diff --git a/mkosi/__init__.py b/mkosi/__init__.py
index 51b06ab05..1f2125adb 100644
--- a/mkosi/__init__.py
+++ b/mkosi/__init__.py
@@ -65,6 +65,7 @@
     SecureBootSignTool,
     ShimBootloader,
     Verb,
+    Verity,
     Vmm,
     cat_config,
     format_bytes,
@@ -2603,13 +2604,13 @@ def check_inputs(config: Config) -> None:
             "Secure boot certificate source and expected PCR signatures certificate source have to be the same"  # noqa: E501
         )  # fmt: skip
 
-    if config.verity == ConfigFeature.enabled and not config.verity_key:
+    if config.verity == Verity.signed and not config.verity_key:
         die(
             "Verity= is enabled but no verity key is configured",
             hint="Run mkosi genkey to generate a key/certificate pair",
         )
 
-    if config.verity == ConfigFeature.enabled and not config.verity_certificate:
+    if config.verity == Verity.signed and not config.verity_certificate:
         die(
             "Verity= is enabled but no verity certificate is configured",
             hint="Run mkosi genkey to generate a key/certificate pair",
@@ -3257,7 +3258,7 @@ def make_image(
     partitions = [Partition.from_dict(d) for d in output]
     arch = context.config.architecture
 
-    if context.config.verity == ConfigFeature.enabled and not any(
+    if context.config.verity == Verity.signed and not any(
         p.type.startswith(f"usr-{arch}-verity-sig") or p.type.startswith(f"root-{arch}-verity-sig")
         for p in partitions
     ):
@@ -3275,8 +3276,8 @@ def make_image(
 
 
 def want_verity(config: Config) -> bool:
-    return config.verity == ConfigFeature.enabled or bool(
-        config.verity == ConfigFeature.auto and config.verity_key and config.verity_certificate
+    return config.verity == Verity.signed or bool(
+        config.verity == Verity.auto and config.verity_key and config.verity_certificate
     )
 
 
@@ -3352,6 +3353,13 @@ def make_disk(
 
         definitions = [defaults]
 
+    if context.config.verity == Verity.defer:
+        skip = [
+            *skip,
+            f"root-{context.config.architecture}-verity-sig",
+            f"usr-{context.config.architecture}-verity-sig",
+        ]
+
     return make_image(
         context,
         msg=msg,
@@ -3509,7 +3517,11 @@ def make_esp(context: Context, uki: Path) -> list[Partition]:
 
 
 def make_extension_or_portable_image(context: Context, output: Path) -> None:
-    unsigned = "-unsigned" if not want_verity(context.config) else ""
+    if want_verity(context.config) or context.config.verity == Verity.signed:
+        unsigned = ""
+    else:
+        unsigned = "-unsigned"
+
     r = context.resources / f"repart/definitions/{context.config.output_format}{unsigned}.repart.d"
 
     cmdline: list[PathString] = [
@@ -3544,6 +3556,15 @@ def make_extension_or_portable_image(context: Context, output: Path) -> None:
     if ArtifactOutput.partitions in context.config.split_artifacts:
         cmdline += ["--split=yes"]
 
+    verity = [
+        f"root-{context.config.architecture}-verity-sig",
+        f"usr-{context.config.architecture}-verity-sig",
+    ]
+    if context.config.verity == Verity.hash:
+        cmdline += [f"--exclude-partitions={','.join(verity)}"]
+    elif context.config.verity == Verity.defer:
+        cmdline += [f"--defer-partitions={','.join(verity)}"]
+
     with complete_step(f"Building {context.config.output_format} extension image"):
         j = json.loads(
             run_systemd_sign_tool(
@@ -4389,7 +4410,7 @@ def validate_certificates_and_keys(config: Config) -> None:
     if not keyutil:
         return
 
-    if config.verity != ConfigFeature.disabled and config.verity_certificate and config.verity_key:
+    if config.verity != Verity.disabled and config.verity_certificate and config.verity_key:
         run_systemd_sign_tool(
             config,
             cmdline=[keyutil, "validate"],
diff --git a/mkosi/config.py b/mkosi/config.py
index 07644fc97..5bab619fb 100644
--- a/mkosi/config.py
+++ b/mkosi/config.py
@@ -363,6 +363,14 @@ def __bool__(self) -> bool:
         return self != BuildSourcesEphemeral.no
 
 
+class Verity(StrEnum):
+    disabled = enum.auto()
+    hash = enum.auto()
+    signed = enum.auto()
+    defer = enum.auto()
+    auto = enum.auto()
+
+
 class Architecture(StrEnum):
     alpha = enum.auto()
     arc = enum.auto()
@@ -1872,7 +1880,7 @@ class Config:
     secure_boot_certificate: Optional[Path]
     secure_boot_certificate_source: CertificateSource
     secure_boot_sign_tool: SecureBootSignTool
-    verity: ConfigFeature
+    verity: Verity
     verity_key: Optional[Path]
     verity_key_source: KeySource
     verity_certificate: Optional[Path]
@@ -3034,7 +3042,9 @@ def parse_ini(path: Path, only_sections: Collection[str] = ()) -> Iterator[tuple
         dest="verity",
         section="Validation",
         metavar="FEATURE",
-        parse=config_parse_feature,
+        parse=config_make_enum_parser_with_boolean(Verity, yes=Verity.signed, no=Verity.disabled),
+        default=Verity.auto,
+        choices=Verity.values(),
         help="Configure whether to enforce or disable verity partitions for disk images",
     ),
     ConfigSetting(
@@ -5171,6 +5181,7 @@ def uki_profile_transformer(
         list[ArtifactOutput]: enum_list_transformer,
         CertificateSource: certificate_source_transformer,
         ConsoleMode: enum_transformer,
+        Verity: enum_transformer,
     }
 
     def json_transformer(key: str, val: Any) -> Any:
diff --git a/mkosi/resources/man/mkosi.1.md b/mkosi/resources/man/mkosi.1.md
index 809bfa25b..3e904f94d 100644
--- a/mkosi/resources/man/mkosi.1.md
+++ b/mkosi/resources/man/mkosi.1.md
@@ -1140,19 +1140,22 @@ boolean argument: either `1`, `yes`, or `true` to enable, or `0`, `no`,
     available, with **systemd-sbsign** being preferred.
 
 `Verity=`, `--verity=`
-:   Whether to enforce or disable signed verity for extension images.
-    Takes a boolean value or `auto`. If enabled, a verity key and
-    certificate must be present and the build will fail if we don't
-    detect any verity partitions in the disk image produced by
-    **systemd-repart**. If disabled, verity partitions will be excluded from
-    the extension images produced by **systemd-repart**. If set to `auto` and
-    a verity key and certificate are present, **mkosi** will pass them to systemd-repart
-    and expects the generated disk image to contain verity partitions,
-    but the build won't fail if no verity partitions are found in the
+:   Whether to enforce or disable verity for extension images. Takes one of
+    `signed`, `hash`, `defer`, `auto` or a boolean value. If set to `signed`,
+    a verity key and certificate must be present and the build will fail if
+    we don't detect any verity partitions in the disk image produced by
+    **systemd-repart**. If disabled, verity partitions will be excluded
+    from the extension images produced by **systemd-repart**. If set to
+    `hash`, **mkosi** configures **systemd-repart** to create a verity hash
+    partition, but no signature partition. If set to `defer`, space for the verity
+    sig partition will be allocated but it will not be populated yet. If set to
+    `auto` and a verity key and certificate are present, **mkosi** will pass them
+    to **systemd-repart** and expects the generated disk image to contain verity
+    partitions, but the build won't fail if no verity partitions are found in the
     disk image produced by **systemd-repart**.
 
-    Note that explicitly disabling signed verity is not yet implemented
-    for the `disk` output and only works for extension images at the
+    Note that explicitly disabling verity signature and/or hash is not yet
+    implemented for the `disk` output and only works for extension images at the
     moment.
 
 `VerityKey=`, `--verity-key=`
diff --git a/mkosi/resources/man/mkosi.news.7.md b/mkosi/resources/man/mkosi.news.7.md
index c2b04a8ab..a9b6276c2 100644
--- a/mkosi/resources/man/mkosi.news.7.md
+++ b/mkosi/resources/man/mkosi.news.7.md
@@ -4,6 +4,16 @@
 
 # mkosi Changelog
 
+## v26
+
+- Teach `--verity` a new `hash` value, which skips the verity signature
+  partition for extension / portable images. To align the possible values,
+  `yes` is renamed to `signed`.
+- Teach `--verity` a new `defer` value, which defers creation of the
+  verity signature partition for disk, extension and portable images (but
+  still allocates space for it). This is useful to implement offline
+  signing of the verity roothash.
+
 ## v25
 
 - Instead of using bubblewrap, sandboxing is now done with a new tool
diff --git a/tests/test_json.py b/tests/test_json.py
index 00a138a4c..2f3679a76 100644
--- a/tests/test_json.py
+++ b/tests/test_json.py
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
     ShimBootloader,
     UKIProfile,
     Verb,
+    Verity,
     Vmm,
     VsockCID,
 )
@@ -388,7 +389,7 @@ def test_config() -> None:
             "UseSubvolumes": "auto",
             "VSock": "enabled",
             "VSockCID": -2,
-            "Verity": "enabled",
+            "Verity": "signed",
             "VerityCertificate": "/path/to/cert",
             "VerityCertificateSource": {
                 "Source": "",
@@ -575,7 +576,7 @@ def test_config() -> None:
         verity_certificate=Path("/path/to/cert"),
         verity_key_source=KeySource(type=KeySourceType.file),
         verity_key=None,
-        verity=ConfigFeature.enabled,
+        verity=Verity.signed,
         vmm=Vmm.qemu,
         volatile_package_directories=[Path("def")],
         volatile_packages=["abc"],