diff --git a/docs/ENVIRONMENT.md b/docs/ENVIRONMENT.md
index 292a0f1e0e..445131b479 100644
--- a/docs/ENVIRONMENT.md
+++ b/docs/ENVIRONMENT.md
@@ -45,8 +45,7 @@ All tools:
 
 * `$SYSTEMD_OS_RELEASE` — if set, use this path instead of `/etc/os-release` or
   `/usr/lib/os-release`. When operating under some root (e.g. `systemctl
-  --root=…`), the path is taken relative to the outside root. Only useful for
-  debugging.
+  --root=…`), the path is prefixed with the root. Only useful for debugging.
 
 * `$SYSTEMD_FSTAB` — if set, use this path instead of `/etc/fstab`. Only useful
   for debugging.
diff --git a/src/basic/os-util.c b/src/basic/os-util.c
index 16fe123ce6..0f123aaf82 100644
--- a/src/basic/os-util.c
+++ b/src/basic/os-util.c
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ int open_os_release(const char *root, char **ret_path, int *ret_fd) {
 
         e = secure_getenv("SYSTEMD_OS_RELEASE");
         if (e)
-                return chase(e, root, 0, ret_path, ret_fd);
+                return chase(e, root, CHASE_PREFIX_ROOT, ret_path, ret_fd);
 
         FOREACH_STRING(path, "/etc/os-release", "/usr/lib/os-release") {
                 r = chase(path, root, CHASE_PREFIX_ROOT, ret_path, ret_fd);
diff --git a/test/test-systemctl-enable.sh b/test/test-systemctl-enable.sh
index 7d5667f297..e22a3ef628 100644
--- a/test/test-systemctl-enable.sh
+++ b/test/test-systemctl-enable.sh
@@ -695,4 +695,4 @@ cat >"$root/etc/os-release2" <<EOF
 ID='the-id2'
 EOF
 
-SYSTEMD_OS_RELEASE="$root/etc/os-release2" check_alias o 'the-id2'
+SYSTEMD_OS_RELEASE="/etc/os-release2" check_alias o 'the-id2'