diff --git a/xCAT-test/unit/ubuntu_riscv64_pkglists.t b/xCAT-test/unit/ubuntu_riscv64_pkglists.t
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2d7097c3e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/xCAT-test/unit/ubuntu_riscv64_pkglists.t
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env perl
+use strict;
+use warnings;
+
+use File::Spec;
+use FindBin;
+use Test::More;
+
+# A diskless image needs a kernel and the tools its boot scripts call. Without a package
+# list for the architecture, genimage debootstraps whatever the generic list holds and the
+# image cannot boot. Compare the riscv64 lists with the x86_64 ones they follow.
+
+use lib "$FindBin::Bin/../lib";
+use XCAT::Test::File qw(repo_path);
+
+sub packages {
+    my ($path) = @_;
+    my $full = repo_path($path);
+    return unless -r $full;
+    open(my $fh, '<', $full) or die "cannot read $full: $!";
+    my @packages = grep { length && !/^#/ } map { my $l = $_; chomp $l; $l =~ s/\s+//g; $l } <$fh>;
+    close($fh);
+    return \@packages;
+}
+
+foreach my $release (qw(24.04 26.04)) {
+    my $netboot = "xCAT-server/share/xcat/netboot/ubuntu/compute.ubuntu$release.riscv64.pkglist";
+    my $x86     = "xCAT-server/share/xcat/netboot/ubuntu/compute.ubuntu$release.x86_64.pkglist";
+    my $riscv_packages = packages($netboot);
+    ok($riscv_packages, "$release has a riscv64 netboot package list");
+    is_deeply($riscv_packages, packages($x86),
+        "the $release riscv64 image installs what the x86_64 image installs");
+    ok(scalar(grep { $_ eq 'linux-image-generic' } @{$riscv_packages}),
+        "the $release riscv64 image installs a kernel");
+    ok(scalar(grep { $_ eq 'nfs-common' } @{$riscv_packages}),
+        "the $release riscv64 image can mount its root over NFS");
+}
+
+my $install = packages(
+    'xCAT-server/share/xcat/install/ubuntu/compute.ubuntu26.04.riscv64.pkglist');
+ok($install, '26.04 has a riscv64 install package list');
+is_deeply($install,
+    packages('xCAT-server/share/xcat/install/ubuntu/compute.ubuntu26.04.x86_64.pkglist'),
+    'the 26.04 riscv64 install takes what the x86_64 install takes');
+
+done_testing();