diff --git a/gnu/system/file-systems.scm b/gnu/system/file-systems.scm
index 7011a279d3..8107722c74 100644
--- a/gnu/system/file-systems.scm
+++ b/gnu/system/file-systems.scm
@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@
   #:use-module (guix records)
   #:use-module ((gnu build file-systems)
                 #:select (string->uuid uuid->string))
+  #:use-module (gnu packages linux)
+  #:use-module (gnu packages disk)
   #:re-export (string->uuid
                uuid->string)
   #:export (<file-system>
@@ -65,6 +67,8 @@
 
             file-system-mapping->bind-mount
 
+            file-system-packages
+
             %store-mapping
             %network-configuration-files
             %network-file-mappings))
@@ -411,4 +415,26 @@ a bind mount."
                  (writable? (string=? file "/etc/resolv.conf"))))
               %network-configuration-files))
 
+(define (file-system-type-predicate type)
+  (lambda (fs)
+    (string=? (file-system-type fs) type)))
+
+(define* (file-system-packages file-systems #:key (volatile-root? #f))
+ `(,@(if (find (lambda (fs)
+                 (string-prefix? "ext" (file-system-type fs)))
+               file-systems)
+         (list e2fsck/static)
+         '())
+   ,@(if (find (lambda (fs)
+                 (string-suffix? "fat" (file-system-type fs)))
+               file-systems)
+         (list fatfsck/static)
+         '())
+   ,@(if (find (file-system-type-predicate "btrfs") file-systems)
+         (list btrfs-progs/static)
+         '())
+   ,@(if volatile-root?
+         (list unionfs-fuse/static)
+         '())))
+
 ;;; file-systems.scm ends here
diff --git a/gnu/system/linux-initrd.scm b/gnu/system/linux-initrd.scm
index 81c1278c0c..1f1c306828 100644
--- a/gnu/system/linux-initrd.scm
+++ b/gnu/system/linux-initrd.scm
@@ -272,23 +272,7 @@ loaded at boot time in the order in which they appear."
       ,@extra-modules))
 
   (define helper-packages
-    ;; Packages to be copied on the initrd.
-    `(,@(if (find (lambda (fs)
-                    (string-prefix? "ext" (file-system-type fs)))
-                  file-systems)
-            (list e2fsck/static)
-            '())
-      ,@(if (find (lambda (fs)
-                    (string-suffix? "fat" (file-system-type fs)))
-                  file-systems)
-            (list fatfsck/static)
-            '())
-      ,@(if (find (file-system-type-predicate "btrfs") file-systems)
-            (list btrfs-progs/static)
-            '())
-      ,@(if volatile-root?
-            (list unionfs-fuse/static)
-            '())))
+    (file-system-packages file-systems #:volatile-root? volatile-root?))
 
   (raw-initrd file-systems
               #:linux linux