diff --git a/layers/meta-nwl-distro/conf/distro/nwl.conf b/layers/meta-nwl-distro/conf/distro/nwl.conf
index 73a7cc2..bcc5864 100644
--- a/layers/meta-nwl-distro/conf/distro/nwl.conf
+++ b/layers/meta-nwl-distro/conf/distro/nwl.conf
@@ -34,6 +34,8 @@ DISTRO_FEATURES_BACKFILL_CONSIDERED = "ldconfig pulseaudio gobject-introspection
 DISTRO_FEATURES:remove = "ptest virtualization"
 
 PACKAGECONFIG:pn-systemd = "usrmerge rfkill kmod timedated vconsole"
+# systemd-conf provides a packageconfig for a default dhcp client that we don't need
+PACKAGECONFIG:pn-systemd-conf = ""
 PACKAGECONFIG:pn-networkmanager = "systemd nss gnutls wifi bluez5 nmcli"
 PACKAGECONFIG:pn-bluez5 = "systemd udev"
 
diff --git a/layers/meta-nwl-distro/recipes-core/images/nwl-ramdisk-minimal.bb b/layers/meta-nwl-distro/recipes-core/images/nwl-ramdisk-minimal.bb
index c4101d2..26d5c45 100644
--- a/layers/meta-nwl-distro/recipes-core/images/nwl-ramdisk-minimal.bb
+++ b/layers/meta-nwl-distro/recipes-core/images/nwl-ramdisk-minimal.bb
@@ -14,4 +14,5 @@ COREOS_IMAGE_GENERATE_SWU = "0"
 
 IMAGE_INSTALL:append = " \
 	networkmanager-nmcli \
+	systemd-conf \
 	"
diff --git a/layers/meta-nwl-distro/recipes-core/systemd/systemd-conf/system.conf b/layers/meta-nwl-distro/recipes-core/systemd/systemd-conf/system.conf
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6f46881
--- /dev/null
+++ b/layers/meta-nwl-distro/recipes-core/systemd/systemd-conf/system.conf
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+[Manager]
+RuntimeWatchdogSec=30s
diff --git a/layers/meta-nwl-distro/recipes-core/systemd/systemd-conf_%.bbappend b/layers/meta-nwl-distro/recipes-core/systemd/systemd-conf_%.bbappend
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4fc41d0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/layers/meta-nwl-distro/recipes-core/systemd/systemd-conf_%.bbappend
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+FILESEXTRAPATHS:prepend := "${THISDIR}/${PN}:"