diff --git a/.github/workflows/build_dependencies.yml b/.github/workflows/build_dependencies.yml
index 64ae5c4..e7bbdc8 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build_dependencies.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build_dependencies.yml
@@ -127,15 +127,10 @@ jobs:
         platform: ${{ inputs.platform }}
       if: ${{ inputs.testing == 'True' || steps.restore-cache.outputs.cache-hit != 'true' }}
 
-    - name: Export Recipes
+    - name: Prepare Recipes
       run: |
-        sudo apt-get install -y python3-pyelftools libaio-dev
-        python -m pip install pyelftools
+        ./prepare.sh
         conan export import/sisl oss/master
-        conan export 3rd_party/dpdk
-        conan export 3rd_party/fio
-        conan export 3rd_party/grpc_internal
-        conan export 3rd_party/spdk
         cached_pkgs=$(ls -1d ~/.conan/data/*/*/*/*/package | sed 's,.*data/,,' | cut -d'/' -f1,2 | paste -sd',' - -)
         echo "::info:: Pre-cached: ${cached_pkgs}"
       if: ${{ inputs.testing == 'True' || steps.restore-cache.outputs.cache-hit != 'true' }}
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 46edccb..1e5375c 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -95,5 +95,6 @@ Event Fd, Generic linux file descriptors, Spdk bdevs (aio, nvme), NVMeOF (Qpairs
 ## Build
 To build (assuming a recent version of conan package manager is installed)
 ```
+   $ ./prepare.sh # this will export some recipes to the conan cache
    $ conan create . <user>/<channel>
 ```
diff --git a/prepare.sh b/prepare.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..ae352a7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/prepare.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+set -eu
+
+echo -n "Installing ELF tools..."
+sudo apt-get install -y python3-pyelftools libaio-dev > /dev/null
+pipx install pyelftools > /dev/null
+echo "done."
+echo -n "Exporting custom recipes..."
+echo -n "dpdk."
+conan export 3rd_party/dpdk
+echo -n "fio."
+conan export 3rd_party/fio
+echo -n "gprc_internal."
+conan export 3rd_party/grpc_internal
+echo -n "spdk."
+conan export 3rd_party/spdk
+
+echo "done."