diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 6dda696b4..c1f075fb5 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           set -xeuo pipefail
           sudo podman run --rm -ti --privileged -v /:/target -v ./usr/bin/bootc:/usr/bin/bootc --pid=host --security-opt label=disable \
-            quay.io/centos-bootc/fedora-bootc-dev:eln bootc install to-filesystem --target-no-signature-verification \
+            quay.io/centos-bootc/fedora-bootc-dev:eln bootc install to-filesystem \
             --karg=foo=bar --disable-selinux --replace=alongside /target
           ls -al /boot/loader/
           sudo grep foo=bar /boot/loader/entries/*.conf
diff --git a/docs/index.md b/docs/index.md
index 15d49e6bc..ea442f292 100644
--- a/docs/index.md
+++ b/docs/index.md
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ For more information, please see [install.md](install.md).
 If you have [an operating system already using ostree](https://ostreedev.github.io/ostree/#operating-systems-and-distributions-using-ostree) then you can use `bootc switch`:
 
 ```
-$ bootc switch --no-signature-verification quay.io/examplecorp/custom:latest
+$ bootc switch quay.io/examplecorp/custom:latest
 ```
 
 This will preserve existing state in `/etc` and `/var` - for example,
diff --git a/docs/install.md b/docs/install.md
index 8dcad616d..e18fc66ce 100644
--- a/docs/install.md
+++ b/docs/install.md
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ to an existing system and install your container image. Failure to run
 Here's an example of using `bootc install` (root/elevated permission required):
 
 ```bash
-podman run --rm --privileged --pid=host --security-opt label=type:unconfined_t <image> bootc install to-disk --target-no-signature-verification /path/to/disk
+podman run --rm --privileged --pid=host --security-opt label=type:unconfined_t <image> bootc install to-disk /path/to/disk
 ```
 
 Note that while `--privileged` is used, this command will not perform any
@@ -85,10 +85,7 @@ This can be overridden via `--target_imgref`; this is handy in cases like perfor
 installation in a manufacturing environment from a mirrored registry.
 
 By default, the installation process will verify that the container (representing the target OS)
-can fetch its own updates.  A common cause of failure here is not changing the security settings
-in `/etc/containers/policy.json` in the target OS to verify signatures.
-
-If you are pushing an unsigned image, you **MUST** specify `bootc install --target-no-signature-verification`.
+can fetch its own updates.
 
 Additionally note that to perform an install with a target image reference set to an
 authenticated registry, you must provide a pull secret.  One path is to embed the pull secret into
diff --git a/lib/src/cli.rs b/lib/src/cli.rs
index 020ce3e63..0460d7895 100644
--- a/lib/src/cli.rs
+++ b/lib/src/cli.rs
@@ -55,10 +55,18 @@ pub(crate) struct SwitchOpts {
     #[clap(long, default_value = "registry")]
     pub(crate) transport: String,
 
-    /// Explicitly opt-out of requiring any form of signature verification.
-    #[clap(long)]
+    /// This argument is deprecated and does nothing.
+    #[clap(long, hide = true)]
     pub(crate) no_signature_verification: bool,
 
+    /// This is the inverse of the previous `--target-no-signature-verification` (which is now
+    /// a no-op).
+    ///
+    /// Enabling this option enforces that `/etc/containers/policy.json` includes a
+    /// default policy which requires signatures.
+    #[clap(long)]
+    pub(crate) enforce_container_sigpolicy: bool,
+
     /// Enable verification via an ostree remote
     #[clap(long)]
     pub(crate) ostree_remote: Option<String>,
@@ -363,7 +371,7 @@ async fn switch(opts: SwitchOpts) -> Result<()> {
         name: opts.target.to_string(),
     };
     let sigverify = sigpolicy_from_opts(
-        opts.no_signature_verification,
+        !opts.enforce_container_sigpolicy,
         opts.ostree_remote.as_deref(),
     );
     let target = ostree_container::OstreeImageReference { sigverify, imgref };
@@ -475,3 +483,22 @@ async fn run_from_opt(opt: Opt) -> Result<()> {
         Opt::Man(manopts) => crate::docgen::generate_manpages(&manopts.directory),
     }
 }
+
+#[test]
+fn test_parse_install_args() {
+    // Verify we still process the legacy --target-no-signature-verification
+    let o = Opt::try_parse_from([
+        "bootc",
+        "install",
+        "to-filesystem",
+        "--target-no-signature-verification",
+        "/target",
+    ])
+    .unwrap();
+    let o = match o {
+        Opt::Install(InstallOpts::ToFilesystem(fsopts)) => fsopts,
+        o => panic!("Expected filesystem opts, not {o:?}"),
+    };
+    assert!(o.target_opts.target_no_signature_verification);
+    assert_eq!(o.filesystem_opts.root_path.as_str(), "/target");
+}
diff --git a/lib/src/install.rs b/lib/src/install.rs
index 621eca150..99223ef33 100644
--- a/lib/src/install.rs
+++ b/lib/src/install.rs
@@ -67,11 +67,26 @@ pub(crate) struct InstallTargetOpts {
     #[clap(long)]
     pub(crate) target_imgref: Option<String>,
 
-    /// Explicitly opt-out of requiring any form of signature verification.
-    #[clap(long)]
+    /// This command line argument does nothing; it exists for compatibility.
+    ///
+    /// As of newer versions of bootc, this value is enabled by default,
+    /// i.e. it is not enforced that a signature
+    /// verification policy is enabled.  Hence to enable it, one can specify
+    /// `--target-no-signature-verification=false`.
+    ///
+    /// It is likely that the functionality here will be replaced with a different signature
+    /// enforcement scheme in the future that integrates with `podman`.
+    #[clap(long, hide = true)]
     #[serde(default)]
     pub(crate) target_no_signature_verification: bool,
 
+    /// This is the inverse of the previous `--target-no-signature-verification` (which is now
+    /// a no-op).  Enabling this option enforces that `/etc/containers/policy.json` includes a
+    /// default policy which requires signatures.
+    #[clap(long)]
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub(crate) enforce_container_sigpolicy: bool,
+
     /// Enable verification via an ostree remote
     #[clap(long)]
     pub(crate) target_ostree_remote: Option<String>,
@@ -80,10 +95,8 @@ pub(crate) struct InstallTargetOpts {
     /// Specifying this option suppresses the check; use this when you know the issues it might find
     /// are addressed.
     ///
-    /// Two main reasons this might fail:
-    ///
-    ///  - Forgetting `--target-no-signature-verification` if needed
-    ///  - Using a registry which requires authentication, but not embedding the pull secret in the image.
+    /// A common reason this may fail is when one is using an image which requires registry authentication,
+    /// but not embedding the pull secret in the image so that updates can be fetched by the installed OS "day 2".
     #[clap(long)]
     #[serde(default)]
     pub(crate) skip_fetch_check: bool,
@@ -916,8 +929,14 @@ async fn prepare_install(
 
     // Parse the target CLI image reference options and create the *target* image
     // reference, which defaults to pulling from a registry.
+    if target_opts.target_no_signature_verification {
+        // Perhaps log this in the future more prominently, but no reason to annoy people.
+        tracing::debug!(
+            "Use of --target-no-signature-verification flag which is enabled by default"
+        );
+    }
     let target_sigverify = sigpolicy_from_opts(
-        target_opts.target_no_signature_verification,
+        !target_opts.enforce_container_sigpolicy,
         target_opts.target_ostree_remote.as_deref(),
     );
     let target_imgname = target_opts
diff --git a/lib/src/privtests.rs b/lib/src/privtests.rs
index f85855a28..f59c53091 100644
--- a/lib/src/privtests.rs
+++ b/lib/src/privtests.rs
@@ -152,7 +152,7 @@ fn test_install_filesystem(image: &str, blockdev: &Utf8Path) -> Result<()> {
     let mountpoint: &Utf8Path = mountpoint_dir.path().try_into().unwrap();
 
     // And run the install
-    cmd!(sh, "podman run --rm --privileged --pid=host --env=RUST_LOG -v /usr/bin/bootc:/usr/bin/bootc -v {mountpoint}:/target-root {image} bootc install to-filesystem --target-no-signature-verification /target-root").run()?;
+    cmd!(sh, "podman run --rm --privileged --pid=host --env=RUST_LOG -v /usr/bin/bootc:/usr/bin/bootc -v {mountpoint}:/target-root {image} bootc install to-filesystem /target-root").run()?;
 
     cmd!(sh, "umount -R {mountpoint}").run()?;
 
diff --git a/tests/kolainst/install b/tests/kolainst/install
index 4bfda0c58..8921a9d41 100755
--- a/tests/kolainst/install
+++ b/tests/kolainst/install
@@ -29,8 +29,16 @@ case "${AUTOPKGTEST_REBOOT_MARK:-}" in
     COPY usr usr
 EOF
     podman build -t localhost/testimage .
+    # Verify we do error out if signature verification is explicitly turned on
+    if podman run --rm -ti --privileged --pid=host \
+      localhost/testimage bootc install --skip-fetch-check --enforce-container-sigpolicy --karg=foo=bar ${DEV} 2>err.txt; then
+      echo "Performed an install with no signature verification" 1>&2; exit 1
+    fi
+    grep -E -e 'containers-policy.json.*refusing usage' err.txt
+
+    # Now do an install
     podman run --rm -ti --privileged --pid=host --env RUST_LOG=error,bootc_lib::install=debug \
-      localhost/testimage bootc install to-disk --target-no-signature-verification --skip-fetch-check --karg=foo=bar ${DEV}
+      localhost/testimage bootc install to-disk --skip-fetch-check --karg=foo=bar ${DEV}
     # In theory we could e.g. wipe the bootloader setup on the primary disk, then reboot;
     # but for now let's just sanity test that the install command executes.
     lsblk ${DEV}