diff --git a/src/nm-cloud-setup/main.c b/src/nm-cloud-setup/main.c
index c7680860b..d2a5a1cf5 100644
--- a/src/nm-cloud-setup/main.c
+++ b/src/nm-cloud-setup/main.c
@@ -694,12 +694,11 @@ try_again:
 static NMConnection *
 _new_connection(void)
 {
-    NMConnection *connection = NULL;
+    NMConnection *connection;
     NMSetting    *s_user;
 
     connection = nm_simple_connection_new();
-
-    s_user = nm_setting_user_new();
+    s_user     = nm_setting_user_new();
     nm_connection_add_setting(connection, s_user);
     nm_setting_user_set_data(NM_SETTING_USER(s_user),
                              "org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.origin",
@@ -713,9 +712,13 @@ static gboolean
 _config_ethernet(SigTermData                          *sigterm_data,
                  const NMCSProviderGetConfigIfaceData *config_data,
                  NMClient                             *nmc,
-                 const NMCSProviderGetConfigResult    *result)
+                 const NMCSProviderGetConfigResult    *result,
+                 gboolean                              allow_new_connections)
 {
-    gs_unref_object NMDevice *device = NULL;
+    gs_unref_object NMDevice           *device            = NULL;
+    gs_unref_object NMConnection       *connection        = NULL;
+    gs_unref_object NMActiveConnection *active_connection = NULL;
+    gs_free_error GError               *error             = NULL;
 
     device = nm_g_object_ref(
         _nmc_get_device_by_hwaddr(nmc, NM_TYPE_DEVICE_ETHERNET, config_data->hwaddr));
@@ -724,12 +727,52 @@ _config_ethernet(SigTermData                          *sigterm_data,
         return FALSE;
     }
 
-    return _config_existing(sigterm_data,
-                            config_data,
-                            nmc,
-                            result,
-                            NM_SETTING_WIRED_SETTING_NAME,
-                            device);
+    if (allow_new_connections && nm_device_get_state(device) == NM_DEVICE_STATE_DISCONNECTED) {
+        connection = _new_connection();
+        nm_connection_add_setting(connection,
+                                  g_object_new(NM_TYPE_SETTING_CONNECTION,
+                                               NM_SETTING_CONNECTION_TYPE,
+                                               NM_SETTING_WIRED_SETTING_NAME,
+                                               NULL));
+        nm_connection_add_setting(connection,
+                                  g_object_new(NM_TYPE_SETTING_IP4_CONFIG,
+                                               NM_SETTING_IP_CONFIG_METHOD,
+                                               NM_SETTING_IP4_CONFIG_METHOD_MANUAL,
+                                               NULL));
+
+        nm_connection_add_setting(connection,
+                                  g_object_new(NM_TYPE_SETTING_WIRED,
+                                               NM_SETTING_WIRED_MAC_ADDRESS,
+                                               config_data->hwaddr,
+                                               NULL));
+
+        _nmc_mangle_connection(device, connection, result, config_data, NULL, NULL);
+
+        active_connection = nmcs_add_and_activate(nmc, NULL, device, connection, &error);
+        if (!active_connection) {
+            if (!nm_utils_error_is_cancelled(error)) {
+                _LOGD("config device %s: failure to activate connection: %s",
+                      nm_device_get_iface(NM_DEVICE(device)),
+                      error->message);
+            }
+            return FALSE;
+        }
+
+        _LOGD("config device %s: connection \"%s\" (%s) created",
+              nm_device_get_iface(NM_DEVICE(device)),
+              nm_active_connection_get_id(active_connection),
+              nm_active_connection_get_uuid(active_connection));
+
+        return TRUE;
+
+    } else {
+        return _config_existing(sigterm_data,
+                                config_data,
+                                nmc,
+                                result,
+                                NM_SETTING_WIRED_SETTING_NAME,
+                                device);
+    }
 }
 
 static gboolean
@@ -910,7 +953,8 @@ _config_one(SigTermData                       *sigterm_data,
         _nm_utils_ascii_str_to_bool(g_getenv(NMCS_ENV_NM_CLOUD_SETUP_ALLOW_NEW_CONN),
                                     NMCS_IS_PROVIDER_OCI(provider));
 
-    if (allow_new_connections && config_data->priv.oci.vlan_tag != 0) {
+    if (allow_new_connections && NMCS_IS_PROVIDER_OCI(provider)
+        && config_data->priv.oci.vlan_tag != 0) {
         if (config_data->priv.oci.parent_hwaddr == NULL) {
             _LOGW("config device %s: has vlan id %d but no parent device",
                   config_data->hwaddr,
@@ -935,7 +979,8 @@ _config_one(SigTermData                       *sigterm_data,
                                             config_data->hwaddr);
 
     } else {
-        any_changes = _config_ethernet(sigterm_data, config_data, nmc, result);
+        any_changes =
+            _config_ethernet(sigterm_data, config_data, nmc, result, allow_new_connections);
     }
 
     return any_changes;
diff --git a/src/nm-cloud-setup/nm-cloud-setup-utils.c b/src/nm-cloud-setup/nm-cloud-setup-utils.c
index a9a5ab8f7..3889cff29 100644
--- a/src/nm-cloud-setup/nm-cloud-setup-utils.c
+++ b/src/nm-cloud-setup/nm-cloud-setup-utils.c
@@ -649,7 +649,7 @@ nmcs_add_and_activate(NMClient     *client,
 
     nm_client_add_and_activate_connection_async(client,
                                                 connection,
-                                                NULL,
+                                                device,
                                                 NULL,
                                                 sigterm_cancellable,
                                                 _nmcs_add_and_activate_cb,