diff --git a/dtrfs_api/src/main.rs b/dtrfs_api/src/main.rs
index 42260f3..9506b77 100644
--- a/dtrfs_api/src/main.rs
+++ b/dtrfs_api/src/main.rs
@@ -84,6 +84,7 @@ async fn get_report() -> HttpResponse {
 
 #[derive(Deserialize)]
 struct InstallForm {
+    hostname: String,
     url: String,
     sha: String,
     keyfile: String,
@@ -95,7 +96,7 @@ async fn post_install_form(req: HttpRequest, form: web::Form<InstallForm>) -> Ht
     if let Err(e) = verify(&req) {
         return HttpResponse::BadRequest().body(format!("Signature verification failed: {}", e));
     };
-    match os::encrypt_and_install_os(&form.url, &form.sha, &form.keyfile) {
+    match os::encrypt_and_install_os(&form.url, &form.sha, &form.keyfile, &form.hostname) {
         Ok(s) => HttpResponse::Ok().body(s),
         Err(e) => HttpResponse::InternalServerError().body(format!("{e:?}")),
     }
diff --git a/dtrfs_api/src/os.rs b/dtrfs_api/src/os.rs
index f46b975..9c196cd 100644
--- a/dtrfs_api/src/os.rs
+++ b/dtrfs_api/src/os.rs
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ pub fn encrypt_and_install_os(
     install_url: &str,
     install_sha: &str,
     keyfile: &str,
+    vm_hostname: &str,
 ) -> Result<String> {
     let binary_keyfile = BASE64_URL_SAFE.decode(keyfile)?;
     std::fs::write(BACKUP_KEYFILE_PATH, binary_keyfile)?;
@@ -24,6 +25,7 @@ pub fn encrypt_and_install_os(
         .env("INSTALL_SHA", install_sha)
         .env("SNP_KEY_FILE", SNP_KEYFILE_PATH)
         .env("ROOT_KEYFILE", BACKUP_KEYFILE_PATH)
+        .env("VM_HOSTNAME", vm_hostname)
         .output()?;
 
     if !install_result.status.success() {
diff --git a/scripts/install_os.sh b/scripts/install_os.sh
index 77d5c6d..d53e52a 100755
--- a/scripts/install_os.sh
+++ b/scripts/install_os.sh
@@ -7,11 +7,16 @@
   exit 1
 }
 
-[[ -z "$INSTALL_URL" ]] && {
+[[ -z "$INSTALL_SHA" ]] && {
   echo "Did not find INSTALL_SHA env variable".
   exit 2
 }
 
+[[ -z "$VM_HOSTNAME" ]] && {
+  echo "Did not find VM_HOSTNAME env variable".
+  exit 2
+}
+
 [[ -f "$ROOT_KEYFILE" ]] || {
   echo "Did not find keyfile at the following location: $ROOT_KEYFILE"
   exit 3
@@ -55,9 +60,8 @@ fsarchiver restdir /mnt/template.fsa /
 rm /mnt/template.fsa
 # TODO: decide for UX if maybe we should allow user to inject fstab
 echo "" > /mnt/etc/fstab
-hostname=$(cat /proc/cmdline | grep -oE 'detee_name=[0-9a-z\_\.\-]+' | cut -d '=' -f2)
-echo "=== Setting up guest hostname as $hostname"
-[[ -n "$hostname" ]] && echo $hostname > /mnt/etc/hostname
+echo "=== Setting up guest hostname as $VM_HOSTNAME"
+echo $VM_HOSTNAME > /mnt/etc/hostname
 
 echo "=== Generating SSH public keys"
 echo "root:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/sh" > /etc/passwd