diff --git a/sound/pulseaudio/Makefile b/sound/pulseaudio/Makefile
index ecda2a9725..91eb1ff454 100644
--- a/sound/pulseaudio/Makefile
+++ b/sound/pulseaudio/Makefile
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ include $(TOPDIR)/rules.mk
 
 PKG_NAME:=pulseaudio
 PKG_VERSION:=17.0
-PKG_RELEASE:=2
+PKG_RELEASE:=3
 
 PKG_SOURCE:=$(PKG_NAME)-$(PKG_VERSION).tar.xz
 PKG_SOURCE_URL:=https://freedesktop.org/software/pulseaudio/releases
@@ -29,8 +29,8 @@ include $(INCLUDE_DIR)/meson.mk
 define Package/pulseaudio-daemon/Default
   SECTION:=sound
   CATEGORY:=Sound
-  DEPENDS:=+libsndfile +libltdl +alsa-lib \
-	+libopenssl +libcap $(ICONV_DEPENDS) $(INTL_DEPENDS)
+  DEPENDS:=+alsa-lib \
+	+libopenssl +libcap +libdbus +libpulse $(ICONV_DEPENDS) $(INTL_DEPENDS)
   TITLE:=Network sound server
   URL:=https://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/PulseAudio/
   PROVIDES:=pulseaudio
@@ -68,6 +68,14 @@ endef
 
 Package/pulseaudio-daemon-avahi/conffiles = $(Package/pulseaudio-daemon/conffiles)
 
+define Package/libpulse
+  SECTION:=lib
+  CATEGORY:=Libraries
+  DEPENDS:=+libsndfile +libltdl +libdbus $(ICONV_DEPENDS) $(INTL_DEPENDS)
+  TITLE:=Client library for PulseAudio
+  URL:=https://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/PulseAudio/
+endef
+
 define Package/pulseaudio-tools
   SECTION:=sound
   CATEGORY:=Sound
@@ -103,6 +111,7 @@ MESON_ARGS += \
 	-Dasyncns=disabled \
 	-Dbluez5-native-headset=false \
 	-Dbluez5-ofono-headset=false \
+	-Ddbus=enabled \
 	-Dfftw=disabled \
 	-Dglib=disabled \
 	-Dgsettings=disabled \
@@ -129,15 +138,13 @@ MESON_ARGS += \
 ifeq ($(BUILD_VARIANT),avahi)
 MESON_ARGS += \
 	-Davahi=enabled \
-	-Dbluez5=enabled \
-	-Ddbus=enabled
+	-Dbluez5=enabled
 endif
 
 ifeq ($(BUILD_VARIANT),noavahi)
 MESON_ARGS += \
 	-Davahi=disabled \
-	-Dbluez5=disabled \
-	-Ddbus=disabled
+	-Dbluez5=disabled
 endif
 
 TARGET_LDFLAGS += -Wl,--gc-sections $(if $(INTL_FULL),-lintl)
@@ -169,6 +176,15 @@ define Build/InstallDev
 	$(CP) $(PKG_INSTALL_DIR)/usr/lib/pulseaudio/* $(1)/usr/lib/pulseaudio/
 endef
 
+define Package/libpulse/install
+	$(INSTALL_DIR) $(1)/usr/lib $(1)/usr/lib/pulseaudio
+	# client libraries only; the server-only libpulsecore/libpulsedsp stay with
+	# the daemon so a pure client (depending on libpulse) does not pull them in
+	$(CP) $(PKG_INSTALL_DIR)/usr/lib/libpulse.so* $(1)/usr/lib/
+	$(CP) $(PKG_INSTALL_DIR)/usr/lib/libpulse-simple.so* $(1)/usr/lib/
+	$(CP) $(PKG_INSTALL_DIR)/usr/lib/pulseaudio/libpulsecommon-*.so $(1)/usr/lib/pulseaudio/
+endef
+
 define Package/pulseaudio-daemon/install
 	$(INSTALL_DIR) $(1)/usr/bin
 	$(INSTALL_BIN) $(PKG_INSTALL_DIR)/usr/bin/pulseaudio $(1)/usr/bin/pulseaudio
@@ -179,22 +195,21 @@ define Package/pulseaudio-daemon/install
 	$(INSTALL_DIR) $(1)/etc/pulse
 	$(INSTALL_DATA) $(PKG_INSTALL_DIR)/etc/pulse/* $(1)/etc/pulse
 
-	$(INSTALL_DIR) $(1)/usr/lib
-	$(CP) $(PKG_INSTALL_DIR)/usr/lib/*.so* $(1)/usr/lib/
-
-	$(INSTALL_DIR) $(1)/usr/lib/pulseaudio
-	$(CP) $(PKG_INSTALL_DIR)/usr/lib/pulseaudio/* $(1)/usr/lib/pulseaudio/
-
-	$(INSTALL_DIR) $(1)/usr/lib/pulse-$(PKG_VERSION)/modules
+	$(INSTALL_DIR) $(1)/usr/lib $(1)/usr/lib/pulseaudio/modules
+	$(CP) $(PKG_INSTALL_DIR)/usr/lib/pulseaudio/libpulsecore-*.so $(1)/usr/lib/pulseaudio/
+	$(CP) $(PKG_INSTALL_DIR)/usr/lib/pulseaudio/libpulsedsp.so $(1)/usr/lib/pulseaudio/
+	# module helper libraries (libprotocol-*, libalsa-util, libcli, librtp, ...):
+	# the dlopened modules DT_NEEDED these and carry no RUNPATH, so they must be
+	# installed into a default library search path
 	$(CP) $(PKG_INSTALL_DIR)/usr/lib/pulseaudio/modules/lib*.so $(1)/usr/lib/
 	$(CP) $(PKG_INSTALL_DIR)/usr/lib/pulseaudio/modules/module*.so $(1)/usr/lib/pulseaudio/modules/
+
+	$(INSTALL_DIR) $(1)/usr/share/dbus-1/system.d
+	$(INSTALL_DATA) $(PKG_INSTALL_DIR)/usr/share/dbus-1/system.d/pulseaudio-system.conf $(1)/usr/share/dbus-1/system.d/pulseaudio-system.conf
 endef
 
 define Package/pulseaudio-daemon-avahi/install
 	$(call Package/pulseaudio-daemon/install,$1)
-
-	$(INSTALL_DIR) $(1)/usr/share/dbus-1/system.d
-	$(INSTALL_DATA) $(PKG_INSTALL_DIR)/usr/share/dbus-1/system.d/pulseaudio-system.conf $(1)/usr/share/dbus-1/system.d/pulseaudio-system.conf
 endef
 
 define Package/pulseaudio-tools/install
@@ -210,6 +225,7 @@ define Package/pulseaudio-profiles/install
 	$(INSTALL_DATA) $(PKG_INSTALL_DIR)/usr/share/pulseaudio/alsa-mixer/profile-sets/* $(1)/usr/share/pulseaudio/alsa-mixer/profile-sets
 endef
 
+$(eval $(call BuildPackage,libpulse))
 $(eval $(call BuildPackage,pulseaudio-daemon))
 $(eval $(call BuildPackage,pulseaudio-daemon-avahi))
 $(eval $(call BuildPackage,pulseaudio-tools))