diff --git a/src/libcalamares/Job.h b/src/libcalamares/Job.h
index dc89f1c49..241b2883c 100644
--- a/src/libcalamares/Job.h
+++ b/src/libcalamares/Job.h
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ public:
      * Pass in a suitable error code; using 0 (which would normally mean "ok") instead
      * gives you a GenericError code.
      */
-    static JobResult internalError( const QString&, const QString& details, int errorCode );
+    static JobResult internalError( const QString& message, const QString& details, int errorCode );
 
 protected:
     explicit JobResult( const QString& message, const QString& details, int errorCode );
diff --git a/src/modules/machineid/MachineIdJob.cpp b/src/modules/machineid/MachineIdJob.cpp
index 41a216dd6..9bc1b3f6f 100644
--- a/src/modules/machineid/MachineIdJob.cpp
+++ b/src/modules/machineid/MachineIdJob.cpp
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 #include "Workers.h"
 
 #include "utils/Logger.h"
+#include "utils/NamedEnum.h"
 #include "utils/System.h"
 #include "utils/Variant.h"
 
@@ -22,6 +23,25 @@
 
 #include <QFile>
 
+const NamedEnumTable< MachineId::SystemdMachineIdStyle >&
+styleNames()
+{
+    using T = MachineId::SystemdMachineIdStyle;
+    // *INDENT-OFF*
+    // clang-format off
+    static const NamedEnumTable< MachineId::SystemdMachineIdStyle > names {
+        { QStringLiteral( "none" ), T::Blank },
+        { QStringLiteral( "blank" ), T::Blank },
+        { QStringLiteral( "uuid" ), T::Uuid },
+        { QStringLiteral( "systemd" ), T::Uuid },
+        { QStringLiteral( "literal-uninitialized" ), T::Uninitialized },
+    };
+    // clang-format on
+    // *INDENT-ON*
+
+    return names;
+}
+
 MachineIdJob::MachineIdJob( QObject* parent )
     : Calamares::CppJob( parent )
 {
@@ -96,7 +116,7 @@ MachineIdJob::exec()
         {
             cWarning() << "Could not create systemd data-directory.";
         }
-        auto r = MachineId::createSystemdMachineId( root, target_systemd_machineid_file );
+        auto r = MachineId::createSystemdMachineId( m_systemd_style, root, target_systemd_machineid_file );
         if ( !r )
         {
             return r;
@@ -134,6 +154,12 @@ MachineIdJob::setConfigurationMap( const QVariantMap& map )
 {
     m_systemd = Calamares::getBool( map, "systemd", false );
 
+    const auto style = Calamares::getString( map, "systemd-style", QString() );
+    if ( !style.isEmpty() )
+    {
+        m_systemd_style = styleNames().find( style, MachineId::SystemdMachineIdStyle::Uuid );
+    }
+
     m_dbus = Calamares::getBool( map, "dbus", false );
     if ( map.contains( "dbus-symlink" ) )
     {
diff --git a/src/modules/machineid/MachineIdJob.h b/src/modules/machineid/MachineIdJob.h
index 7f406fc55..b564b3708 100644
--- a/src/modules/machineid/MachineIdJob.h
+++ b/src/modules/machineid/MachineIdJob.h
@@ -10,16 +10,16 @@
 #ifndef MACHINEIDJOB_H
 #define MACHINEIDJOB_H
 
+#include "Workers.h"
+
+#include "CppJob.h"
+#include "DllMacro.h"
+#include "utils/PluginFactory.h"
+
 #include <QObject>
 #include <QStringList>
 #include <QVariantMap>
 
-#include "CppJob.h"
-
-#include "utils/PluginFactory.h"
-
-#include "DllMacro.h"
-
 /** @brief Write 'random' data: machine id, entropy, UUIDs
  *
  */
@@ -48,6 +48,8 @@ public:
 private:
     bool m_systemd = false;  ///< write systemd's files
 
+    MachineId::SystemdMachineIdStyle m_systemd_style = MachineId::SystemdMachineIdStyle::Uuid;
+
     bool m_dbus = false;  ///< write dbus files
     bool m_dbus_symlink = false;  ///< .. or just symlink to systemd
 
diff --git a/src/modules/machineid/Workers.cpp b/src/modules/machineid/Workers.cpp
index 6fe631f2e..1dd2321cf 100644
--- a/src/modules/machineid/Workers.cpp
+++ b/src/modules/machineid/Workers.cpp
@@ -141,9 +141,10 @@ createEntropy( const EntropyGeneration kind, const QString& rootMountPoint, cons
 }
 
 static Calamares::JobResult
-runCmd( const QStringList& cmd )
+runCmd( const QStringList& cmd, bool inTarget )
 {
-    auto r = Calamares::System::instance()->targetEnvCommand( cmd );
+    auto r = inTarget ? Calamares::System::instance()->targetEnvCommand( cmd )
+                      : Calamares::System::instance()->runCommand( cmd, std::chrono::seconds( 0 ) );
     if ( r.getExitCode() )
     {
         return r.explainProcess( cmd, std::chrono::seconds( 0 ) );
@@ -153,11 +154,26 @@ runCmd( const QStringList& cmd )
 }
 
 Calamares::JobResult
-createSystemdMachineId( const QString& rootMountPoint, const QString& fileName )
+createSystemdMachineId( SystemdMachineIdStyle style, const QString& rootMountPoint, const QString& machineIdFile )
 {
-    Q_UNUSED( rootMountPoint )
-    Q_UNUSED( fileName )
-    return runCmd( QStringList { QStringLiteral( "systemd-machine-id-setup" ) } );
+    switch ( style )
+    {
+    case SystemdMachineIdStyle::Uuid:
+        return runCmd(
+            QStringList { QStringLiteral( "systemd-machine-id-setup" ), QStringLiteral( "--root=" ) + rootMountPoint },
+            false );
+    case SystemdMachineIdStyle::Blank:
+        Calamares::System::instance()->createTargetFile(
+            machineIdFile, QByteArray(), Calamares::System::WriteMode::Overwrite );
+        return Calamares::JobResult::ok();
+    case SystemdMachineIdStyle::Uninitialized:
+        Calamares::System::instance()->createTargetFile(
+            machineIdFile, "uninitialized\n", Calamares::System::WriteMode::Overwrite );
+        return Calamares::JobResult::ok();
+    }
+    return Calamares::JobResult::internalError( QStringLiteral( "Invalid systemd-style" ),
+                                                QStringLiteral( "Invalid value %1" ).arg( int( style ) ),
+                                                Calamares::JobResult::InvalidConfiguration );
 }
 
 Calamares::JobResult
@@ -165,14 +181,14 @@ createDBusMachineId( const QString& rootMountPoint, const QString& fileName )
 {
     Q_UNUSED( rootMountPoint )
     Q_UNUSED( fileName )
-    return runCmd( QStringList { QStringLiteral( "dbus-uuidgen" ), QStringLiteral( "--ensure" ) } );
+    return runCmd( QStringList { QStringLiteral( "dbus-uuidgen" ), QStringLiteral( "--ensure" ) }, true );
 }
 
 Calamares::JobResult
 createDBusLink( const QString& rootMountPoint, const QString& fileName, const QString& systemdFileName )
 {
     Q_UNUSED( rootMountPoint )
-    return runCmd( QStringList { QStringLiteral( "ln" ), QStringLiteral( "-sf" ), systemdFileName, fileName } );
+    return runCmd( QStringList { QStringLiteral( "ln" ), QStringLiteral( "-sf" ), systemdFileName, fileName }, true );
 }
 
 }  // namespace MachineId
diff --git a/src/modules/machineid/Workers.h b/src/modules/machineid/Workers.h
index 51c9d526d..577090a46 100644
--- a/src/modules/machineid/Workers.h
+++ b/src/modules/machineid/Workers.h
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ createEntropy( const EntropyGeneration kind, const QString& rootMountPoint, cons
  * Creating UUIDs for DBUS and SystemD.
  */
 
+
 /// @brief Create a new DBus UUID file
 Calamares::JobResult createDBusMachineId( const QString& rootMountPoint, const QString& fileName );
 
@@ -59,7 +60,15 @@ Calamares::JobResult createDBusMachineId( const QString& rootMountPoint, const Q
 Calamares::JobResult
 createDBusLink( const QString& rootMountPoint, const QString& fileName, const QString& systemdFileName );
 
-Calamares::JobResult createSystemdMachineId( const QString& rootMountPoint, const QString& fileName );
+enum class SystemdMachineIdStyle
+{
+    Uuid,
+    Blank,
+    Uninitialized
+};
+
+Calamares::JobResult
+createSystemdMachineId( SystemdMachineIdStyle style, const QString& rootMountPoint, const QString& fileName );
 
 
 }  // namespace MachineId
diff --git a/src/modules/machineid/machineid.conf b/src/modules/machineid/machineid.conf
index 15e190299..6a45234cf 100644
--- a/src/modules/machineid/machineid.conf
+++ b/src/modules/machineid/machineid.conf
@@ -13,6 +13,13 @@
 # Whether to create /etc/machine-id for systemd.
 # The default is *false*.
 systemd: true
+# If systemd is true, the kind of /etc/machine-id to create in the target
+#  - uuid (default) generates a UUID
+#  - systemd alias of uuid
+#  - blank creates the file but leaves it empty at 0 bytes
+#  - none alias of blank (use `systemd: false` if you don't want one at all)
+#  - literal-uninitialized creates the file and writes the string "uninitialized\n"
+systemd-style: uuid
 
 # Whether to create /var/lib/dbus/machine-id for D-Bus.
 # The default is *false*.
diff --git a/src/modules/machineid/machineid.schema.yaml b/src/modules/machineid/machineid.schema.yaml
index 59bb5f81b..f56b39018 100644
--- a/src/modules/machineid/machineid.schema.yaml
+++ b/src/modules/machineid/machineid.schema.yaml
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ additionalProperties: false
 type: object
 properties:
     systemd: { type: boolean, default: false }
+    "systemd-style": { type: string, enum: [ uuid, blank, literal-uninitialized ] }
     dbus: { type: boolean, default: false }
     "dbus-symlink": { type: boolean, default: false }
     "entropy-copy": { type: boolean, default: false }