#1122883 systemd-boot: fails to install when EFI partition is too small, and breaks dpkg

Package:
systemd-boot
Source:
systemd-boot
Description:
simple UEFI boot manager - tools and services
Submitter:
Amr Ibrahim
Date:
2026-05-26 14:07:02 UTC
Severity:
normal
#1122883#5
Date:
2025-12-13 18:04:07 UTC
From:
To:
Dear Maintainer,

Steps:

0. Have a 60 MB EFI partition (/boot/efi)

1. Install systemd-boot, in a terminal:

$ sudo apt install --allow-remove-essential systemd-boot grub-efi-amd64-signed-
.
.
.
Created "/boot/efi/EFI/systemd".
Created "/boot/efi/loader".
Created "/boot/efi/loader/keys".
Created "/boot/efi/loader/entries".
Created "/boot/efi/EFI/Linux".
Copied "/usr/lib/systemd/boot/efi/systemd-bootx64.efi.signed" to
"/boot/efi/EFI/systemd/systemd-bootx64.efi".
Copied "/usr/lib/systemd/boot/efi/systemd-bootx64.efi.signed" to
"/boot/efi/EFI/BOOT/BOOTX64.EFI".
Created "/boot/efi/9d247cbf911c42ab8cb1eb53e500748e".
Random seed file /boot/efi/loader/random-seed successfully written (32 bytes).
Created EFI boot entry "Linux Boot Manager".
install: Error writing
'/boot/efi/9d247cbf911c42ab8cb1eb53e500748e/6.17.8+deb14-amd64/initrd.img-6.17.8+deb14-amd64':
No more storage space available on the device
Error: could not copy '/var/tmp/kernel-
install.staging.mVDJmO/initrd.img-6.17.8+deb14-amd64' to
'/boot/efi/9d247cbf911c42ab8cb
1eb53e500748e/6.17.8+deb14-amd64/initrd.img-6.17.8+deb14-amd64'.
/usr/lib/kernel/install.d/90-loaderentry.install failed with exit status 1.
dpkg: Error while processing package systemd-boot (--configure): ‘installed
post-installation script of package systemd-boot’ subprocess returned error
value 1
Triggers for man-db (2.13.1-1) are being processed...
Errors occurred while processing:
 systemd-boot
needrestart is being skipped since dpkg has failed
Error: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------

3. remove systemd-boot, in a terminal:

$ sudo apt install systemd-boot- grub-efi-amd64-signed
.
.
.

Removing systemd-boot (259~rc3-1) ...
Invalid bootnum value0000
0002
                           ^
dpkg: Error processing package systemd-boot (--remove):
‘installed pre-removal script of package systemd-boot’ subprocess returned
error value 28
dpkg: Too many errors, aborting
Errors occurred while processing:
 systemd-boot
Processing was stopped because too many errors occurred.
needrestart is being skipped since dpkg has failed
Error: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
----------------------------------------------------------- Best, Amr
#1122883#10
Date:
2026-05-26 14:04:20 UTC
From:
To:
I noticed that installing systemd-boot on debian 14,
after the default grub install, produces uncompressed files in /boot/efi,
while grub installs compressed files.

On a hunch, I installed "dracut" (without configuring it), and now
the files are compressed in /boot/efi. Somehow dracut-install needs
a dependency or a configuration that dracut provides to get a compressed initrd.

Jérémy