diff --git a/internal/disk/disk_test.go b/internal/disk/disk_test.go
index 499f70fe5..9b5fa451a 100644
--- a/internal/disk/disk_test.go
+++ b/internal/disk/disk_test.go
@@ -471,3 +471,105 @@ func TestClone(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+func TestFindDirectoryPartition(t *testing.T) {
+	assert := assert.New(t)
+	usr := Partition{
+		Type: FilesystemDataGUID,
+		UUID: RootPartitionUUID,
+		Payload: &Filesystem{
+			Type:         "xfs",
+			Label:        "root",
+			Mountpoint:   "/usr",
+			FSTabOptions: "defaults",
+			FSTabFreq:    0,
+			FSTabPassNo:  0,
+		},
+	}
+
+	{
+		pt := testPartitionTables["plain"]
+		assert.Equal("/", pt.findDirectoryEntityPath("/opt")[0].(Mountable).GetMountpoint())
+		assert.Equal("/boot/efi", pt.findDirectoryEntityPath("/boot/efi/Linux")[0].(Mountable).GetMountpoint())
+		assert.Equal("/boot", pt.findDirectoryEntityPath("/boot/loader")[0].(Mountable).GetMountpoint())
+		assert.Equal("/boot", pt.findDirectoryEntityPath("/boot")[0].(Mountable).GetMountpoint())
+
+		ptMod := pt.Clone().(*PartitionTable)
+		ptMod.Partitions = append(ptMod.Partitions, usr)
+		assert.Equal("/", ptMod.findDirectoryEntityPath("/opt")[0].(Mountable).GetMountpoint())
+		assert.Equal("/usr", ptMod.findDirectoryEntityPath("/usr")[0].(Mountable).GetMountpoint())
+		assert.Equal("/usr", ptMod.findDirectoryEntityPath("/usr/bin")[0].(Mountable).GetMountpoint())
+
+		// invalid dir should return nil
+		assert.Nil(pt.findDirectoryEntityPath("invalid"))
+	}
+
+	{
+		pt := testPartitionTables["plain-noboot"]
+		assert.Equal("/", pt.findDirectoryEntityPath("/opt")[0].(Mountable).GetMountpoint())
+		assert.Equal("/", pt.findDirectoryEntityPath("/boot")[0].(Mountable).GetMountpoint())
+		assert.Equal("/", pt.findDirectoryEntityPath("/boot/loader")[0].(Mountable).GetMountpoint())
+
+		ptMod := pt.Clone().(*PartitionTable)
+		ptMod.Partitions = append(ptMod.Partitions, usr)
+		assert.Equal("/", ptMod.findDirectoryEntityPath("/opt")[0].(Mountable).GetMountpoint())
+		assert.Equal("/usr", ptMod.findDirectoryEntityPath("/usr")[0].(Mountable).GetMountpoint())
+		assert.Equal("/usr", ptMod.findDirectoryEntityPath("/usr/bin")[0].(Mountable).GetMountpoint())
+
+		// invalid dir should return nil
+		assert.Nil(pt.findDirectoryEntityPath("invalid"))
+	}
+
+	{
+		pt := testPartitionTables["luks"]
+		assert.Equal("/", pt.findDirectoryEntityPath("/opt")[0].(Mountable).GetMountpoint())
+		assert.Equal("/boot", pt.findDirectoryEntityPath("/boot")[0].(Mountable).GetMountpoint())
+		assert.Equal("/boot", pt.findDirectoryEntityPath("/boot/loader")[0].(Mountable).GetMountpoint())
+
+		ptMod := pt.Clone().(*PartitionTable)
+		ptMod.Partitions = append(ptMod.Partitions, usr)
+		assert.Equal("/", ptMod.findDirectoryEntityPath("/opt")[0].(Mountable).GetMountpoint())
+		assert.Equal("/usr", ptMod.findDirectoryEntityPath("/usr")[0].(Mountable).GetMountpoint())
+		assert.Equal("/usr", ptMod.findDirectoryEntityPath("/usr/bin")[0].(Mountable).GetMountpoint())
+
+		// invalid dir should return nil
+		assert.Nil(pt.findDirectoryEntityPath("invalid"))
+	}
+
+	{
+		pt := testPartitionTables["luks+lvm"]
+		assert.Equal("/", pt.findDirectoryEntityPath("/opt")[0].(Mountable).GetMountpoint())
+		assert.Equal("/boot", pt.findDirectoryEntityPath("/boot")[0].(Mountable).GetMountpoint())
+		assert.Equal("/boot", pt.findDirectoryEntityPath("/boot/loader")[0].(Mountable).GetMountpoint())
+
+		ptMod := pt.Clone().(*PartitionTable)
+		ptMod.Partitions = append(ptMod.Partitions, usr)
+		assert.Equal("/", ptMod.findDirectoryEntityPath("/opt")[0].(Mountable).GetMountpoint())
+		assert.Equal("/usr", ptMod.findDirectoryEntityPath("/usr")[0].(Mountable).GetMountpoint())
+		assert.Equal("/usr", ptMod.findDirectoryEntityPath("/usr/bin")[0].(Mountable).GetMountpoint())
+
+		// invalid dir should return nil
+		assert.Nil(pt.findDirectoryEntityPath("invalid"))
+	}
+
+	{
+		pt := testPartitionTables["btrfs"]
+		assert.Equal("/", pt.findDirectoryEntityPath("/opt")[0].(Mountable).GetMountpoint())
+		assert.Equal("/boot", pt.findDirectoryEntityPath("/boot")[0].(Mountable).GetMountpoint())
+		assert.Equal("/boot", pt.findDirectoryEntityPath("/boot/loader")[0].(Mountable).GetMountpoint())
+
+		ptMod := pt.Clone().(*PartitionTable)
+		ptMod.Partitions = append(ptMod.Partitions, usr)
+		assert.Equal("/", ptMod.findDirectoryEntityPath("/opt")[0].(Mountable).GetMountpoint())
+		assert.Equal("/usr", ptMod.findDirectoryEntityPath("/usr")[0].(Mountable).GetMountpoint())
+		assert.Equal("/usr", ptMod.findDirectoryEntityPath("/usr/bin")[0].(Mountable).GetMountpoint())
+
+		// invalid dir should return nil
+		assert.Nil(pt.findDirectoryEntityPath("invalid"))
+	}
+
+	{
+		pt := PartitionTable{} // pt with no root should return nil
+		assert.Nil(pt.findDirectoryEntityPath("/var"))
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/disk/partition_table.go b/internal/disk/partition_table.go
index 88ad5f82a..9a94bcad2 100644
--- a/internal/disk/partition_table.go
+++ b/internal/disk/partition_table.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package disk
 import (
 	"fmt"
 	"math/rand"
+	"path/filepath"
 
 	"github.com/google/uuid"
 	"github.com/osbuild/osbuild-composer/internal/blueprint"
@@ -161,6 +162,21 @@ func (pt *PartitionTable) EnsureSize(s uint64) bool {
 	return false
 }
 
+func (pt *PartitionTable) findDirectoryEntityPath(dir string) []Entity {
+	if path := entityPath(pt, dir); path != nil {
+		return path
+	}
+
+	parent := filepath.Dir(dir)
+	if dir == parent {
+		// invalid dir or pt has no root
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	// move up the directory path and check again
+	return pt.findDirectoryEntityPath(parent)
+}
+
 func (pt *PartitionTable) CreateMountpoint(mountpoint string, size uint64) (Entity, error) {
 	filesystem := Filesystem{
 		Type:         "xfs",