diff --git a/meta/classes-recipe/image.bbclass b/meta/classes-recipe/image.bbclass
index ce19ae1c..229a37fe 100644
--- a/meta/classes-recipe/image.bbclass
+++ b/meta/classes-recipe/image.bbclass
@@ -187,6 +187,8 @@ SUDO_CHROOT = "imager_run -d ${PP_ROOTFS} -u root --"
 # hook up IMAGE_CMD_*
 python() {
     image_types = (d.getVar('IMAGE_FSTYPES') or '').split()
+    requested_types = set(image_types)
+    intermediate_files = set()
     conversions = set(d.getVar('IMAGE_CONVERSIONS').split())
     chroot_mode = d.getVar('ISAR_CHROOT_MODE')
 
@@ -285,8 +287,10 @@ python() {
 
         # add conversions
         conversion_depends = set()
-        rm_images = set()
         def create_conversions(t):
+            localdata.setVar('type', t)
+            if t not in requested_types:
+                intermediate_files.add(localdata.getVar('IMAGE_FILE_HOST'))
             for c in sorted(conversions):
                 if t.endswith('.' + c):
                     t = t[:-len(c) - 1]
@@ -301,20 +305,9 @@ python() {
                     for dep in (localdata.getVar('CONVERSION_DEPS:' + c) or '').split():
                         conversion_install.add(dep)
                         local_conversion_install.add(dep)
-                    # remove temporary image files
-                    if t not in image_types:
-                        rm_images.add(localdata.expand('${IMAGE_FILE_HOST}'))
-
         for t in basetypes[bt]:
             create_conversions(t)
 
-        if bt not in image_types:
-            localdata.setVar('type', t)
-            rm_images.add(localdata.expand('${IMAGE_FILE_HOST}'))
-
-        for image in rm_images:
-            cmds.append('\trm ' + image)
-
         # image type dependencies
         after = 'do_image_tools'
         for dep in typedeps[bt]:
@@ -340,6 +333,7 @@ python() {
         d.appendVar('INSTALL_image_%s' % bt_clean, ' ' + ' '.join(sorted(local_imager_install | local_conversion_install)))
         d.appendVarFlag(task, 'vardeps', ' INSTALL_image_%s' % bt_clean)
 
+    d.setVar('IMAGE_INTERMEDIATE_FILES', ' '.join(sorted(intermediate_files)))
     d.appendVar('IMAGER_INSTALL', ' ' + ' '.join(sorted(imager_install | conversion_install)))
     d.appendVar('IMAGER_BOM', ' ' + ' '.join(sorted(imager_bom)))
     d.appendVar('IMAGER_BUILD_DEPS', ' ' + ' '.join(sorted(imager_build_deps)))
@@ -429,6 +423,12 @@ python do_image() {
     """Virtual task"""
     pass
 }
+python cleanup_image_intermediates() {
+    for image in (d.getVar('IMAGE_INTERMEDIATE_FILES') or '').split():
+        bb.utils.remove(image)
+}
+do_image[postfuncs] += "cleanup_image_intermediates"
+do_image[vardeps] += "IMAGE_INTERMEDIATE_FILES"
 addtask image before do_build after do_image_tools
 
 python do_deploy() {
diff --git a/testsuite/unittests/test_image_type_cleanup.py b/testsuite/unittests/test_image_type_cleanup.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1e2ad5b9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/testsuite/unittests/test_image_type_cleanup.py
@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+# This software is a part of Isar.
+# Copyright (C) Siemens AG, 2026
+#
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
+
+import sys
+import tempfile
+import unittest
+from pathlib import Path
+
+root = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[2]
+sys.path.extend([
+    str(root / 'bitbake/lib'),
+    str(root / 'meta/lib'),
+])
+
+import bb.data
+from bb.build import exec_func
+from bb.parse import handle
+
+
+data = bb.data.init()
+data.setVar('BBPATH', f'{root}/meta:{root}/bitbake')
+data.setVar('__bbclasstype', 'recipe')
+data.setVar('IMGCLASSES', '')
+parsed = handle(str(root / 'meta/classes-recipe/image.bbclass'), data)
+data.setVar('IMAGE_TYPEDEP:ova', 'vmdk')
+data.setVar('IMAGE_TYPEDEP:vmdk', 'wic')
+data.setVar('IMAGE_CMD:vmdk', ':')
+namespace = {'bb': bb}
+exec(parsed['get_base_type'], namespace)
+image_tasks = next(
+    function for function in parsed.getVar('__BBANONFUNCS', False)
+    if 'def collect_image_type(' in parsed.getVar(function, False)
+)
+exec(parsed[image_tasks], namespace)
+
+
+class TestImageTypeCleanup(unittest.TestCase):
+    def generate_image_tasks(self, image_types, deploy_dir='/deploy'):
+        d = bb.data.createCopy(data)
+        d.setVar('IMAGE_FSTYPES', image_types)
+        d.setVar('DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE', str(deploy_dir))
+        d.setVar('IMAGE_FULLNAME', 'image')
+        namespace[image_tasks](d)
+        return d
+
+    def assert_intermediates(self, image_types, expected):
+        d = self.generate_image_tasks(image_types)
+        self.assertEqual(
+            set(d.getVar('IMAGE_INTERMEDIATE_FILES').split()),
+            {'/deploy/image.' + image_type for image_type in expected},
+        )
+
+    def test_only_unrequested_types_are_intermediates(self):
+        self.assert_intermediates('ova.zst', {'ova', 'vmdk', 'wic'})
+        self.assert_intermediates('vmdk ova.zst', {'ova', 'wic'})
+        self.assert_intermediates('ova ova.zst vmdk wic', set())
+
+    def test_unrequested_conversion_stages_are_cleaned(self):
+        self.assert_intermediates('tar.gz.xz', {'tar', 'tar.gz'})
+        self.assert_intermediates('tar.gz tar.gz.xz', {'tar'})
+
+    def test_cleanup_uses_image_type_filename_overrides(self):
+        d = bb.data.createCopy(data)
+        d.setVar('IMAGE_FSTYPES', 'tar.gz')
+        d.setVar('IMAGE_FULLNAME:tar', 'custom-image')
+        d.setVar('DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE:tar', '/custom-deploy')
+        namespace[image_tasks](d)
+        self.assertEqual(
+            d.getVar('IMAGE_INTERMEDIATE_FILES'),
+            '/custom-deploy/custom-image.tar',
+        )
+
+    def test_cleanup_removes_only_intermediate_files(self):
+        with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() as deploy_dir:
+            deploy_dir = Path(deploy_dir)
+            for image_type in ('ova', 'wic', 'vmdk', 'ova.zst'):
+                (deploy_dir / ('image.' + image_type)).touch()
+
+            d = self.generate_image_tasks('vmdk ova.zst', deploy_dir)
+            d.setVar('T', str(deploy_dir / 'temp'))
+            exec_func('cleanup_image_intermediates', d)
+
+            self.assertEqual(
+                {path.name for path in deploy_dir.glob('image.*')},
+                {'image.vmdk', 'image.ova.zst'},
+            )
+
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    unittest.main()