diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 39bb70f3d5..0774bc3e1d 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -863,6 +863,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "hermit-entry",
  "hermit-macro",
  "hermit-sync",
+ "hex",
  "llvm-tools",
  "log",
  "mem-barrier",
@@ -882,6 +883,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "smoltcp",
  "take-static",
  "talc",
+ "tar-no-std",
  "thiserror",
  "time",
  "tock-registers 0.10.1",
@@ -917,6 +919,12 @@ dependencies = [
  "spinning_top",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "hex"
+version = "0.4.3"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "7f24254aa9a54b5c858eaee2f5bccdb46aaf0e486a595ed5fd8f86ba55232a70"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "home"
 version = "0.5.12"
@@ -1954,6 +1962,17 @@ dependencies = [
  "xattr",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "tar-no-std"
+version = "0.4.2"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "715f9a4586706a61c571cb5ee1c3ac2bbb2cf63e15bce772307b95befef5f5ee"
+dependencies = [
+ "bitflags 2.11.1",
+ "log",
+ "num-traits",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "thiserror"
 version = "2.0.18"
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index a9904c8533..854e2b07b7 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -326,10 +326,12 @@ simple-shell = { version = "0.0.1", optional = true }
 smallvec = { version = "1", features = ["const_new"] }
 take-static = "0.1"
 talc = { version = "5" }
+tar-no-std = { version = "0.4", features = ["alloc"] }
 thiserror = { version = "2", default-features = false }
 time = { version = "0.3", default-features = false }
 volatile = "0.6"
 uhyve-interface = "0.1.4"
+hex = { version = "0.4", default-features = false, features = ["alloc"] }
 
 [dependencies.smoltcp]
 version = "0.13"
diff --git a/src/fs/mem.rs b/src/fs/mem.rs
index 61002da066..6de57a9c39 100644
--- a/src/fs/mem.rs
+++ b/src/fs/mem.rs
@@ -122,15 +122,6 @@ pub(crate) struct RamFileInner {
 	pub attr: FileAttr,
 }
 
-impl RamFileInner {
-	pub fn new(attr: FileAttr) -> Self {
-		Self {
-			data: Vec::new(),
-			attr,
-		}
-	}
-}
-
 pub struct RamFileInterface {
 	/// Position within the file
 	pos: Mutex<usize>,
@@ -354,6 +345,10 @@ impl VfsNode for RamFile {
 
 impl RamFile {
 	pub fn new(mode: AccessPermission) -> Self {
+		Self::new_with_data(Vec::new(), mode)
+	}
+
+	fn new_with_data(data: Vec<u8>, mode: AccessPermission) -> Self {
 		let microseconds = arch::kernel::systemtime::now_micros();
 		let t = timespec::from_usec(microseconds as i64);
 		let attr = FileAttr {
@@ -365,7 +360,7 @@ impl RamFile {
 		};
 
 		Self {
-			data: Arc::new(RwLock::new(RamFileInner::new(attr))),
+			data: Arc::new(RwLock::new(RamFileInner { data, attr })),
 		}
 	}
 }
@@ -464,6 +459,68 @@ impl MemDirectory {
 		}
 	}
 
+	#[allow(unused)]
+	pub fn try_from_image(image: &'static [u8]) -> io::Result<Self> {
+		let this = Self::new(AccessPermission::S_IRUSR);
+
+		for i in image.chunks(1024) {
+			debug!("[DUMP] {}", hex::encode(i));
+		}
+
+		let taref = tar_no_std::TarArchiveRef::new(image).map_err(|e| {
+			error!("[Hermit image] Tar file has invalid format: {e:?}");
+			Errno::Inval
+		})?;
+
+		for i in taref.entries() {
+			let filename = i.filename();
+			let filename = filename.as_str().map_err(|e| {
+				error!(
+					"[Hermit image] Tar entry has not supported filename (non UTF-8): {filename:?}; {e}",
+				);
+				Errno::Inval
+			})?;
+			if filename.is_empty() {
+				continue;
+			}
+			debug!("[Hermit image] Processing tar entry: {filename}");
+
+			let mode = i.posix_header().mode.to_flags().map_err(|e| {
+				error!(
+					"[Hermit image] Tar entry {filename:?} has invalid mode: {:?}; {e}",
+					i.posix_header().mode,
+				);
+				Errno::Inval
+			})?;
+			let mode = AccessPermission::from_bits(mode.bits() as u32).ok_or_else(|| {
+				error!("[Hermit image] Tar entry {filename:?} has invalid mode: {mode:?}");
+				Errno::Inval
+			})?;
+
+			for (i, _) in filename.match_indices("/") {
+				let part = &filename[..i];
+				if this.traverse_lstat(part).is_err() {
+					this.traverse_mkdir(
+						part,
+						AccessPermission::S_IRUSR
+							| AccessPermission::S_IWUSR
+							| AccessPermission::S_IRGRP,
+					)
+					.inspect_err(|e| {
+						error!("[Hermit image] Unable to mkdir {part:?}: {e}");
+					})?;
+				}
+			}
+
+			this.traverse_create_file(filename, i.data(), mode)
+				.inspect_err(|e| {
+					error!("[Hermit image] Unable to write entry {filename:?}: {e}");
+				})?;
+		}
+
+		Ok(this)
+	}
+
 	async fn async_traverse_open(
 		&self,
 		path: &str,
@@ -693,11 +750,16 @@ impl VfsNode for MemDirectory {
 					return directory.traverse_create_file(rest, data, mode);
 				}
 
-				let file = RomFile::new(data, mode);
-				self.inner
-					.write()
-					.await
-					.insert(component.to_owned(), Box::new(file));
+				let file: Box<dyn VfsNode> = if mode.contains(AccessPermission::S_IWUSR)
+					|| mode.contains(AccessPermission::S_IWGRP)
+					|| mode.contains(AccessPermission::S_IWOTH)
+				{
+					Box::new(RamFile::new_with_data(data.to_vec(), mode))
+				} else {
+					Box::new(RomFile::new(data, mode))
+				};
+
+				self.inner.write().await.insert(component.to_owned(), file);
 				Ok(())
 			},
 			None,