diff --git a/packages/orchestrator/pkg/template/build/phases/base/distro/distro.go b/packages/orchestrator/pkg/template/build/phases/base/distro/distro.go
index cfda4874f8..45fb9f1190 100644
--- a/packages/orchestrator/pkg/template/build/phases/base/distro/distro.go
+++ b/packages/orchestrator/pkg/template/build/phases/base/distro/distro.go
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 // Package distro makes template-build provisioning distro-aware: it selects a
 // declared per-family Profile by the base image's /etc/os-release ID rather than
 // probing for a package manager. Supported: the systemd family (Debian/Ubuntu,
-// Fedora/RHEL/CentOS/Rocky/Alma, Arch) and Alpine on OpenRC; anything else is
-// rejected with a clear error.
+// Fedora/CentOS/Rocky/Alma, Arch) and Alpine on OpenRC. Derivatives are
+// provisioned via ID_LIKE as a best-effort guess with a warning; kernel-dependent
+// ids (RejectedIDs) and anything unmatched are rejected with a clear error.
 package distro
 
 import (
@@ -178,13 +179,31 @@ func SupportedIDs() []string {
 	return ids
 }
 
+// RejectedIDs are distro ids we refuse even though their ID_LIKE names a
+// family we do support. Oracle Linux and Amazon Linux both declare
+// ID_LIKE=fedora, so without this the ID_LIKE fallback below would quietly
+// re-admit exactly the images the rhel profile documents as out of scope.
+var RejectedIDs = []string{"rhel", "ol", "amzn"}
+
 // ShellSelector generates the POSIX-sh block provision.sh sources: it switches
 // on the guest's $E2B_DISTRO_ID and defines the profile's packages, shell
-// functions, init path, time-sync unit, admin group and CA handling. An
-// unrecognized id exits 1 with a customer-visible error.
+// functions, init path, time-sync unit, admin group and CA handling.
+//
+// An unknown id retries each $E2B_ID_LIKE token in order and provisions the
+// first matching family — best effort, with a customer-visible warning.
+// RejectedIDs, ids matching nothing, and images without /etc/os-release exit 1.
 func ShellSelector() string {
 	var b strings.Builder
-	b.WriteString(`case "$E2B_DISTRO_ID" in` + "\n")
+
+	// Selection lives in a function so it can be retried per ID_LIKE token.
+	// Assignments and function definitions inside a POSIX-sh function are
+	// global, so the caller sees the profile the same way it always has.
+	// The match is reported via e2b_profile_matched, not the return status —
+	// a function called as an if-condition runs with errexit suppressed,
+	// which would swallow Bootstrap failures inside a matched arm.
+	b.WriteString("e2b_select_profile() {\n")
+	b.WriteString("  e2b_profile_matched=\n")
+	b.WriteString(`  case "$1" in` + "\n")
 	for _, p := range Profiles {
 		fmt.Fprintf(&b, "  %s)\n", strings.Join(p.IDs, "|"))
 		if p.Bootstrap != "" {
@@ -201,14 +220,42 @@ func ShellSelector() string {
 		fmt.Fprintf(&b, "    e2b_ca_refresh() { %s; }\n", p.CARefresh)
 		fmt.Fprintf(&b, "    E2B_INIT_SYSTEM=%q\n", p.Init)
 		fmt.Fprintf(&b, "    e2b_init_setup() {\n%s\n    }\n", indentBlock(initSetup[p.Init], "        "))
+		fmt.Fprintf(&b, "    e2b_profile_matched=1\n")
 		fmt.Fprintf(&b, "    ;;\n")
 	}
-	fmt.Fprintf(&b, "  *)\n")
+	fmt.Fprintf(&b, "  *)\n    ;;\n")
+	b.WriteString("  esac\n}\n\n")
+
+	b.WriteString(`e2b_select_profile "$E2B_DISTRO_ID"` + "\n")
+	b.WriteString(`if [ -z "$e2b_profile_matched" ]; then` + "\n")
+
+	// Deliberate rejections are checked before the fallback, so they keep
+	// failing fast with their own reason instead of being matched by ID_LIKE.
+	fmt.Fprintf(&b, "  case \"$E2B_DISTRO_ID\" in\n")
+	fmt.Fprintf(&b, "  %s)\n", strings.Join(RejectedIDs, "|"))
+	fmt.Fprintf(&b, "    echo \"[provision] ERROR: base image distribution ID='$E2B_DISTRO_ID' is not supported.\" >&2\n")
+	fmt.Fprintf(&b, "    echo \"[provision] Sandboxes boot E2B's kernel, so the kABI, signed modules and SELinux these images are chosen for are unavailable.\" >&2\n")
+	fmt.Fprintf(&b, "    exit 1\n")
+	fmt.Fprintf(&b, "    ;;\n")
+	fmt.Fprintf(&b, "  esac\n")
+
+	b.WriteString("  e2b_like_match=\n")
+	b.WriteString(`  for e2b_like in $E2B_ID_LIKE; do` + "\n")
+	b.WriteString(`    e2b_select_profile "$e2b_like"` + "\n")
+	b.WriteString(`    if [ -n "$e2b_profile_matched" ]; then` + "\n")
+	b.WriteString("      e2b_like_match=$e2b_like\n")
+	b.WriteString("      break\n")
+	b.WriteString("    fi\n")
+	b.WriteString("  done\n")
+
+	b.WriteString(`  if [ -z "$e2b_like_match" ]; then` + "\n")
 	fmt.Fprintf(&b, "    echo \"[provision] ERROR: unsupported base image distribution: ID='${E2B_DISTRO_ID:-unknown}'.\" >&2\n")
 	fmt.Fprintf(&b, "    echo \"[provision] E2B template builds support: %s.\" >&2\n", strings.Join(SupportedIDs(), ", "))
 	fmt.Fprintf(&b, "    exit 1\n")
-	fmt.Fprintf(&b, "    ;;\n")
-	b.WriteString("esac\n")
+	b.WriteString("  fi\n")
+
+	fmt.Fprintf(&b, "  echo \"[provision] WARNING: base image distribution ID='$E2B_DISTRO_ID' is not officially supported; provisioning it as '$e2b_like_match' from ID_LIKE. This is best effort and untested.\" >&2\n")
+	b.WriteString("fi\n")
 
 	return b.String()
 }
diff --git a/packages/orchestrator/pkg/template/build/phases/base/distro/distro_test.go b/packages/orchestrator/pkg/template/build/phases/base/distro/distro_test.go
index 7f7096cb71..0804d6b2ad 100644
--- a/packages/orchestrator/pkg/template/build/phases/base/distro/distro_test.go
+++ b/packages/orchestrator/pkg/template/build/phases/base/distro/distro_test.go
@@ -202,3 +202,47 @@ func TestKernelDependentIDsAreRejected(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+// An id we don't know falls back to ID_LIKE with a warning instead of failing:
+// switching provisioning to the declared id silently dropped every Debian
+// derivative (Kali declares ID=kali ID_LIKE=debian) that used to work back when
+// we probed for a package manager.
+func TestUnknownIDFallsBackToIDLike(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	sel := ShellSelector()
+	if !strings.Contains(sel, "e2b_select_profile") {
+		t.Error("selection must be a function so it can be retried per ID_LIKE token")
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(sel, "for e2b_like in $E2B_ID_LIKE; do") {
+		t.Error("selector must retry each ID_LIKE token")
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(sel, "WARNING") {
+		t.Error("an ID_LIKE match must warn, not pass silently")
+	}
+	// Nothing matched is still fatal — better than provisioning a guessed family.
+	if !strings.Contains(sel, "unsupported base image distribution") {
+		t.Error("an id matching neither ID nor ID_LIKE must still fail")
+	}
+	// An if-condition call runs the function body with errexit suppressed.
+	if strings.Contains(sel, "if e2b_select_profile") || strings.Contains(sel, "if ! e2b_select_profile") {
+		t.Error("e2b_select_profile must not be invoked as an if-condition (errexit suppression)")
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(sel, "e2b_profile_matched=1") {
+		t.Error("a matched profile arm must set e2b_profile_matched")
+	}
+}
+
+// ID_LIKE must not re-admit the ids the rhel profile documents as out of scope:
+// Oracle and Amazon Linux both declare ID_LIKE=fedora.
+func TestRejectedIDsAreNotReachableViaIDLike(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	sel := ShellSelector()
+	guard := strings.Join(RejectedIDs, "|")
+	if !strings.Contains(sel, guard) {
+		t.Errorf("selector must guard rejected ids (%s) before the ID_LIKE fallback", guard)
+	}
+	// The guard has to come first, or ID_LIKE=fedora would match them.
+	if strings.Index(sel, guard) > strings.Index(sel, "E2B_ID_LIKE") {
+		t.Error("the rejected-id guard must precede the ID_LIKE fallback")
+	}
+}
diff --git a/packages/orchestrator/pkg/template/build/phases/base/provision.sh b/packages/orchestrator/pkg/template/build/phases/base/provision.sh
index 0801b43552..b544983b91 100644
--- a/packages/orchestrator/pkg/template/build/phases/base/provision.sh
+++ b/packages/orchestrator/pkg/template/build/phases/base/provision.sh
@@ -22,8 +22,12 @@ echo "Detecting base image distribution"
 if [ -r /etc/os-release ]; then
     . /etc/os-release
     E2B_DISTRO_ID="${ID:-unknown}"
+    # Derivative-to-parent pointer, e.g. Kali declares ID=kali ID_LIKE=debian.
+    # Only consulted when the declared ID matches no profile.
+    E2B_ID_LIKE="${ID_LIKE:-}"
 else
     E2B_DISTRO_ID="unknown (image has no /etc/os-release)"
+    E2B_ID_LIKE=""
 fi
 
 {{ .DistroSelector }}
diff --git a/tests/integration/internal/tests/api/templates/distro_build_test.go b/tests/integration/internal/tests/api/templates/distro_build_test.go
index f6077443ce..158a6bf9d0 100644
--- a/tests/integration/internal/tests/api/templates/distro_build_test.go
+++ b/tests/integration/internal/tests/api/templates/distro_build_test.go
@@ -77,7 +77,8 @@ func TestTemplateBuildDistroFamilies(t *testing.T) {
 
 // An image from a distro E2B doesn't provision must be rejected while
 // provisioning, and the reason must reach the customer instead of a bare exit
-// status. Oracle Linux is deliberately unsupported: sandboxes boot E2B's kernel.
+// status. Oracle Linux declares ID_LIKE=fedora, so this also covers the
+// rejection guard running before the ID_LIKE fallback.
 func TestTemplateBuildUnsupportedDistro(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 
@@ -89,5 +90,6 @@ func TestTemplateBuildUnsupportedDistro(t *testing.T) {
 
 	outcome := runTemplateBuild(t, "test-distro-unsupported", buildConfig, defaultBuildLogHandler(t))
 	require.False(t, outcome.ready, "Build of an unsupported distro must fail")
-	assert.Contains(t, outcome.reason, "unsupported base image distribution")
+	assert.Contains(t, outcome.reason, "ID='ol' is not supported")
+	assert.Contains(t, outcome.reason, "Sandboxes boot E2B's kernel")
 }