diff --git a/nixos/tests/initrd-luks-empty-passphrase.nix b/nixos/tests/initrd-luks-empty-passphrase.nix
index 47215c4bc998..3a906685f0ca 100644
--- a/nixos/tests/initrd-luks-empty-passphrase.nix
+++ b/nixos/tests/initrd-luks-empty-passphrase.nix
@@ -19,8 +19,6 @@ in
   nodes.machine =
     { pkgs, ... }:
     {
-      imports = lib.optionals (!systemdStage1) [ ./common/auto-format-root-device.nix ];
-
       virtualisation = {
         emptyDiskImages = [ 512 ];
         useBootLoader = true;
@@ -30,7 +28,6 @@ in
         # the new root device is /dev/vdb
         # an empty 512MiB drive, containing no Nix store.
         mountHostNixStore = true;
-        fileSystems."/".autoFormat = lib.mkIf systemdStage1 true;
       };
 
       boot.loader.systemd-boot.enable = true;
@@ -90,6 +87,8 @@ in
     # Create encrypted volume
     machine.wait_for_unit("multi-user.target")
     machine.succeed("echo "" | cryptsetup luksFormat /dev/vdb --batch-mode")
+    machine.succeed("echo "" | cryptsetup luksOpen /dev/vdb cryptroot")
+    machine.succeed("mkfs.ext4 /dev/mapper/cryptroot")
     machine.succeed("bootctl set-default nixos-generation-1-specialisation-boot-luks-wrong-keyfile.conf")
     machine.succeed("sync")
     machine.crash()
diff --git a/nixos/tests/luks.nix b/nixos/tests/luks.nix
index 685643c4c9dc..7440d110ad28 100644
--- a/nixos/tests/luks.nix
+++ b/nixos/tests/luks.nix
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@
   nodes.machine =
     { pkgs, ... }:
     {
-      imports = [ ./common/auto-format-root-device.nix ];
 
       # Use systemd-boot
       virtualisation = {
@@ -48,7 +47,12 @@
     # Create encrypted volume
     machine.wait_for_unit("multi-user.target")
     machine.succeed("echo -n supersecret | cryptsetup luksFormat -q --iter-time=1 /dev/vdb -")
+    machine.succeed("echo -n supersecret | cryptsetup luksOpen -q /dev/vdb cryptroot")
+    machine.succeed("mkfs.ext4 /dev/mapper/cryptroot")
+
     machine.succeed("echo -n supersecret | cryptsetup luksFormat -q --iter-time=1 /dev/vdc -")
+    machine.succeed("echo -n supersecret | cryptsetup luksOpen -q /dev/vdc cryptroot2")
+    machine.succeed("mkfs.ext4 /dev/mapper/cryptroot2")
 
     # Boot from the encrypted disk
     machine.succeed("bootctl set-default nixos-generation-1-specialisation-boot-luks.conf")
diff --git a/nixos/tests/systemd-initrd-luks-keyfile.nix b/nixos/tests/systemd-initrd-luks-keyfile.nix
index 3723307946dd..8b7f28947f72 100644
--- a/nixos/tests/systemd-initrd-luks-keyfile.nix
+++ b/nixos/tests/systemd-initrd-luks-keyfile.nix
@@ -38,7 +38,6 @@ in
           };
         };
         virtualisation.rootDevice = "/dev/mapper/cryptroot";
-        virtualisation.fileSystems."/".autoFormat = true;
         boot.initrd.secrets."/etc/cryptroot.key" = keyfile;
       };
     };
@@ -47,6 +46,8 @@ in
     # Create encrypted volume
     machine.wait_for_unit("multi-user.target")
     machine.succeed("cryptsetup luksFormat -q --iter-time=1 -d ${keyfile} /dev/vdb")
+    machine.succeed("cryptsetup luksOpen --key-file ${keyfile} /dev/vdb cryptroot")
+    machine.succeed("mkfs.ext4 /dev/mapper/cryptroot")
 
     # Boot from the encrypted disk
     machine.succeed("bootctl set-default nixos-generation-1-specialisation-boot-luks.conf")
diff --git a/nixos/tests/systemd-initrd-luks-password.nix b/nixos/tests/systemd-initrd-luks-password.nix
index 0f7c2f51a034..4e059f514257 100644
--- a/nixos/tests/systemd-initrd-luks-password.nix
+++ b/nixos/tests/systemd-initrd-luks-password.nix
@@ -31,7 +31,6 @@
           cryptroot2.device = "/dev/vdc";
         };
         virtualisation.rootDevice = "/dev/mapper/cryptroot";
-        virtualisation.fileSystems."/".autoFormat = true;
         # test mounting device unlocked in initrd after switching root
         virtualisation.fileSystems."/cryptroot2".device = "/dev/mapper/cryptroot2";
       };
@@ -40,7 +39,11 @@
   testScript = ''
     # Create encrypted volume
     machine.wait_for_unit("multi-user.target")
+
     machine.succeed("echo -n supersecret | cryptsetup luksFormat -q --iter-time=1 /dev/vdb -")
+    machine.succeed("echo -n supersecret | cryptsetup luksOpen   -q               /dev/vdb cryptroot")
+    machine.succeed("mkfs.ext4 /dev/mapper/cryptroot")
+
     machine.succeed("echo -n supersecret | cryptsetup luksFormat -q --iter-time=1 /dev/vdc -")
     machine.succeed("echo -n supersecret | cryptsetup luksOpen   -q               /dev/vdc cryptroot2")
     machine.succeed("mkfs.ext4 /dev/mapper/cryptroot2")
diff --git a/nixos/tests/systemd-initrd-luks-tpm2.nix b/nixos/tests/systemd-initrd-luks-tpm2.nix
index 6cc42bbbda73..931959f05464 100644
--- a/nixos/tests/systemd-initrd-luks-tpm2.nix
+++ b/nixos/tests/systemd-initrd-luks-tpm2.nix
@@ -32,7 +32,6 @@
           };
         };
         virtualisation.rootDevice = "/dev/mapper/cryptroot";
-        virtualisation.fileSystems."/".autoFormat = true;
       };
     };
 
@@ -40,6 +39,8 @@
     # Create encrypted volume
     machine.wait_for_unit("multi-user.target")
     machine.succeed("echo -n supersecret | cryptsetup luksFormat -q --iter-time=1 /dev/vdb -")
+    machine.succeed("echo -n supersecret | cryptsetup luksOpen -q /dev/vdb cryptroot")
+    machine.succeed("mkfs.ext4 /dev/mapper/cryptroot")
     machine.succeed("PASSWORD=supersecret SYSTEMD_LOG_LEVEL=debug systemd-cryptenroll --tpm2-pcrs= --tpm2-device=auto /dev/vdb |& systemd-cat")
 
     # Boot from the encrypted disk
diff --git a/nixos/tests/systemd-initrd-luks-unl0kr.nix b/nixos/tests/systemd-initrd-luks-unl0kr.nix
index 875e1beb7187..f9dbce1ccdd8 100644
--- a/nixos/tests/systemd-initrd-luks-unl0kr.nix
+++ b/nixos/tests/systemd-initrd-luks-unl0kr.nix
@@ -79,9 +79,12 @@ in
     };
 
   testScript = ''
-    # Create encrypted volume
     machine.wait_for_unit("multi-user.target")
+
     machine.succeed("echo -n ${passphrase} | cryptsetup luksFormat -q --iter-time=1 /dev/vdb -")
+    machine.succeed("echo -n ${passphrase} | cryptsetup luksOpen   -q               /dev/vdb cryptroot")
+    machine.succeed("mkfs.ext4 /dev/mapper/cryptroot")
+
     machine.succeed("echo -n ${passphrase} | cryptsetup luksFormat -q --iter-time=1 /dev/vdc -")
     machine.succeed("echo -n ${passphrase} | cryptsetup luksOpen   -q               /dev/vdc cryptroot2")
     machine.succeed("mkfs.ext4 /dev/mapper/cryptroot2")