diff --git a/images/scripts/lib/bootc.Containerfile b/images/scripts/lib/bootc.Containerfile
index 08846037a7..c3b04f4b02 100644
--- a/images/scripts/lib/bootc.Containerfile
+++ b/images/scripts/lib/bootc.Containerfile
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ FROM $base_image
 
 # pre-install the distro version, which is useful for testing extensions and manual experiments
 RUN \
+    dnf update -y --exclude='kernel*' && \
     dnf install -y --setopt install_weak_deps=False cockpit-system cockpit-networkmanager && \
     dnf clean all