diff --git a/nixos/doc/manual/from_md/release-notes/rl-2205.section.xml b/nixos/doc/manual/from_md/release-notes/rl-2205.section.xml
index 13089b1f8668..2046e2449cc5 100644
--- a/nixos/doc/manual/from_md/release-notes/rl-2205.section.xml
+++ b/nixos/doc/manual/from_md/release-notes/rl-2205.section.xml
@@ -1288,7 +1288,7 @@
           <literal>systemd-shutdown</literal> is now properly linked on
           shutdown to unmount all filesystems and device mapper devices
           cleanly. This can be disabled using
-          <literal>boot.systemd.shutdown.enable</literal>.
+          <literal>systemd.shutdownRamfs.enable</literal>.
         </para>
       </listitem>
       <listitem>
diff --git a/nixos/doc/manual/release-notes/rl-2205.section.md b/nixos/doc/manual/release-notes/rl-2205.section.md
index e5960e0794eb..9674eb66a4cf 100644
--- a/nixos/doc/manual/release-notes/rl-2205.section.md
+++ b/nixos/doc/manual/release-notes/rl-2205.section.md
@@ -510,7 +510,7 @@ In addition to numerous new and upgraded packages, this release has the followin
 
 - `systemd-nspawn@.service` settings have been reverted to the default systemd behaviour. User namespaces are now activated by default. If you want to keep running nspawn containers without user namespaces you need to set `systemd.nspawn.<name>.execConfig.PrivateUsers = false`
 
-- `systemd-shutdown` is now properly linked on shutdown to unmount all filesystems and device mapper devices cleanly. This can be disabled using `boot.systemd.shutdown.enable`.
+- `systemd-shutdown` is now properly linked on shutdown to unmount all filesystems and device mapper devices cleanly. This can be disabled using `systemd.shutdownRamfs.enable`.
 
 - The Tor SOCKS proxy is now actually disabled if `services.tor.client.enable` is set to `false` (the default). If you are using this functionality but didn't change the setting or set it to `false`, you now need to set it to `true`.
 
diff --git a/nixos/lib/systemd-types.nix b/nixos/lib/systemd-types.nix
index 71962fab2e17..961b6d7f9851 100644
--- a/nixos/lib/systemd-types.nix
+++ b/nixos/lib/systemd-types.nix
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-{ lib, systemdUtils }:
+{ lib, systemdUtils, pkgs }:
 
 with systemdUtils.lib;
 with systemdUtils.unitOptions;
@@ -34,4 +34,36 @@ rec {
 
   automounts = with types; listOf (submodule [ stage2AutomountOptions unitConfig automountConfig ]);
   initrdAutomounts = with types; attrsOf (submodule [ stage1AutomountOptions unitConfig automountConfig ]);
+
+  initrdContents = types.attrsOf (types.submodule ({ config, options, name, ... }: {
+    options = {
+      enable = mkEnableOption "copying of this file and symlinking it" // { default = true; };
+
+      target = mkOption {
+        type = types.path;
+        description = ''
+          Path of the symlink.
+        '';
+        default = name;
+      };
+
+      text = mkOption {
+        default = null;
+        type = types.nullOr types.lines;
+        description = "Text of the file.";
+      };
+
+      source = mkOption {
+        type = types.path;
+        description = "Path of the source file.";
+      };
+    };
+
+    config = {
+      source = mkIf (config.text != null) (
+        let name' = "initrd-" + baseNameOf name;
+        in mkDerivedConfig options.text (pkgs.writeText name')
+      );
+    };
+  }));
 }
diff --git a/nixos/lib/utils.nix b/nixos/lib/utils.nix
index 497d98aa4d19..d7671a374999 100644
--- a/nixos/lib/utils.nix
+++ b/nixos/lib/utils.nix
@@ -213,6 +213,6 @@ rec {
   systemdUtils = {
     lib = import ./systemd-lib.nix { inherit lib config pkgs; };
     unitOptions = import ./systemd-unit-options.nix { inherit lib systemdUtils; };
-    types = import ./systemd-types.nix { inherit lib systemdUtils; };
+    types = import ./systemd-types.nix { inherit lib systemdUtils pkgs; };
   };
 }
diff --git a/nixos/modules/system/boot/systemd/initrd.nix b/nixos/modules/system/boot/systemd/initrd.nix
index fc4bd6ff69b6..a93fda11bec2 100644
--- a/nixos/modules/system/boot/systemd/initrd.nix
+++ b/nixos/modules/system/boot/systemd/initrd.nix
@@ -155,37 +155,7 @@ in {
       '';
       visible = false;
       default = {};
-      type = types.attrsOf (types.submodule ({ config, options, name, ... }: {
-        options = {
-          enable = mkEnableOption "copying of this file to initrd and symlinking it" // { default = true; };
-
-          target = mkOption {
-            type = types.path;
-            description = ''
-              Path of the symlink.
-            '';
-            default = name;
-          };
-
-          text = mkOption {
-            default = null;
-            type = types.nullOr types.lines;
-            description = "Text of the file.";
-          };
-
-          source = mkOption {
-            type = types.path;
-            description = "Path of the source file.";
-          };
-        };
-
-        config = {
-          source = mkIf (config.text != null) (
-            let name' = "initrd-" + baseNameOf name;
-            in mkDerivedConfig options.text (pkgs.writeText name')
-          );
-        };
-      }));
+      type = utils.systemdUtils.types.initrdContents;
     };
 
     storePaths = mkOption {
diff --git a/nixos/modules/system/boot/systemd/shutdown.nix b/nixos/modules/system/boot/systemd/shutdown.nix
index 934269316676..63e1751f9b41 100644
--- a/nixos/modules/system/boot/systemd/shutdown.nix
+++ b/nixos/modules/system/boot/systemd/shutdown.nix
@@ -1,31 +1,57 @@
-{ config, lib, ... }: let
+{ config, lib, utils, pkgs, ... }: let
 
-  cfg = config.boot.systemd.shutdown;
+  cfg = config.systemd.shutdownRamfs;
+
+  ramfsContents = let
+    storePaths = map (p: "${p}\n") cfg.storePaths;
+    contents = lib.mapAttrsToList (_: v: "${v.source}\n${v.target}") (lib.filterAttrs (_: v: v.enable) cfg.contents);
+  in pkgs.writeText "shutdown-ramfs-contents" (lib.concatStringsSep "\n" (storePaths ++ contents));
 
 in {
-  options.boot.systemd.shutdown = {
+  options.systemd.shutdownRamfs = {
     enable = lib.mkEnableOption "pivoting back to an initramfs for shutdown" // { default = true; };
+    contents = lib.mkOption {
+      description = "Set of files that have to be linked into the shutdown ramfs";
+      example = lib.literalExpression ''
+        {
+          "/lib/systemd/system-shutdown/zpool-sync-shutdown".source = writeShellScript "zpool" "exec ''${zfs}/bin/zpool sync"
+        }
+      '';
+      type = utils.systemdUtils.types.initrdContents;
+    };
+
+    storePaths = lib.mkOption {
+      description = ''
+        Store paths to copy into the shutdown ramfs as well.
+      '';
+      type = lib.types.listOf lib.types.singleLineStr;
+      default = [];
+    };
   };
 
   config = lib.mkIf cfg.enable {
+    systemd.shutdownRamfs.contents."/shutdown".source = "${config.systemd.package}/lib/systemd/systemd-shutdown";
+    systemd.shutdownRamfs.storePaths = [pkgs.runtimeShell "${pkgs.coreutils}/bin"];
+
     systemd.services.generate-shutdown-ramfs = {
       description = "Generate shutdown ramfs";
+      wantedBy = [ "shutdown.target" ];
       before = [ "shutdown.target" ];
       unitConfig = {
         DefaultDependencies = false;
         ConditionFileIsExecutable = [
           "!/run/initramfs/shutdown"
-          "/run/current-system/systemd/lib/systemd/systemd-shutdown"
         ];
       };
 
+      path = [pkgs.util-linux pkgs.makeInitrdNGTool pkgs.glibc pkgs.patchelf];
       serviceConfig.Type = "oneshot";
       script = ''
         mkdir -p /run/initramfs
         if ! mountpoint -q /run/initramfs; then
           mount -t tmpfs tmpfs /run/initramfs
         fi
-        cp /run/current-system/systemd/lib/systemd/systemd-shutdown /run/initramfs/shutdown
+        make-initrd-ng ${ramfsContents} /run/initramfs
       '';
     };
   };
diff --git a/nixos/modules/tasks/filesystems/zfs.nix b/nixos/modules/tasks/filesystems/zfs.nix
index fbfc61177d38..5eca68798d5d 100644
--- a/nixos/modules/tasks/filesystems/zfs.nix
+++ b/nixos/modules/tasks/filesystems/zfs.nix
@@ -466,6 +466,11 @@ in
         '') rootPools));
       };
 
+      systemd.shutdownRamfs.contents."/etc/systemd/system-shutdown/zpool".source = pkgs.writeShellScript "zpool-sync-shutdown" ''
+        exec ${cfgZfs.package}/bin/zpool sync
+      '';
+      systemd.shutdownRamfs.storePaths = ["${cfgZfs.package}/bin/zpool"];
+
       # TODO FIXME See https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/pull/99386#issuecomment-798813567. To not break people's bootloader and as probably not everybody would read release notes that thoroughly add inSystem.
       boot.loader.grub = mkIf (inInitrd || inSystem) {
         zfsSupport = true;
diff --git a/nixos/tests/systemd-shutdown.nix b/nixos/tests/systemd-shutdown.nix
index 9283489c2559..688cd6dd2c17 100644
--- a/nixos/tests/systemd-shutdown.nix
+++ b/nixos/tests/systemd-shutdown.nix
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
-import ./make-test-python.nix ({ pkgs, systemdStage1 ? false, ...} : {
+import ./make-test-python.nix ({ pkgs, systemdStage1 ? false, ...} : let
+  msg = "Shutting down NixOS";
+in {
   name = "systemd-shutdown";
   meta = with pkgs.lib.maintainers; {
     maintainers = [ das_j ];
@@ -6,7 +8,9 @@ import ./make-test-python.nix ({ pkgs, systemdStage1 ? false, ...} : {
 
   nodes.machine = {
     imports = [ ../modules/profiles/minimal.nix ];
-    boot.initrd.systemd.enable = systemdStage1;
+    systemd.shutdownRamfs.contents."/etc/systemd/system-shutdown/shutdown-message".source = pkgs.writeShellScript "shutdown-message" ''
+      echo "${msg}"
+    '';
   };
 
   testScript = ''
@@ -14,7 +18,8 @@ import ./make-test-python.nix ({ pkgs, systemdStage1 ? false, ...} : {
     # .shutdown() would wait for the machine to power off
     machine.succeed("systemctl poweroff")
     # Message printed by systemd-shutdown
-    machine.wait_for_console_text("All filesystems, swaps, loop devices, MD devices and DM devices detached.")
+    machine.wait_for_console_text("Unmounting '/oldroot'")
+    machine.wait_for_console_text("${msg}")
     # Don't try to sync filesystems
     machine.booted = False
   '';