diff --git a/steps-guix/improve/bootstrap-exec-xz-i686-linux.sh b/steps-guix/improve/bootstrap-exec-xz-i686-linux.sh
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d00ab456
--- /dev/null
+++ b/steps-guix/improve/bootstrap-exec-xz-i686-linux.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0-or-later
+
+set -e
+
+dist="${DISTFILES:-/external/distfiles}"
+xz_src="/bootstrap-seeds/xz-5.0.6/bin/xz"
+xz_dst="${dist}/bootstrap-exec-xz-i686-linux"
+
+if [ ! -x "${xz_src}" ]; then
+    echo "Missing required bootstrap seed executable: ${xz_src}" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+install -D -m 0755 "${xz_src}" "${xz_dst}"
diff --git a/steps-guix/manifest b/steps-guix/manifest
index 1525d258..262a92ee 100644
--- a/steps-guix/manifest
+++ b/steps-guix/manifest
@@ -59,6 +59,9 @@ build: bzip2-1.0.6
 build: patch-2.7.6
 build: bash-5.3-1
 build: static-binaries-0-i686-linux
+# Build legacy xz seed, then export bootstrap-exec-xz-i686-linux
+build: xz-5.0.6
+improve: bootstrap-exec-xz-i686-linux
 # Build guile-static-stripped-2.0.9-i686-linux.tar.xz
 build: libunistring-1.4.1-guix
 build: gc-8.2.12-guix
diff --git a/steps-guix/static-binaries-0-i686-linux/pass1.sh b/steps-guix/static-binaries-0-i686-linux/pass1.sh
index 996d1e26..6bd467c8 100644
--- a/steps-guix/static-binaries-0-i686-linux/pass1.sh
+++ b/steps-guix/static-binaries-0-i686-linux/pass1.sh
@@ -36,7 +36,6 @@ src_compile() {
     seed_install_exec "${stage}/bin/bash" "${dist}/bootstrap-exec-bash-i686-linux"
     seed_install_exec "${stage}/bin/mkdir" "${dist}/bootstrap-exec-mkdir-i686-linux"
     seed_install_exec "${stage}/bin/tar" "${dist}/bootstrap-exec-tar-i686-linux"
-    seed_install_exec "${stage}/bin/xz" "${dist}/bootstrap-exec-xz-i686-linux"
 }
 
 src_install() {
diff --git a/steps-guix/xz-5.0.6/pass1.sh b/steps-guix/xz-5.0.6/pass1.sh
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..7431b66f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/steps-guix/xz-5.0.6/pass1.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0-or-later
+
+SEED_PREFIX="/bootstrap-seeds/xz-5.0.6"
+
+src_prepare() {
+    default
+
+    # Mirror Guix bootstrap static strategy: force libtool-built xz executable
+    # to link with -all-static.
+    sed -i 's/^xz_LDADD =/xz_LDADD = -all-static /' src/xz/Makefile.in
+}
+
+src_configure() {
+    CFLAGS="${CFLAGS:-} -std=gnu89" \
+    ./configure \
+        --prefix="${SEED_PREFIX}" \
+        --disable-shared \
+        --enable-static \
+        --disable-nls
+}
+
+src_compile() {
+    default_src_compile
+}
+
+src_install() {
+    make DESTDIR="${DESTDIR}" install
+}
diff --git a/steps-guix/xz-5.0.6/sources b/steps-guix/xz-5.0.6/sources
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..afb13a16
--- /dev/null
+++ b/steps-guix/xz-5.0.6/sources
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+f https://tukaani.org/xz/xz-5.0.6.tar.gz b6cf4cdc1313556a00848e722625bce40d2cd552c052b0465791c64c9202c3f1