diff --git a/build-package.sh b/build-package.sh
index 0f95597d1..6773ea023 100755
--- a/build-package.sh
+++ b/build-package.sh
@@ -383,10 +383,10 @@ while (($# > 0)); do
 		termux_step_install_license
 		cd "$TERMUX_PKG_MASSAGEDIR"
 		termux_step_extract_into_massagedir
-		cd "$TERMUX_PKG_MASSAGEDIR"
 		termux_step_massage
 		cd "$TERMUX_PKG_MASSAGEDIR/$TERMUX_PREFIX"
 		termux_step_post_massage
+		cd "$TERMUX_PKG_MASSAGEDIR"
 		termux_step_create_datatar
 		termux_step_create_debfile
 		termux_step_finish_build
diff --git a/scripts/build/termux_step_create_datatar.sh b/scripts/build/termux_step_create_datatar.sh
index 43206f72d..2f0386087 100644
--- a/scripts/build/termux_step_create_datatar.sh
+++ b/scripts/build/termux_step_create_datatar.sh
@@ -1,20 +1,7 @@
 termux_step_create_datatar() {
-	# Create data tarball containing files to package:
-	cd "$TERMUX_PKG_MASSAGEDIR"
-
-	local HARDLINKS
-	HARDLINKS="$(find . -type f -links +1)"
-	if [ -n "$HARDLINKS" ]; then
-		termux_error_exit "Package contains hard links: $HARDLINKS"
-	fi
-
 	if [ "$TERMUX_PKG_METAPACKAGE" = "true" ]; then
 		# Metapackage doesn't have data inside.
 		rm -rf data
-	else
-		if [ "$(find . -type f)" = "" ]; then
-			termux_error_exit "No files in package"
-		fi
 	fi
 
 	tar -cJf "$TERMUX_PKG_PACKAGEDIR/data.tar.xz" -H gnu .
diff --git a/scripts/build/termux_step_massage.sh b/scripts/build/termux_step_massage.sh
index a5dbf7656..787310311 100644
--- a/scripts/build/termux_step_massage.sh
+++ b/scripts/build/termux_step_massage.sh
@@ -66,6 +66,19 @@ termux_step_massage() {
 		done < <(find share/man -type l ! -iname \*.gz -print0)
 	fi
 
+	# Check so files were actually installed. Exclude
+	# share/doc/$TERMUX_PKG_NAME/ as a license file is always
+	# installed there.
+	if [ "$(find . -type f -not -path "./share/doc/$TERMUX_PKG_NAME/*")" = "" ]; then
+		termux_error_exit "No files in package. Maybe you need to run autoreconf -fi before configuring?"
+	fi
+
+	local HARDLINKS
+	HARDLINKS="$(find . -type f -links +1)"
+	if [ -n "$HARDLINKS" ]; then
+		termux_error_exit "Package contains hard links: $HARDLINKS"
+	fi
+
 	termux_create_subpackages
 
 	# .. remove empty directories (NOTE: keep this last):