diff --git a/meta-digi-containers/README.md b/meta-digi-containers/README.md
index f1f2f9cb7..ccb495ce1 100644
--- a/meta-digi-containers/README.md
+++ b/meta-digi-containers/README.md
@@ -7,9 +7,18 @@ This layer provides:
 - `dey-image-container` to generate container artifacts
 - `dey-image-container-manager` to run and manage Podman/LXC containers on target
 
-`dey-image-container-manager` installs dedicated `lxc-trimmed` and `podman-trimmed`
-recipes, so it does not require `DISTROOVERRIDES` changes in `local.conf`
-and does not affect other DEY images built in the same environment.
+`cc-container-mng` depends on the container runtime packages listed in
+`CONTAINERS_BACKEND_TOOLS`, which defaults to `podman lxc`. Override it to select
+different runtimes or a single engine, for example:
+
+```bitbake
+CONTAINERS_BACKEND_TOOLS = "podman-trimmed lxc-trimmed"
+CONTAINERS_BACKEND_TOOLS = "podman-trimmed"
+CONTAINERS_BACKEND_TOOLS = "lxc"
+```
+
+`dey-image-container-manager` overrides `CONTAINERS_BACKEND_TOOLS` to install
+the trimmed runtime packages to keep the image smaller.
 
 The layer explicitly depends on `meta-virtualization`, and
 `dey-image-container-manager`
diff --git a/meta-digi-containers/recipes-containers/cc-container-mng/cc-container-mng_1.0.0.bb b/meta-digi-containers/recipes-containers/cc-container-mng/cc-container-mng_1.0.0.bb
index 54dd5d1a9..f2e1ee91c 100644
--- a/meta-digi-containers/recipes-containers/cc-container-mng/cc-container-mng_1.0.0.bb
+++ b/meta-digi-containers/recipes-containers/cc-container-mng/cc-container-mng_1.0.0.bb
@@ -27,7 +27,10 @@ SYSTEMD_AUTO_ENABLE ?= "enable"
 
 DEPENDS += "python3-pip-native"
 
+CONTAINERS_BACKEND_TOOLS ?= "podman lxc"
+
 RDEPENDS:${PN} += " \
+    ${CONTAINERS_BACKEND_TOOLS} \
     python3-core \
     python3-asyncio \
     python3-json \
diff --git a/meta-digi-containers/recipes-core/images/dey-image-container-manager.bb b/meta-digi-containers/recipes-core/images/dey-image-container-manager.bb
index 9b23e7c3b..7f25b32d7 100644
--- a/meta-digi-containers/recipes-core/images/dey-image-container-manager.bb
+++ b/meta-digi-containers/recipes-core/images/dey-image-container-manager.bb
@@ -77,10 +77,9 @@ CORE_TOOLS = " \
 "
 
 # Tools to manage containers
+CONTAINERS_BACKEND_TOOLS:pn-cc-container-mng = "lxc-trimmed podman-trimmed"
 CONTAINER_MANAGEMENT = " \
 	cc-container-mng \
-	lxc-trimmed \
-	podman-trimmed \
 "
 
 # Keep the systemd/udev hotplug support packages that are otherwise