diff --git a/container/initsymlink.go b/container/initsymlink.go
index ae06169..3580554 100644
--- a/container/initsymlink.go
+++ b/container/initsymlink.go
@@ -54,8 +54,13 @@ func (l *SymlinkOp) apply(state *setupState) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func (l *SymlinkOp) Is(op Op) bool { vl, ok := op.(*SymlinkOp); return ok && *l == *vl }
-func (*SymlinkOp) prefix() string  { return "creating" }
+func (l *SymlinkOp) Is(op Op) bool {
+	vl, ok := op.(*SymlinkOp)
+	return ok && ((l == nil && vl == nil) ||
+		(l.Target != nil && vl.Target != nil && l.Target.Is(vl.Target)) &&
+			l.LinkName == vl.LinkName && l.Dereference == vl.Dereference)
+}
+func (*SymlinkOp) prefix() string { return "creating" }
 func (l *SymlinkOp) String() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("symlink on %q linkname %q", l.Target, l.LinkName)
 }
diff --git a/container/initsymlink_test.go b/container/initsymlink_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1051beb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/container/initsymlink_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+package container
+
+import "testing"
+
+func TestSymlinkOp(t *testing.T) {
+	checkOpsBuilder(t, []opsBuilderTestCase{
+		{"current-system", new(Ops).Link(
+			MustAbs("/run/current-system"),
+			"/run/current-system",
+			true,
+		), Ops{
+			&SymlinkOp{
+				Target:      MustAbs("/run/current-system"),
+				LinkName:    "/run/current-system",
+				Dereference: true,
+			},
+		}},
+	})
+
+	checkOpIs(t, []opIsTestCase{
+		{"zero", new(SymlinkOp), new(SymlinkOp), false},
+
+		{"target differs", &SymlinkOp{
+			Target:      MustAbs("/run/current-system/differs"),
+			LinkName:    "/run/current-system",
+			Dereference: true,
+		}, &SymlinkOp{
+			Target:      MustAbs("/run/current-system"),
+			LinkName:    "/run/current-system",
+			Dereference: true,
+		}, false},
+
+		{"linkname differs", &SymlinkOp{
+			Target:      MustAbs("/run/current-system"),
+			LinkName:    "/run/current-system/differs",
+			Dereference: true,
+		}, &SymlinkOp{
+			Target:      MustAbs("/run/current-system"),
+			LinkName:    "/run/current-system",
+			Dereference: true,
+		}, false},
+
+		{"dereference differs", &SymlinkOp{
+			Target:   MustAbs("/run/current-system"),
+			LinkName: "/run/current-system",
+		}, &SymlinkOp{
+			Target:      MustAbs("/run/current-system"),
+			LinkName:    "/run/current-system",
+			Dereference: true,
+		}, false},
+
+		{"equals", &SymlinkOp{
+			Target:      MustAbs("/run/current-system"),
+			LinkName:    "/run/current-system",
+			Dereference: true,
+		}, &SymlinkOp{
+			Target:      MustAbs("/run/current-system"),
+			LinkName:    "/run/current-system",
+			Dereference: true,
+		}, true},
+	})
+
+	checkOpMeta(t, []opMetaTestCase{
+		{"current-system", &SymlinkOp{
+			Target:      MustAbs("/run/current-system"),
+			LinkName:    "/run/current-system",
+			Dereference: true,
+		}, "creating", `symlink on "/run/current-system" linkname "/run/current-system"`},
+	})
+}