diff --git a/.papr.yml b/.papr.yml
index 095757ab..e4acb6b6 100644
--- a/.papr.yml
+++ b/.papr.yml
@@ -54,6 +54,9 @@ timeout: 80m
 
 ---
 
+# NB: when bumping 25 here, also bump fedora.repo, compose script, and
+# fedora-base.json
+
 context: compose
 build: false
 timeout: 30m
@@ -64,10 +67,16 @@ timeout: 30m
 host:
   distro: fedora/25/atomic
 
+# copy yum.repos.d to get any injected repos from the host, which
+# will point to a closer mirror
 tests:
-  - >
-      docker run --privileged -v $(pwd):/srv/code --rm
-      registry.fedoraproject.org/fedora:25 /bin/sh -c "cd /srv/code && ./ci/build.sh && make install && ./tests/compose"
+  - docker run --privileged --rm
+    -e RPMOSTREE_COMPOSE_TEST_USE_HOST_REPO=1
+    -v /etc/yum.repos.d:/etc/yum.repos.d.host:ro
+    -v $(pwd):/srv/code -w /srv/code
+    registry.fedoraproject.org/fedora:25 /bin/sh -c
+    "cp -fv /etc/yum.repos.d{.host/*.repo,} &&
+     ./ci/build.sh && make install && ./tests/compose"
 
 artifacts:
   - compose.log
diff --git a/tests/compose b/tests/compose
index 39786099..5dfe5469 100755
--- a/tests/compose
+++ b/tests/compose
@@ -49,6 +49,17 @@ mkdir -p ${test_compose_datadir}/cache
 
 echo "Preparing compose tests..." | tee -a ${LOG}
 
+# take the host repo if it matches our target tree
+if [ -n "${RPMOSTREE_COMPOSE_TEST_USE_HOST_REPO:-}" ]; then
+  # NB: when bumping 25 here, also bump fedora.repo, .papr.yml, and
+  # fedora-base.json
+  (source /etc/os-release;
+   if [ "$ID" == "fedora" ] && [ "$VERSION_ID" == "25" ]; then
+     echo "Taking stable Fedora repo file from test env."
+     cp -fv /etc/yum.repos.d/fedora.repo ${dn}/composedata
+   fi) &>> ${LOG}
+fi
+
 # Delete the default ref, since we want to use subrefs of it
 (rm ${repobuild}/refs/heads/* -rf
  rpm-ostree compose --repo=${repobuild} tree --dry-run --cachedir=${test_compose_datadir}/cache ${dn}/composedata/fedora-base.json
diff --git a/tests/composedata/fedora-base.json b/tests/composedata/fedora-base.json
index 65f18fa3..f56b4cab 100644
--- a/tests/composedata/fedora-base.json
+++ b/tests/composedata/fedora-base.json
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 {
+    "COMMENT": "when bumping 25 here, also bump fedora.repo, compose script, and .papr.yml",
+
     "ref": "fedora/25/${basearch}",
 
-    "repos": ["fedora-25"],
+    "repos": ["fedora"],
 
     "packages": ["kernel", "nss-altfiles", "systemd", "ostree", "selinux-policy-targeted"],
 
diff --git a/tests/composedata/fedora-25.repo b/tests/composedata/fedora.repo
similarity index 74%
rename from tests/composedata/fedora-25.repo
rename to tests/composedata/fedora.repo
index 024457a3..d51cc26e 100644
--- a/tests/composedata/fedora-25.repo
+++ b/tests/composedata/fedora.repo
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
-[fedora-25]
+[fedora]
+#when bumping 25 here, also bump fedora-base.json, compose script, and .papr.yml
 name=Fedora 25 (devel) - $basearch
 failovermethod=priority
 baseurl=https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/releases/25/Everything/$basearch/os/