diff --git a/mk/ch.mk b/mk/ch.mk
index f3938954d..fccee5db5 100644
--- a/mk/ch.mk
+++ b/mk/ch.mk
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ ch-check:
 	$(call ch_check_set,CH_FIRMWARE)
 	$(if $(filter tap,$(net)),$(if $(ch_tap_found),,$(error no tap device $(CH_TAP). Create it with scripts/ch-tap-setup.sh or leave out net=tap to use passt)))
 
-ch-deps: $(DISK) $(EXTRA_DISK) $(CH_DOWNLOADS)
+ch-deps: $(DISK) $(EXTRA_DISK) $(CH_DOWNLOADS) $(VIRTIOFS_DEPS)
 
 ch-fetch: ch-check $(CH_DOWNLOADS)
 
diff --git a/mk/config.mk b/mk/config.mk
index 9e799e6f4..ec95b4a0e 100644
--- a/mk/config.mk
+++ b/mk/config.mk
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ PREFIX_USE_UPSTREAM_RUST_COMPILER?=0
 ## Enable to use binary packages (much faster)
 REPO_BINARY?=
 ## Name of the configuration to include in the image name e.g. desktop or server
-CONFIG_NAME?=desktop
+CONFIG_NAME?=server
 ## Build appstream data for repo
 REPO_APPSTREAM?=0
 ## Ignore errors when building the repo, attempt to build every package
diff --git a/mk/qemu.mk b/mk/qemu.mk
index f1760e544..48f5e5050 100644
--- a/mk/qemu.mk
+++ b/mk/qemu.mk
@@ -352,7 +352,7 @@ endif
 
 .PHONY: qemu-deps
 
-qemu-deps: $(DISK)
+qemu-deps: $(DISK) $(VIRTIOFS_DEPS)
 
 ifeq ($(disk),usb)
 else ifeq ($(disk),sdcard)
diff --git a/mk/virtiofs.mk b/mk/virtiofs.mk
index ea5a156bd..0e46b504f 100644
--- a/mk/virtiofs.mk
+++ b/mk/virtiofs.mk
@@ -17,11 +17,28 @@
 # WARNING: share=redox exposes the whole build tree to the guest, including
 # the harddrive.img Redox is booted from, .git and .config. Writing to them
 # from Redox can corrupt the build system. share=redox:ro avoids that.
+#
+# virtiofsd runs on the host. The first one found is used: VIRTIOFSD, then
+# virtiofsd in PATH, /usr/libexec/virtiofsd or /usr/lib/qemu/virtiofsd. When
+# there is none, x86_64 Linux hosts download a static build into
+# build/virtiofsd/$(HOST_ARCH) (make virtiofsd-fetch does only that). Other
+# hosts must install virtiofsd, e.g. from their distribution (the package is
+# virtiofsd on Fedora, Arch and recent Debian/Ubuntu).
+#
+# TODO: the download is the CI build of upstream's main branch, so it is
+# neither pinned nor checked: virtiofsd releases do not ship binaries or
+# checksums yet (their CI only builds main, and those artifacts expire). Once
+# they do, pin it to a release and check its sha256 like Cloud Hypervisor in
+# mk/ch.mk.
 
 share?=
 share_tag?=host
 share_sockdir?=$(BUILD)
 VIRTIOFS_RUN=
+VIRTIOFS_DEPS=
+
+VIRTIOFSD_URL?=https://gitlab.com/virtio-fs/virtiofsd/-/jobs/artifacts/main/raw/target/x86_64-unknown-linux-musl/release/virtiofsd?job=publish
+VIRTIOFSD_DOWNLOAD=build/virtiofsd/$(HOST_ARCH)/virtiofsd
 
 ifneq ($(strip $(share)),)
 	share_norm:=$(foreach s,$(share),$(if $(filter redox redox:ro,$(s)),redox=$(ROOT)$(if $(filter %:ro,$(s)),:ro),$(s)))
@@ -40,5 +57,28 @@ $(error share: every entry must be tag=dir when sharing several directories (bad
 	vfs_tag=$(firstword $(subst =, ,$(call vfs_entry,$(1))))
 	vfs_sock=$(share_sockdir)/virtiofsd-$(1).sock
 
-	VIRTIOFS_RUN=scripts/virtiofs-run.sh $(foreach i,$(share_idx),--share "$(call vfs_sock,$(i))" "$(call vfs_entry,$(i))") --
+	ifeq ($(strip $(VIRTIOFSD)),)
+		VIRTIOFSD:=$(firstword $(shell command -v virtiofsd 2>/dev/null) $(wildcard /usr/libexec/virtiofsd /usr/lib/qemu/virtiofsd) $(VIRTIOFSD_DOWNLOAD))
+	endif
+	VIRTIOFS_DEPS=$(filter $(VIRTIOFSD_DOWNLOAD),$(VIRTIOFSD))
+
+	VIRTIOFS_RUN=VIRTIOFSD="$(VIRTIOFSD)" scripts/virtiofs-run.sh $(foreach i,$(share_idx),--share "$(call vfs_sock,$(i))" "$(call vfs_entry,$(i))") --
 endif
+
+.PHONY: virtiofsd-fetch
+
+virtiofsd-fetch: $(VIRTIOFSD_DOWNLOAD)
+
+# Goes through $@.partial, so $@ only ever holds a complete ELF binary.
+$(VIRTIOFSD_DOWNLOAD):
+	$(if $(and $(filter x86_64,$(HOST_ARCH)),$(filter Linux,$(shell uname -s))),,$(error virtiofsd: no prebuilt virtiofsd for this $(shell uname -s) $(HOST_ARCH) host. Install virtiofsd (e.g. dnf install virtiofsd or pacman -S virtiofsd) or set VIRTIOFSD=/path/to/virtiofsd))
+	@echo "virtiofsd: downloading the CI build of upstream's main branch (not pinned or checked)"
+	mkdir -p "$(@D)"
+	curl -fL --retry 3 --retry-delay 1 -o "$@.partial" "$(VIRTIOFSD_URL)"
+	@if [ "$$(head -c 4 "$@.partial")" != "$$(printf '\177ELF')" ]; then \
+		rm -f "$@.partial"; \
+		echo "virtiofsd: the download is not an ELF binary (see $(VIRTIOFSD_URL))" >&2; \
+		exit 1; \
+	fi
+	chmod +x "$@.partial"
+	mv "$@.partial" "$@"
diff --git a/podman_bootstrap.sh b/podman_bootstrap.sh
index ddaec0de9..a1b2d30ed 100755
--- a/podman_bootstrap.sh
+++ b/podman_bootstrap.sh
@@ -472,116 +472,6 @@ solus()
     fi
 }
 
-###############################################################################
-# virtiofsd is needed on the host by `make qemu share=<dir>` to share
-# directories with Redox (scripts/virtiofs-run.sh only looks for it).
-###############################################################################
-virtiofsd_find()
-{
-    local c
-    for c in "${VIRTIOFSD:-}" virtiofsd /usr/libexec/virtiofsd /usr/lib/qemu/virtiofsd \
-        "${XDG_CACHE_HOME:-$HOME/.cache}/virtiofsd-redox/virtiofsd"; do
-        [ -n "$c" ] || continue
-        if [ -f "$c" ] && [ -x "$c" ]; then
-            echo "$c"
-            return 0
-        fi
-        if command -v "$c" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-            command -v "$c"
-            return 0
-        fi
-    done
-    return 1
-}
-
-###############################################################################
-# Download a static x86_64 virtiofsd build from the upstream CI into
-# ~/.cache/virtiofsd-redox, after asking for confirmation.
-# Override the source with VIRTIOFSD_URL.
-#
-# TODO: this is the CI build of upstream's main branch, so it is neither
-# pinned nor checked: virtiofsd releases do not ship binaries or checksums
-# yet. Once they do, move this download into mk/virtiofs.mk, pinned to a
-# release and checked against its sha256 like Cloud Hypervisor in mk/ch.mk,
-# and pass it to scripts/virtiofs-run.sh through VIRTIOFSD.
-###############################################################################
-virtiofsd_download()
-{
-    local url cache dest tmp answer
-    url="${VIRTIOFSD_URL:-https://gitlab.com/virtio-fs/virtiofsd/-/jobs/artifacts/main/raw/target/x86_64-unknown-linux-musl/release/virtiofsd?job=publish}"
-    cache="${XDG_CACHE_HOME:-$HOME/.cache}/virtiofsd-redox"
-    dest="$cache/virtiofsd"
-
-    if [ "$(uname -m)" != "x86_64" ]; then
-        echo "No prebuilt virtiofsd is available for $(uname -m)."
-        return 1
-    fi
-    echo "A static virtiofsd build can be downloaded from"
-    echo "  gitlab.com/virtio-fs/virtiofsd (CI artifact of the main branch)"
-    echo "to $dest"
-    printf "Download it now? (y/N): "
-    read answer || answer=""
-    if ! echo "$answer" | grep -iq "^y"; then
-        return 1
-    fi
-
-    mkdir -p "$cache"
-    tmp="$(mktemp "$cache/virtiofsd.XXXXXX")"
-    if command -v curl >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-        curl -fL --retry 3 --retry-delay 1 -o "$tmp" "$url" || { rm -f "$tmp"; return 1; }
-    elif command -v wget >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-        wget -O "$tmp" "$url" || { rm -f "$tmp"; return 1; }
-    else
-        echo "Need curl or wget to download virtiofsd."
-        rm -f "$tmp"
-        return 1
-    fi
-    if [ "$(head -c 4 "$tmp")" != "$(printf '\177ELF')" ]; then
-        echo "The download is not an ELF binary (see $url)."
-        rm -f "$tmp"
-        return 1
-    fi
-    chmod +x "$tmp"
-    mv -f "$tmp" "$dest"
-    echo "virtiofsd installed at $dest"
-}
-
-###############################################################################
-# This function makes sure virtiofsd is available: it looks for an existing
-# one, then tries the distribution package, then offers a download.
-# It never fails the bootstrap, virtiofsd is only needed for `share=`.
-# @params:	$1 the package manager to use on Debian-based Linux
-###############################################################################
-virtiofsd_setup()
-{
-    local found
-    echo "Checking for virtiofsd (used by 'make qemu share=<dir>')..."
-    if found="$(virtiofsd_find)"; then
-        echo "virtiofsd found at $found"
-        return 0
-    fi
-    echo "virtiofsd not found."
-
-    if command -v pacman >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-        sudo pacman -S --needed virtiofsd || true
-    elif command -v dnf >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-        sudo dnf install virtiofsd || true
-    elif command -v apt-get >/dev/null 2>&1 && apt-cache show virtiofsd >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-        sudo "$1" install virtiofsd || true
-    fi
-
-    if found="$(virtiofsd_find)"; then
-        echo "virtiofsd found at $found"
-        return 0
-    fi
-    if virtiofsd_download; then
-        return 0
-    fi
-    echo "Continuing without virtiofsd. 'make qemu share=<dir>' will not work until"
-    echo "it is installed (or set VIRTIOFSD=/path/to/virtiofsd), re-run this script"
-    echo "with -d to retry."
-}
-
 ######################################################################
 # This function outlines the different options available for bootstrap
 ######################################################################
@@ -769,11 +659,6 @@ else
     fi
 fi
 
-# Directory sharing with `make qemu share=<dir>` needs virtiofsd and a Linux host
-if [ "$emulator" == "qemu" ] && [ "$(uname -s)" == "Linux" ]; then
-    virtiofsd_setup "$defpackman"
-fi
-
 if [ "$dependenciesonly" = false ]; then
     boot
 fi
diff --git a/scripts/virtiofs-run.sh b/scripts/virtiofs-run.sh
index 5c87d036f..9b069d7e9 100755
--- a/scripts/virtiofs-run.sh
+++ b/scripts/virtiofs-run.sh
@@ -71,15 +71,14 @@ done
 
 find_virtiofsd() {
   local c
-  for c in "${VIRTIOFSD:-}" virtiofsd /usr/libexec/virtiofsd /usr/lib/qemu/virtiofsd \
-    "${XDG_CACHE_HOME:-${HOME:-/tmp}/.cache}/virtiofsd-redox/virtiofsd"; do
+  for c in "${VIRTIOFSD:-}" virtiofsd /usr/libexec/virtiofsd /usr/lib/qemu/virtiofsd; do
     [[ -n "${c}" ]] && command -v "${c}" && return 0
   done
   return 1
 }
 
 VIRTIOFSD_BIN="$(find_virtiofsd)" \
-  || die "virtiofsd not found. Install it (e.g. 'dnf install virtiofsd' or 'pacman -S virtiofsd'), run ./podman_bootstrap.sh -d, or set VIRTIOFSD=/path/to/virtiofsd"
+  || die "virtiofsd not found. Install it (e.g. 'dnf install virtiofsd' or 'pacman -S virtiofsd'), run 'make virtiofsd-fetch' (x86_64 Linux hosts), or set VIRTIOFSD=/path/to/virtiofsd"
 
 PIDS=()