diff --git a/checks/default.nix b/checks/default.nix
index 7cb48c88..62a69024 100644
--- a/checks/default.nix
+++ b/checks/default.nix
@@ -115,6 +115,39 @@ let
         imports = [ "${modulesPath}/profiles/hardened.nix" ];
       }) ];
     } ]
+
+    [ {
+      # no
+      id = null;
+    } {
+      id = "credentials";
+      modules = [ ({ config, pkgs, ... }: {
+        # This is the guest vm config
+        microvm = {
+          credentialFiles.SECRET_BOOTSTRAP_KEY = "/etc/microvm-bootstrap.secret";
+          testing.enableTest = builtins.elem config.microvm.hypervisor [
+            # Hypervisors that support systemd credentials
+            "qemu"
+          ];
+        };
+        # TODO: need to somehow have the test harness check for the success or failure of this service.
+        systemd.services.test-secret-availability = {
+          serviceConfig = {
+            ImportCredential = "SECRET_BOOTSTRAP_KEY";
+            Restart = "no";
+          };
+          path = [ pkgs.gnugrep pkgs.coreutils ];
+          script = ''
+            cat $CREDENTIALS_DIRECTORY/SECRET_BOOTSTRAP_KEY | grep -q "i am super secret"
+            if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
+              echo "Secret not found at $CREDENTIALS_DIRECTORY/SECRET_BOOTSTRAP_KEY"
+              exit 1
+            fi
+          '';
+        };
+      }) ];
+    } ]
+
   ];
 
   allVariants =
diff --git a/checks/vm.nix b/checks/vm.nix
index 3e4b30e9..0e918360 100644
--- a/checks/vm.nix
+++ b/checks/vm.nix
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@
       # Must be big enough for the store overlay volume
       virtualisation.diskSize = 4096;
 
+      environment.etc."microvm-bootstrap.secret".text  = "i am super secret";
+
       microvm.vms."${system}-${hypervisor}-example".flake = self;
     };
     testScript = ''
diff --git a/lib/runners/alioth.nix b/lib/runners/alioth.nix
index 612066ae..78f2bea5 100644
--- a/lib/runners/alioth.nix
+++ b/lib/runners/alioth.nix
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ let
     user
     vcpu mem balloon initialBalloonMem hotplugMem hotpluggedMem interfaces volumes shares devices vsock
     kernel initrdPath
-    storeDisk storeOnDisk;
+    storeDisk storeOnDisk credentialFiles;
 in {
   command =
     if user != null
@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@ in {
     then throw "alioth does not support hotplugMem"
     else if hotpluggedMem != 0
     then throw "alioth does not support hotpluggedMem"
+    else if credentialFiles != {}
+    then throw "alioth does not support credentialFiles"
     else builtins.concatStringsSep " " (
       [
         "${pkgs.alioth}/bin/alioth" "run"
diff --git a/lib/runners/cloud-hypervisor.nix b/lib/runners/cloud-hypervisor.nix
index ef868dfc..cfd2bd8b 100644
--- a/lib/runners/cloud-hypervisor.nix
+++ b/lib/runners/cloud-hypervisor.nix
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 
 let
   inherit (pkgs) lib;
-  inherit (microvmConfig) vcpu mem balloon initialBalloonMem deflateOnOOM hotplugMem hotpluggedMem user interfaces volumes shares socket devices hugepageMem graphics storeDisk storeOnDisk kernel initrdPath;
+  inherit (microvmConfig) vcpu mem balloon initialBalloonMem deflateOnOOM hotplugMem hotpluggedMem user interfaces volumes shares socket devices hugepageMem graphics storeDisk storeOnDisk kernel initrdPath credentialFiles;
   inherit (microvmConfig.cloud-hypervisor) platformOEMStrings extraArgs;
 
   hasUserConsole = (extractOptValues "--console" extraArgs).values != [];
@@ -147,6 +147,8 @@ in {
   command =
     if user != null
     then throw "cloud-hypervisor will not change user"
+    else if credentialFiles != {}
+    then throw "cloud-hypervisor does not support credentialFiles"
     else lib.escapeShellArgs (
       [
         (if graphics.enable
diff --git a/lib/runners/crosvm.nix b/lib/runners/crosvm.nix
index 2e6edd13..1df40b33 100644
--- a/lib/runners/crosvm.nix
+++ b/lib/runners/crosvm.nix
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ let
   inherit (pkgs.stdenv) system;
   inherit (microvmConfig)
     vcpu mem balloon initialBalloonMem hotplugMem hotpluggedMem user volumes shares
-    socket devices vsock graphics
+    socket devices vsock graphics credentialFiles
     kernel initrdPath storeDisk storeOnDisk;
   inherit (microvmConfig.crosvm) pivotRoot extraArgs;
 
@@ -53,6 +53,8 @@ in {
     then throw "crosvm does not support hotplugMem"
     else if hotpluggedMem != 0
     then throw "crosvm does not support hotpluggedMem"
+    else if credentialFiles != {}
+    then throw "crosvm does not support credentialFiles"
     else lib.escapeShellArgs (
       [
         "${pkgs.crosvm}/bin/crosvm" "run"
diff --git a/lib/runners/firecracker.nix b/lib/runners/firecracker.nix
index d7955d45..e1f2b9bf 100644
--- a/lib/runners/firecracker.nix
+++ b/lib/runners/firecracker.nix
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ let
     vcpu mem balloon initialBalloonMem hotplugMem hotpluggedMem
     interfaces volumes shares devices
     kernel initrdPath
-    storeDisk;
+    storeDisk credentialFiles;
   inherit (microvmConfig.firecracker) cpu;
 
   kernelPath = {
@@ -83,6 +83,8 @@ in {
     then throw "hotplugMem not implemented for Firecracker"
     else if hotpluggedMem != 0
     then throw "hotpluggedMem not implemented for Firecracker"
+    else if credentialFiles != {}
+    then throw "credentialFiles are not implemented for Firecracker"
     else lib.escapeShellArgs [
       "${pkgs.firecracker}/bin/firecracker"
       "--config-file" configFile
diff --git a/lib/runners/kvmtool.nix b/lib/runners/kvmtool.nix
index e0cc8ff5..8c3e104f 100644
--- a/lib/runners/kvmtool.nix
+++ b/lib/runners/kvmtool.nix
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ let
   inherit (microvmConfig)
     hostName preStart user
     vcpu mem balloon initialBalloonMem hotplugMem hotpluggedMem interfaces volumes shares devices vsock
-    kernel initrdPath
+    kernel initrdPath credentialFiles
     storeDisk storeOnDisk;
 in {
   preStart = ''
@@ -25,6 +25,8 @@ in {
     then throw "kvmtool does not support hotplugMem"
     else if hotpluggedMem != 0
     then throw "kvmtool does not support hotpluggedMem"
+    else if credentialFiles != {}
+    then throw "kvmtool does not support credentialFiles"
     else builtins.concatStringsSep " " (
       [
         "${pkgs.kvmtool}/bin/lkvm" "run"
diff --git a/lib/runners/qemu.nix b/lib/runners/qemu.nix
index 3a4215ec..cf246f2b 100644
--- a/lib/runners/qemu.nix
+++ b/lib/runners/qemu.nix
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ let
 
   qemu = overrideQemu qemuPkg;
 
-  inherit (microvmConfig) hostName vcpu mem balloon initialBalloonMem deflateOnOOM hotplugMem hotpluggedMem user interfaces shares socket forwardPorts devices vsock graphics storeOnDisk kernel initrdPath storeDisk;
+  inherit (microvmConfig) hostName vcpu mem balloon initialBalloonMem deflateOnOOM hotplugMem hotpluggedMem user interfaces shares socket forwardPorts devices vsock graphics storeOnDisk kernel initrdPath storeDisk credentialFiles;
   inherit (microvmConfig.qemu) machine extraArgs serialConsole;
 
 
@@ -155,6 +155,8 @@ let
     then "console=ttyAMA0"
     else "";
 
+  systemdCredentialStrings = lib.mapAttrsToList (name: path: "name=opt/io.systemd.credentials/${name},file=${path}" ) credentialFiles;
+  fwCfgOptions = systemdCredentialStrings;
 
 in
 lib.warnIf (mem == 2048) ''
@@ -188,6 +190,9 @@ lib.warnIf (mem == 2048) ''
       "-chardev" "stdio,id=stdio,signal=off"
       "-device" "virtio-rng-${devType}"
     ] ++
+    lib.optionals (fwCfgOptions != [])  [
+      "-fw_cfg" (lib.concatStringsSep "," fwCfgOptions)
+    ] ++
     lib.optionals serialConsole [
       "-serial" "chardev:stdio"
     ] ++
diff --git a/lib/runners/stratovirt.nix b/lib/runners/stratovirt.nix
index eeeb68f2..e945f76c 100644
--- a/lib/runners/stratovirt.nix
+++ b/lib/runners/stratovirt.nix
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ let
   inherit (microvmConfig)
     hostName
     vcpu mem balloon initialBalloonMem hotplugMem hotpluggedMem interfaces shares socket forwardPorts devices
-    kernel initrdPath
+    kernel initrdPath credentialFiles
     storeOnDisk storeDisk;
 
   tapMultiQueue = vcpu > 1;
@@ -79,6 +79,8 @@ in {
     then throw "stratovirt does not support hotplugMem"
     else if hotpluggedMem != 0
     then throw "stratovirt does not support hotpluggedMem"
+    else if credentialFiles != {}
+    then throw "stratovirt does not support credentialFiles"
     else lib.escapeShellArgs (
     [
       "${pkgs.expect}/bin/unbuffer"
diff --git a/nixos-modules/microvm/options.nix b/nixos-modules/microvm/options.nix
index 31ae71ba..5f208914 100644
--- a/nixos-modules/microvm/options.nix
+++ b/nixos-modules/microvm/options.nix
@@ -675,6 +675,19 @@ in
         This is required for commands like `microvm -l` to function but removes reference to the uncompressed store content when using a disk image for the nix store.
       '';
     };
+
+    credentialFiles = mkOption {
+      type = with types; attrsOf path;
+      default = {};
+      description = ''
+        Key-value pairs of credential files that will be loaded into the vm using systemd's io.systemd.credential feature.
+      '';
+      example = literalExpression /* nix */ ''
+        {
+          SOPS_AGE_KEY = "/run/secrets/guest_microvm_age_key";
+        }
+      '';
+    };
   };
 
   imports = [