diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index c77f2d5cb..d307f4a3e 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ all-test:
 
 install:
 	install -D -m 0755 -t $(DESTDIR)$(prefix)/bin target/release/bootc
-	install -D -m 0644 -t $(DESTDIR)$(prefix)/lib/bootc/install lib/src/install/*.toml
+	install -d $(DESTDIR)$(prefix)/lib/bootc/install
 	if test -d man; then install -D -m 0644 -t $(DESTDIR)$(prefix)/share/man/man8 man/*.8; fi
 
 bin-archive: all
diff --git a/docs/install.md b/docs/install.md
index c168e4776..c51b29723 100644
--- a/docs/install.md
+++ b/docs/install.md
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ other options.
 Here's an example:
 
 ```
-$ podman run --privileged --pid=host --net=none --security-opt label=type:unconfined_t ghcr.io/cgwalters/c9s-oscore bootc install --target-no-signature-verification /path/to/disk
+$ podman run --privileged --pid=host --net=none --security-opt label=type:unconfined_t <image> bootc install --target-no-signature-verification /path/to/disk
 ```
 
 Note that while `--privileged` is used, this command will not
@@ -58,6 +58,23 @@ an installation by default is not fetching anything else external
 from the network - the content to be installed
 *is the running container image content*.
 
+### Operating system install configuration required
+
+The container image must define its default install configuration.  For example,
+create `/usr/lib/bootc/install/00-exampleos.toml` with the contents:
+
+```
+[install]
+root-fs-type = "xfs"
+```
+
+At the current time, `root-fs-type` is the only available configuration option, and it must be set.
+
+Configuration files found in this directory will be merged, with higher alphanumeric values
+taking precedence.  If for example you are building a derived container image from the above OS,
+you coudl create a `50-myos.toml`  that sets `root-fs-type = "btrfs"` which will override the
+prior setting.
+
 ### Note: Today `bootc install` has a host requirement on `skopeo`
 
 The one exception to host requirements today is that the host must
@@ -110,7 +127,7 @@ The `AuthorizedKeysFile` invocation below then configures sshd to look
 for keys in this location.
 
 ```
-FROM ghcr.io/cgwalters/c9s-oscore
+FROM <image>
 RUN mkdir -p /usr/etc-system/ && \
     echo 'AuthorizedKeysFile /usr/etc-system/%u.keys' >> /etc/ssh/sshd_config.d/30-auth-system.conf && \
     echo 'ssh-ed25519 AAAAC3Nza... root@example.com' > /usr/etc-system/root.keys && chmod 0600 /usr/etc-system/keys && \
diff --git a/lib/src/install.rs b/lib/src/install.rs
index 32b632a89..f8d6b3014 100644
--- a/lib/src/install.rs
+++ b/lib/src/install.rs
@@ -405,15 +405,20 @@ pub(crate) mod config {
                 config = c.install;
             }
         }
-        config.ok_or_else(|| anyhow::anyhow!("Failed to find any installation config files"))
+        config.ok_or_else(|| anyhow::anyhow!("No bootc/install config found; this operating system must define a default configuration to be installable"))
     }
 
     #[test]
     /// Verify that we can parse our default config file
     fn test_parse_config() {
         use super::baseline::Filesystem;
-        let buf = include_str!("install/00-defaults.toml");
-        let c: InstallConfigurationToplevel = toml::from_str(buf).unwrap();
+
+        let c: InstallConfigurationToplevel = toml::from_str(
+            r##"[install]
+root-fs-type = "xfs"
+"##,
+        )
+        .unwrap();
         let mut install = c.install.unwrap();
         assert_eq!(install.root_fs_type.unwrap(), Filesystem::Xfs);
         let other = InstallConfigurationToplevel {
diff --git a/lib/src/install/00-defaults.toml b/lib/src/install/00-defaults.toml
deleted file mode 100644
index 900df0e1e..000000000
--- a/lib/src/install/00-defaults.toml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,3 +0,0 @@
-# The default configuration for installations.
-[install]
-root-fs-type = "xfs"
diff --git a/lib/src/privtests.rs b/lib/src/privtests.rs
index 97c07a046..6601992b7 100644
--- a/lib/src/privtests.rs
+++ b/lib/src/privtests.rs
@@ -152,7 +152,7 @@ fn test_install_filesystem(image: &str, blockdev: &Utf8Path) -> Result<()> {
     let mountpoint: &Utf8Path = mountpoint_dir.path().try_into().unwrap();
 
     // And run the install
-    cmd!(sh, "podman run --rm --privileged --pid=host --net=none --env=RUST_LOG -v /usr/bin/bootc:/usr/bin/bootc -v /usr/lib/bootc:/usr/lib/bootc -v {mountpoint}:/target-root {image} bootc install-to-filesystem /target-root").run()?;
+    cmd!(sh, "podman run --rm --privileged --pid=host --net=none --env=RUST_LOG -v /usr/bin/bootc:/usr/bin/bootc -v {mountpoint}:/target-root {image} bootc install-to-filesystem /target-root").run()?;
 
     cmd!(sh, "umount -R {mountpoint}").run()?;
 
diff --git a/tests/kolainst/install b/tests/kolainst/install
index 55a7a6b13..4d28f0d47 100755
--- a/tests/kolainst/install
+++ b/tests/kolainst/install
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 set -xeuo pipefail
 
 # See https://github.com/cgwalters/bootc-base-images
-IMAGE=ghcr.io/cgwalters/fedora-oscore:latest
+IMAGE=registry.gitlab.com/centos/cloud/sagano/fedora-boot-tier-0:38
 # TODO: better detect this, e.g. look for an empty device
 DEV=/dev/vda
 
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ cd $(mktemp -d)
 
 case "${AUTOPKGTEST_REBOOT_MARK:-}" in
   "")
-    podman run --rm -ti --privileged --pid=host --net=none -v /usr/bin/bootc:/usr/bin/bootc -v /usr/lib/bootc:/usr/lib/bootc ${IMAGE} bootc install --karg=foo=bar ${DEV}
+    podman run --rm -ti --privileged --pid=host --net=none -v /usr/bin/bootc:/usr/bin/bootc ${IMAGE} bootc install --karg=foo=bar ${DEV}
     # In theory we could e.g. wipe the bootloader setup on the primary disk, then reboot;
     # but for now let's just sanity test that the install command executes.
     lsblk ${DEV}