diff --git a/internal/manifest/anaconda.go b/internal/manifest/anaconda.go
index 0c2df4286..c49d0ab5e 100644
--- a/internal/manifest/anaconda.go
+++ b/internal/manifest/anaconda.go
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ type AnacondaPipeline struct {
 
 	repos        []rpmmd.RepoConfig
 	packageSpecs []rpmmd.PackageSpec
+	kernelName   string
 	kernelVer    string
 	arch         string
 	product      string
@@ -46,12 +47,11 @@ func NewAnacondaPipeline(buildPipeline *BuildPipeline,
 	arch,
 	product,
 	version string) *AnacondaPipeline {
-	kernelVer := rpmmd.GetVerStrFromPackageSpecListPanic(packages, kernelName)
 	p := &AnacondaPipeline{
 		BasePipeline: NewBasePipeline("anaconda-tree", buildPipeline, nil),
 		repos:        repos,
 		packageSpecs: packages,
-		kernelVer:    kernelVer,
+		kernelName:   kernelName,
 		arch:         arch,
 		product:      product,
 		version:      version,
@@ -74,6 +74,20 @@ func (p *AnacondaPipeline) getPackageSpecs() []rpmmd.PackageSpec {
 	return p.packageSpecs
 }
 
+func (p *AnacondaPipeline) serializeStart() {
+	if p.kernelVer != "" {
+		panic("double call to serializeStart()")
+	}
+	p.kernelVer = rpmmd.GetVerStrFromPackageSpecListPanic(p.packageSpecs, p.kernelName)
+}
+
+func (p *AnacondaPipeline) serializeEnd() {
+	if p.kernelVer == "" {
+		panic("serializeEnd() call when serialization not in progress")
+	}
+	p.kernelVer = ""
+}
+
 func (p *AnacondaPipeline) serialize() osbuild2.Pipeline {
 	pipeline := p.BasePipeline.serialize()
 
diff --git a/internal/manifest/manifest.go b/internal/manifest/manifest.go
index 227871614..5225139a0 100644
--- a/internal/manifest/manifest.go
+++ b/internal/manifest/manifest.go
@@ -79,9 +79,15 @@ func (m Manifest) Serialize() (distro.Manifest, error) {
 	}
 
 	pipelines := make([]osbuild2.Pipeline, 0)
+	for _, pipeline := range m.pipelines {
+		pipeline.serializeStart()
+	}
 	for _, pipeline := range m.pipelines {
 		pipelines = append(pipelines, pipeline.serialize())
 	}
+	for _, pipeline := range m.pipelines {
+		pipeline.serializeEnd()
+	}
 
 	return json.Marshal(
 		osbuild2.Manifest{
diff --git a/internal/manifest/os.go b/internal/manifest/os.go
index 5486e2620..65088df4f 100644
--- a/internal/manifest/os.go
+++ b/internal/manifest/os.go
@@ -92,6 +92,7 @@ type OSPipeline struct {
 	partitionTable *disk.PartitionTable
 	bootLoader     BootLoader
 	grubLegacy     string
+	kernelName     string
 	kernelVer      string
 }
 
@@ -115,10 +116,6 @@ func NewOSPipeline(buildPipeline *BuildPipeline,
 	if osTree {
 		name = "ostree-tree"
 	}
-	var kernelVer string
-	if kernelName != "" {
-		kernelVer = rpmmd.GetVerStrFromPackageSpecListPanic(packages, kernelName)
-	}
 	p := &OSPipeline{
 		BasePipeline:   NewBasePipeline(name, buildPipeline, nil),
 		osTree:         osTree,
@@ -129,7 +126,7 @@ func NewOSPipeline(buildPipeline *BuildPipeline,
 		partitionTable: partitionTable,
 		bootLoader:     bootLoader,
 		grubLegacy:     grubLegacy,
-		kernelVer:      kernelVer,
+		kernelName:     kernelName,
 		Language:       "C.UTF-8",
 		Hostname:       "localhost.localdomain",
 		Timezone:       "UTC",
@@ -174,6 +171,26 @@ func (p *OSPipeline) getPackageSpecs() []rpmmd.PackageSpec {
 	return p.packageSpecs
 }
 
+func (p *OSPipeline) serializeStart() {
+	if p.kernelName == "" {
+		return
+	}
+	if p.kernelVer != "" {
+		panic("double call to serializeStart()")
+	}
+	p.kernelVer = rpmmd.GetVerStrFromPackageSpecListPanic(p.packageSpecs, p.kernelName)
+}
+
+func (p *OSPipeline) serializeEnd() {
+	if p.kernelName == "" {
+		return
+	}
+	if p.kernelVer == "" {
+		panic("serializeEnd() call when serialization not in progress")
+	}
+	p.kernelVer = ""
+}
+
 func (p *OSPipeline) serialize() osbuild2.Pipeline {
 	pipeline := p.BasePipeline.serialize()
 
diff --git a/internal/manifest/pipeline.go b/internal/manifest/pipeline.go
index 6831f0085..d23dbbdd2 100644
--- a/internal/manifest/pipeline.go
+++ b/internal/manifest/pipeline.go
@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@ type Pipeline interface {
 	Name() string
 	getBuildPackages() []string
 	getPackageSetChain() []rpmmd.PackageSet
+	serializeStart()
+	serializeEnd()
 	serialize() osbuild2.Pipeline
 	getPackageSpecs() []rpmmd.PackageSpec
 	getOSTreeCommits() []osTreeCommit
@@ -79,6 +81,16 @@ func NewBasePipeline(name string, build *BuildPipeline, runner *string) BasePipe
 	return p
 }
 
+// serializeStart must be called exactly once before each call
+// to serialize().
+func (p BasePipeline) serializeStart() {
+}
+
+// serializeEnd must be called exactly once after each call to
+// serialize().
+func (p BasePipeline) serializeEnd() {
+}
+
 // Serialize turns a given pipeline into an osbuild2.Pipeline object. This object is
 // meant to be treated as opaque and not to be modified further outside of the pipeline
 // package.