diff --git a/kiwi/builder/disk.py b/kiwi/builder/disk.py
index 65fc9f4e..90d9c631 100644
--- a/kiwi/builder/disk.py
+++ b/kiwi/builder/disk.py
@@ -527,7 +527,7 @@ class DiskBuilder(object):
 
     def _get_exclude_list_for_root_data_sync(self, device_map):
         exclude_list = [
-            'image', '.profile', '.kconfig', '.buildenv',
+            'image', '.profile', '.kconfig',
             Defaults.get_shared_cache_location()
         ]
         if 'boot' in device_map and self.bootloader == 'grub2_s390x_emu':
diff --git a/kiwi/defaults.py b/kiwi/defaults.py
index 39245300..f81f04a2 100644
--- a/kiwi/defaults.py
+++ b/kiwi/defaults.py
@@ -75,6 +75,13 @@ class Defaults(object):
         # we are building inside of the open buildservice
         return os.path.exists('/.buildenv')
 
+    @classmethod
+    def get_buildservice_env_name(self):
+        """
+        The base name of the environment file in a buildservice worker
+        """
+        return '.buildenv'
+
     @classmethod
     def get_obs_download_server_url(self):
         """
diff --git a/kiwi/system/root_init.py b/kiwi/system/root_init.py
index 695ed535..6280c83a 100644
--- a/kiwi/system/root_init.py
+++ b/kiwi/system/root_init.py
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import stat
 from pwd import getpwnam
 from tempfile import mkdtemp
 from shutil import rmtree
+from shutil import copy
 import os
 
 # project
@@ -84,9 +85,8 @@ class RootInit(object):
             data.sync_data(
                 options=['-a', '--ignore-existing']
             )
-            Command.run([
-                'touch', os.sep.join([self.root_dir, '.buildenv'])
-            ])
+            if Defaults.is_buildservice_worker():
+                copy(Defaults.get_buildservice_env_name(), self.root_dir)
         except Exception as e:
             self.delete()
             raise KiwiRootInitCreationError(
diff --git a/test/unit/builder_disk_test.py b/test/unit/builder_disk_test.py
index ad3f06f8..e1a37783 100644
--- a/test/unit/builder_disk_test.py
+++ b/test/unit/builder_disk_test.py
@@ -329,7 +329,7 @@ class TestDiskBuilder(object):
         call = filesystem.sync_data.call_args_list[2]
         assert filesystem.sync_data.call_args_list[2] == \
             call([
-                'image', '.profile', '.kconfig', '.buildenv', 'var/cache/kiwi',
+                'image', '.profile', '.kconfig', 'var/cache/kiwi',
                 'boot/*', 'boot/.*', 'boot/efi/*', 'boot/efi/.*'
             ])
         assert mock_open.call_args_list[0:3] == [
@@ -449,7 +449,7 @@ class TestDiskBuilder(object):
         call = filesystem.sync_data.call_args_list[2]
         assert filesystem.sync_data.call_args_list[2] == \
             call([
-                'image', '.profile', '.kconfig', '.buildenv', 'var/cache/kiwi',
+                'image', '.profile', '.kconfig', 'var/cache/kiwi',
                 'boot/*', 'boot/.*', 'boot/efi/*', 'boot/efi/.*'
             ])
         assert mock_open.call_args_list == [
@@ -547,7 +547,7 @@ class TestDiskBuilder(object):
         assert squashfs.create_on_file.call_args_list == [
             call(exclude=['var/cache/kiwi'], filename='tempname'),
             call(exclude=[
-                'image', '.profile', '.kconfig', '.buildenv', 'var/cache/kiwi',
+                'image', '.profile', '.kconfig', 'var/cache/kiwi',
                 'boot/*', 'boot/.*', 'boot/efi/*', 'boot/efi/.*'
             ], filename='tempname')
         ]
@@ -708,7 +708,7 @@ class TestDiskBuilder(object):
         volume_manager.mount_volumes.call_args_list[0].assert_called_once_with()
         volume_manager.get_fstab.assert_called_once_with(None, 'btrfs')
         volume_manager.sync_data.assert_called_once_with([
-            'image', '.profile', '.kconfig', '.buildenv', 'var/cache/kiwi',
+            'image', '.profile', '.kconfig', 'var/cache/kiwi',
             'boot/*', 'boot/.*', 'boot/efi/*', 'boot/efi/.*'
         ])
         volume_manager.umount_volumes.call_args_list[0].assert_called_once_with()
diff --git a/test/unit/system_root_init_test.py b/test/unit/system_root_init_test.py
index 44fedff1..18612890 100644
--- a/test/unit/system_root_init_test.py
+++ b/test/unit/system_root_init_test.py
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ from kiwi.exceptions import (
 )
 
 from kiwi.system.root_init import RootInit
+from kiwi.defaults import Defaults
 
 
 class TestRootInit(object):
@@ -45,12 +46,13 @@ class TestRootInit(object):
     @patch('os.mknod')
     @patch('os.symlink')
     @patch('os.makedev')
+    @patch('kiwi.system.root_init.copy')
     @patch('kiwi.system.root_init.rmtree')
     @patch('kiwi.system.root_init.DataSync')
     @patch('kiwi.system.root_init.mkdtemp')
     @patch('kiwi.system.root_init.Command.run')
     def test_create(
-        self, mock_command, mock_temp, mock_data_sync, mock_rmtree,
+        self, mock_command, mock_temp, mock_data_sync, mock_rmtree, mock_copy,
         mock_makedev, mock_symlink, mock_mknod, mock_chwon, mock_makedirs,
         mock_path
     ):
@@ -58,7 +60,7 @@ class TestRootInit(object):
         mock_data_sync.return_value = data_sync
         mock_makedev.return_value = 'makedev'
         mock_path_return = [
-            True, True, True, False, False, False, False, False, False, False
+            True, True, True, True, False, False, False, False, False, False, False
         ]
 
         def path_exists(self):
@@ -125,8 +127,7 @@ class TestRootInit(object):
                 'cp',
                 '/var/adm/fillup-templates/sysconfig.proxy',
                 'tmpdir/etc/sysconfig/proxy'
-            ]),
-            call(['touch', 'root_dir/.buildenv'])
+            ])
         ]
         mock_data_sync.assert_called_once_with(
             'tmpdir/', 'root_dir'
@@ -138,6 +139,10 @@ class TestRootInit(object):
             'tmpdir', ignore_errors=True
         )
 
+        mock_copy.assert_called_once_with(
+            Defaults.get_buildservice_env_name(), 'root_dir'
+        )
+
     @patch('kiwi.command.Command.run')
     @patch('os.path.exists')
     def test_delete(self, mock_path, mock_command):