diff --git a/meta/classes-recipe/image.bbclass b/meta/classes-recipe/image.bbclass
index 4194dda4..03127ded 100644
--- a/meta/classes-recipe/image.bbclass
+++ b/meta/classes-recipe/image.bbclass
@@ -488,7 +488,7 @@ EOSUDO
         -exec touch '{}' -h -d@${SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH} ';'
 }
 do_rootfs_finalize[network] = "${TASK_USE_SUDO}"
-addtask rootfs_finalize before do_rootfs after do_rootfs_postprocess do_generate_initramfs
+addtask rootfs_finalize before do_rootfs after do_rootfs_postprocess
 
 ROOTFS_QA_FIND_ARGS ?= ""
 
diff --git a/meta/classes-recipe/initramfs.bbclass b/meta/classes-recipe/initramfs.bbclass
index e0a5f5ab..bfe530c4 100644
--- a/meta/classes-recipe/initramfs.bbclass
+++ b/meta/classes-recipe/initramfs.bbclass
@@ -44,4 +44,42 @@ python do_validate_rootfs_packages () {
                 bb.error(f"{pkg} is incompatible with the selected generator '{initrd_generator}'")
 }
 addtask do_validate_rootfs_packages before do_rootfs_install
+
+SSTATETASKS += "do_generate_initramfs"
+do_generate_initramfs[cleandirs] += "${DEPLOYDIR}"
+do_generate_initramfs[network] = "${TASK_USE_SUDO}"
+do_generate_initramfs[sstate-inputdirs] = "${DEPLOYDIR}"
+do_generate_initramfs[sstate-outputdirs] = "${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}"
+python do_generate_initramfs() {
+    bb.build.exec_func('rootfs_do_mounts', d)
+    bb.build.exec_func('rootfs_do_qemu', d)
+
+    progress_reporter = bb.progress.ProgressHandler(d)
+    d.rootfs_progress = progress_reporter
+
+    try:
+        bb.build.exec_func('rootfs_generate_initramfs', d)
+        bb.build.exec_func('rootfs_purge_initramfs', d)
+    finally:
+        bb.build.exec_func('rootfs_do_umounts', d)
+}
+
+python do_generate_initramfs_setscene () {
+    sstate_setscene(d)
+}
+
+# When generating an external initrd, remove it from the rootfs to ensure
+# identical artifacts when using the sstate cache. The remaining rootfs
+# is not used for booting.
+rootfs_purge_initramfs[weight] = "1"
+rootfs_purge_initramfs() {
+    sudo find ${ROOTFSDIR}/boot -name "initrd.img-*" -delete
+}
+
+# If an external initrd shall be used, run it as a task
+# instead of as part of the rootfs install.
+addtask do_generate_initramfs before do_rootfs_postprocess after do_rootfs_install
+addtask do_generate_initramfs_setscene
+ROOTFS_INSTALL_COMMAND:remove = "rootfs_generate_initramfs"
+
 inherit rootfs
diff --git a/meta/classes-recipe/rootfs.bbclass b/meta/classes-recipe/rootfs.bbclass
index aaacd1e6..f46df2bc 100644
--- a/meta/classes-recipe/rootfs.bbclass
+++ b/meta/classes-recipe/rootfs.bbclass
@@ -424,6 +424,9 @@ rootfs_clear_initrd_symlinks() {
 }
 
 do_rootfs_install[root_cleandirs] = "${ROOTFSDIR}"
+do_rootfs_install[cleandirs] += "${DEPLOYDIR}"
+do_rootfs_install[sstate-inputdirs] = "${DEPLOYDIR}"
+do_rootfs_install[sstate-outputdirs] = "${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}"
 do_rootfs_install[vardeps] += "${ROOTFS_CONFIGURE_COMMAND} ${ROOTFS_INSTALL_COMMAND} ${ROOTFS_VARDEPS}"
 do_rootfs_install[vardepsexclude] += "IMAGE_ROOTFS"
 do_rootfs_install[depends] = "bootstrap-${@'target' if d.getVar('ROOTFS_ARCH') == d.getVar('DISTRO_ARCH') else 'host'}:do_build"
@@ -630,28 +633,8 @@ python do_rootfs_postprocess() {
 }
 addtask rootfs_postprocess before do_rootfs after do_unpack
 
-SSTATETASKS += "do_generate_initramfs"
-do_generate_initramfs[network] = "${TASK_USE_SUDO}"
-do_generate_initramfs[cleandirs] += "${DEPLOYDIR}"
-do_generate_initramfs[sstate-inputdirs] = "${DEPLOYDIR}"
-do_generate_initramfs[sstate-outputdirs] = "${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}"
-python do_generate_initramfs() {
-    bb.build.exec_func('rootfs_do_mounts', d)
-    bb.build.exec_func('rootfs_do_qemu', d)
-
-    progress_reporter = bb.progress.ProgressHandler(d)
-    d.rootfs_progress = progress_reporter
-
-    try:
-        bb.build.exec_func('rootfs_generate_initramfs', d)
-    finally:
-        bb.build.exec_func('rootfs_do_umounts', d)
-}
-
-python do_generate_initramfs_setscene () {
-    sstate_setscene(d)
-}
-
+ROOTFS_INSTALL_COMMAND += "${@bb.utils.contains('ROOTFS_FEATURES', 'generate-initrd', 'rootfs_generate_initramfs', '', d)}"
+rootfs_generate_initramfs[weight] = "1000"
 rootfs_generate_initramfs[progress] = "custom:rootfs_progress.InitrdProgressHandler"
 rootfs_generate_initramfs() {
     if [ -n "$(sudo find '${ROOTFSDIR}/boot' -type f -name 'vmlinu[xz]*')" ]; then
@@ -671,12 +654,6 @@ rootfs_generate_initramfs() {
     fi
 }
 
-python() {
-    if 'generate-initrd' in d.getVar('ROOTFS_FEATURES', True).split():
-        bb.build.addtask('do_generate_initramfs', 'do_rootfs', 'do_rootfs_postprocess', d)
-        bb.build.addtask('do_generate_initramfs_setscene', None, None, d)
-}
-
 python do_rootfs() {
     """Virtual task"""
     pass