diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 5c0955c..a034b33 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ fwdata: linux-firmware.git/WHENCE dvb-firmware.git/README fw.list
 	mkdir -p fwdata.tmp/lib/firmware
 	cd linux-firmware.git; ./copy-firmware.sh -v ../fwdata.tmp/lib/firmware/
 	./assemble-firmware.pl fw.list fwdata.tmp/lib/firmware
+	find fwdata.tmp/lib/firmware -empty -type d -delete
 	install -d fwdata.tmp/usr/share/doc/pve-firmware
 	cp linux-firmware.git/WHENCE fwdata.tmp/usr/share/doc/pve-firmware/README
 	install -d fwdata.tmp/usr/share/doc/pve-firmware/licenses
diff --git a/assemble-firmware.pl b/assemble-firmware.pl
index e99bed0..734ed62 100755
--- a/assemble-firmware.pl
+++ b/assemble-firmware.pl
@@ -301,6 +301,7 @@ sub copy_fw {
 }
 
 my $fwdone = {};
+my $fwbase_name = {};
 
 my $error = 0;
 
@@ -309,6 +310,9 @@ while(defined(my $line = <$fd>)) {
     chomp $line;
     my ($fw, $mod) = split(/\s+/, $line, 2);
 
+    my $fw_name = basename($fw);
+    $fwbase_name->{$fw_name} = 1;
+
     next if $mod =~ m|^kernel/sound|;
     next if $mod =~ m|^kernel/drivers/isdn|;
 
@@ -400,4 +404,41 @@ while(defined(my $line = <$fd>)) {
 }
 close($fd);
 
-exit($error);
+exit($error) if $error;
+
+my $target_fw_string = `find '$target' -type f -o -type l`;
+chomp $target_fw_string;
+exit(-1) if !$target_fw_string;
+
+my $all_fw_files = [ split("\n", $target_fw_string) ];
+
+my ($keep, $delete) = (0, 0);
+
+my $link_target = {};
+for my $f (@$all_fw_files) {
+    next if ! -l $f;
+    my $link = basename($f);
+    my $file = readlink($f);
+    my $target = basename($file);
+    $link_target->{$target} = 1 if $fwbase_name->{$link};
+    $link_target->{$file} = 1 if $fwbase_name->{$link};
+}
+
+for my $f (@$all_fw_files) {
+    my $name = basename($f);
+
+    if ($fwbase_name->{$name}) {
+	$keep++;
+    } elsif ($link_target->{$name}) {
+	#print "skip link target '$f'\n";
+	$keep++;
+    } else {
+	print "delete unreferenced $f\n";
+	unlink $f or warn "ERROR deleting '$f' - $!\n";
+	$delete++;
+    }
+}
+
+print "cleanup end result: keep: $keep, delete: $delete\n";
+
+exit(0);