diff --git a/cmd/image-builder/build.go b/cmd/image-builder/build.go
index d07316f..bddc9ad 100644
--- a/cmd/image-builder/build.go
+++ b/cmd/image-builder/build.go
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ type buildOptions struct {
 	StoreDir  string
 
 	WriteManifest bool
+	WriteBuildlog bool
 }
 
 func buildImage(pbar progress.ProgressBar, res *imagefilter.Result, osbuildManifest []byte, opts *buildOptions) error {
@@ -31,5 +32,19 @@ func buildImage(pbar progress.ProgressBar, res *imagefilter.Result, osbuildManif
 		}
 	}
 
-	return progress.RunOSBuild(pbar, osbuildManifest, opts.StoreDir, opts.OutputDir, res.ImgType.Exports(), nil)
+	osbuildOpts := &progress.OSBuildOptions{
+		StoreDir:  opts.StoreDir,
+		OutputDir: opts.OutputDir,
+	}
+	if opts.WriteBuildlog {
+		p := filepath.Join(opts.OutputDir, fmt.Sprintf("%s.buildlog", outputNameFor(res)))
+		f, err := os.Create(p)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		defer f.Close()
+
+		osbuildOpts.BuildLog = f
+	}
+	return progress.RunOSBuild(pbar, osbuildManifest, res.ImgType.Exports(), osbuildOpts)
 }
diff --git a/cmd/image-builder/main.go b/cmd/image-builder/main.go
index 33fe4b0..00c84b3 100644
--- a/cmd/image-builder/main.go
+++ b/cmd/image-builder/main.go
@@ -207,6 +207,11 @@ func cmdBuild(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
+	withBuildlog, err := cmd.Flags().GetBool("with-buildlog")
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
 	pbar, err := progressFromCmd(cmd)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -257,6 +262,7 @@ func cmdBuild(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 		OutputDir:     outputDir,
 		StoreDir:      cacheDir,
 		WriteManifest: withManifest,
+		WriteBuildlog: withBuildlog,
 	}
 	pbar.SetPulseMsgf("Image building step")
 	if err := buildImage(pbar, res, mf.Bytes(), buildOpts); err != nil {
@@ -379,6 +385,7 @@ operating systems like Fedora, CentOS and RHEL with easy customizations support.
 	}
 	buildCmd.Flags().AddFlagSet(manifestCmd.Flags())
 	buildCmd.Flags().Bool("with-manifest", false, `export osbuild manifest`)
+	buildCmd.Flags().Bool("with-buildlog", false, `export osbuild buildlog`)
 	// XXX: add --rpmmd cache too and put under /var/cache/image-builder/dnf
 	buildCmd.Flags().String("cache", "/var/cache/image-builder/store", `osbuild directory to cache intermediate build artifacts"`)
 	// XXX: add "--verbose" here, similar to how bib is doing this
diff --git a/cmd/image-builder/main_test.go b/cmd/image-builder/main_test.go
index 5ae0e74..d5d8f07 100644
--- a/cmd/image-builder/main_test.go
+++ b/cmd/image-builder/main_test.go
@@ -384,6 +384,9 @@ func TestBuildIntegrationArgs(t *testing.T) {
 		}, {
 			[]string{"--with-manifest"},
 			[]string{"centos-9-qcow2-x86_64.osbuild-manifest.json"},
+		}, {
+			[]string{"--with-buildlog"},
+			[]string{"centos-9-qcow2-x86_64.buildlog"},
 		}, {
 			[]string{"--with-sbom"},
 			[]string{"centos-9-qcow2-x86_64.buildroot-build.spdx.json",
@@ -416,7 +419,7 @@ func TestBuildIntegrationArgs(t *testing.T) {
 			defer fakeOsbuildCmd.Restore()
 
 			err := main.Run()
-			assert.NoError(t, err)
+			require.NoError(t, err)
 
 			// ensure output dir override works
 			osbuildCall := fakeOsbuildCmd.Calls()[0]
@@ -441,6 +444,7 @@ cat - > "$0".stdin
 echo "error on stdout"
 >&2 echo "error on stderr"
 
+sleep 0.1
 >&3 echo '{"message": "osbuild-stage-output"}'
 exit 1
 `
@@ -471,12 +475,61 @@ func TestBuildIntegrationErrorsProgressVerbose(t *testing.T) {
 	stdout, stderr := testutil.CaptureStdio(t, func() {
 		err = main.Run()
 	})
-	assert.EqualError(t, err, "running osbuild failed: exit status 1")
+	assert.EqualError(t, err, "error running osbuild: exit status 1")
 
 	assert.Contains(t, stdout, "error on stdout\n")
 	assert.Contains(t, stderr, "error on stderr\n")
 }
 
+func TestBuildIntegrationErrorsProgressVerboseWithBuildlog(t *testing.T) {
+	if testing.Short() {
+		t.Skip("manifest generation takes a while")
+	}
+	if !hasDepsolveDnf() {
+		t.Skip("no osbuild-depsolve-dnf binary found")
+	}
+
+	restore := main.MockNewRepoRegistry(testrepos.New)
+	defer restore()
+
+	outputDir := t.TempDir()
+	restore = main.MockOsArgs([]string{
+		"build",
+		"qcow2",
+		"--distro", "centos-9",
+		"--progress=verbose",
+		"--with-buildlog",
+		"--output-dir", outputDir,
+	})
+	defer restore()
+
+	failingOsbuild := `#!/bin/sh
+cat - > "$0".stdin
+echo "error on stdout"
+>&2 echo "error on stderr"
+exit 1
+`
+	fakeOsbuildCmd := testutil.MockCommand(t, "osbuild", failingOsbuild)
+	defer fakeOsbuildCmd.Restore()
+
+	var err error
+	stdout, _ := testutil.CaptureStdio(t, func() {
+		err = main.Run()
+	})
+	assert.EqualError(t, err, "error running osbuild: exit status 1")
+
+	// when the buildlog is used we do not get the direct output of
+	// osbuild on stderr, to avoid races everything goes via stdout
+	assert.Contains(t, stdout, "error on stdout\n")
+	assert.Contains(t, stdout, "error on stderr\n")
+
+	buildLog, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(outputDir, "centos-9-qcow2-x86_64.buildlog"))
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, string(buildLog), `error on stdout
+error on stderr
+`)
+}
+
 func TestBuildIntegrationErrorsProgressTerm(t *testing.T) {
 	if testing.Short() {
 		t.Skip("manifest generation takes a while")
@@ -488,30 +541,52 @@ func TestBuildIntegrationErrorsProgressTerm(t *testing.T) {
 	restore := main.MockNewRepoRegistry(testrepos.New)
 	defer restore()
 
-	restore = main.MockOsArgs([]string{
-		"build",
-		"qcow2",
-		"--distro", "centos-9",
-		"--progress=term",
-	})
-	defer restore()
+	for _, withBuildlog := range []bool{false, true} {
+		t.Run(fmt.Sprintf("with buildlog %v", withBuildlog), func(t *testing.T) {
+			outputDir := t.TempDir()
+			cmd := []string{
+				"build",
+				"qcow2",
+				"--distro", "centos-9",
+				"--progress=term",
+				"--output-dir", outputDir,
+			}
+			if withBuildlog {
+				cmd = append(cmd, "--with-buildlog")
+			}
+			restore = main.MockOsArgs(cmd)
+			defer restore()
 
-	fakeOsbuildCmd := testutil.MockCommand(t, "osbuild", failingOsbuild)
-	defer fakeOsbuildCmd.Restore()
+			fakeOsbuildCmd := testutil.MockCommand(t, "osbuild", failingOsbuild)
+			defer fakeOsbuildCmd.Restore()
 
-	var err error
-	stdout, stderr := testutil.CaptureStdio(t, func() {
-		err = main.Run()
-	})
-	assert.EqualError(t, err, `error running osbuild: exit status 1
+			var err error
+			stdout, stderr := testutil.CaptureStdio(t, func() {
+				err = main.Run()
+			})
+			assert.EqualError(t, err, `error running osbuild: exit status 1
 BuildLog:
 osbuild-stage-output
 Output:
 error on stdout
 error on stderr
 `)
-	assert.NotContains(t, stdout, "error on stdout")
-	assert.NotContains(t, stderr, "error on stderr")
+			assert.NotContains(t, stdout, "error on stdout")
+			assert.NotContains(t, stderr, "error on stderr")
+
+			if withBuildlog {
+				buildLog, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(outputDir, "centos-9-qcow2-x86_64.buildlog"))
+				assert.NoError(t, err)
+				assert.Equal(t, string(buildLog), `error on stdout
+error on stderr
+osbuild-stage-output
+`)
+			} else {
+				_, err := os.Stat(filepath.Join(outputDir, "centos-9-qcow2-x86_64.buildlog"))
+				assert.True(t, os.IsNotExist(err))
+			}
+		})
+	}
 }
 
 func TestManifestIntegrationWithSBOMWithOutputDir(t *testing.T) {