diff --git a/doc/tutorial/install-debugging.md b/doc/tutorial/install-debugging.md
index e69de29..3fa93b8 100644
--- a/doc/tutorial/install-debugging.md
+++ b/doc/tutorial/install-debugging.md
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+# Tutorial: debug language installation
+
+Except for the simplest cases, it's often helpful to debug lanugage
+installation interactively. Open a new tab in the admin shell
+(`control-b c`) and start the packaging image:
+
+```
+$ make shell I=packaging
+```
+
+You'll probably want another instance of tmux:
+
+```
+$ make tmux
+```
+
+Now you should have at least three tabs in the top-level tmux: one
+with the admin shell, one with the runtime shell, and one with the
+packaging shell.
+
+## Targeted debugging commands
+
+Switch to the packaging shell and delete any leftover artifacts from
+the previous build:
+
+```
+$ make pkg-clean T=lang L=mylanguage
+```
+
+Then start a shell in the same context as the `install` scripts would
+be run.
+
+```
+$ make pkg-debug T=lang L=mylanguage
+```
+
+Now you can run installation commands manually to make sure they're
+working. Normally the generated build script will be run; you can see
+it by running
+
+```
+$ make script T=lang L=mylanguage
+```
+
+and checking `build/lang/<mylanguage>/build.bash`. You can also run
+that script in the appropriate context before entering your
+`pkg-debug` session:
+
+```
+$ make pkg-build T=lang L=mylanguage
+```
+
+After you're satisfied with the layout of files you've put into
+`${pkg}` and want to try installing the resulting package, start by
+building the `.deb`:
+
+```
+$ make pkg-deb T=lang L=mylanguage
+```
+
+Then switch to the runtime shell. If you still only have one tab open
+inside the nested tmux session, open a new one (`control-b control-b
+c`). You can install the `.deb`:
+
+```
+$ make install T=lang L=mylanguage
+```
+
+At this point your language should be runnable so you can test it out.
+It's best to test inside an isolated sandbox with the same set of
+environment variables as will appear on Riju, though; you can start
+such a shell as follows:
+
+```
+$ make sandbox L=mylanguage
+```
+
+You may find that the language fails to run as expected due to
+packaging errors. If so, you can return to the packaging shell and
+make adjustments inside `pkg-debug` before rebuilding and reinstalling
+the package.