diff --git a/nixos/modules/installer/cd-dvd/channel.nix b/nixos/modules/installer/cd-dvd/channel.nix
index b97534d34dd7..bc70dc985fe0 100644
--- a/nixos/modules/installer/cd-dvd/channel.nix
+++ b/nixos/modules/installer/cd-dvd/channel.nix
@@ -31,32 +31,34 @@ let
       echo -n ${config.system.nixos.versionSuffix} > $out/nixos/.version-suffix
       echo ${config.system.nixos.versionSuffix} | sed -e s/pre// > $out/nixos/svn-revision
     '';
-
 in
 
 {
-  # Pin the nixpkgs flake in the installer to our cleaned up nixpkgs source.
-  # FIXME: this might be surprising and is really only needed for offline installations,
-  # see discussion in https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/pull/204178#issuecomment-1336289021
-  nix.registry.nixpkgs.to = {
-    type = "path";
-    path = "${channelSources}/nixos";
-  };
+  options.system.installer.channel.enable = (lib.mkEnableOption "bundling NixOS/Nixpkgs channel in the installer") // { default = true; };
+  config = lib.mkIf config.system.installer.channel.enable {
+    # Pin the nixpkgs flake in the installer to our cleaned up nixpkgs source.
+    # FIXME: this might be surprising and is really only needed for offline installations,
+    # see discussion in https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/pull/204178#issuecomment-1336289021
+    nix.registry.nixpkgs.to = {
+      type = "path";
+      path = "${channelSources}/nixos";
+    };
 
-  # Provide the NixOS/Nixpkgs sources in /etc/nixos.  This is required
-  # for nixos-install.
-  boot.postBootCommands = lib.mkAfter
-    ''
-      if ! [ -e /var/lib/nixos/did-channel-init ]; then
-        echo "unpacking the NixOS/Nixpkgs sources..."
-        mkdir -p /nix/var/nix/profiles/per-user/root
-        ${config.nix.package.out}/bin/nix-env -p /nix/var/nix/profiles/per-user/root/channels \
-          -i ${channelSources} --quiet --option build-use-substitutes false \
-          ${lib.optionalString config.boot.initrd.systemd.enable "--option sandbox false"} # There's an issue with pivot_root
-        mkdir -m 0700 -p /root/.nix-defexpr
-        ln -s /nix/var/nix/profiles/per-user/root/channels /root/.nix-defexpr/channels
-        mkdir -m 0755 -p /var/lib/nixos
-        touch /var/lib/nixos/did-channel-init
-      fi
-    '';
+    # Provide the NixOS/Nixpkgs sources in /etc/nixos.  This is required
+    # for nixos-install.
+    boot.postBootCommands = lib.mkAfter
+      ''
+        if ! [ -e /var/lib/nixos/did-channel-init ]; then
+          echo "unpacking the NixOS/Nixpkgs sources..."
+          mkdir -p /nix/var/nix/profiles/per-user/root
+          ${config.nix.package.out}/bin/nix-env -p /nix/var/nix/profiles/per-user/root/channels \
+            -i ${channelSources} --quiet --option build-use-substitutes false \
+            ${lib.optionalString config.boot.initrd.systemd.enable "--option sandbox false"} # There's an issue with pivot_root
+          mkdir -m 0700 -p /root/.nix-defexpr
+          ln -s /nix/var/nix/profiles/per-user/root/channels /root/.nix-defexpr/channels
+          mkdir -m 0755 -p /var/lib/nixos
+          touch /var/lib/nixos/did-channel-init
+        fi
+      '';
+  };
 }