diff --git a/cmd/build/main.go b/cmd/build/main.go
index 9f6180c351..eb50638dc6 100644
--- a/cmd/build/main.go
+++ b/cmd/build/main.go
@@ -42,7 +42,6 @@ func makeManifest(
 	distribution distro.Distro,
 	repos []rpmmd.RepoConfig,
 	archName string,
-	seedArg int64,
 	cacheRoot string,
 ) (manifest.OSBuildManifest, error) {
 	cacheDir := filepath.Join(cacheRoot, archName+distribution.Name())
@@ -58,6 +57,10 @@ func makeManifest(
 	if config.Blueprint != nil {
 		bp = blueprint.Blueprint(*config.Blueprint)
 	}
+	seedArg, err := cmdutil.SeedArgFor(config, imgType, distribution, archName)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
 
 	manifest, warnings, err := imgType.Manifest(&bp, options, repos, seedArg)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -209,9 +212,6 @@ func main() {
 		os.Exit(1)
 	}
 
-	rngSeed, err := cmdutil.NewRNGSeed()
-	check(err)
-
 	testedRepoRegistry, err := reporegistry.NewTestedDefault()
 	if err != nil {
 		panic(fmt.Sprintf("failed to create repo registry with tested distros: %v", err))
@@ -258,7 +258,7 @@ func main() {
 	}
 
 	fmt.Printf("Generating manifest for %s: ", config.Name)
-	mf, err := makeManifest(config, imgType, distribution, repos, archName, rngSeed, rpmCacheRoot)
+	mf, err := makeManifest(config, imgType, distribution, repos, archName, rpmCacheRoot)
 	check(err)
 	fmt.Print("DONE\n")
 
diff --git a/cmd/gen-manifests/main.go b/cmd/gen-manifests/main.go
index fede29450b..9f4c9ce570 100644
--- a/cmd/gen-manifests/main.go
+++ b/cmd/gen-manifests/main.go
@@ -179,7 +179,6 @@ func makeManifestJob(
 	distribution distro.Distro,
 	repos []rpmmd.RepoConfig,
 	archName string,
-	seedArg int64,
 	cacheRoot string,
 	path string,
 	content map[string]bool,
@@ -190,6 +189,12 @@ func makeManifestJob(
 	filename := fmt.Sprintf("%s-%s-%s-%s.json", u(distroName), u(archName), u(imgType.Name()), u(name))
 	cacheDir := filepath.Join(cacheRoot, archName+distribution.Name())
 
+	// ensure that each file has a unique seed based on filename
+	seedArg, err := cmdutil.SeedArgFor(bc, imgType, distribution, archName)
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+
 	options := bc.Options
 
 	var bp blueprint.Blueprint
@@ -508,11 +513,6 @@ func main() {
 
 	flag.Parse()
 
-	rngSeed, err := cmdutil.NewRNGSeed()
-	if err != nil {
-		panic(err)
-	}
-
 	testedRepoRegistry, err := reporegistry.NewTestedDefault()
 	if err != nil {
 		panic(fmt.Sprintf("failed to create repo registry with tested distros: %v", err))
@@ -598,7 +598,7 @@ func main() {
 				}
 
 				for _, itConfig := range imgTypeConfigs {
-					job := makeManifestJob(itConfig, imgType, distribution, repos, archName, rngSeed, cacheRoot, outputDir, contentResolve, metadata)
+					job := makeManifestJob(itConfig, imgType, distribution, repos, archName, cacheRoot, outputDir, contentResolve, metadata)
 					jobs = append(jobs, job)
 				}
 			}
diff --git a/internal/cmdutil/export_test.go b/internal/cmdutil/export_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d400c554d6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/cmdutil/export_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+package cmdutil
+
+var NewRNGSeed = newRNGSeed
diff --git a/internal/cmdutil/rand.go b/internal/cmdutil/rand.go
index 4f22514aa5..a4a9b9a999 100644
--- a/internal/cmdutil/rand.go
+++ b/internal/cmdutil/rand.go
@@ -3,17 +3,20 @@ package cmdutil
 import (
 	"crypto/rand"
 	"fmt"
+	"hash/fnv"
 	"math"
 	"math/big"
 	"os"
 	"strconv"
+
+	"github.com/osbuild/images/internal/buildconfig"
 )
 
 const RNG_SEED_ENV_KEY = "OSBUILD_TESTING_RNG_SEED"
 
-// NewRNGSeed generates a random seed value unless the env var
+// newRNGSeed generates a random seed value unless the env var
 // OSBUILD_TESTING_RNG_SEED is set.
-func NewRNGSeed() (int64, error) {
+func newRNGSeed() (int64, error) {
 	if envSeedStr := os.Getenv(RNG_SEED_ENV_KEY); envSeedStr != "" {
 		envSeedInt, err := strconv.ParseInt(envSeedStr, 10, 64)
 		if err != nil {
@@ -28,3 +31,22 @@ func NewRNGSeed() (int64, error) {
 	}
 	return randSeed.Int64(), nil
 }
+
+type namer interface {
+	Name() string
+}
+
+func SeedArgFor(bc *buildconfig.BuildConfig, imgType namer, distribution namer, archName string) (int64, error) {
+	rngSeed, err := newRNGSeed()
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, err
+	}
+
+	h := fnv.New64()
+	h.Write([]byte(distribution.Name()))
+	h.Write([]byte(archName))
+	h.Write([]byte(imgType.Name()))
+	h.Write([]byte(bc.Name))
+
+	return rngSeed + int64(h.Sum64()), nil
+}
diff --git a/internal/cmdutil/rand_test.go b/internal/cmdutil/rand_test.go
index 6da4b4eb6e..9c16c91682 100644
--- a/internal/cmdutil/rand_test.go
+++ b/internal/cmdutil/rand_test.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 
+	"github.com/osbuild/images/internal/buildconfig"
 	"github.com/osbuild/images/internal/cmdutil"
 )
 
@@ -38,3 +39,31 @@ func TestNewRNGSeed(t *testing.T) {
 		require.EqualError(t, err, fmt.Sprintf(`failed to parse %s: strconv.ParseInt: parsing "NaN": invalid syntax`, cmdutil.RNG_SEED_ENV_KEY))
 	})
 }
+
+type fakeNamer struct {
+	fakeName string
+}
+
+func (fn fakeNamer) Name() string {
+	return fn.fakeName
+}
+
+func TestSeedArgFor(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Setenv(cmdutil.RNG_SEED_ENV_KEY, "1234")
+
+	for _, tc := range []struct {
+		bcName, imgType, distro, archName string
+		expectedSeed                      int64
+	}{
+		{"bcName", "fakeImgType", "fakeDistro", "x86_64", 9170052743323116054},
+		{"bcName1", "fakeImgType", "fakeDistro", "x86_64", -7134826073208782961},
+		{"bcName", "fakeImgType1", "fakeDistro", "x86_64", 4026045880862600579},
+		{"bcName", "fakeImgType", "fakeDistro1", "x86_64", 3669869122697339647},
+		{"bcName", "fakeImgType", "fakeDistro1", "aarch64", 47752167762999679},
+	} {
+		bc := &buildconfig.BuildConfig{Name: tc.bcName}
+		seedArg, err := cmdutil.SeedArgFor(bc, fakeNamer{tc.imgType}, fakeNamer{tc.distro}, tc.archName)
+		assert.NoError(t, err)
+		assert.Equal(t, tc.expectedSeed, seedArg)
+	}
+}