diff --git a/src/bootctl/bootctl-cleanup.c b/src/bootctl/bootctl-cleanup.c
index 66e0005605..e654bca104 100644
--- a/src/bootctl/bootctl-cleanup.c
+++ b/src/bootctl/bootctl-cleanup.c
@@ -98,8 +98,6 @@ int verb_cleanup(int argc, char *argv[], uintptr_t _data, void *userdata) {
                         /* ret_psize= */ NULL,
                         /* ret_uuid= */ NULL,
                         &esp_devid);
-        if (r == -EACCES) /* We really need the ESP path for this call, hence also log about access errors */
-                return log_error_errno(r, "Failed to determine ESP location: %m");
         if (r < 0)
                 return r;
 
@@ -107,13 +105,11 @@ int verb_cleanup(int argc, char *argv[], uintptr_t _data, void *userdata) {
                         /* unprivileged_mode= */ false,
                         /* ret_uuid= */ NULL,
                         &xbootldr_devid);
-        if (r == -EACCES)
-                return log_error_errno(r, "Failed to determine XBOOTLDR partition: %m");
         if (r < 0)
                 return r;
 
         _cleanup_(boot_config_free) BootConfig config = BOOT_CONFIG_NULL;
-        r = boot_config_load_and_select(&config, arg_esp_path, esp_devid, arg_xbootldr_path, xbootldr_devid);
+        r = boot_config_load_and_select(&config, arg_root, arg_esp_path, esp_devid, arg_xbootldr_path, xbootldr_devid);
         if (r < 0)
                 return r;
 
diff --git a/src/bootctl/bootctl-status.c b/src/bootctl/bootctl-status.c
index 2d694885e1..76e62847f3 100644
--- a/src/bootctl/bootctl-status.c
+++ b/src/bootctl/bootctl-status.c
@@ -615,9 +615,11 @@ int verb_status(int argc, char *argv[], uintptr_t _data, void *userdata) {
         if (arg_esp_path || arg_xbootldr_path) {
                 _cleanup_(boot_config_free) BootConfig config = BOOT_CONFIG_NULL;
 
-                k = boot_config_load_and_select(&config,
-                                                arg_esp_path, esp_devid,
-                                                arg_xbootldr_path, xbootldr_devid);
+                k = boot_config_load_and_select(
+                                &config,
+                                arg_root,
+                                arg_esp_path, esp_devid,
+                                arg_xbootldr_path, xbootldr_devid);
                 RET_GATHER(r, k);
 
                 if (k >= 0)
@@ -654,7 +656,7 @@ int verb_list(int argc, char *argv[], uintptr_t _data, void *userdata) {
         if (r < 0)
                 return r;
 
-        r = boot_config_load_and_select(&config, arg_esp_path, esp_devid, arg_xbootldr_path, xbootldr_devid);
+        r = boot_config_load_and_select(&config, arg_root, arg_esp_path, esp_devid, arg_xbootldr_path, xbootldr_devid);
         if (r < 0)
                 return r;
 
@@ -700,7 +702,7 @@ int vl_method_list_boot_entries(sd_varlink *link, sd_json_variant *parameters, s
         if (r < 0)
                 return r;
 
-        r = boot_config_load_and_select(&config, arg_esp_path, esp_devid, arg_xbootldr_path, xbootldr_devid);
+        r = boot_config_load_and_select(&config, arg_root, arg_esp_path, esp_devid, arg_xbootldr_path, xbootldr_devid);
         if (r < 0)
                 return r;
 
diff --git a/src/bootctl/bootctl-unlink.c b/src/bootctl/bootctl-unlink.c
index 428c751f06..b5cc839798 100644
--- a/src/bootctl/bootctl-unlink.c
+++ b/src/bootctl/bootctl-unlink.c
@@ -227,6 +227,7 @@ int verb_unlink(int argc, char *argv[], uintptr_t _data, void *userdata) {
         _cleanup_(boot_config_free) BootConfig config = BOOT_CONFIG_NULL;
         r = boot_config_load_and_select(
                         &config,
+                        arg_root,
                         arg_esp_path,
                         esp_devid,
                         arg_xbootldr_path,
diff --git a/src/bootctl/bootspec-util.c b/src/bootctl/bootspec-util.c
index ec3339600b..b96687430c 100644
--- a/src/bootctl/bootspec-util.c
+++ b/src/bootctl/bootspec-util.c
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 /* SPDX-License-Identifier: LGPL-2.1-or-later */
 
-#include "bootctl.h"
 #include "bootspec-util.h"
 #include "devnum-util.h"
 #include "efi-loader.h"
@@ -10,6 +9,7 @@
 
 int boot_config_load_and_select(
                 BootConfig *config,
+                const char *root,
                 const char *esp_path,
                 dev_t esp_devid,
                 const char *xbootldr_path,
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ int boot_config_load_and_select(
         if (r < 0)
                 return r;
 
-        if (!arg_root) {
+        if (!root) {
                 _cleanup_strv_free_ char **efi_entries = NULL;
 
                 r = efi_loader_get_entries(&efi_entries);
@@ -37,5 +37,5 @@ int boot_config_load_and_select(
                         (void) boot_config_augment_from_loader(config, efi_entries, /* auto_only= */ false);
         }
 
-        return boot_config_select_special_entries(config, /* skip_efivars= */ !!arg_root);
+        return boot_config_select_special_entries(config, /* skip_efivars= */ !!root);
 }
diff --git a/src/bootctl/bootspec-util.h b/src/bootctl/bootspec-util.h
index a00e002caa..51dac12b9f 100644
--- a/src/bootctl/bootspec-util.h
+++ b/src/bootctl/bootspec-util.h
@@ -3,4 +3,4 @@
 
 #include "bootspec.h"
 
-int boot_config_load_and_select(BootConfig *config, const char *esp_path, dev_t esp_devid, const char *xbootldr_path, dev_t xbootldr_devid);
+int boot_config_load_and_select(BootConfig *config, const char *root, const char *esp_path, dev_t esp_devid, const char *xbootldr_path, dev_t xbootldr_devid);