---
name: "systemd.image-filter"
section: "7"
platform: "linux"
package: "systemd"
version: "262.1-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/systemd.image-filter"
---

# systemd.image-filter(7)

Disk Image Dissection Filter

## NAME

systemd.image-filter - Disk Image Dissection Filter

## DESCRIPTION

In systemd, whenever a disk image (DDI) implementing the **UAPI.2 Discoverable Partitions Specification**\[1\] is activated, a filter may be specified controlling which partitions to consider for mounting. Such a disk image dissection filter is a string that contains per-partition-type patterns, separated by colons (":"). The individual rules consist of a partition identifier, an equal sign ("="), and a shell globbing pattern applied to the GPT label string of the partition. See [**glob**(7)](/glob/7.md) for details on shell globbing.

The partition identifiers currently defined are: **root**, **usr**, **home**, **srv**, **esp**, **xbootldr**, **swap**, **root-verity**, **root-verity-sig**, **usr-verity**, **usr-verity-sig**, **tmp**, **var**. These identifiers match the relevant partition types in the Discoverable Partitions Specification, but are agnostic to CPU architectures.

## USE

Various systemd components that support operating with disk images support a **--image-filter=** command line option to specify the image filter to use. If no filter is specified all partitions in partition table are considered and no per-label filtering is applied (except that partitions with the "\_empty" label are always ignored).

For the host root file system image itself [**systemd-gpt-auto-generator**(8)](/systemd-gpt-auto-generator/8.md) is responsible for processing the GPT partition table and making use of the included discoverable partitions. It accepts an image filter via the kernel command line option **systemd.image\_filter=**.

## EXAMPLES

The following image filter string dictates that for the root file system partition only partitions shall be considered whose label begins with "ParticleOS-". For the /usr/ partition the precise label "ParticleOS\_47110815" is required.

```
root=ParticleOS-*:usr=ParticleOS_47110815
```

## SEE ALSO

[**systemd**(1)](/systemd/1.md), [**systemd-dissect**(1)](/systemd-dissect/1.md), [**systemd-gpt-auto-generator**(8)](/systemd-gpt-auto-generator/8.md), [**systemd.image-policy**(7)](/systemd.image-policy/7.md)

## NOTES

- 1\.

  UAPI.2 Discoverable Partitions Specification

  https://uapi-group.org/specifications/specs/discoverable\_partitions\_specification