diff --git a/.github/workflows/wheel_image.yml b/.github/workflows/wheel_image.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3d2a097dd2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/wheel_image.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+name: Build custom Docker image for manylinux wheels
+
+on:
+  workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      base_image:
+        description: 'The base Docker image to use'
+        default: 'manylinux2014'
+        type: choice
+        options:
+          - 'manylinux2014'
+          - 'manylinux_2_28'
+          - 'manylinux_2_34'
+
+      upload:
+        description: 'Whether to upload (push) the image to the container registry'
+        default: 'false'
+        required: true
+        type: 'boolean'
+
+      container_registry:
+        description: 'The name of the container registry to upload the image to (only useful if used with upload=true)'
+        default: 'ghcr.io'
+        required: true
+        options:
+          - 'ghcr.io'
+          - 'docker.io'
+
+      tag:
+        description: 'The tag for the final Docker image'
+        default: 'latest-'
+        required: true
+
+jobs:
+  docker:
+    name: 'Create Docker image for manylinux wheels'
+    runs-on: ${{ matrix.base_image }}
+    strategy:
+      matrix:
+        include:
+          - platform: 'linux/amd64'
+            arch: 'x86_64'
+            base_image: 'ubuntu-22.04'
+          - platform: 'linux/arm64'
+            arch: 'aarch64'
+            base_image: 'ubuntu-22.04-arm'
+
+    steps:
+      - name: Login to Docker Hub
+        if: github.event.inputs.upload == 'true' && github.event.inputs.container_registry == 'docker.io'
+        uses: docker/login-action@v3
+        with:
+          username: ${{ vars.DOCKERHUB_USERNAME }}
+          password: ${{ secrets.DOCKERHUB_TOKEN }}
+
+      - name: Login to GitHub container registry
+        if: github.event.inputs.upload == 'true' && github.event.inputs.container_registry == 'ghcr.io'
+        uses: docker/login-action@v3
+        with:
+          registry: 'ghcr.io'
+          username: ${{ github.actor }}
+          password: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+
+      - name: Build and push
+        uses: docker/build-push-action@v6
+        with:
+          context: "{{defaultContext}}:packaging/python"
+          platforms: ${{ matrix.platform }}
+          push: ${{ github.event.inputs.upload }}
+          tags: ${{ github.event.inputs.container_registry }}/neuronsimulator/neuron_wheel:${{ github.event.inputs.tag }}${{ github.event.inputs.base_image }}_${{ matrix.arch }}
+          build-args: |
+            MANYLINUX_IMAGE=${{ github.event.inputs.base_image }}_${{ matrix.arch }}
diff --git a/packaging/python/Dockerfile b/packaging/python/Dockerfile
index 36c7d0ad4f..95931335cc 100644
--- a/packaging/python/Dockerfile
+++ b/packaging/python/Dockerfile
@@ -93,4 +93,7 @@ COPY Dockerfile .
 # build wheels from there
 WORKDIR /root
 
+# remove Python 3.13t since we do not support the free-threaded build yet
+RUN rm -fr /opt/python/cp313-cp313t
+
 ENV NMODL_PYLIB=/nrnwheel/python/lib/libpython3.10.so.1.0