
+
+# TODO: should be a parameter?
+eessi_base = "EESSI/2025.06"
+#eessi_base = "EESSI/2023.06"
+
+software_dict = data.get("software", {})
+
+database = []
+
+for key, value in software_dict.items():
+    for v in value.get("versions", []):
+        version = v.get("version", "N/A")
+        full_module_name = v.get("module", {}).get("full_module_name", "N/A")
+        with_cuda = "CUDA" in full_module_name
+
+        req_modules = [
+            req.get("full_module_name", "N/A")
+            for req in v.get("required_modules", [])
+        ]
+
+        if not eessi_base in req_modules:
+            continue
+        req_modules.remove(eessi_base)
+
+        req_modules.remove(full_module_name)
+        req_str = "\n\t".join(req_modules) if req_modules else "None"
+
+        with_openmpi = any(["OpenMPI" in whatever for whatever in req_modules])
+
+        extensions = [
+                {"type": ext.get("type"), "name": ext.get("name"), "version": ext.get("version")} for ext in v.get("extensions")
+        ]
+
+        res = {
+            "full_module_name": full_module_name,
+            "with_cuda": with_cuda,
+            "with_openmpi": with_openmpi,
+            "extensions": extensions,
+            "req_modules": req_modules
+        }
+        database.append(res)
+
+# "type": "component",
+# "type": "octave",
+# "type": "perl",
+# "type": "python",
+# "type": "r",
+# "type": "ruby",
+
+def heuristic_translate(full_module_name):
+    spack_package_name = full_module_name.replace("-CUDA/", "/").replace(".MPI/", "/").split("/")[0].lower()
+    version = full_module_name.replace(".MPI/", "/").split("/")[1].lower()
+    spack_package_version = version.split("-")[0]
+
+    if spack_package_name == "gcccore":
+        spack_package_name = "gcc"
+
+    return spack_package_name, spack_package_version
+
+
+spack_database = []
+
+for entry in database:
+    spack_package_name, spack_package_version = heuristic_translate(entry["full_module_name"])
+    version = entry["full_module_name"].replace(".MPI/", "/").split("/")[1].lower()
+
+    dependencies = list()
+    pattern = r"-(?P<cuda_name>cuda)-(?P<cuda_version>[\d\.]+)"
+    match = re.search(pattern, version)
+    if match:
+        dependencies.append(f"{match.group(1)}@{match.group(2)}")
+
+    for dep in entry["req_modules"]:
+        n, v = heuristic_translate(dep)
+        if n == "gcc":
+            #compiler = f" %{n}@{v}"
+            continue
+        dependencies.append(f"{n}@{v}")
+
+    for ext in entry["extensions"]:
+        n, v = heuristic_translate(f"{ext['name']}/{ext['version']}")
+        if ext["type"] == "python":
+            n = "py-" + n
+        elif ext["type"] == "perl":
+            n = "perl-" + n
+        elif ext["type"] == "r":
+            n = "r-" + n
+        ret = {
+            "name": n,
+            "version": v,
+        }
+        spack_database.append(ret)
+
+    compiler = ""
+    pattern = r"-(?P<gcc_name>gcccore)-(?P<gcc_version>[\d\.]+)"
+    match = re.search(pattern, version)
+    if match:
+        compiler = f"gcc@{match.group(2)}"
+
+    variant = ""
+    variant += "+cuda" if entry["with_cuda"] else ""
+    variant += "+mpi" if entry["with_openmpi"] else ""
+
+    ret = {
+        "name": spack_package_name,
+        "version": spack_package_version,
+    }
+    if variant:
+        ret["variant"] = variant
+    if dependencies:
+        ret["dependencies"] = dependencies
+    if compiler:
+        ret["compiler"] = compiler
+    spack_database.append(ret)
+
+packages_yaml = {}
+
+# FIXME: translation of package names for dependencies missing
+# FIXME: what about different (micro)architectures?
+
+for entry in spack_database:
+    compiler = f"{(' %' + entry['compiler']) if 'compiler' in entry else ''}"
+    if not entry["name"] in packages_yaml:
+        packages_yaml[entry["name"]] = {}
+    if "externals" not in packages_yaml[entry["name"]]:
+        packages_yaml[entry["name"]]["externals"] = []
+    packages_yaml[entry["name"]]["externals"].append({
+        "spec": f"{entry['name']}@{entry['version']}{entry.get('variant', '')}{(' %' + ' %'.join(entry['dependencies'])) if 'dependencies' in entry else ''}{compiler}",
+        "prefix": "todo"
+     })
+
+#pp.pprint({"packages": packages_yaml})
+print(yaml.dump({"packages": packages_yaml}))