diff --git a/packages/systemd/Cargo.toml b/packages/systemd/Cargo.toml
index 1fd86b180db..32bc5a0d580 100644
--- a/packages/systemd/Cargo.toml
+++ b/packages/systemd/Cargo.toml
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ path = "../packages.rs"
 
 [package.metadata.build-package]
 releases-url = "https://github.com/systemd/systemd-stable/releases"
-package-features = ["unified-cgroup-hierarchy"]
 
 [[package.metadata.build-package.external-files]]
 url = "https://github.com/systemd/systemd-stable/archive/v252.22/systemd-stable-252.22.tar.gz"
diff --git a/packages/systemd/bootconfig-unified-cgroup-hierarchy.conf b/packages/systemd/bootconfig-unified-cgroup-hierarchy.conf
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..854630777af
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/systemd/bootconfig-unified-cgroup-hierarchy.conf
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+init.systemd.unified_cgroup_hierarchy = 1
diff --git a/packages/systemd/systemd.spec b/packages/systemd/systemd.spec
index ada97096ed3..129981f174b 100644
--- a/packages/systemd/systemd.spec
+++ b/packages/systemd/systemd.spec
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ Source3: journald.conf
 Source4: issue
 Source5: systemd-journald.conf
 Source6: systemd-sysusers.conf
+Source7: bootconfig-unified-cgroup-hierarchy.conf
 
 # Backport of upstream patches that make the netlink default timeout
 # configurable.  Bottlerocket carries this patch and configures the timeout in
@@ -102,6 +103,10 @@ Requires: %{_cross_os}libselinux
 Requires: %{_cross_os}libuuid
 Requires: %{_cross_os}libxcrypt
 
+# Only require a cgroup hierarchy package when building an image, not
+# for packages that need systemd-devel as a build dependency.
+Requires: (%{name}(cgroup-hierarchy) if %{_cross_os}metadata)
+
 %description
 %{summary}.
 
@@ -130,6 +135,24 @@ Summary: Files for resolved
 %description resolved
 %{summary}.
 
+%package hybrid-cgroup-hierarchy
+Summary: No-op dependency for hybrid cgroup hierarchy
+Provides: %{name}(cgroup-hierarchy)
+Requires: (%{_cross_os}image-feature(no-unified-cgroup-hierarchy) and %{name})
+Conflicts: (%{_cross_os}image-feature(unified-cgroup-hierarchy) or %{name}-unified-cgroup-hierarchy)
+
+%description hybrid-cgroup-hierarchy
+%{summary}.
+
+%package unified-cgroup-hierarchy
+Summary: Bootconfig snippet for unified cgroup hierarchy
+Provides: %{name}(cgroup-hierarchy)
+Requires: (%{_cross_os}image-feature(unified-cgroup-hierarchy) and %{name})
+Conflicts: (%{_cross_os}image-feature(no-unified-cgroup-hierarchy) or %{name}-hybrid-cgroup-hierarchy)
+
+%description unified-cgroup-hierarchy
+%{summary}.
+
 %prep
 %autosetup -n systemd-stable-%{version} -p1
 
@@ -204,11 +227,7 @@ CONFIGURE_OPTS=(
  -Dpkgconfigdatadir='%{_cross_pkgconfigdir}'
  -Dpkgconfiglibdir='%{_cross_pkgconfigdir}'
 
- %if %{with unified_cgroup_hierarchy}
- -Ddefault-hierarchy=unified
- %else
  -Ddefault-hierarchy=hybrid
- %endif
 
  -Dadm-group=false
  -Dwheel-group=false
@@ -321,6 +340,9 @@ rm -f %{buildroot}%{_cross_libdir}/systemd/{system,user}/graphical.target
 install -d %{buildroot}%{_cross_factorydir}%{_cross_sysconfdir}
 install -p -m 0644 %{S:4} %{buildroot}%{_cross_factorydir}%{_cross_sysconfdir}/issue
 
+install -d %{buildroot}%{_cross_bootconfigdir}
+install -p -m 0644 %{S:7} %{buildroot}%{_cross_bootconfigdir}/10-unified-cgroup-hierarchy.conf
+
 %files
 %license LICENSE.GPL2 LICENSE.LGPL2.1
 %{_cross_attribution_file}
@@ -509,4 +531,9 @@ install -p -m 0644 %{S:4} %{buildroot}%{_cross_factorydir}%{_cross_sysconfdir}/i
 %exclude %{_cross_bindir}/systemd-resolve
 %exclude %{_cross_sbindir}/resolvconf
 
+%files hybrid-cgroup-hierarchy
+
+%files unified-cgroup-hierarchy
+%{_cross_bootconfigdir}/10-unified-cgroup-hierarchy.conf
+
 %changelog