diff --git a/mantle/kola/tests/upgrade/basic.go b/mantle/kola/tests/upgrade/basic.go
index 3f506f99d0..2737df3f7d 100644
--- a/mantle/kola/tests/upgrade/basic.go
+++ b/mantle/kola/tests/upgrade/basic.go
@@ -209,13 +209,11 @@ func fcosUpgradeBasic(c cluster.TestCluster) {
 
 	c.Run("upgrade-from-current", func(c cluster.TestCluster) {
 		newVersion := kola.CosaBuild.Meta.OstreeVersion + ".kola"
+		ostreeCommit := kola.CosaBuild.Meta.OstreeCommit
 		if usingContainer {
-			// until https://github.com/bootc-dev/bootc/pull/1421 propagates, we can't rely on kola.CosaBuild.Meta.OstreeCommit being the same
-			ostreeCommit := c.MustSSHf(m, "sudo rpm-ostree status --json | jq -r '.deployments[0].checksum'")
 			newCommit := c.MustSSHf(m, "sudo ostree commit -b testupdate --tree=ref=%s --add-metadata-string version=%s", ostreeCommit, newVersion)
 			rpmostreeRebase(c, m, string(newCommit), newVersion)
 		} else {
-			ostreeCommit := kola.CosaBuild.Meta.OstreeCommit
 			ostree_command := "ostree commit --repo %s -b %s --tree ref=%s --add-metadata-string version=%s " +
 				"--keep-metadata='fedora-coreos.stream' --keep-metadata='coreos-assembler.basearch' --parent=%s"
 			newCommit := c.MustSSHf(m,
diff --git a/src/cosalib/cmdlib.py b/src/cosalib/cmdlib.py
index 31e7e11db5..a85361e6b7 100644
--- a/src/cosalib/cmdlib.py
+++ b/src/cosalib/cmdlib.py
@@ -367,6 +367,7 @@ def import_oci_archive(parent_tmpd, ociarchive, ref):
     Imports layered/non-encapsulated OCI archive into the tmp/repo. Returns
     the OSTree commit that was imported.
     '''
+
     with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory(dir=parent_tmpd) as tmpd:
         subprocess.check_call(['ostree', 'init', '--repo', tmpd, '--mode=bare-user'])
 
@@ -381,17 +382,15 @@ def import_oci_archive(parent_tmpd, ociarchive, ref):
         if len(blob_refs) > 0:
             subprocess.check_call(['ostree', 'pull-local', '--repo', tmpd, 'tmp/repo'] + blob_refs)
 
-        subprocess.check_call(['ostree', 'container', 'image', 'pull', tmpd,
-                               f'ostree-unverified-image:oci-archive:{ociarchive}'])
-
-        # awkwardly work around the fact that there is no --write-ref equivalent
-        # XXX: we can make this better once we can rely on --ostree-digestfile
-        # https://github.com/bootc-dev/bootc/pull/1421
-        refs = subprocess.check_output(['ostree', 'refs', '--repo', tmpd,
-                                        '--list', 'ostree/container/image'],
-                                       encoding='utf-8').splitlines()
-        assert len(refs) == 1
-        subprocess.check_call(['ostree', 'refs', '--repo', tmpd, refs[0], '--create', ref])
+        subprocess.check_call(['ostree', 'container', 'image', 'pull',
+                               '--ostree-digestfile', f'{tmpd}/digestfile',
+                               tmpd, f'ostree-unverified-image:oci-archive:{ociarchive}'])
+
+        # Read the digestfile and get the ref
+        with open(f'{tmpd}/digestfile', 'r') as f:
+            ostree_commit = f.read()
+
+        subprocess.check_call(['ostree', 'refs', '--repo', tmpd, ostree_commit, '--create', ref])
         subprocess.check_call(['ostree', 'refs', '--repo', 'tmp/repo', ref, '--delete'])
         subprocess.check_call(['ostree', 'pull-local', '--repo', 'tmp/repo', tmpd, ref])
 
@@ -401,7 +400,6 @@ def import_oci_archive(parent_tmpd, ociarchive, ref):
                                             encoding='utf-8').splitlines()
         subprocess.check_call(['ostree', 'pull-local', '--repo', 'tmp/repo', tmpd] + blob_refs)
 
-    ostree_commit = subprocess.check_output(['ostree', 'rev-parse', '--repo', 'tmp/repo', ref], encoding='utf-8').strip()
     return ostree_commit