diff --git a/internal/distro/rhel85/pipelines.go b/internal/distro/rhel85/pipelines.go
index 285d308ea..f87e17e7c 100644
--- a/internal/distro/rhel85/pipelines.go
+++ b/internal/distro/rhel85/pipelines.go
@@ -1291,7 +1291,7 @@ func bootloaderInstStage(filename string, pt *disk.PartitionTable, arch *archite
 	}
 
 	if arch.name == distro.S390xArchName {
-		return osbuild.NewZiplInstStage(ziplInstStageOptions(kernelVer, pt), disk, devices, mounts)
+		return osbuild.NewZiplInstStage(osbuild.NewZiplInstStageOptions(kernelVer, pt), disk, devices, mounts)
 	}
 
 	return nil
diff --git a/internal/distro/rhel85/stage_options.go b/internal/distro/rhel85/stage_options.go
index 29e3ba7a1..4c299db36 100644
--- a/internal/distro/rhel85/stage_options.go
+++ b/internal/distro/rhel85/stage_options.go
@@ -349,18 +349,6 @@ func sfdiskStageOptions(pt *disk.PartitionTable) *osbuild.SfdiskStageOptions {
 	return stageOptions
 }
 
-func ziplInstStageOptions(kernel string, pt *disk.PartitionTable) *osbuild.ZiplInstStageOptions {
-	bootPartIndex := pt.BootPartitionIndex()
-	if bootPartIndex == -1 {
-		panic("failed to find boot or root partition for zipl.inst stage")
-	}
-
-	return &osbuild.ZiplInstStageOptions{
-		Kernel:   kernel,
-		Location: pt.BytesToSectors(pt.Partitions[bootPartIndex].Start),
-	}
-}
-
 func qemuStageOptions(filename, format, compat string) *osbuild.QEMUStageOptions {
 	var options osbuild.QEMUFormatOptions
 	switch format {
diff --git a/internal/distro/rhel86/pipelines.go b/internal/distro/rhel86/pipelines.go
index f44237ecf..0b2e954d9 100644
--- a/internal/distro/rhel86/pipelines.go
+++ b/internal/distro/rhel86/pipelines.go
@@ -1015,7 +1015,7 @@ func bootloaderInstStage(filename string, pt *disk.PartitionTable, arch *archite
 	}
 
 	if arch.name == distro.S390xArchName {
-		return osbuild.NewZiplInstStage(ziplInstStageOptions(kernelVer, pt), disk, devices, mounts)
+		return osbuild.NewZiplInstStage(osbuild.NewZiplInstStageOptions(kernelVer, pt), disk, devices, mounts)
 	}
 
 	return nil
diff --git a/internal/distro/rhel86/stage_options.go b/internal/distro/rhel86/stage_options.go
index 9779b1184..86ed91868 100644
--- a/internal/distro/rhel86/stage_options.go
+++ b/internal/distro/rhel86/stage_options.go
@@ -383,18 +383,6 @@ func sfdiskStageOptions(pt *disk.PartitionTable) *osbuild.SfdiskStageOptions {
 	return stageOptions
 }
 
-func ziplInstStageOptions(kernel string, pt *disk.PartitionTable) *osbuild.ZiplInstStageOptions {
-	bootPartIndex := pt.BootPartitionIndex()
-	if bootPartIndex == -1 {
-		panic("failed to find boot or root partition for zipl.inst stage")
-	}
-
-	return &osbuild.ZiplInstStageOptions{
-		Kernel:   kernel,
-		Location: pt.BytesToSectors(pt.Partitions[bootPartIndex].Start),
-	}
-}
-
 func qemuStageOptions(filename, format, compat string) *osbuild.QEMUStageOptions {
 	var options osbuild.QEMUFormatOptions
 	switch format {
diff --git a/internal/distro/rhel90/pipelines.go b/internal/distro/rhel90/pipelines.go
index 975e70994..b740d6916 100644
--- a/internal/distro/rhel90/pipelines.go
+++ b/internal/distro/rhel90/pipelines.go
@@ -1004,7 +1004,7 @@ func bootloaderInstStage(filename string, pt *disk.PartitionTable, arch *archite
 	}
 
 	if arch.name == distro.S390xArchName {
-		return osbuild.NewZiplInstStage(ziplInstStageOptions(kernelVer, pt), disk, devices, mounts)
+		return osbuild.NewZiplInstStage(osbuild.NewZiplInstStageOptions(kernelVer, pt), disk, devices, mounts)
 	}
 
 	return nil
diff --git a/internal/distro/rhel90/stage_options.go b/internal/distro/rhel90/stage_options.go
index d67874a56..447f1d14e 100644
--- a/internal/distro/rhel90/stage_options.go
+++ b/internal/distro/rhel90/stage_options.go
@@ -383,18 +383,6 @@ func sfdiskStageOptions(pt *disk.PartitionTable) *osbuild.SfdiskStageOptions {
 	return stageOptions
 }
 
-func ziplInstStageOptions(kernel string, pt *disk.PartitionTable) *osbuild.ZiplInstStageOptions {
-	bootPartIndex := pt.BootPartitionIndex()
-	if bootPartIndex == -1 {
-		panic("failed to find boot or root partition for zipl.inst stage")
-	}
-
-	return &osbuild.ZiplInstStageOptions{
-		Kernel:   kernel,
-		Location: pt.BytesToSectors(pt.Partitions[bootPartIndex].Start),
-	}
-}
-
 func qemuStageOptions(filename, format, compat string) *osbuild.QEMUStageOptions {
 	var options osbuild.QEMUFormatOptions
 	switch format {
diff --git a/internal/distro/rhel90beta/pipelines.go b/internal/distro/rhel90beta/pipelines.go
index b007d8c08..e7b7b549f 100644
--- a/internal/distro/rhel90beta/pipelines.go
+++ b/internal/distro/rhel90beta/pipelines.go
@@ -1091,7 +1091,7 @@ func bootloaderInstStage(filename string, pt *disk.PartitionTable, arch *archite
 	}
 
 	if arch.name == distro.S390xArchName {
-		return osbuild.NewZiplInstStage(ziplInstStageOptions(kernelVer, pt), disk, devices, mounts)
+		return osbuild.NewZiplInstStage(osbuild.NewZiplInstStageOptions(kernelVer, pt), disk, devices, mounts)
 	}
 
 	return nil
diff --git a/internal/distro/rhel90beta/stage_options.go b/internal/distro/rhel90beta/stage_options.go
index a573cc5b9..63c201064 100644
--- a/internal/distro/rhel90beta/stage_options.go
+++ b/internal/distro/rhel90beta/stage_options.go
@@ -328,18 +328,6 @@ func sfdiskStageOptions(pt *disk.PartitionTable) *osbuild.SfdiskStageOptions {
 	return stageOptions
 }
 
-func ziplInstStageOptions(kernel string, pt *disk.PartitionTable) *osbuild.ZiplInstStageOptions {
-	bootPartIndex := pt.BootPartitionIndex()
-	if bootPartIndex == -1 {
-		panic("failed to find boot or root partition for zipl.inst stage")
-	}
-
-	return &osbuild.ZiplInstStageOptions{
-		Kernel:   kernel,
-		Location: pt.BytesToSectors(pt.Partitions[bootPartIndex].Start),
-	}
-}
-
 func qemuStageOptions(filename, format, compat string) *osbuild.QEMUStageOptions {
 	var options osbuild.QEMUFormatOptions
 	switch format {
diff --git a/internal/osbuild2/zipl_inst_stage.go b/internal/osbuild2/zipl_inst_stage.go
index 8f2eb4ebc..40e68cec3 100644
--- a/internal/osbuild2/zipl_inst_stage.go
+++ b/internal/osbuild2/zipl_inst_stage.go
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 package osbuild2
 
+import "github.com/osbuild/osbuild-composer/internal/disk"
+
 // Install the Z Initial Program Loader
 
 type ZiplInstStageOptions struct {
@@ -27,3 +29,37 @@ func NewZiplInstStage(options *ZiplInstStageOptions, disk *Device, devices *Devi
 		Mounts:  *mounts,
 	}
 }
+
+func NewZiplInstStageOptions(kernel string, pt *disk.PartitionTable) *ZiplInstStageOptions {
+	bootIdx := -1
+	rootIdx := -1
+	for idx := range pt.Partitions {
+		// NOTE: we only support having /boot at the top level of the partition
+		// table (e.g., not in LUKS or LVM), so we don't need to descend into
+		// VolumeContainer types. If /boot is on the root partition, then the
+		// root partition needs to be at the top level.
+		partition := &pt.Partitions[idx]
+		if partition.Payload == nil {
+			continue
+		}
+		if partition.Payload.GetMountpoint() == "/boot" {
+			bootIdx = idx
+		} else if partition.Payload.GetMountpoint() == "/" {
+			rootIdx = idx
+		}
+	}
+	if bootIdx == -1 {
+		// if there's no boot partition, fall back to root
+		if rootIdx == -1 {
+			// no root either!?
+			panic("failed to find boot or root partition for zipl.inst stage")
+		}
+		bootIdx = rootIdx
+	}
+
+	bootPart := pt.Partitions[bootIdx]
+	return &ZiplInstStageOptions{
+		Kernel:   kernel,
+		Location: pt.BytesToSectors(bootPart.Start),
+	}
+}