diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yaml b/.github/workflows/ci.yaml
index 65e34cde..07084a46 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yaml
@@ -99,6 +99,8 @@ jobs:
         include:
           - backend: { name: "qemu", backend: "--fakemachine-backend=qemu" }
             test: { name: "partitioning", case: "partitioning" }
+          - backend: { name: "uml", backend: "--fakemachine-backend=uml" }
+            test: { name: "apertis", case: "apertis" }
           - backend: { name: "uml", backend: "--fakemachine-backend=uml" }
             test: { name: "partitioning", case: "partitioning" }
     name: ${{matrix.test.name}} on ${{matrix.backend.name}}
diff --git a/actions/debootstrap_action.go b/actions/debootstrap_action.go
index c219ec2d..89223f97 100644
--- a/actions/debootstrap_action.go
+++ b/actions/debootstrap_action.go
@@ -203,6 +203,7 @@ func (d *DebootstrapAction) Run(context *debos.DebosContext) error {
 		cmdline = append(cmdline, fmt.Sprintf("--variant=%s", d.Variant))
 	}
 
+	cmdline = append(cmdline, "--exclude=usr-is-merged")
 	cmdline = append(cmdline, d.Suite)
 	cmdline = append(cmdline, context.Rootdir)
 	cmdline = append(cmdline, d.Mirror)
diff --git a/tests/apertis/apertis-archive-keyring.gpg b/tests/apertis/apertis-archive-keyring.gpg
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4a126de5
Binary files /dev/null and b/tests/apertis/apertis-archive-keyring.gpg differ
diff --git a/tests/apertis/test.yaml b/tests/apertis/test.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4cde8606
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/apertis/test.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+---
+# Test building a non-debian distribution such as apertis to ensure
+# bootstrapping suites that debootstrap won't internally know about works
+{{- $architecture := or .architecture "amd64"}}
+architecture: {{$architecture}}
+
+actions:
+  - action: debootstrap
+    suite: v2022
+    components:
+      - target
+    mirror: https://repositories.apertis.org/apertis/
+    variant: minbase
+    keyring-package: apertis-archive-keyring
+    keyring-file: apertis-archive-keyring.gpg
+
+  - action: apt
+    description: Install some base packages
+    packages:
+      - procps