diff --git a/rust/src/composepost.rs b/rust/src/composepost.rs
index 45b58d08..e39a5c11 100644
--- a/rust/src/composepost.rs
+++ b/rust/src/composepost.rs
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ use std::path::Path;
 
 /* See rpmostree-core.h */
 const RPMOSTREE_RPMDB_LOCATION: &str = "usr/share/rpm";
+const TRADITIONAL_RPMDB_LOCATION: &str = "var/lib/rpm";
 
 // rpm-ostree uses /home → /var/home by default as generated by our
 // rootfs; we don't expect people to change this.  Let's be nice
@@ -201,6 +202,27 @@ fn compose_postprocess_add_files(
     Ok(())
 }
 
+#[context("Symlinking {}", TRADITIONAL_RPMDB_LOCATION)]
+fn compose_postprocess_rpmdb(rootfs_dfd: &openat::Dir) -> Result<()> {
+    /* This works around a potential issue with libsolv if we go down the
+     * rpmostree_get_pkglist_for_root() path. Though rpm has been using the
+     * /usr/share/rpm location (since the RpmOstreeContext set the _dbpath macro),
+     * the /var/lib/rpm directory will still exist, but be empty. libsolv gets
+     * confused because it sees the /var/lib/rpm dir and doesn't even try the
+     * /usr/share/rpm location, and eventually dies when it tries to load the
+     * data. XXX: should probably send a patch upstream to libsolv.
+     *
+     * So we set the symlink now. This is also what we do on boot anyway for
+     * compatibility reasons using tmpfiles.
+     * */
+    rootfs_dfd.remove_all(TRADITIONAL_RPMDB_LOCATION)?;
+    rootfs_dfd.symlink(
+        TRADITIONAL_RPMDB_LOCATION,
+        format!("../../{}", RPMOSTREE_RPMDB_LOCATION),
+    )?;
+    Ok(())
+}
+
 /// Rust portion of rpmostree_treefile_postprocessing()
 pub(crate) fn compose_postprocess(
     rootfs_dfd: i32,
@@ -211,6 +233,7 @@ pub(crate) fn compose_postprocess(
 
     compose_postprocess_add_files(rootfs_dfd, treefile)?;
     compose_postprocess_scripts(rootfs_dfd, treefile, unified_core)?;
+    compose_postprocess_rpmdb(rootfs_dfd)?;
 
     Ok(())
 }
diff --git a/src/libpriv/rpmostree-postprocess.cxx b/src/libpriv/rpmostree-postprocess.cxx
index 7f43daa4..da2406d0 100644
--- a/src/libpriv/rpmostree-postprocess.cxx
+++ b/src/libpriv/rpmostree-postprocess.cxx
@@ -1319,22 +1319,6 @@ rpmostree_treefile_postprocessing (int            rootfs_fd,
         return FALSE;
     }
 
-  /* This works around a potential issue with libsolv if we go down the
-   * rpmostree_get_pkglist_for_root() path. Though rpm has been using the
-   * /usr/share/rpm location (since the RpmOstreeContext set the _dbpath macro),
-   * the /var/lib/rpm directory will still exist, but be empty. libsolv gets
-   * confused because it sees the /var/lib/rpm dir and doesn't even try the
-   * /usr/share/rpm location, and eventually dies when it tries to load the
-   * data. XXX: should probably send a patch upstream to libsolv.
-   *
-   * So we set the symlink now. This is also what we do on boot anyway for
-   * compatibility reasons using tmpfiles.
-   * */
-  if (!glnx_shutil_rm_rf_at (rootfs_fd, "var/lib/rpm", cancellable, error))
-    return FALSE;
-  if (symlinkat ("../../" RPMOSTREE_RPMDB_LOCATION, rootfs_fd, "var/lib/rpm") < 0)
-    return glnx_throw_errno_prefix (error, "symlinkat(%s)", "var/lib/rpm");
-
   /* Take care of /etc for these bits */
   if (!rename_if_exists (rootfs_fd, "usr/etc", rootfs_fd, "etc", error))
     return FALSE;