diff --git a/gnu/build/image.scm b/gnu/build/image.scm
index e8df5866a7..e7b0418182 100644
--- a/gnu/build/image.scm
+++ b/gnu/build/image.scm
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ (define* (make-ext-image partition target root
         (uuid (partition-uuid partition))
         (journal-options "lazy_itable_init=1,lazy_journal_init=1"))
     (apply invoke
-           `("mke2fs" "-t" ,fs "-d" ,root
+           `("fakeroot" "mke2fs" "-t" ,fs "-d" ,root
              "-L" ,label "-U" ,(uuid->string uuid)
              "-E" ,(format #f "root_owner=~a:~a,~a"
                            owner-uid owner-gid journal-options)
@@ -93,7 +93,8 @@ (define* (make-vfat-image partition target root)
   "Handle the creation of VFAT partition images.  See 'make-partition-image'."
   (let ((size (partition-size partition))
         (label (partition-label partition)))
-    (invoke "mkdosfs" "-n" label "-C" target "-F" "16" "-S" "1024"
+    (invoke "fakeroot" "mkdosfs" "-n" label "-C" target
+            "-F" "16" "-S" "1024"
             (size-in-kib
              (if (eq? size 'guess)
                  (estimate-partition-size root)
diff --git a/gnu/system/image.scm b/gnu/system/image.scm
index 9f210d9f0f..43217ddf86 100644
--- a/gnu/system/image.scm
+++ b/gnu/system/image.scm
@@ -255,18 +255,24 @@ (define (partition-image partition)
              (graph (match inputs
                       (((names . _) ...)
                        names)))
-             (root-builder
+             (type (partition-file-system partition))
+             (image-builder
               (with-imported-modules*
-               (let* ((initializer #$(partition-initializer partition)))
+               (let ((initializer #$(partition-initializer partition))
+                     (inputs '#+(list e2fsprogs fakeroot dosfstools mtools
+                                      sed coreutils))
+                     (image-root "tmp-root"))
                  (sql-schema #$schema)
 
+                 (set-path-environment-variable "PATH" '("bin" "sbin") inputs)
+
                  ;; Allow non-ASCII file names--e.g., 'nss-certs'--to be
                  ;; decoded.
                  (setenv "GUIX_LOCPATH"
                          #+(file-append glibc-utf8-locales "/lib/locale"))
                  (setlocale LC_ALL "en_US.utf8")
 
-                 (initializer #$output
+                 (initializer image-root
                               #:references-graphs '#$graph
                               #:deduplicate? #f
                               #:system-directory #$os
@@ -277,19 +283,12 @@ (define (partition-image partition)
                               #+(bootloader-installer bootloader)
                               #:bootcfg #$bootcfg
                               #:bootcfg-location
-                              #$(bootloader-configuration-file bootloader)))))
-             (image-root
-              (computed-file "partition-image-root" root-builder
-                             #:options `(#:references-graphs ,inputs)))
-             (type (partition-file-system partition))
-             (image-builder
-              (with-imported-modules*
-               (let ((inputs '#+(list e2fsprogs dosfstools mtools)))
-                 (set-path-environment-variable "PATH" '("bin" "sbin") inputs)
+                              #$(bootloader-configuration-file bootloader))
                  (make-partition-image #$(partition->gexp partition)
                                        #$output
-                                       #$image-root)))))
-        (computed-file "partition.img" image-builder)))
+                                       image-root)))))
+        (computed-file "partition.img" image-builder
+                       #:options `(#:references-graphs ,inputs))))
 
     (define (partition->config partition)
       ;; Return the genimage partition configuration for PARTITION.