diff --git a/bus/tmpfiles.d/dbus-containers.conf.in b/bus/tmpfiles.d/dbus-containers.conf.in
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4bf1b02b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bus/tmpfiles.d/dbus-containers.conf.in
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+# Fields: type; path; mode; uid; gid; age; argument (symlink target)
+
+# Create ${runstatedir}/dbus/containers owned by the system bus user.
+# org.freedesktop.DBus.Containers1 uses this to create sockets.
+d @EXPANDED_RUNSTATEDIR@/dbus/containers 0755 @DBUS_USER@ - - -
diff --git a/bus/tmpfiles.d/dbus.conf.in b/bus/tmpfiles.d/dbus.conf.in
index aaaa9e02..0ec7de04 100644
--- a/bus/tmpfiles.d/dbus.conf.in
+++ b/bus/tmpfiles.d/dbus.conf.in
@@ -7,7 +7,3 @@ d @EXPANDED_LOCALSTATEDIR@/lib/dbus 0755 - - -
 # Make ${localstatedir}/lib/dbus/machine-id a symlink to /etc/machine-id
 # if it does not already exist
 L @EXPANDED_LOCALSTATEDIR@/lib/dbus/machine-id - - - - /etc/machine-id
-
-# Create ${runstatedir}/dbus/containers owned by the system bus user.
-# org.freedesktop.DBus.Containers1 uses this to create sockets.
-d @EXPANDED_RUNSTATEDIR@/dbus/containers 0755 @DBUS_USER@ - - -
diff --git a/bus/tmpfiles.d/meson.build b/bus/tmpfiles.d/meson.build
index f866879c..91dd13f3 100644
--- a/bus/tmpfiles.d/meson.build
+++ b/bus/tmpfiles.d/meson.build
@@ -25,3 +25,12 @@ configure_file(
     configuration: data_config,
     install_dir: get_option('prefix') / 'lib' / 'tmpfiles.d',
 )
+
+if get_option('containers')
+  configure_file(
+      input: 'dbus-containers.conf.in',
+      output: 'dbus-containers.conf',
+      configuration: data_config,
+      install_dir: get_option('prefix') / 'lib' / 'tmpfiles.d',
+  )
+endif