diff --git a/stages/org.osbuild.bootc.install-to-filesystem b/stages/org.osbuild.bootc.install-to-filesystem
index 530ac666..fde611d3 100755
--- a/stages/org.osbuild.bootc.install-to-filesystem
+++ b/stages/org.osbuild.bootc.install-to-filesystem
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 #!/usr/bin/python3
+import os
 import subprocess
 import sys
 import tempfile
@@ -12,6 +13,17 @@ def main(options, inputs, paths):
     assert len(images) == 1
     image = list(images.values())[0]
 
+    env = os.environ.copy()
+    # By default "bootc" will refuse to work on a non-selinux system if
+    # the bootc container requires selinux. This is a sensible approach
+    # in general but for us it's tricky because we want to be able to
+    # generate images when running on developer machines or CI machines
+    # that may not necessarily have selinux. So make bootc more relaxed.
+    #
+    # Can be dropped once https://github.com/containers/bootc/pull/420
+    # is available in all our downstreams.
+    env["BOOTC_SKIP_SELINUX_HOST_CHECK"] = "true"
+
     with containers.container_source(image) as (_, source):
         dst = paths["mounts"]
         pargs = ["bootc", "install", "to-filesystem",
@@ -30,7 +42,7 @@ def main(options, inputs, paths):
             pargs.extend(["--karg", karg])
         # add target and go
         pargs.append(dst)
-        subprocess.run(pargs, check=True)
+        subprocess.run(pargs, env=env, check=True)
 
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
diff --git a/stages/test/test_bootc_install_to_fs.py b/stages/test/test_bootc_install_to_fs.py
index be9c48aa..36c53975 100644
--- a/stages/test/test_bootc_install_to_fs.py
+++ b/stages/test/test_bootc_install_to_fs.py
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 import tempfile
 from contextlib import contextmanager
-from unittest.mock import Mock, call, patch
+from unittest.mock import Mock, patch
 
 import pytest
 
@@ -80,13 +80,15 @@ def test_bootc_install_to_fs(mock_run, mocked_named_tmp, mocked_temp_dir, stage_
     stage_module.main(options, inputs, paths)
 
     assert len(mock_run.call_args_list) == 1
-    assert mock_run.call_args_list == [
-        call(["bootc", "install", "to-filesystem",
-              "--source-imgref", f"oci-archive:{mocked_temp_dir}/image",
-              "--skip-fetch-check", "--generic-image",
-              ] + expected_args + ["/path/to/mounts"],
-             check=True)
-    ]
+    args, kwargs = mock_run.call_args_list[0]
+    assert args == (
+        ["bootc", "install", "to-filesystem",
+         "--source-imgref", f"oci-archive:{mocked_temp_dir}/image",
+         "--skip-fetch-check", "--generic-image",
+         ] + expected_args + ["/path/to/mounts"],
+    )
+    assert kwargs["check"] is True
+    assert kwargs["env"]["BOOTC_SKIP_SELINUX_HOST_CHECK"] == "true"
 
 
 @patch("subprocess.run")