diff --git a/internal/distro/distro_test.go b/internal/distro/distro_test.go
index 71c1d472f..4b17580b6 100644
--- a/internal/distro/distro_test.go
+++ b/internal/distro/distro_test.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package distro_test
 
 import (
+	"crypto/sha256"
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"strings"
@@ -167,7 +168,7 @@ func TestImageTypePipelineNames(t *testing.T) {
 					assert.NoError(err)
 
 					containers := make(map[string][]container.Spec, 0)
-					// "resolve" ostree commits by copying the source specs into commit specs
+
 					ostreeSources := m.GetOSTreeSourceSpecs()
 					commits := make(map[string][]ostree.CommitSpec, len(ostreeSources))
 					for name, commitSources := range ostreeSources {
@@ -176,7 +177,7 @@ func TestImageTypePipelineNames(t *testing.T) {
 							commitSpecs[idx] = ostree.CommitSpec{
 								Ref:      commitSource.Ref,
 								URL:      commitSource.URL,
-								Checksum: commitSource.Parent,
+								Checksum: fmt.Sprintf("%x", sha256.Sum256([]byte(commitSource.URL+commitSource.Ref))),
 							}
 						}
 						commits[name] = commitSpecs
diff --git a/internal/distro/test_distro/distro.go b/internal/distro/test_distro/distro.go
index d14b0b60f..681a82486 100644
--- a/internal/distro/test_distro/distro.go
+++ b/internal/distro/test_distro/distro.go
@@ -245,9 +245,17 @@ func (t *TestImageType) Manifest(b *blueprint.Blueprint, options distro.ImageOpt
 			Ref: defaultRef,
 		}
 		if ostreeOptions := options.OSTree; ostreeOptions != nil {
+			// handle the parameter combo error like we do in distros
+			if ostreeOptions.ParentRef != "" && ostreeOptions.URL == "" {
+				// specifying parent ref also requires URL
+				return nil, nil, ostree.NewParameterComboError("ostree parent ref specified, but no URL to retrieve it")
+			}
 			if ostreeOptions.ImageRef != "" { // override with ref from image options
 				ostreeSource.Ref = ostreeOptions.ImageRef
 			}
+			if ostreeOptions.ParentRef != "" { // override with parent ref
+				ostreeSource.Ref = ostreeOptions.ParentRef
+			}
 			// copy any other options that might be specified
 			ostreeSource.URL = options.OSTree.URL
 			ostreeSource.RHSM = options.OSTree.RHSM
diff --git a/internal/weldr/api_test.go b/internal/weldr/api_test.go
index 1e7328927..2f636ea7b 100644
--- a/internal/weldr/api_test.go
+++ b/internal/weldr/api_test.go
@@ -1165,7 +1165,7 @@ func TestCompose(t *testing.T) {
 			"/api/v1/compose",
 			fmt.Sprintf(`{"blueprint_name": "test","compose_type":"%s","branch":"master","ostree":{"ref":"refid","parent":"parentid","url":""}}`, test_distro.TestImageTypeOSTree),
 			http.StatusBadRequest,
-			`{"status": false, "errors":[{"id":"OSTreeOptionsError","msg":"ostree parent ref specified, but no URL to retrieve it"}]}`,
+			`{"status": false, "errors":[{"id":"ManifestCreationFailed","msg":"failed to initialize osbuild manifest: ostree parent ref specified, but no URL to retrieve it"}]}`,
 			expectedComposeOSTree,
 			[]string{"build_id", "warnings"},
 		},