diff --git a/meta/recipes-devtools/python/python3/deterministic_imports.patch b/meta/recipes-devtools/python/python3/deterministic_imports.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2de6ae2e98
--- /dev/null
+++ b/meta/recipes-devtools/python/python3/deterministic_imports.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+From 039d5e652796b55f1132afa568c7432b6ed89afd Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
+From: Richard Purdie <richard.purdie@linuxfoundation.org>
+Date: Fri, 27 May 2022 17:05:44 +0100
+Subject: [PATCH] python3: Ensure stale empty python module directories don't
+
+There are two issues here. Firstly, the modules are accessed in on disk order. This
+means behaviour seen on one system might not reproduce on another and is a real headache.
+
+Secondly, empty directories left behind by previous modules might be looked at. This
+has caused a long string of different issues for us.
+
+As a result, patch this to a behaviour which works for us.
+
+Upstream-Status: Submitted [https://github.com/python/cpython/issues/120492; need to first talk to upstream to see if they'll take one or both fixes]
+Signed-off-by: Richard Purdie <richard.purdie@linuxfoundation.org>
+
+---
+ Lib/importlib/metadata/__init__.py | 9 ++++++++-
+ 1 file changed, 8 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
+
+diff --git a/Lib/importlib/metadata/__init__.py b/Lib/importlib/metadata/__init__.py
+index 82e0ce1..969cac4 100644
+--- a/Lib/importlib/metadata/__init__.py
++++ b/Lib/importlib/metadata/__init__.py
+@@ -710,7 +710,14 @@ class Lookup:
+         self.infos = FreezableDefaultDict(list)
+         self.eggs = FreezableDefaultDict(list)
+ 
+-        for child in path.children():
++        for child in sorted(path.children()):
++            childpath = pathlib.Path(path.root, child)
++            try:
++                if childpath.is_dir() and not any(childpath.iterdir()):
++                    # Empty directories aren't interesting
++                    continue
++            except PermissionError:
++                continue
+             low = child.lower()
+             if low.endswith((".dist-info", ".egg-info")):
+                 # rpartition is faster than splitext and suitable for this purpose.
diff --git a/meta/recipes-devtools/python/python3_3.12.4.bb b/meta/recipes-devtools/python/python3_3.12.4.bb
index 743ba0b1f1..119fe10ca9 100644
--- a/meta/recipes-devtools/python/python3_3.12.4.bb
+++ b/meta/recipes-devtools/python/python3_3.12.4.bb
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ SRC_URI = "http://www.python.org/ftp/python/${PV}/Python-${PV}.tar.xz \
            file://makerace.patch \
            file://0001-sysconfig.py-use-platlibdir-also-for-purelib.patch \
            file://0001-Lib-pty.py-handle-stdin-I-O-errors-same-way-as-maste.patch \
+           file://deterministic_imports.patch \
            file://0001-Avoid-shebang-overflow-on-python-config.py.patch \
            file://0001-Update-test_sysconfig-for-posix_user-purelib.patch \
            file://0001-skip-no_stdout_fileno-test-due-to-load-variability.patch \