diff --git a/packages-manifest.conf b/packages-manifest.conf
index 924c088..9fe17fc 100644
--- a/packages-manifest.conf
+++ b/packages-manifest.conf
@@ -11,11 +11,19 @@
 # package that fails to build fails the whole run (no tolerated failures).
 #
 #
-# Notable results: conserver-xcat is never required (goconserver supersedes it);
-# the variable perl modules differ per EL because the OS/EPEL already provides
-# the others there (so xcat-dep is not required for them on that EL).
+# Per-EL perl set: a perl module is required from xcat-dep only on the releases
+# where neither the base OS nor EPEL provides it; on the other releases EPEL/OS
+# supplies it (so `dnf install xCAT` pulls the OS/EPEL copy, not xcat-dep's).
+#   perl-Sys-Virt     omitted on el8   -- provided by EPEL on AlmaLinux 8.
+#   perl-HTML-Form    only on el8      -- provided by the OS/EPEL on el9/el10.
+#   perl-Crypt-SSLeay only on el10     -- provided by the OS/EPEL on el8/el9.
+#   perl-Net-Telnet   only on el10     -- provided by the OS/EPEL on el8/el9.
+#
+# conserver-xcat is NOT pulled by `dnf install xCAT` (goconserver superseded it),
+# but it is built for every target anyway because some users still deploy it.
 
 [alma+epel-8-x86_64]
+conserver-xcat=*
 elilo-xcat=*
 goconserver=*
 grub2-xcat=*
@@ -29,6 +37,7 @@ perl-Net-HTTPS-NB=*
 xCAT-genesis-base=*
 
 [alma+epel-8-ppc64le]
+conserver-xcat=*
 elilo-xcat=*
 goconserver=*
 grub2-xcat=*
@@ -42,6 +51,7 @@ perl-Net-HTTPS-NB=*
 xCAT-genesis-base=*
 
 [alma+epel-9-x86_64]
+conserver-xcat=*
 elilo-xcat=*
 goconserver=*
 grub2-xcat=*
@@ -55,6 +65,7 @@ perl-Sys-Virt=*
 xCAT-genesis-base=*
 
 [alma+epel-9-ppc64le]
+conserver-xcat=*
 elilo-xcat=*
 goconserver=*
 grub2-xcat=*
@@ -68,6 +79,7 @@ perl-Sys-Virt=*
 xCAT-genesis-base=*
 
 [alma+epel-10-x86_64]
+conserver-xcat=*
 elilo-xcat=*
 goconserver=*
 grub2-xcat=*
@@ -83,6 +95,7 @@ perl-Sys-Virt=*
 xCAT-genesis-base=*
 
 [alma+epel-10-ppc64le]
+conserver-xcat=*
 elilo-xcat=*
 goconserver=*
 grub2-xcat=*