diff --git a/pkg/payload/payload.go b/pkg/payload/payload.go
index a0730dc04..0b6e746f7 100644
--- a/pkg/payload/payload.go
+++ b/pkg/payload/payload.go
@@ -140,12 +140,22 @@ type metadata struct {
 
 func LoadUpdate(dir, releaseImage, excludeIdentifier string, requiredFeatureSet string, profile string,
 	knownCapabilities []configv1.ClusterVersionCapability) (*Update, error) {
+	klog.V(2).Infof("Loading updatepayload from %q", dir)
+	if err := ValidateDirectory(dir); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	var (
+		cvoDir     = filepath.Join(dir, CVOManifestDir)
+		releaseDir = filepath.Join(dir, ReleaseManifestDir)
+	)
 
-	payload, tasks, err := loadUpdatePayloadMetadata(dir, releaseImage, profile)
+	payload, err := loadPayloadMetadata(releaseDir, releaseImage)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
+	tasks := loadPayloadTasks(releaseDir, cvoDir, releaseImage, profile)
+
 	var onlyKnownCaps *configv1.ClusterVersionCapabilitiesStatus
 
 	if knownCapabilities != nil {
@@ -293,47 +303,42 @@ func ValidateDirectory(dir string) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-type payloadTasks struct {
-	idir       string
-	preprocess func([]byte) ([]byte, error)
-	skipFiles  sets.Set[string]
-}
-
-func loadUpdatePayloadMetadata(dir, releaseImage, clusterProfile string) (*Update, []payloadTasks, error) {
-	klog.V(2).Infof("Loading updatepayload from %q", dir)
-	if err := ValidateDirectory(dir); err != nil {
-		return nil, nil, err
-	}
-	var (
-		cvoDir     = filepath.Join(dir, CVOManifestDir)
-		releaseDir = filepath.Join(dir, ReleaseManifestDir)
-	)
-
-	release, arch, err := loadReleaseFromMetadata(releaseDir)
+func loadPayloadMetadata(releaseDir, releaseImage string) (*Update, error) {
+	release, err := loadReleaseMetadata(releaseDir)
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, nil, err
+		return nil, err
 	}
 	release.Image = releaseImage
 
 	imageRef, err := loadImageReferences(releaseDir)
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, nil, err
+		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	if imageRef.Name != release.Version {
-		return nil, nil, fmt.Errorf("Version from %s (%s) differs from %s (%s)", imageReferencesFile, imageRef.Name, cincinnatiJSONFile, release.Version)
+	arch := string(release.Architecture)
+	if arch == "" {
+		arch = runtime.GOARCH
+		klog.V(2).Infof("Architecture from %s (%s) retrieved from runtime: %q", cincinnatiJSONFile, release.Version, arch)
 	}
 
-	tasks := getPayloadTasks(releaseDir, cvoDir, releaseImage, clusterProfile)
+	if imageRef.Name != release.Version {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("Version from %s (%s) differs from %s (%s)", imageReferencesFile, imageRef.Name, cincinnatiJSONFile, release.Version)
+	}
 
 	return &Update{
 		Release:      release,
 		ImageRef:     imageRef,
 		Architecture: arch,
-	}, tasks, nil
+	}, nil
+}
+
+type payloadTasks struct {
+	idir       string
+	preprocess func([]byte) ([]byte, error)
+	skipFiles  sets.Set[string]
 }
 
-func getPayloadTasks(releaseDir, cvoDir, releaseImage, clusterProfile string) []payloadTasks {
+func loadPayloadTasks(releaseDir, cvoDir, releaseImage, clusterProfile string) []payloadTasks {
 	cjf := filepath.Join(releaseDir, cincinnatiJSONFile)
 	irf := filepath.Join(releaseDir, imageReferencesFile)
 
@@ -353,52 +358,49 @@ func getPayloadTasks(releaseDir, cvoDir, releaseImage, clusterProfile string) []
 	}}
 }
 
-func loadReleaseFromMetadata(releaseDir string) (configv1.Release, string, error) {
+func loadReleaseMetadata(releaseDir string) (configv1.Release, error) {
 	var release configv1.Release
 	path := filepath.Join(releaseDir, cincinnatiJSONFile)
 	data, err := os.ReadFile(path)
 	if err != nil {
-		return release, "", err
+		return release, err
 	}
 
 	var metadata metadata
 	if err := json.Unmarshal(data, &metadata); err != nil {
-		return release, "", fmt.Errorf("unmarshal Cincinnati metadata: %w", err)
+		return release, fmt.Errorf("unmarshal Cincinnati metadata: %w", err)
 	}
 
 	if metadata.Kind != "cincinnati-metadata-v0" {
-		return release, "", fmt.Errorf("unrecognized Cincinnati metadata kind %q", metadata.Kind)
+		return release, fmt.Errorf("unrecognized Cincinnati metadata kind %q", metadata.Kind)
 	}
 
 	if metadata.Version == "" {
-		return release, "", errors.New("missing required Cincinnati metadata version")
+		return release, errors.New("missing required Cincinnati metadata version")
 	}
 
 	if _, err := semver.Parse(metadata.Version); err != nil {
-		return release, "", fmt.Errorf("Cincinnati metadata version %q is not a valid semantic version: %v", metadata.Version, err)
+		return release, fmt.Errorf("Cincinnati metadata version %q is not a valid semantic version: %v", metadata.Version, err)
 	}
 
 	release.Version = metadata.Version
 
-	var arch string
-	if archInterface, ok := metadata.Metadata["release.openshift.io/architecture"]; ok {
-		if archString, ok := archInterface.(string); ok {
-			if archString == releaseMultiArchID {
-				release.Architecture = configv1.ClusterVersionArchitectureMulti
-				arch = string(release.Architecture)
-			} else {
-				return release, "", fmt.Errorf("Architecture from %s (%s) contains invalid value: %q. Valid value is %q.",
-					cincinnatiJSONFile, release.Version, archString, releaseMultiArchID)
-			}
-			klog.V(2).Infof("Architecture from %s (%s) is multi: %q", cincinnatiJSONFile, release.Version, archString)
-		} else {
-			return release, "", fmt.Errorf("Architecture from %s (%s) is not a string: %v",
-				cincinnatiJSONFile, release.Version, archInterface)
+	if archRaw, hasArch := metadata.Metadata["release.openshift.io/architecture"]; hasArch {
+		arch, isString := archRaw.(string)
+		if !isString {
+			return release, fmt.Errorf("Architecture from %s (%s) is not a string: %v",
+				cincinnatiJSONFile, release.Version, archRaw)
 		}
-	} else {
-		arch = runtime.GOARCH
-		klog.V(2).Infof("Architecture from %s (%s) retrieved from runtime: %q", cincinnatiJSONFile, release.Version, arch)
+
+		if arch != releaseMultiArchID {
+			return release, fmt.Errorf("Architecture from %s (%s) contains invalid value: %q. Valid value is %q.",
+				cincinnatiJSONFile, release.Version, arch, releaseMultiArchID)
+		}
+
+		release.Architecture = configv1.ClusterVersionArchitectureMulti
+		klog.V(2).Infof("Architecture from %s (%s) is multi: %q", cincinnatiJSONFile, release.Version, arch)
 	}
+
 	if urlInterface, ok := metadata.Metadata["url"]; ok {
 		if urlString, ok := urlInterface.(string); ok {
 			release.URL = configv1.URL(urlString)
@@ -415,7 +417,7 @@ func loadReleaseFromMetadata(releaseDir string) (configv1.Release, string, error
 		}
 	}
 
-	return release, arch, nil
+	return release, nil
 }
 
 func loadImageReferences(releaseDir string) (*imagev1.ImageStream, error) {