diff --git a/pkg/binfmt/binfmt.go b/pkg/binfmt/binfmt.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e6f0ac62fc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/binfmt/binfmt.go
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+//go:build linux
+
+package binfmt
+
+import (
+	"bufio"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+	"syscall"
+
+	"github.com/containers/storage/pkg/unshare"
+	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+	"golang.org/x/sys/unix"
+)
+
+// MaybeRegister() calls Register() if the current context is a rootless one,
+// or if the "container" environment variable suggests that we're in a
+// container.
+func MaybeRegister(configurationSearchDirectories []string) error {
+	if unshare.IsRootless() || os.Getenv("container") != "" { // we _also_ own our own mount namespace
+		return Register(configurationSearchDirectories)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// Register() registers binfmt.d emulators described by configuration files in
+// the passed-in slice of directories, or in the union of /etc/binfmt.d,
+// /run/binfmt.d, and /usr/lib/binfmt.d if the slice has no items.  If any
+// emulators are configured, it will attempt to mount a binfmt_misc filesystem
+// in the current mount namespace first, ignoring only EPERM and EACCES errors.
+func Register(configurationSearchDirectories []string) error {
+	if len(configurationSearchDirectories) == 0 {
+		configurationSearchDirectories = []string{"/etc/binfmt.d", "/run/binfmt.d", "/usr/lib/binfmt.d"}
+	}
+	mounted := false
+	for _, searchDir := range configurationSearchDirectories {
+		globs, err := filepath.Glob(filepath.Join(searchDir, "*.conf"))
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("looking for binfmt.d configuration in %q: %w", searchDir, err)
+		}
+		for _, conf := range globs {
+			f, err := os.Open(conf)
+			if err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("reading binfmt.d configuration: %w", err)
+			}
+			scanner := bufio.NewScanner(f)
+			for scanner.Scan() {
+				line := strings.TrimSpace(scanner.Text())
+				if len(line) == 0 || line[0] == ';' || line[0] == '#' {
+					continue
+				}
+				if !mounted {
+					if err = unix.Mount("none", "/proc/sys/fs/binfmt_misc", "binfmt_misc", 0, ""); err != nil {
+						if errors.Is(err, syscall.EPERM) || errors.Is(err, syscall.EACCES) {
+							// well, we tried. no need to make a stink about it
+							return nil
+						}
+						return fmt.Errorf("mounting binfmt_misc: %w", err)
+					}
+					mounted = true
+				}
+				reg, err := os.Create("/proc/sys/fs/binfmt_misc/register")
+				if err != nil {
+					return fmt.Errorf("registering(open): %w", err)
+				}
+				if _, err = fmt.Fprintf(reg, "%s\n", line); err != nil {
+					return fmt.Errorf("registering(write): %w", err)
+				}
+				logrus.Tracef("registered binfmt %q", line)
+				if err = reg.Close(); err != nil {
+					return fmt.Errorf("registering(close): %w", err)
+				}
+			}
+			if err := f.Close(); err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("reading binfmt.d configuration: %w", err)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/pkg/binfmt/binfmt_unsupported.go b/pkg/binfmt/binfmt_unsupported.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6bb1667e50
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/binfmt/binfmt_unsupported.go
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+//go:build !linux
+
+package binfmt
+
+import "syscall"
+
+// MaybeRegister() returns no error.
+func MaybeRegister(configurationSearchDirectories []string) error {
+	return nil
+}
+
+// Register() returns an error.
+func Register(configurationSearchDirectories []string) error {
+	return syscall.ENOSYS
+}
diff --git a/run_linux.go b/run_linux.go
index 0087a1f20d..06d8b723a2 100644
--- a/run_linux.go
+++ b/run_linux.go
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import (
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"
+	"sync"
 	"syscall"
 
 	"github.com/containers/buildah/bind"
@@ -18,6 +19,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/containers/buildah/internal"
 	"github.com/containers/buildah/internal/tmpdir"
 	"github.com/containers/buildah/internal/volumes"
+	"github.com/containers/buildah/pkg/binfmt"
 	"github.com/containers/buildah/pkg/overlay"
 	"github.com/containers/buildah/pkg/parse"
 	butil "github.com/containers/buildah/pkg/util"
@@ -49,14 +51,19 @@ import (
 	"tags.cncf.io/container-device-interface/pkg/parser"
 )
 
-// We dont want to remove destinations with /etc, /dev, /sys,
-// /proc as rootfs already contains these files and unionfs
-// will create a `whiteout` i.e `.wh` files on removal of
-// overlapping files from these directories.  everything other
-// than these will be cleaned up
-var nonCleanablePrefixes = []string{
-	"/etc", "/dev", "/sys", "/proc",
-}
+var (
+	// We dont want to remove destinations with /etc, /dev, /sys,
+	// /proc as rootfs already contains these files and unionfs
+	// will create a `whiteout` i.e `.wh` files on removal of
+	// overlapping files from these directories.  everything other
+	// than these will be cleaned up
+	nonCleanablePrefixes = []string{
+		"/etc", "/dev", "/sys", "/proc",
+	}
+	// binfmtRegistered makes sure we only try to register binfmt_misc
+	// interpreters once, the first time we handle a RUN instruction.
+	binfmtRegistered sync.Once
+)
 
 func setChildProcess() error {
 	if err := unix.Prctl(unix.PR_SET_CHILD_SUBREAPER, uintptr(1), 0, 0, 0); err != nil {
@@ -158,6 +165,21 @@ func separateDevicesFromRuntimeSpec(g *generate.Generator) define.ContainerDevic
 
 // Run runs the specified command in the container's root filesystem.
 func (b *Builder) Run(command []string, options RunOptions) error {
+	if os.Getenv("container") != "" {
+		if os, arch, variant, err := parse.Platform(""); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("reading the current default platform")
+		} else {
+			platform := b.OCIv1.Platform
+			if os != platform.OS || arch != platform.Architecture || variant != platform.Variant {
+				binfmtRegistered.Do(func() {
+					if err := binfmt.Register(nil); err != nil {
+						logrus.Warnf("registering binfmt_misc interpreters: %v", err)
+					}
+				})
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
 	p, err := os.MkdirTemp(tmpdir.GetTempDir(), define.Package)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err