diff --git a/include/rootfs.mk b/include/rootfs.mk
index 26f249d818..ebf4e40683 100644
--- a/include/rootfs.mk
+++ b/include/rootfs.mk
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ define prepare_rootfs
 		cd $(1); \
 		if [ -n "$(CONFIG_USE_APK)" ]; then \
 			IPKG_POSTINST_PATH=./lib/apk/db/*.post-install; \
-			$(STAGING_DIR_HOST)/bin/tar -C ./lib/apk/db/ -xf ./lib/apk/db/scripts.tar --wildcards "*.post-install"; \
+			$(STAGING_DIR_HOST)/bin/tar -C ./lib/apk/db/ -xzf ./lib/apk/db/scripts.tar.gz --wildcards "*.post-install"; \
 		else \
 			IPKG_POSTINST_PATH=./usr/lib/opkg/info/*.postinst; \
 		fi; \
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ define prepare_rootfs
 				echo "postinst script $$script has failed with exit code $$ret" >&2; \
 				exit 1; \
 			fi; \
-			[ -n "$(CONFIG_USE_APK)" ] && $(STAGING_DIR_HOST)/bin/tar --delete -f ./lib/apk/db/scripts.tar $$(basename $$script); \
+			[ -n "$(CONFIG_USE_APK)" ] && $(STAGING_DIR_HOST)/bin/tar --delete -zf ./lib/apk/db/scripts.tar.gz $$(basename $$script); \
 		done; \
 		if [ -z "$(CONFIG_USE_APK)" ]; then \
 			$(if $(IB),,awk -i inplace \
diff --git a/package/system/apk/Makefile b/package/system/apk/Makefile
index 53a9a6c006..3e4f0c1466 100644
--- a/package/system/apk/Makefile
+++ b/package/system/apk/Makefile
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 include $(TOPDIR)/rules.mk
 
 PKG_NAME:=apk
-PKG_RELEASE:=1
+PKG_RELEASE:=2
 
 PKG_SOURCE_URL=https://gitlab.alpinelinux.org/alpine/apk-tools.git
 PKG_SOURCE_PROTO:=git
diff --git a/package/system/apk/patches/999-small-scripts-tar.patch b/package/system/apk/patches/999-small-scripts-tar.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ff93e821eb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/package/system/apk/patches/999-small-scripts-tar.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+diff --git a/doc/apk.8.scd b/doc/apk.8.scd
+index bd15fe75d7a4..cbac8c6c8b7b 100644
+--- a/doc/apk.8.scd
++++ b/doc/apk.8.scd
+@@ -461,7 +461,8 @@ timeout 120
+ */lib/apk/db/installed*
+ 	Database of installed packages and their contents.
+ 
+-*/lib/apk/db/scripts.tar*
++*/lib/apk/db/scripts.tar*++
++*/lib/apk/db/scripts.tar.gz*
+ 	Collection of all package scripts from currently installed packages.
+ 
+ */lib/apk/db/triggers*
+diff --git a/src/apk_database.h b/src/apk_database.h
+index 9f8670ac8ebb..10f1414c9e06 100644
+--- a/src/apk_database.h
++++ b/src/apk_database.h
+@@ -202,6 +202,7 @@ struct apk_database {
+ 	unsigned int compat_depversions : 1;
+ 	unsigned int sorted_names : 1;
+ 	unsigned int sorted_installed_packages : 1;
++	unsigned int scripts_tar : 1;
+ 
+ 	struct apk_dependency_array *world;
+ 	struct apk_id_cache *id_cache;
+diff --git a/src/database.c b/src/database.c
+index cbe58ebbf885..cb1b709140af 100644
+--- a/src/database.c
++++ b/src/database.c
+@@ -1255,8 +1255,11 @@ static int apk_db_read_layer(struct apk_database *db, unsigned layer)
+ 	}
+ 
+ 	if (!(flags & APK_OPENF_NO_SCRIPTS)) {
+-		r = apk_tar_parse(apk_istream_from_file(fd, "scripts.tar"),
+-				  apk_read_script_archive_entry, db, db->id_cache);
++		struct apk_istream *is = apk_istream_from_file(fd, "scripts.tar");
++		if (!IS_ERR(is) || PTR_ERR(is) != -ENOENT) db->scripts_tar = 1;
++		else is = apk_istream_gunzip(apk_istream_from_file(fd, "scripts.tar.gz"));
++
++		r = apk_tar_parse(is, apk_read_script_archive_entry, db, db->id_cache);
+ 		if (!ret && r != -ENOENT) ret = r;
+ 	}
+ 
+@@ -2128,8 +2131,9 @@ static int apk_db_write_layers(struct apk_database *db)
+ 			continue;
+ 		}
+ 		ld->installed = apk_ostream_to_file(ld->fd, "installed", 0644);
+-		ld->scripts   = apk_ostream_to_file(ld->fd, "scripts.tar", 0644);
+ 		ld->triggers  = apk_ostream_to_file(ld->fd, "triggers", 0644);
++		if (db->scripts_tar) ld->scripts = apk_ostream_to_file(ld->fd, "scripts.tar", 0644);
++		else ld->scripts = apk_ostream_gzip(apk_ostream_to_file(ld->fd, "scripts.tar.gz", 0644));
+ 
+ 		if (i == APK_DB_LAYER_ROOT)
+ 			os = apk_ostream_to_file(db->root_fd, apk_world_file, 0644);