diff --git a/hack/dev/boot.sh b/hack/dev/boot.sh
index cb2be23..229fb77 100755
--- a/hack/dev/boot.sh
+++ b/hack/dev/boot.sh
@@ -30,9 +30,9 @@ if [ "${QEMU_GDB_WAIT}" = "1" ]; then
 	set -- "${@}" "-S"
 fi
 
-set -- "${@}" -smp 2 -m 4096
+set -- "${@}" -nodefaults -smp 2 -m 4096
 
-if [ "${NO_GRAPHICAL_BOOT}" = "1" ]; then
+if [ "${NO_GRAPHICAL}" = "1" ]; then
 	set -- "${@}" -nographic
 else
 	if [ "${GRAPHICAL_ONLY}" != "1" ]; then
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ else
 		else
 			set -- "${@}" \
 				-device virtio-serial-pci,id=vs0 \
-				-chardev stdio,id=stdio0 \
+				-chardev stdio,id=stdio0,signal=off \
 				-device virtconsole,chardev=stdio0,id=console0
 		fi
 	fi
@@ -62,6 +62,12 @@ if [ "${NO_INPUT}" != "1" ]; then
 		-device usb-mouse
 fi
 
+if [ "${NO_NETWORK}" != "1" ]; then
+	set -- "${@}" \
+		-netdev user,id=network0 \
+		-device virtio-net-pci,netdev=network0
+fi
+
 rm -f "${FINAL_DIR}/ovmf-boot.fd"
 cp "${FINAL_DIR}/ovmf.fd" "${FINAL_DIR}/ovmf-boot.fd"
 if [ "${TARGET_ARCH}" = "aarch64" ]; then
diff --git a/hack/dev/build.sh b/hack/dev/build.sh
index 8ea5099..75726c1 100755
--- a/hack/dev/build.sh
+++ b/hack/dev/build.sh
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ copy_from_image_polyfill() {
 	SOURCE="${2}"
 	TARGET="${3}"
 
-	docker build -t "${IMAGE}-copy-polyfill:${DOCKER_TAG}" --build-arg "TARGET_IMAGE=${IMAGE}:${DOCKER_TAG}" \
+	docker build --platform="${DOCKER_TARGET}" -t "${IMAGE}-copy-polyfill:${DOCKER_TAG}" --build-arg "TARGET_IMAGE=${IMAGE}:${DOCKER_TAG}" \
 		-f hack/dev/utils/Dockerfile.copy-polyfill hack
 	# note: the -w '//' is a workaround for Git Bash where / is magically rewritten.
 	docker run --rm -i -w '//' "${IMAGE}-copy-polyfill:${DOCKER_TAG}" cat "image/${SOURCE}" >"${TARGET}"
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ if [ "${SKIP_VM_BUILD}" != "1" ]; then
 	copy_from_image "${DOCKER_PREFIX}/sprout-ovmf-${TARGET_ARCH}" "ovmf.fd" "${FINAL_DIR}/ovmf.fd"
 	copy_from_image "${DOCKER_PREFIX}/sprout-ovmf-${TARGET_ARCH}" "shell.efi" "${FINAL_DIR}/shell.efi"
 	docker build --platform="${DOCKER_TARGET}" -t "${DOCKER_PREFIX}/sprout-initramfs-${TARGET_ARCH}:${DOCKER_TAG}" \
-		-f hack/dev/vm/Dockerfile.initramfs "${FINAL_DIR}"
+		-f hack/dev/vm/Dockerfile.initramfs "hack/dev/vm"
 	copy_from_image "${DOCKER_PREFIX}/sprout-initramfs-${TARGET_ARCH}" "initramfs" "${FINAL_DIR}/initramfs"
 
 	if [ -n "${SPROUT_XEN_EFI_OVERRIDE}" ]; then
diff --git a/hack/dev/configs/all.sprout.toml b/hack/dev/configs/all.sprout.toml
index 6f9d2e9..bfbfa15 100644
--- a/hack/dev/configs/all.sprout.toml
+++ b/hack/dev/configs/all.sprout.toml
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ has-item = "\\vmlinuz"
 
 [actions.chainload-kernel]
 chainload.path = "$boot\\vmlinuz"
-chainload.options = ["console=hvc0"]
+chainload.options = ["console=hvc0", "overlaytmpfs=yes"]
 chainload.linux-initrd = "$boot\\initramfs"
 
 [entries.kernel]
diff --git a/hack/dev/configs/kernel.sprout.toml b/hack/dev/configs/kernel.sprout.toml
index 162fd2b..7a0d809 100644
--- a/hack/dev/configs/kernel.sprout.toml
+++ b/hack/dev/configs/kernel.sprout.toml
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ has-item = "\\vmlinuz"
 
 [actions.chainload-kernel]
 chainload.path = "$boot\\vmlinuz"
-chainload.options = ["console=hvc0"]
+chainload.options = ["console=hvc0", "overlaytmpfs=yes"]
 chainload.linux-initrd = "$boot\\initramfs"
 
 [entries.kernel]
diff --git a/hack/dev/kernel/docker-build.sh b/hack/dev/kernel/docker-build.sh
index 3e22876..de4b3e6 100755
--- a/hack/dev/kernel/docker-build.sh
+++ b/hack/dev/kernel/docker-build.sh
@@ -36,9 +36,14 @@ if [ "${TARGET_KARCH}" = "x86_64" ]; then
 fi
 make CROSS_COMPILE="${MAYBE_CROSS_COMPILE}" ARCH="${TARGET_KARCH}" mod2yesconfig
 
+./scripts/config -e UEVENT_HELPER
+./scripts/config --set-str UEVENT_HELPER_PATH "/sbin/hotplug"
+
 ./scripts/config -e DRM_VIRTIO_GPU
 ./scripts/config -e FRAMEBUFFER_CONSOLE
 ./scripts/config -e FRAMEBUFFER_CONSOLE_DETECT_PRIMARY
+./scripts/config -e LOGO
+
 ./scripts/config -e XEN_DOM0
 
 make "-j$(nproc)" CROSS_COMPILE="${MAYBE_CROSS_COMPILE}" ARCH="${TARGET_KARCH}"
diff --git a/hack/dev/vm/Dockerfile.initramfs b/hack/dev/vm/Dockerfile.initramfs
index 8444c2c..1bb29a0 100644
--- a/hack/dev/vm/Dockerfile.initramfs
+++ b/hack/dev/vm/Dockerfile.initramfs
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 FROM alpine:3.22@sha256:4b7ce07002c69e8f3d704a9c5d6fd3053be500b7f1c69fc0d80990c2ad8dd412 AS rootfs
-RUN apk --no-cache add alpine-base tzdata
+RUN apk --no-cache add alpine-base tzdata ifupdown-ng agetty
 RUN rc-update add devfs sysinit && \
     rc-update add dmesg sysinit && \
     rc-update add mdev sysinit && \
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ RUN rc-update add devfs sysinit && \
     rc-update add sysctl boot && \
     rc-update add hostname boot && \
     rc-update add bootmisc boot && \
+    rc-update add networking boot && \
     rc-update add syslog boot && \
     rc-update add mount-ro shutdown && \
     rc-update add killprocs shutdown && \
@@ -14,9 +15,10 @@ RUN rc-update add devfs sysinit && \
     ln -s /sbin/init /init && \
     echo 'root:root' | chpasswd && \
     echo 'sprout' > /etc/hostname && \
-    echo '' > /etc/motd && \
+    rm /etc/motd && \
     ln -s /usr/share/zoneinfo/UTC /etc/localtime && \
-    echo 'hvc0::respawn:/sbin/getty -L hvc0 115200 vt100' >> /etc/inittab
+    echo 'hvc0::respawn:/sbin/agetty --autologin root -L hvc0 115200 vt100' >> /etc/inittab
+COPY files/interfaces /etc/network/interfaces
 
 FROM alpine:3.22@sha256:4b7ce07002c69e8f3d704a9c5d6fd3053be500b7f1c69fc0d80990c2ad8dd412 AS build
 COPY --from=rootfs / /rootfs
diff --git a/hack/dev/vm/files/interfaces b/hack/dev/vm/files/interfaces
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fa09e85
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hack/dev/vm/files/interfaces
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+auto eth0
+iface eth0
+    use dhcp