diff --git a/lib/src/install.rs b/lib/src/install.rs
index 2834ae44f..5929e4cdd 100644
--- a/lib/src/install.rs
+++ b/lib/src/install.rs
@@ -662,7 +662,7 @@ async fn initialize_ostree_root(state: &State, root_setup: &RootSetup) -> Result
         .init_osname(stateroot, cancellable)
         .context("initializing stateroot")?;
 
-    let sysroot_dir = Dir::reopen_dir(&crate::utils::sysroot_fd(&sysroot))?;
+    let sysroot_dir = crate::utils::sysroot_dir(&sysroot)?;
 
     state.tempdir.create_dir("temp-run")?;
     let temp_run = state.tempdir.open_dir("temp-run")?;
diff --git a/lib/src/install/completion.rs b/lib/src/install/completion.rs
index e37d2865a..859835588 100644
--- a/lib/src/install/completion.rs
+++ b/lib/src/install/completion.rs
@@ -276,7 +276,7 @@ pub(crate) async fn impl_completion(
     let deployment = &sysroot
         .merge_deployment(stateroot)
         .ok_or_else(|| anyhow::anyhow!("Failed to find deployment (stateroot={stateroot:?}"))?;
-    let sysroot_dir = Dir::reopen_dir(&crate::utils::sysroot_fd(&sysroot))?;
+    let sysroot_dir = crate::utils::sysroot_dir(&sysroot)?;
 
     // Create a subdir in /run
     let rundir = "run/bootc-install";
diff --git a/lib/src/store/mod.rs b/lib/src/store/mod.rs
index 56e142e8b..92ab8b54e 100644
--- a/lib/src/store/mod.rs
+++ b/lib/src/store/mod.rs
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ impl Storage {
         if let Some(imgstore) = self.imgstore.get() {
             return Ok(imgstore);
         }
-        let sysroot_dir = Dir::reopen_dir(&crate::utils::sysroot_fd(&self.sysroot))?;
+        let sysroot_dir = crate::utils::sysroot_dir(&self.sysroot)?;
         let imgstore = crate::imgstorage::Storage::create(&sysroot_dir, &self.run)?;
         Ok(self.imgstore.get_or_init(|| imgstore))
     }
diff --git a/lib/src/utils.rs b/lib/src/utils.rs
index 525b1e70e..b809f016f 100644
--- a/lib/src/utils.rs
+++ b/lib/src/utils.rs
@@ -40,6 +40,11 @@ pub(crate) fn sysroot_fd(sysroot: &ostree::Sysroot) -> BorrowedFd {
     unsafe { BorrowedFd::borrow_raw(sysroot.fd()) }
 }
 
+// Return a cap-std `Dir` type for a sysroot
+pub(crate) fn sysroot_dir(sysroot: &ostree::Sysroot) -> Result<Dir> {
+    Dir::reopen_dir(&sysroot_fd(sysroot)).map_err(Into::into)
+}
+
 // Return a cap-std `Dir` type for a deployment.
 // TODO: in the future this should perhaps actually mount via composefs
 pub(crate) fn deployment_fd(