diff --git a/.github/workflows/container.yml b/.github/workflows/container.yml
index 653bb7d149..7ca69e527c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/container.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/container.yml
@@ -34,8 +34,6 @@ jobs:
                     - { dockerfile: 'Dockerfile-Debian',            tag: 'debian:latest' }
                     - { dockerfile: 'Dockerfile-Gentoo',            tag: 'gentoo:latest' }
         steps:
-            -   name: Check out the repo
-                uses: actions/checkout@v3
             -   name: Set up Docker Buildx
                 uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v2
             -   name: Login to GitHub Container Registry
diff --git a/test/container/Dockerfile-Arch b/test/container/Dockerfile-Arch
index f05ce8f1de..3831a87533 100644
--- a/test/container/Dockerfile-Arch
+++ b/test/container/Dockerfile-Arch
@@ -2,16 +2,15 @@ FROM docker.io/archlinux
 
 MAINTAINER https://github.com/dracutdevs/dracut
 
-# Install needed packages for the dracut CI container
-RUN pacman --noconfirm -Syu \
-    linux dash strace dhclient asciidoc cpio pigz squashfs-tools \
-    qemu btrfs-progs mdadm dmraid nfs-utils nfsidmap lvm2 nbd \
-    dhcp networkmanager multipath-tools vi tcpdump open-iscsi connman \
-    git shfmt shellcheck astyle which base-devel glibc parted ntfs-3g && yes | pacman -Scc
+# install aur helper to allow easy install of aur packages
+RUN pacman --noconfirm -Syu base-devel git
+RUN useradd -m build && echo "build ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/pacman" > "/etc/sudoers.d/allow_pacman"
+RUN su build -c 'cd && git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/paru-bin.git && cd paru-bin && makepkg -s --noconfirm' && pacman -U --noconfirm ~build/paru-bin/*.pkg.tar.*
+
+COPY tools/* /tmp/
+WORKDIR /tmp
 
-RUN useradd -m build
-RUN su build -c 'cd && git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/perl-config-general.git && cd perl-config-general && makepkg -s --noconfirm'
-RUN pacman -U --noconfirm ~build/perl-config-general/*.pkg.tar.*
-RUN su build -c 'cd && git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/tgt.git && cd tgt && makepkg -s --noconfirm'
-RUN pacman -U --noconfirm ~build/tgt/*.pkg.tar.*
-RUN rm -fr ~build
+# Install needed packages for the dracut CI container
+# Assume that initramfs virtual package is installed so that the default mkinitcpio package does not get installed
+RUN su build -c 'paru --needed --noconfirm -Syu --assume-installed initramfs `/tmp/test-packages.sh` ' \
+    && yes | paru -Sccd
diff --git a/test/container/Dockerfile-Debian b/test/container/Dockerfile-Debian
index 9ba3a1fca1..d0b3cc610d 100644
--- a/test/container/Dockerfile-Debian
+++ b/test/container/Dockerfile-Debian
@@ -2,66 +2,12 @@ FROM docker.io/debian:latest
 
 MAINTAINER https://github.com/dracutdevs/dracut
 
+COPY tools/* /tmp/
+WORKDIR /tmp
+
 # Install needed packages for the dracut CI container
 # Install dracut as a linux-initramfs-tool provider so that the default initramfs-tool package does not get installed
 # Uninstall initramfs-tools-core as a workaround for https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=994492
 RUN apt-get update -y -qq && apt-get upgrade -y -qq && apt-get install -y -qq --no-install-recommends dracut && \
-    DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get install -y -qq --no-install-recommends -o Dpkg::Use-Pty=0 \
-    asciidoc \
-    astyle \
-    btrfs-progs \
-    busybox-static \
-    bzip2 \
-    ca-certificates \
-    console-setup \
-    cpio \
-    cryptsetup \
-    curl \
-    dash \
-    debhelper \
-    debhelper-compat \
-    dmraid \
-    docbook \
-    docbook-xml \
-    docbook-xsl \
-    fdisk \
-    g++ \
-    gawk \
-    git \
-    iputils-arping \
-    iputils-ping \
-    isc-dhcp-client \
-    isc-dhcp-server \
-    kmod \
-    less \
-    libdmraid-dev \
-    libkmod-dev \
-    linux-image-generic \
-    lvm2 \
-    make \
-    mdadm \
-    multipath-tools \
-    nbd-client \
-    nbd-server \
-    network-manager \
-    nfs-kernel-server \
-    ntfs-3g \
-    open-iscsi \
-    ovmf \
-    parted \
-    pigz \
-    pkg-config \
-    procps \
-    qemu-system-x86 \
-    quilt \
-    shellcheck \
-    squashfs-tools \
-    strace \
-    sudo \
-    systemd-boot-efi \
-    tcpdump \
-    tgt \
-    thin-provisioning-tools \
-    vim \
-    wget \
+    DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get install -y -qq --no-install-recommends -o Dpkg::Use-Pty=0 $(/tmp/test-packages.sh) \
     && apt-get clean && dpkg -P --force-depends dracut dracut-core initramfs-tools-core
diff --git a/test/container/Dockerfile-Fedora-latest b/test/container/Dockerfile-Fedora-latest
index 2ce397513e..e8b2bec5cf 100644
--- a/test/container/Dockerfile-Fedora-latest
+++ b/test/container/Dockerfile-Fedora-latest
@@ -2,70 +2,9 @@ FROM registry.fedoraproject.org/fedora:latest
 
 MAINTAINER https://github.com/dracutdevs/dracut
 
+COPY tools/* /tmp/
+WORKDIR /tmp
+
 # Install needed packages for the dracut CI container
-RUN dnf -y install --setopt=install_weak_deps=False \
-    asciidoc \
-    bash-completion \
-    biosdevname \
-    bluez \
-    btrfs-progs \
-    busybox \
-    bzip2 \
-    cifs-utils \
-    cryptsetup \
-    dash \
-    dbus-daemon \
-    device-mapper-multipath \
-    dhcp-client \
-    dhcp-server \
-    dmraid \
-    e2fsprogs \
-    f2fs-tools \
-    fcoe-utils \
-    fuse3 \
-    gcc \
-    git \
-    iproute \
-    iputils \
-    iscsi-initiator-utils \
-    kbd \
-    kernel \
-    kmod-devel \
-    libkcapi-hmaccalc \
-    libselinux-utils \
-    lvm2 \
-    lzop \
-    make \
-    mdadm \
-    memstrack \
-    mksh \
-    nbd \
-    ndctl \
-    NetworkManager \
-    nfs-utils \
-    ntfs-3g \
-    ntfsprogs \
-    nvme-cli \
-    parted \
-    pcsc-lite \
-    pigz \
-    qemu-system-x86-core \
-    rng-tools \
-    rpm-build \
-    sbsigntools \
-    scsi-target-utils \
-    ShellCheck \
-    shfmt \
-    squashfs-tools \
-    strace \
-    sudo \
-    systemd-boot-unsigned \
-    systemd-networkd \
-    systemd-resolved \
-    tar \
-    tcpdump \
-    tpm2-tools \
-    wget \
-    which \
-    xz \
+RUN dnf -y install --setopt=install_weak_deps=False $(/tmp/test-packages.sh) \
     && dnf -y remove dracut --noautoremove && dnf -y update && dnf clean all
diff --git a/test/container/Dockerfile-OpenSuse-latest b/test/container/Dockerfile-OpenSuse-latest
index 3e7cefc229..876196336d 100644
--- a/test/container/Dockerfile-OpenSuse-latest
+++ b/test/container/Dockerfile-OpenSuse-latest
@@ -2,12 +2,9 @@ FROM registry.opensuse.org/opensuse/tumbleweed-dnf:latest
 
 MAINTAINER https://github.com/dracutdevs/dracut
 
+COPY tools/* /tmp/
+WORKDIR /tmp
+
 # Install needed packages for the dracut CI container
-RUN dnf -y install --setopt=install_weak_deps=False \
-    dash asciidoc mdadm lvm2 dmraid cryptsetup nfs-utils nbd dhcp-server \
-    strace libkmod-devel gcc bzip2 xz tar wget rpm-build make git bash-completion \
-    sudo kernel dhcp-client qemu-kvm /usr/bin/qemu-system-$(uname -m) e2fsprogs \
-    tcpdump iproute iputils kbd NetworkManager btrfsprogs tgt dbus-broker \
-    iscsiuio open-iscsi which ShellCheck shfmt procps pigz parted squashfs ntfsprogs \
-    multipath-tools util-linux-systemd systemd-boot \
+RUN dnf -y install --setopt=install_weak_deps=False $(/tmp/test-packages.sh) \
     && dnf -y remove dracut && dnf -y update && dnf clean all
diff --git a/tools/test-packages.sh b/tools/test-packages.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..25aaa57cec
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/test-packages.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,174 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+if [ -f /etc/os-release ]; then
+    # shellcheck disable=SC1091
+    . /etc/os-release
+fi
+
+# common packages
+cat << EOF
+    asciidoc
+    astyle
+    bash-completion
+    bluez
+    busybox
+    bzip2
+    cifs-utils
+    cryptsetup
+    dash
+    dmraid
+    f2fs-tools
+    fuse3
+    gawk
+    gcc
+    git
+    jq
+    kbd
+    lvm2
+    lzop
+    make
+    mdadm
+    ndctl
+    ntfs-3g
+    nvme-cli
+    parted
+    pigz
+    rng-tools
+    shfmt
+    strace
+    sudo
+    tar
+    tcpdump
+    vim
+    wget
+    which
+EOF
+
+# common packages (but not openSUSE)
+if [ -x /usr/bin/yum ] || [ -x /usr/bin/dpkg ] || [ -x /usr/bin/pacman ]; then
+    cat << EOF
+    btrfs-progs
+    squashfs-tools
+    tpm2-tools
+EOF
+fi
+
+# packages for rpm based distros
+if [ -x /usr/bin/rpm ]; then
+    cat << EOF
+    dhcp-client
+    dhcp-server
+    e2fsprogs
+    iproute
+    iputils
+    kernel
+    nbd
+    NetworkManager
+    nfs-utils
+    ntfsprogs
+    rpm-build
+    ShellCheck
+    xz
+EOF
+fi
+
+if [ -x /usr/bin/yum ] || [ -x /usr/bin/pacman ]; then
+    cat << EOF
+    biosdevname
+    memstrack
+    nfs-utils
+    sbsigntools
+EOF
+fi
+
+if [ -x /usr/bin/yum ]; then
+    cat << EOF
+    dbus-daemon
+    device-mapper-multipath
+    fcoe-utils
+    iscsi-initiator-utils
+    kmod-devel
+    libkcapi-hmaccalc
+    libselinux-utils
+    mksh
+    pcsc-lite
+    qemu-system-x86-core
+    scsi-target-utils
+    systemd-boot-unsigned
+    systemd-networkd
+    systemd-resolved
+EOF
+fi
+
+if [ "$ID" = "opensuse-tumbleweed" ]; then
+    cat << EOF
+    btrfsprogs
+    dbus-broker
+    iscsiuio
+    libkmod-devel
+    multipath-tools
+    open-iscsi
+    procps
+    qemu-kvm
+    squashfs
+    systemd-boot
+    tgt
+    /usr/bin/qemu-system-$(uname -m)
+    util-linux-systemd
+EOF
+fi
+
+if [ -x /usr/bin/pacman ]; then
+    cat << EOF
+    connman
+    cpio
+    dhclient
+    dhcp
+    linux
+    multipath-tools
+    networkmanager
+    open-iscsi
+    pcsclite
+    qemu
+    shellcheck
+    tgt
+EOF
+fi
+
+# packages for deb based distro's
+if [ -x /usr/bin/dpkg ]; then
+    cat << EOF
+    ca-certificates
+    console-setup
+    cpio
+    curl
+    debhelper
+    debhelper-compat
+    docbook
+    docbook-xml
+    docbook-xsl
+    fdisk
+    iputils-arping
+    iputils-ping
+    isc-dhcp-client
+    isc-dhcp-server
+    iscsiuio
+    libdmraid-dev
+    libkmod-dev
+    linux-image-generic
+    multipath-tools
+    nbd-client
+    nbd-server
+    network-manager
+    nfs-kernel-server
+    open-iscsi
+    ovmf
+    pkg-config
+    procps
+    qemu-system-x86
+    shellcheck
+    systemd-boot-efi
+    tgt
+    thin-provisioning-tools
+EOF
+fi