diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index d1a781ad..45399dec 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -573,7 +573,7 @@ checksum = "55b672471b4e9f9e95499ea597ff64941a309b2cdbffcc46f2cc5e2d971fd335"
 [[package]]
 name = "composefs"
 version = "0.3.0"
-source = "git+https://github.com/containers/composefs-rs?rev=e9008489375044022e90d26656960725a76f4620#e9008489375044022e90d26656960725a76f4620"
+source = "git+https://github.com/containers/composefs-rs?rev=4a060161e0122bd2727e639437c61e05ecc7cab3#4a060161e0122bd2727e639437c61e05ecc7cab3"
 dependencies = [
  "anyhow",
  "hex",
@@ -593,7 +593,7 @@ dependencies = [
 [[package]]
 name = "composefs-boot"
 version = "0.3.0"
-source = "git+https://github.com/containers/composefs-rs?rev=e9008489375044022e90d26656960725a76f4620#e9008489375044022e90d26656960725a76f4620"
+source = "git+https://github.com/containers/composefs-rs?rev=4a060161e0122bd2727e639437c61e05ecc7cab3#4a060161e0122bd2727e639437c61e05ecc7cab3"
 dependencies = [
  "anyhow",
  "composefs",
@@ -606,10 +606,11 @@ dependencies = [
 [[package]]
 name = "composefs-oci"
 version = "0.3.0"
-source = "git+https://github.com/containers/composefs-rs?rev=e9008489375044022e90d26656960725a76f4620#e9008489375044022e90d26656960725a76f4620"
+source = "git+https://github.com/containers/composefs-rs?rev=4a060161e0122bd2727e639437c61e05ecc7cab3#4a060161e0122bd2727e639437c61e05ecc7cab3"
 dependencies = [
  "anyhow",
  "async-compression",
+ "bytes",
  "composefs",
  "containers-image-proxy",
  "hex",
@@ -619,6 +620,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "sha2",
  "tar",
  "tokio",
+ "tokio-util",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 7d4f336d..8cc076c0 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -47,9 +47,9 @@ clap_mangen = { version = "0.2.20" }
 # 1. Set BOOTC_extra_src to your composefs-rs path when building:
 #      BOOTC_extra_src=$HOME/src/composefs-rs just build
 # 2. Comment out the git refs below and uncomment the path refs:
-composefs = { git = "https://github.com/containers/composefs-rs", rev = "e9008489375044022e90d26656960725a76f4620", package = "composefs", features = ["rhel9"] }
-composefs-boot = { git = "https://github.com/containers/composefs-rs", rev = "e9008489375044022e90d26656960725a76f4620", package = "composefs-boot" }
-composefs-oci = { git = "https://github.com/containers/composefs-rs", rev = "e9008489375044022e90d26656960725a76f4620", package = "composefs-oci" }
+composefs = { git = "https://github.com/containers/composefs-rs", rev = "4a060161e0122bd2727e639437c61e05ecc7cab3", package = "composefs", features = ["rhel9"] }
+composefs-boot = { git = "https://github.com/containers/composefs-rs", rev = "4a060161e0122bd2727e639437c61e05ecc7cab3", package = "composefs-boot" }
+composefs-oci = { git = "https://github.com/containers/composefs-rs", rev = "4a060161e0122bd2727e639437c61e05ecc7cab3", package = "composefs-oci" }
 # composefs = { path = "/run/extra-src/crates/composefs", package = "composefs", features = ["rhel9"] }
 # composefs-boot = { path = "/run/extra-src/crates/composefs-boot", package = "composefs-boot" }
 # composefs-oci = { path = "/run/extra-src/crates/composefs-oci", package = "composefs-oci" }
diff --git a/crates/etc-merge/src/lib.rs b/crates/etc-merge/src/lib.rs
index ecc4e910..2072b17d 100644
--- a/crates/etc-merge/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/etc-merge/src/lib.rs
@@ -331,17 +331,17 @@ pub fn traverse_etc(
     Directory<CustomMetadata>,
     Option<Directory<CustomMetadata>>,
 )> {
-    let mut pristine_etc_files = Directory::default();
+    let mut pristine_etc_files = Directory::new(Stat::uninitialized());
     recurse_dir(pristine_etc, &mut pristine_etc_files)
         .context(format!("Recursing {pristine_etc:?}"))?;
 
-    let mut current_etc_files = Directory::default();
+    let mut current_etc_files = Directory::new(Stat::uninitialized());
     recurse_dir(current_etc, &mut current_etc_files)
         .context(format!("Recursing {current_etc:?}"))?;
 
     let new_etc_files = match new_etc {
         Some(new_etc) => {
-            let mut new_etc_files = Directory::default();
+            let mut new_etc_files = Directory::new(Stat::uninitialized());
             recurse_dir(new_etc, &mut new_etc_files).context(format!("Recursing {new_etc:?}"))?;
 
             Some(new_etc_files)
diff --git a/crates/lib/src/bootc_composefs/digest.rs b/crates/lib/src/bootc_composefs/digest.rs
index d031d527..0ddef963 100644
--- a/crates/lib/src/bootc_composefs/digest.rs
+++ b/crates/lib/src/bootc_composefs/digest.rs
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ pub(crate) fn compute_composefs_digest(
 
     // Read filesystem from path, transform for boot, compute digest
     let mut fs =
-        composefs::fs::read_filesystem(rustix::fs::CWD, path.as_std_path(), Some(&repo), false)?;
+        composefs::fs::read_container_root(rustix::fs::CWD, path.as_std_path(), Some(&repo))?;
     fs.transform_for_boot(&repo).context("Preparing for boot")?;
     let id = fs.compute_image_id();
     let digest = id.to_hex();
diff --git a/crates/lib/src/bootc_composefs/finalize.rs b/crates/lib/src/bootc_composefs/finalize.rs
index feca26f8..03b62e2e 100644
--- a/crates/lib/src/bootc_composefs/finalize.rs
+++ b/crates/lib/src/bootc_composefs/finalize.rs
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ use bootc_initramfs_setup::mount_composefs_image;
 use bootc_mount::tempmount::TempMount;
 use cap_std_ext::cap_std::{ambient_authority, fs::Dir};
 use cap_std_ext::dirext::CapStdExtDirExt;
-use composefs::generic_tree::Directory;
+use composefs::generic_tree::{Directory, Stat};
 use etc_merge::{compute_diff, merge, print_diff, traverse_etc};
 use rustix::fs::{fsync, renameat};
 use rustix::path::Arg;
@@ -33,7 +33,11 @@ pub(crate) async fn get_etc_diff(storage: &Storage, booted_cfs: &BootedComposefs
     let current_etc = Dir::open_ambient_dir("/etc", ambient_authority())?;
 
     let (pristine_files, current_files, _) = traverse_etc(&pristine_etc, &current_etc, None)?;
-    let diff = compute_diff(&pristine_files, &current_files, &Directory::default())?;
+    let diff = compute_diff(
+        &pristine_files,
+        &current_files,
+        &Directory::new(Stat::uninitialized()),
+    )?;
 
     print_diff(&diff, &mut std::io::stdout());
 
diff --git a/crates/lib/src/cfsctl.rs b/crates/lib/src/cfsctl.rs
index 60e50beb..07337dfa 100644
--- a/crates/lib/src/cfsctl.rs
+++ b/crates/lib/src/cfsctl.rs
@@ -123,14 +123,17 @@ enum Command {
         /// the mountpoint
         mountpoint: String,
     },
+    /// Creates a composefs image from a filesystem
     CreateImage {
         path: PathBuf,
         #[clap(long)]
         bootable: bool,
+        /// Don't copy /usr metadata to root directory (use if root already has well-defined metadata)
         #[clap(long)]
-        stat_root: bool,
+        no_propagate_usr_to_root: bool,
         image_name: Option<String>,
     },
+    /// Computes the composefs image ID for a filesystem
     ComputeId {
         path: PathBuf,
         /// Write the dumpfile to the provided target
@@ -138,15 +141,18 @@ enum Command {
         write_dumpfile_to: Option<Utf8PathBuf>,
         #[clap(long)]
         bootable: bool,
+        /// Don't copy /usr metadata to root directory (use if root already has well-defined metadata)
         #[clap(long)]
-        stat_root: bool,
+        no_propagate_usr_to_root: bool,
     },
+    /// Outputs the composefs dumpfile format for a filesystem
     CreateDumpfile {
         path: PathBuf,
         #[clap(long)]
         bootable: bool,
+        /// Don't copy /usr metadata to root directory (use if root already has well-defined metadata)
         #[clap(long)]
-        stat_root: bool,
+        no_propagate_usr_to_root: bool,
     },
     ImageObjects {
         name: String,
@@ -215,7 +221,7 @@ where
                 ref config_verity,
             } => {
                 let verity = verity_opt(config_verity)?;
-                let mut fs =
+                let fs =
                     composefs_oci::image::create_filesystem(repo, config_name, verity.as_ref())?;
                 fs.print_dumpfile()?;
             }
@@ -316,9 +322,13 @@ where
             ref path,
             write_dumpfile_to,
             bootable,
-            stat_root,
+            no_propagate_usr_to_root,
         } => {
-            let mut fs = composefs::fs::read_filesystem(CWD, path, Some(repo.as_ref()), stat_root)?;
+            let mut fs = if no_propagate_usr_to_root {
+                composefs::fs::read_filesystem(CWD, path, Some(repo.as_ref()))?
+            } else {
+                composefs::fs::read_container_root(CWD, path, Some(repo.as_ref()))?
+            };
             if bootable {
                 fs.transform_for_boot(repo)?;
             }
@@ -334,10 +344,14 @@ where
         Command::CreateImage {
             ref path,
             bootable,
-            stat_root,
+            no_propagate_usr_to_root,
             ref image_name,
         } => {
-            let mut fs = composefs::fs::read_filesystem(CWD, path, Some(repo.as_ref()), stat_root)?;
+            let mut fs = if no_propagate_usr_to_root {
+                composefs::fs::read_filesystem(CWD, path, Some(repo.as_ref()))?
+            } else {
+                composefs::fs::read_container_root(CWD, path, Some(repo.as_ref()))?
+            };
             if bootable {
                 fs.transform_for_boot(repo)?;
             }
@@ -347,9 +361,13 @@ where
         Command::CreateDumpfile {
             ref path,
             bootable,
-            stat_root,
+            no_propagate_usr_to_root,
         } => {
-            let mut fs = composefs::fs::read_filesystem(CWD, path, Some(repo.as_ref()), stat_root)?;
+            let mut fs = if no_propagate_usr_to_root {
+                composefs::fs::read_filesystem(CWD, path, Some(repo.as_ref()))?
+            } else {
+                composefs::fs::read_container_root(CWD, path, Some(repo.as_ref()))?
+            };
             if bootable {
                 fs.transform_for_boot(repo)?;
             }