diff --git a/internal/cli/create.go b/internal/cli/create.go
index d6e9bb55..643a35b1 100644
--- a/internal/cli/create.go
+++ b/internal/cli/create.go
@@ -17,6 +17,19 @@ import (
 
 //nolint:funlen // function length is acceptable for CLI command definition
 func newCreateCommand(cfg *config.Values) *cli.Command {
+	imageDefault := cfg.DefaultContainerImage
+	if cfg.ContainerImage != "" {
+		imageDefault = cfg.ContainerImage
+	}
+	nameDefault := cfg.DefaultContainerName
+	if cfg.ContainerName != "" {
+		nameDefault = cfg.ContainerName
+	}
+	hostnameDefault := cfg.ContainerHostname
+	if hostnameDefault == "" {
+		hostnameDefault = defaultHostname()
+	}
+
 	return &cli.Command{
 
 		Name:  "create",
@@ -40,37 +53,30 @@ Examples:
 			&cli.StringFlag{
 				Name:    "image",
 				Aliases: []string{"i"},
-				Sources: cli.EnvVars("DBX_CONTAINER_IMAGE"),
-				Usage: fmt.Sprintf(
-					"image to use for the container (default: %s)",
-					cfg.DefaultContainerImage,
-				),
-				// No Value default: leaving it empty lets makeContainerImage's
-				// "no clone & no image" branch select cfg.DefaultContainerImage,
-				// which is what triggers the default-name fallback. Setting
-				// Value here would defeat that check (shell parity).
+				Value:   cfg.ContainerImage,
+				Usage:   fmt.Sprintf("image to use for the container (default: %s)", imageDefault),
 			},
 			&cli.StringFlag{
 				Name:    "name",
 				Aliases: []string{"n"},
-				Sources: cli.EnvVars("DBX_CONTAINER_NAME"),
-				Usage:   fmt.Sprintf("name for the distrobox (default: %s)", cfg.DefaultContainerName),
+				Value:   cfg.ContainerName,
+				Usage:   fmt.Sprintf("name for the distrobox (default: %s)", nameDefault),
 			},
 			&cli.StringFlag{
-				Name:    "hostname",
-				Sources: cli.EnvVars("DBX_CONTAINER_HOSTNAME"),
-				Usage:   fmt.Sprintf("hostname for the distrobox (default: %s)", defaultHostname()),
+				Name:  "hostname",
+				Value: cfg.ContainerHostname,
+				Usage: fmt.Sprintf("hostname for the distrobox (default: %s)", hostnameDefault),
 			},
 			&cli.BoolFlag{
 				Name:    "pull",
 				Aliases: []string{"p"},
-				Sources: cli.EnvVars("DBX_CONTAINER_ALWAYS_PULL"),
+				Value:   cfg.ContainerAlwaysPull,
 				Usage:   "pull the image even if it exists locally (implies --yes)",
 			},
 			&cli.BoolFlag{
 				Name:    "yes",
 				Aliases: []string{"Y"},
-				Sources: cli.EnvVars("DBX_NON_INTERACTIVE"),
+				Value:   cfg.NonInteractive,
 				Usage:   "non-interactive, pull images without asking",
 			},
 			&cli.StringFlag{
@@ -83,7 +89,7 @@ of the same environment.`,
 			&cli.StringFlag{
 				Name:    "home",
 				Aliases: []string{"H"},
-				Sources: cli.EnvVars("DBX_CONTAINER_CUSTOM_HOME"),
+				Value:   cfg.ContainerCustomHome,
 				Usage:   "select a custom HOME directory for the container. Useful to avoid host's home littering with temp files.",
 			},
 			&cli.StringSliceFlag{
@@ -191,18 +197,13 @@ func createAction(ctx context.Context, cmd *cli.Command, cfg *config.Values) err
 		return errors.New("container manager not found in context")
 	}
 
-	// DBX_CONTAINER_GENERATE_ENTRY=0 disables entry generation (shell parity);
-	// DBX_CONTAINER_HOME_PREFIX seeds a per-box custom home when no --home is set.
-	generateEntry := !cmd.Bool("no-entry")
-	if v := os.Getenv("DBX_CONTAINER_GENERATE_ENTRY"); v == "0" || v == "false" {
-		generateEntry = false
-	}
+	generateEntry := cfg.GenerateEntry && !cmd.Bool("no-entry")
 
 	opts := commands.CreateOptions{
 		ContainerImage:          cmd.String("image"),
 		ContainerName:           cmd.String("name"),
 		ContainerHostname:       cmd.String("hostname"),
-		ContainerHomePrefix:     os.Getenv("DBX_CONTAINER_HOME_PREFIX"),
+		ContainerHomePrefix:     cfg.ContainerHomePrefix,
 		ContainerClone:          cmd.String("clone"),
 		UnshareNetNs:            cmd.Bool("unshare-netns") || cmd.Bool("unshare-all"),
 		UnshareDevsys:           cmd.Bool("unshare-devsys") || cmd.Bool("unshare-all"),
diff --git a/internal/cli/enter.go b/internal/cli/enter.go
index 5b155a11..d371e735 100644
--- a/internal/cli/enter.go
+++ b/internal/cli/enter.go
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ func newEnterCommand(cfg *config.Values) *cli.Command {
 			&cli.StringFlag{
 				Name:    "name",
 				Aliases: []string{"n"},
-				Sources: cli.EnvVars("DBX_CONTAINER_NAME"),
+				Value:   cfg.ContainerName,
 				Usage:   "name for the distrobox",
 			},
 			&cli.BoolFlag{
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ func newEnterCommand(cfg *config.Values) *cli.Command {
 			&cli.BoolFlag{
 				Name:    "clean-path",
 				Aliases: []string{"c"},
-				Sources: cli.EnvVars("DBX_CONTAINER_CLEAN_PATH"),
+				Value:   cfg.CleanPath,
 				Usage:   "reset PATH inside the container to FHS standard",
 			},
 			&cli.StringFlag{
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ func newEnterCommand(cfg *config.Values) *cli.Command {
 			&cli.BoolFlag{
 				Name:    "yes",
 				Aliases: []string{"y"},
-				Sources: cli.EnvVars("DBX_NON_INTERACTIVE"),
+				Value:   cfg.NonInteractive,
 				Usage:   "non-interactive, do not ask questions",
 			},
 			&cli.BoolFlag{
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ func newEnterCommand(cfg *config.Values) *cli.Command {
 			&cli.BoolFlag{
 				Name:    "no-workdir",
 				Aliases: []string{"nw"},
-				Sources: cli.EnvVars("DBX_SKIP_WORKDIR"),
+				Value:   cfg.SkipWorkDir,
 				Usage:   "always start the container from container's home directory",
 			},
 		},
diff --git a/internal/cli/rm.go b/internal/cli/rm.go
index 01ef20cd..21b1410d 100644
--- a/internal/cli/rm.go
+++ b/internal/cli/rm.go
@@ -33,13 +33,13 @@ func newRmCommand(cfg *config.Values) *cli.Command {
 			&cli.BoolFlag{
 				Name:    "yes",
 				Aliases: []string{"Y"},
-				Sources: cli.EnvVars("DBX_NON_INTERACTIVE"),
+				Value:   cfg.NonInteractive,
 				Usage:   "non-interactive mode",
 			},
 			&cli.BoolFlag{
-				Name:    "rm-home",
-				Sources: cli.EnvVars("DBX_CONTAINER_RM_CUSTOM_HOME"),
-				Usage:   "Remove container's home directory",
+				Name:  "rm-home",
+				Value: cfg.RmCustomHome,
+				Usage: "Remove container's home directory",
 			},
 		},
 
diff --git a/internal/cli/root.go b/internal/cli/root.go
index b8f8070e..37fa2466 100644
--- a/internal/cli/root.go
+++ b/internal/cli/root.go
@@ -268,6 +268,7 @@ func withContainerManager(cfg *config.Values, cmd *cli.Command) *cli.Command {
 			c.String("sudo-command"),
 			c.Bool("verbose"),
 			c.Bool("root") || os.Getuid() == 0,
+			cfg.UsernsNoLimit,
 		)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
@@ -283,6 +284,7 @@ func buildContainerManager(
 	sudoCommand string,
 	verbose bool,
 	root bool,
+	usernsNoLimit bool,
 ) (containermanager.ContainerManager, error) {
 	errPrinter := ui.NewPrinter(os.Stderr, true)
 
@@ -290,11 +292,11 @@ func buildContainerManager(
 	case "docker":
 		return providers.NewDocker(root, sudoCommand, verbose), nil
 	case "podman":
-		return providers.NewPodman(root, sudoCommand, verbose), nil
+		return providers.NewPodman(root, sudoCommand, verbose, usernsNoLimit), nil
 	case "podman-launcher":
-		return providers.NewPodmanLauncher(root, sudoCommand, verbose), nil
+		return providers.NewPodmanLauncher(root, sudoCommand, verbose, usernsNoLimit), nil
 	case "autodetect", "":
-		cm, err := providers.NewAutoDetect(root, sudoCommand, verbose)
+		cm, err := providers.NewAutoDetect(root, sudoCommand, verbose, usernsNoLimit)
 		if err != nil {
 			if errors.Is(err, providers.ErrNoContainerManager) {
 				printMissingContainerManager(errPrinter)
diff --git a/internal/cli/stop.go b/internal/cli/stop.go
index e291168c..b43c6ff3 100644
--- a/internal/cli/stop.go
+++ b/internal/cli/stop.go
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ Examples:
 			&cli.BoolFlag{
 				Name:    "yes",
 				Aliases: []string{"Y"},
-				Sources: cli.EnvVars("DBX_NON_INTERACTIVE"),
+				Value:   cfg.NonInteractive,
 				Usage:   "non-interactive, stop without asking",
 			},
 		},
@@ -55,12 +55,13 @@ func stopAction(ctx context.Context, cmd *cli.Command, cfg *config.Values) error
 	nonInteractive := cmd.Bool("yes")
 	containerNames := cmd.Args().Slice()
 
-	// Shell distrobox-stop seeds container_name from DBX_CONTAINER_NAME
-	// (distrobox-stop:90, 200-202) when no positional and not --all.
-	if !all && len(containerNames) == 0 {
-		if envName := os.Getenv("DBX_CONTAINER_NAME"); envName != "" {
-			containerNames = []string{envName}
-		}
+	// Mirror shell distrobox-stop:90,200-202: when no positional and not --all,
+	// fall back to the env-set container name. The env value comes from
+	// cfg.ContainerName (resolved by pkg/config from DBX_CONTAINER_NAME); we
+	// only consult it here, never read the env directly. An unset env leaves
+	// containerNames empty so StopCommand applies its default-name fallback.
+	if !all && len(containerNames) == 0 && cfg.ContainerName != "" {
+		containerNames = []string{cfg.ContainerName}
 	}
 
 	options := &commands.StopOptions{
diff --git a/pkg/config/config.go b/pkg/config/config.go
index d49155b7..40bd67da 100644
--- a/pkg/config/config.go
+++ b/pkg/config/config.go
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
 
 	"gopkg.in/ini.v1"
 )
@@ -14,6 +15,22 @@ type Values struct {
 	Verbose               bool
 	DefaultContainerImage string
 	DefaultContainerName  string
+
+	// Env-set values; empty when the corresponding DBX_* var is not exported.
+	// Consumers prefer these over the Default* counterparts when non-empty,
+	// matching the shell's `[ -n "$DBX_X" ] && var=$DBX_X` pattern.
+	ContainerImage      string
+	ContainerName       string
+	ContainerHostname   string
+	ContainerCustomHome string
+	ContainerHomePrefix string
+	ContainerAlwaysPull bool
+	NonInteractive      bool
+	GenerateEntry       bool
+	CleanPath           bool
+	SkipWorkDir         bool
+	UsernsNoLimit       bool
+	RmCustomHome        bool
 }
 
 func defaultsMap() map[string]string {
@@ -22,8 +39,15 @@ func defaultsMap() map[string]string {
 		"sudo_program":      "sudo",
 		"verbose":           "false",
 		// container_image Fedora toolbox is a sensitive default
-		"container_image": "registry.fedoraproject.org/fedora-toolbox:latest",
-		"container_name":  "my-distrobox",
+		"container_image":          "registry.fedoraproject.org/fedora-toolbox:latest",
+		"container_name":           "my-distrobox",
+		"container_always_pull":    "false",
+		"non_interactive":          "false",
+		"container_generate_entry": "true",
+		"container_clean_path":     "false",
+		"container_skip_workdir":   "false",
+		"userns_nolimit":           "false",
+		"rm_home":                  "false",
 	}
 }
 
@@ -60,11 +84,32 @@ func toStruct(configMap map[string]string) *Values {
 		Verbose:               toBool(configMap["verbose"]),
 		DefaultContainerImage: configMap["container_image"],
 		DefaultContainerName:  configMap["container_name"],
+		ContainerImage:        configMap["container_image_env"],
+		ContainerName:         configMap["container_name_env"],
+		ContainerHostname:     configMap["container_hostname"],
+		ContainerCustomHome:   configMap["container_user_custom_home"],
+		ContainerHomePrefix:   configMap["container_home_prefix"],
+		ContainerAlwaysPull:   toBool(configMap["container_always_pull"]),
+		NonInteractive:        toBool(configMap["non_interactive"]),
+		GenerateEntry:         toBool(configMap["container_generate_entry"]),
+		CleanPath:             toBool(configMap["container_clean_path"]),
+		SkipWorkDir:           toBool(configMap["container_skip_workdir"]),
+		UsernsNoLimit:         toBool(configMap["userns_nolimit"]),
+		RmCustomHome:          toBool(configMap["rm_home"]),
 	}
 }
 
+// toBool recognizes the values the shell distrobox treats as truthy
+// (`1`, `true`, `yes`, `on`, case-insensitive). Anything else, including the
+// empty string, is false. The previous narrower `value == "true"` silently
+// ignored `DBX_VERBOSE=1` and similar — this fixes it.
 func toBool(value string) bool {
-	return value == "true"
+	switch strings.ToLower(strings.TrimSpace(value)) {
+	case "true", "1", "yes", "on":
+		return true
+	default:
+		return false
+	}
 }
 
 // getConfigFilePaths returns a list of configuration file paths in order of priority.
@@ -157,6 +202,42 @@ func readEnv() map[string]string {
 	if value, exists := os.LookupEnv("DBX_VERBOSE"); exists {
 		envConfig["verbose"] = value
 	}
+	if value, exists := os.LookupEnv("DBX_CONTAINER_IMAGE"); exists {
+		envConfig["container_image_env"] = value
+	}
+	if value, exists := os.LookupEnv("DBX_CONTAINER_NAME"); exists {
+		envConfig["container_name_env"] = value
+	}
+	if value, exists := os.LookupEnv("DBX_CONTAINER_HOSTNAME"); exists {
+		envConfig["container_hostname"] = value
+	}
+	if value, exists := os.LookupEnv("DBX_CONTAINER_CUSTOM_HOME"); exists {
+		envConfig["container_user_custom_home"] = value
+	}
+	if value, exists := os.LookupEnv("DBX_CONTAINER_HOME_PREFIX"); exists {
+		envConfig["container_home_prefix"] = value
+	}
+	if value, exists := os.LookupEnv("DBX_CONTAINER_ALWAYS_PULL"); exists {
+		envConfig["container_always_pull"] = value
+	}
+	if value, exists := os.LookupEnv("DBX_NON_INTERACTIVE"); exists {
+		envConfig["non_interactive"] = value
+	}
+	if value, exists := os.LookupEnv("DBX_CONTAINER_GENERATE_ENTRY"); exists {
+		envConfig["container_generate_entry"] = value
+	}
+	if value, exists := os.LookupEnv("DBX_CONTAINER_CLEAN_PATH"); exists {
+		envConfig["container_clean_path"] = value
+	}
+	if value, exists := os.LookupEnv("DBX_SKIP_WORKDIR"); exists {
+		envConfig["container_skip_workdir"] = value
+	}
+	if value, exists := os.LookupEnv("DBX_USERNS_NOLIMIT"); exists {
+		envConfig["userns_nolimit"] = value
+	}
+	if value, exists := os.LookupEnv("DBX_CONTAINER_RM_CUSTOM_HOME"); exists {
+		envConfig["rm_home"] = value
+	}
 
 	return envConfig
 }
diff --git a/pkg/config/config_internal_test.go b/pkg/config/config_internal_test.go
index 5c1824bf..7a5b59df 100644
--- a/pkg/config/config_internal_test.go
+++ b/pkg/config/config_internal_test.go
@@ -11,11 +11,23 @@ import (
 
 func TestToStruct(t *testing.T) {
 	input := map[string]string{
-		"container_manager": "docker",
-		"sudo_program":      "doas",
-		"verbose":           "true",
-		"container_image":   "ubuntu:latest",
-		"container_name":    "mybox",
+		"container_manager":          "docker",
+		"sudo_program":               "doas",
+		"verbose":                    "true",
+		"container_image":            "ubuntu:latest",
+		"container_name":             "mybox",
+		"container_image_env":        "alpine:3.21",
+		"container_name_env":         "envbox",
+		"container_hostname":         "myhost",
+		"container_user_custom_home": "/tmp/home",
+		"container_home_prefix":      "/data/boxes",
+		"container_always_pull":      "1",
+		"non_interactive":            "yes",
+		"container_generate_entry":   "false",
+		"container_clean_path":       "on",
+		"container_skip_workdir":     "true",
+		"userns_nolimit":             "1",
+		"rm_home":                    "yes",
 	}
 
 	cfg := toStruct(input)
@@ -23,8 +35,23 @@ func TestToStruct(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Equal(t, "docker", cfg.ContainerManagerType)
 	assert.Equal(t, "doas", cfg.SudoProgram)
 	assert.True(t, cfg.Verbose)
+	// Default* keep distrobox.conf semantics; *_env keys are env-only and
+	// stay separate so the create command can distinguish "user has set X"
+	// from "X is the hardcoded default".
 	assert.Equal(t, "ubuntu:latest", cfg.DefaultContainerImage)
 	assert.Equal(t, "mybox", cfg.DefaultContainerName)
+	assert.Equal(t, "alpine:3.21", cfg.ContainerImage)
+	assert.Equal(t, "envbox", cfg.ContainerName)
+	assert.Equal(t, "myhost", cfg.ContainerHostname)
+	assert.Equal(t, "/tmp/home", cfg.ContainerCustomHome)
+	assert.Equal(t, "/data/boxes", cfg.ContainerHomePrefix)
+	assert.True(t, cfg.ContainerAlwaysPull)
+	assert.True(t, cfg.NonInteractive)
+	assert.False(t, cfg.GenerateEntry)
+	assert.True(t, cfg.CleanPath)
+	assert.True(t, cfg.SkipWorkDir)
+	assert.True(t, cfg.UsernsNoLimit)
+	assert.True(t, cfg.RmCustomHome)
 }
 
 func TestToStruct_MissingKeys(t *testing.T) {
@@ -35,6 +62,33 @@ func TestToStruct_MissingKeys(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.False(t, cfg.Verbose)
 	assert.Empty(t, cfg.DefaultContainerImage)
 	assert.Empty(t, cfg.DefaultContainerName)
+	assert.Empty(t, cfg.ContainerImage)
+	assert.Empty(t, cfg.ContainerName)
+	assert.Empty(t, cfg.ContainerHostname)
+	assert.Empty(t, cfg.ContainerCustomHome)
+	assert.Empty(t, cfg.ContainerHomePrefix)
+	assert.False(t, cfg.ContainerAlwaysPull)
+	assert.False(t, cfg.NonInteractive)
+	assert.False(t, cfg.GenerateEntry)
+	assert.False(t, cfg.CleanPath)
+	assert.False(t, cfg.SkipWorkDir)
+	assert.False(t, cfg.UsernsNoLimit)
+	assert.False(t, cfg.RmCustomHome)
+}
+
+// toBool must accept every truthy form the shell does (`1`, `true`, `yes`,
+// `on`) — case-insensitive, surrounding whitespace ignored — and reject
+// everything else, including the empty string. Anchors the
+// `DBX_VERBOSE=1`/`DBX_USERNS_NOLIMIT=1` fix-in-passing.
+func TestToBool(t *testing.T) {
+	truthy := []string{"1", "true", "TRUE", "True", "yes", "Yes", "on", "ON", " 1 ", "\ttrue\n"}
+	for _, v := range truthy {
+		assert.Truef(t, toBool(v), "toBool(%q) should be true", v)
+	}
+	falsy := []string{"", "0", "false", "FALSE", "no", "off", "nope", "garbage"}
+	for _, v := range falsy {
+		assert.Falsef(t, toBool(v), "toBool(%q) should be false", v)
+	}
 }
 
 func TestMergeConfigMaps(t *testing.T) {
diff --git a/pkg/containermanager/providers/autodetect.go b/pkg/containermanager/providers/autodetect.go
index b755641e..707e6051 100644
--- a/pkg/containermanager/providers/autodetect.go
+++ b/pkg/containermanager/providers/autodetect.go
@@ -12,12 +12,12 @@ var ErrNoContainerManager = errors.New("no container manager found")
 
 // NewAutoDetect returns a ContainerManager for the first available container runtime.
 // Priority order: podman > podman-launcher > docker.
-func NewAutoDetect(root bool, sudoCommand string, verbose bool) (containermanager.ContainerManager, error) {
+func NewAutoDetect(root bool, sudoCommand string, verbose, usernsNoLimit bool) (containermanager.ContainerManager, error) {
 	if _, err := exec.LookPath("podman"); err == nil {
-		return NewPodman(root, sudoCommand, verbose), nil
+		return NewPodman(root, sudoCommand, verbose, usernsNoLimit), nil
 	}
 	if _, err := exec.LookPath("podman-launcher"); err == nil {
-		return NewPodmanLauncher(root, sudoCommand, verbose), nil
+		return NewPodmanLauncher(root, sudoCommand, verbose, usernsNoLimit), nil
 	}
 	if _, err := exec.LookPath("docker"); err == nil {
 		return NewDocker(root, sudoCommand, verbose), nil
diff --git a/pkg/containermanager/providers/autodetect_test.go b/pkg/containermanager/providers/autodetect_test.go
index 552a8297..2676eec1 100644
--- a/pkg/containermanager/providers/autodetect_test.go
+++ b/pkg/containermanager/providers/autodetect_test.go
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ func TestNewAutoDetect(t *testing.T) {
 			}
 			t.Setenv("PATH", dir)
 
-			cm, err := providers.NewAutoDetect(false, "sudo", false)
+			cm, err := providers.NewAutoDetect(false, "sudo", false, false)
 			if tt.expectError {
 				require.Error(t, err)
 				assert.Nil(t, cm)
diff --git a/pkg/containermanager/providers/clone_internal_test.go b/pkg/containermanager/providers/clone_internal_test.go
index 5333792e..d6a1cde3 100644
--- a/pkg/containermanager/providers/clone_internal_test.go
+++ b/pkg/containermanager/providers/clone_internal_test.go
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import (
 )
 
 func TestPodman_CloneAsRoot_PreservesFieldsAndFlipsRoot(t *testing.T) {
-	original := newPodman(podmanCommandPodman, false, "doas", true)
+	original := newPodman(podmanCommandPodman, false, "doas", true, true)
 
 	cloned := original.CloneAsRoot()
 
@@ -21,12 +21,13 @@ func TestPodman_CloneAsRoot_PreservesFieldsAndFlipsRoot(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Equal(t, original.command, clone.command)
 	assert.Equal(t, original.sudoCommand, clone.sudoCommand)
 	assert.Equal(t, original.verbose, clone.verbose)
+	assert.Equal(t, original.usernsNoLimit, clone.usernsNoLimit, "CloneAsRoot must preserve usernsNoLimit")
 
 	assert.False(t, original.root, "original should remain non-root")
 }
 
 func TestPodman_CloneAsRoot_AlreadyRootStillReturnsCopy(t *testing.T) {
-	original := newPodman(podmanCommandLauncher, true, "sudo", false)
+	original := newPodman(podmanCommandLauncher, true, "sudo", false, false)
 
 	cloned := original.CloneAsRoot()
 
diff --git a/pkg/containermanager/providers/podman.go b/pkg/containermanager/providers/podman.go
index 8ed6ec3a..14218ce5 100644
--- a/pkg/containermanager/providers/podman.go
+++ b/pkg/containermanager/providers/podman.go
@@ -21,10 +21,11 @@ import (
 )
 
 type Podman struct {
-	command     podmanCommand
-	root        bool
-	sudoCommand string
-	verbose     bool
+	command       podmanCommand
+	root          bool
+	sudoCommand   string
+	verbose       bool
+	usernsNoLimit bool
 }
 
 // podmanCommand represents the executable name for the Podman provider.
@@ -37,21 +38,22 @@ const (
 
 var _ containermanager.ContainerManager = &Podman{}
 
-func newPodman(command podmanCommand, root bool, sudoCommand string, verbose bool) *Podman {
+func newPodman(command podmanCommand, root bool, sudoCommand string, verbose, usernsNoLimit bool) *Podman {
 	return &Podman{
-		command:     command,
-		sudoCommand: sudoCommand,
-		root:        root,
-		verbose:     verbose,
+		command:       command,
+		sudoCommand:   sudoCommand,
+		root:          root,
+		verbose:       verbose,
+		usernsNoLimit: usernsNoLimit,
 	}
 }
 
-func NewPodman(root bool, sudoCommand string, verbose bool) *Podman {
-	return newPodman(podmanCommandPodman, root, sudoCommand, verbose)
+func NewPodman(root bool, sudoCommand string, verbose, usernsNoLimit bool) *Podman {
+	return newPodman(podmanCommandPodman, root, sudoCommand, verbose, usernsNoLimit)
 }
 
-func NewPodmanLauncher(root bool, sudoCommand string, verbose bool) *Podman {
-	return newPodman(podmanCommandLauncher, root, sudoCommand, verbose)
+func NewPodmanLauncher(root bool, sudoCommand string, verbose, usernsNoLimit bool) *Podman {
+	return newPodman(podmanCommandLauncher, root, sudoCommand, verbose, usernsNoLimit)
 }
 
 func (p *Podman) CloneAsRoot() containermanager.ContainerManager {
@@ -408,11 +410,11 @@ func (p *Podman) makeCreateCommand(
 		options = append(options, "--systemd=always")
 	}
 
-	// Use keep-id only if going rootless. DBX_USERNS_NOLIMIT (set to a non-zero
-	// value) drops the :size cap, matching the shell (distrobox-create:962-977).
+	// Use keep-id only if going rootless. The usernsNoLimit struct field
+	// (resolved from cfg.UsernsNoLimit / DBX_USERNS_NOLIMIT in the config
+	// layer) drops the :size cap, matching the shell (distrobox-create:962-977).
 	if !p.root {
-		usernsNoLimit := usernsNoLimitEnabled()
-		if !usernsNoLimit && (dryRun || p.supportsKeepIDSize(ctx, containerImage)) {
+		if !p.usernsNoLimit && (dryRun || p.supportsKeepIDSize(ctx, containerImage)) {
 			options = append(options, "--userns", "keep-id:size=65536")
 		} else {
 			options = append(options, "--userns", "keep-id")
@@ -682,14 +684,6 @@ func commandExists(cmd string) bool {
 	return err == nil
 }
 
-// usernsNoLimitEnabled reports whether DBX_USERNS_NOLIMIT requests dropping the
-// keep-id:size cap (any non-empty, non-"0" value), mirroring the shell's
-// userns_nolimit (distrobox-create:159,962-977).
-func usernsNoLimitEnabled() bool {
-	v := os.Getenv("DBX_USERNS_NOLIMIT")
-	return v != "" && v != "0" && v != "false"
-}
-
 // supportsKeepIDSize tests whether podman supports the keep-id:size= userns option
 // by attempting a quick container run. Older podman versions do not support the size suboption.
 func (p *Podman) supportsKeepIDSize(ctx context.Context, image string) bool {
diff --git a/pkg/containermanager/providers/podman_internal_test.go b/pkg/containermanager/providers/podman_internal_test.go
index 1a28aa21..21785bcb 100644
--- a/pkg/containermanager/providers/podman_internal_test.go
+++ b/pkg/containermanager/providers/podman_internal_test.go
@@ -16,21 +16,11 @@ import (
 	"github.com/89luca89/distrobox/pkg/ui"
 )
 
-// DBX_USERNS_NOLIMIT (non-zero) drops the keep-id:size cap.
-func TestUsernsNoLimitEnabled(t *testing.T) {
-	cases := map[string]bool{"": false, "0": false, "false": false, "1": true, "true": true, "yes": true}
-	for v, want := range cases {
-		t.Setenv("DBX_USERNS_NOLIMIT", v)
-		if got := usernsNoLimitEnabled(); got != want {
-			t.Errorf("DBX_USERNS_NOLIMIT=%q: got %v, want %v", v, got, want)
-		}
-	}
-}
-
-// with DBX_USERNS_NOLIMIT set, rootless create uses plain keep-id (no :size).
+// with usernsNoLimit set, rootless create uses plain keep-id (no :size).
+// The env var (DBX_USERNS_NOLIMIT) is resolved by pkg/config and surfaces
+// here only as the constructor argument.
 func TestPodman_makeCreateCommandUsernsNoLimit(t *testing.T) {
-	t.Setenv("DBX_USERNS_NOLIMIT", "1")
-	podman := NewPodman(false, "sudo", false)
+	podman := NewPodman(false, "sudo", false, true)
 	userEnv := &userenv.UserEnvironment{User: "user", UserID: "1000", GroupID: "1000", Home: "/home/user", Shell: "/bin/sh"}
 
 	cmd := podman.makeCreateCommand(
@@ -51,7 +41,7 @@ func TestPodman_makeCreateCommandUsernsNoLimit(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestPodman_makeCreateCommand(t *testing.T) {
-	podman := NewPodman(false, "sudo", false)
+	podman := NewPodman(false, "sudo", false, false)
 
 	userEnv := &userenv.UserEnvironment{
 		User:    "user",
@@ -137,7 +127,7 @@ func TestPodman_makeCreateCommand(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestPodman_makeCreateCommandRootful(t *testing.T) {
 	// Test rootful mode - should NOT have --userns keep-id
-	podman := NewPodman(true, "sudo", false)
+	podman := NewPodman(true, "sudo", false, false)
 
 	userEnv := &userenv.UserEnvironment{
 		User:    "user",
@@ -187,7 +177,7 @@ func TestPodman_makeCreateCommandRootful(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestPodman_makeCreateCommandNoInit(t *testing.T) {
 	// Test without init - should NOT have --systemd=always
-	podman := NewPodman(false, "sudo", false)
+	podman := NewPodman(false, "sudo", false, false)
 
 	userEnv := &userenv.UserEnvironment{
 		User:    "user",
@@ -237,7 +227,7 @@ func TestPodman_makeCreateCommandWithCrun(t *testing.T) {
 	// This test checks that if crun exists, --runtime=crun is added
 	// Note: This test will pass or fail depending on whether crun is installed
 	// on the test system. In a real scenario, you might want to mock commandExists()
-	podman := NewPodman(false, "sudo", false)
+	podman := NewPodman(false, "sudo", false, false)
 
 	userEnv := &userenv.UserEnvironment{
 		User:    "user",
@@ -285,7 +275,7 @@ func TestPodman_makeCreateCommandWithCrun(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestPodman_makeCreateCommandWithPlatform(t *testing.T) {
-	podman := NewPodman(false, "sudo", false)
+	podman := NewPodman(false, "sudo", false, false)
 
 	userEnv := &userenv.UserEnvironment{
 		User:    "user",
@@ -328,7 +318,7 @@ func TestPodman_makeCreateCommandWithPlatform(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestPodman_makeCreateCommandWithCustomHome(t *testing.T) {
-	podman := NewPodman(false, "sudo", false)
+	podman := NewPodman(false, "sudo", false, false)
 
 	userEnv := &userenv.UserEnvironment{
 		User:    "user",
@@ -381,7 +371,7 @@ func TestPodman_makeCreateCommandWithCustomHome(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestPodman_makeCreateCommandWithAdditionalFlags(t *testing.T) {
-	podman := NewPodman(false, "sudo", false)
+	podman := NewPodman(false, "sudo", false, false)
 
 	userEnv := &userenv.UserEnvironment{
 		User:    "user",
@@ -430,7 +420,7 @@ func TestPodman_makeCreateCommandWithAdditionalFlags(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestPodman_makeCreateCommandWithAdditionalPackages(t *testing.T) {
-	podman := NewPodman(false, "sudo", false)
+	podman := NewPodman(false, "sudo", false, false)
 
 	userEnv := &userenv.UserEnvironment{
 		User:    "user",
@@ -537,7 +527,7 @@ func TestPodman_makeCreateCommandUnshareOptions(t *testing.T) {
 
 	for _, tt := range tests {
 		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			podman := NewPodman(false, "sudo", false)
+			podman := NewPodman(false, "sudo", false, false)
 
 			userEnv := &userenv.UserEnvironment{
 				User:    "user",
@@ -598,10 +588,10 @@ func TestPodman_makeCreateCommandUnshareOptions(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestPodman_Name(t *testing.T) {
-	podman := NewPodman(false, "sudo", false)
+	podman := NewPodman(false, "sudo", false, false)
 	assert.Equal(t, "podman", podman.Name())
 
-	launcher := NewPodmanLauncher(false, "sudo", false)
+	launcher := NewPodmanLauncher(false, "sudo", false, false)
 	assert.Equal(t, "podman-launcher", launcher.Name())
 }
 
@@ -678,12 +668,12 @@ func TestPodman_runUsesCorrectBinary(t *testing.T) {
 	}{
 		{
 			name:           "NewPodman uses podman binary",
-			constructor:    func() *Podman { return NewPodman(false, "sudo", false) },
+			constructor:    func() *Podman { return NewPodman(false, "sudo", false, false) },
 			expectedPrefix: "podman ",
 		},
 		{
 			name:           "NewPodmanLauncher uses podman-launcher binary",
-			constructor:    func() *Podman { return NewPodmanLauncher(false, "sudo", false) },
+			constructor:    func() *Podman { return NewPodmanLauncher(false, "sudo", false, false) },
 			expectedPrefix: "podman-launcher ",
 		},
 	}
@@ -728,7 +718,7 @@ func TestPodmanEnterPropagatesStartError(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Setenv("FAKE_START_EXIT", "9")
 	t.Setenv("FAKE_START_STDERR", "start failed")
 
-	err := NewPodman(false, "sudo", false).Enter(
+	err := NewPodman(false, "sudo", false, false).Enter(
 		t.Context(),
 		containermanager.EnterOptions{
 			ContainerName: "box",
@@ -749,7 +739,7 @@ func TestPodmanEnterPropagatesExecError(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Setenv("FAKE_EXEC_EXIT", "7")
 	t.Setenv("FAKE_EXEC_STDERR", "exec failed")
 
-	err := NewPodman(false, "sudo", false).Enter(
+	err := NewPodman(false, "sudo", false, false).Enter(
 		t.Context(),
 		containermanager.EnterOptions{
 			ContainerName: "box",