diff --git a/xCAT-server/lib/perl/xCAT/Postage.pm b/xCAT-server/lib/perl/xCAT/Postage.pm
index 6da8b3277..c575304cd 100644
--- a/xCAT-server/lib/perl/xCAT/Postage.pm
+++ b/xCAT-server/lib/perl/xCAT/Postage.pm
@@ -601,12 +601,15 @@ sub makescript {
 
         # See defer_syncfiles_to_postboot(): on the Ubuntu/Debian diskful install path syncfiles
         # has to run on the booted node, not in the installer's in-target chroot.
-        my $effective_provmethod = $provmethod;
-        if ($osimgname && defined($image_hash{$osimgname}{'provmethod'})) {
-            $effective_provmethod = $image_hash{$osimgname}{'provmethod'};
-        }
+        #
+        # $provmethod is passed as-is. An earlier version tried to resolve it through
+        # $image_hash{$osimgname}{provmethod} when the node names an osimage, but makescript
+        # fills %image_hash from getImage(), which stores pkglist/pkgdir/otherpkg*/environvar and
+        # no provmethod -- getScripts() has a separate hash that does. So that lookup was always
+        # undef and the override never fired. $nodesetstate is what carries the install signal on
+        # this path anyway: nodeset sets it, and defer_syncfiles_to_postboot checks it first.
         ($postscripts, $postbootscripts) = defer_syncfiles_to_postboot(
-            $os, $effective_provmethod, $nodesetstate, $postscripts, $postbootscripts);
+            $os, $provmethod, $nodesetstate, $postscripts, $postbootscripts);
 
         # if using zones then must go to the zone.sshbetweennodes
         # else go to site.sshbetweennodes
diff --git a/xCAT-test/unit/postage_ubuntu_syncfiles_postboot.t b/xCAT-test/unit/postage_ubuntu_syncfiles_postboot.t
index 9962ea20c..7603c97aa 100644
--- a/xCAT-test/unit/postage_ubuntu_syncfiles_postboot.t
+++ b/xCAT-test/unit/postage_ubuntu_syncfiles_postboot.t
@@ -102,4 +102,26 @@ foreach my $case (@untouched) {
     is($postboot2, $postboot, 'a second pass does not duplicate syncfiles');
 }
 
+# The node's provmethod is frequently an osimage NAME rather than the literal 'install' -- that
+# is what makescript passes, and resolving it to a real provmethod is not possible there
+# (getImage does not store one). nodesetstate is what carries the install signal on that path,
+# so the deferral must key off it and not require provmethod to say 'install'.
+{
+    my ($post, $postboot) = defer(
+        'ubuntu24.04', 'ubuntu24.04-x86_64-install-compute', 'install',
+        "otherpkgs\nsyncfiles\nremoteshell\n", "" );
+    unlike( $post, qr/^syncfiles$/m,
+        'an osimage-named provmethod still defers when nodesetstate says install' );
+    like( $postboot, qr/^syncfiles$/m,
+        'and syncfiles lands in the postboot scripts' );
+}
+
+{
+    my ($post, $postboot) = defer(
+        'ubuntu24.04', 'ubuntu24.04-x86_64-install-compute', undef,
+        "otherpkgs\nsyncfiles\nremoteshell\n", "" );
+    like( $post, qr/^syncfiles$/m,
+        'with no nodesetstate an osimage name is not mistaken for a diskful install' );
+}
+
 done_testing();