diff --git a/pkg/apk/fs/memfs.go b/pkg/apk/fs/memfs.go
index a6e50b405..9ec8f75b6 100644
--- a/pkg/apk/fs/memfs.go
+++ b/pkg/apk/fs/memfs.go
@@ -129,13 +129,11 @@ func (m *memFS) Mkdir(path string, perms fs.FileMode) error {
 	}
 	// now create the directory
 	anode.children[filepath.Base(path)] = &node{
-		name:       filepath.Base(path),
-		mode:       fs.ModeDir | perms,
-		dir:        true,
-		modTime:    time.Now(),
-		createTime: time.Now(),
-		children:   map[string]*node{},
-		xattrs:     map[string][]byte{},
+		name:     filepath.Base(path),
+		mode:     fs.ModeDir | perms,
+		dir:      true,
+		children: map[string]*node{},
+		xattrs:   map[string][]byte{},
 	}
 	return nil
 }
@@ -179,13 +177,11 @@ func (m *memFS) MkdirAll(path string, perm fs.FileMode) error {
 		newnode, ok := anode.children[part]
 		if !ok {
 			newnode = &node{
-				name:       part,
-				mode:       fs.ModeDir | perm,
-				dir:        true,
-				modTime:    time.Now(),
-				createTime: time.Now(),
-				children:   map[string]*node{},
-				xattrs:     map[string][]byte{},
+				name:     part,
+				mode:     fs.ModeDir | perm,
+				dir:      true,
+				children: map[string]*node{},
+				xattrs:   map[string][]byte{},
 			}
 			anode.children[part] = newnode
 		}
@@ -245,12 +241,10 @@ func (m *memFS) openFile(name string, flag int, perm fs.FileMode, linkCount int)
 	if flag&os.O_CREATE != 0 && !ok {
 		// create the file
 		anode = &node{
-			name:       base,
-			mode:       perm,
-			dir:        false,
-			modTime:    time.Now(),
-			createTime: time.Now(),
-			xattrs:     map[string][]byte{},
+			name:   base,
+			mode:   perm,
+			dir:    false,
+			xattrs: map[string][]byte{},
 		}
 		parentAnode.children[base] = anode
 	}
@@ -332,13 +326,11 @@ func (m *memFS) Mknod(path string, mode uint32, dev int) error {
 		return os.ErrExist
 	}
 	anode.children[base] = &node{
-		name:       base,
-		mode:       fs.FileMode(mode) | os.ModeCharDevice | os.ModeDevice,
-		modTime:    time.Now(),
-		createTime: time.Now(),
-		major:      unix.Major(uint64(dev)),
-		minor:      unix.Minor(uint64(dev)),
-		xattrs:     map[string][]byte{},
+		name:   base,
+		mode:   fs.FileMode(mode) | os.ModeCharDevice | os.ModeDevice,
+		major:  unix.Major(uint64(dev)),
+		minor:  unix.Minor(uint64(dev)),
+		xattrs: map[string][]byte{},
 	}
 
 	return nil
@@ -401,7 +393,6 @@ func (m *memFS) Symlink(oldname, newname string) error {
 	anode.children[base] = &node{
 		name:       base,
 		mode:       0o777 | os.ModeSymlink,
-		modTime:    time.Now(),
 		linkTarget: oldname,
 		xattrs:     map[string][]byte{},
 	}
@@ -625,7 +616,6 @@ type node struct {
 	name         string
 	data         []byte
 	modTime      time.Time
-	createTime   time.Time
 	linkTarget   string
 	linkCount    int // extra links, so 0 means a single pointer. O-based, like most compuuter counting systems.
 	major, minor uint32
diff --git a/pkg/apk/tarball/write.go b/pkg/apk/tarball/write.go
index 82fcb5072..cf358bdb9 100644
--- a/pkg/apk/tarball/write.go
+++ b/pkg/apk/tarball/write.go
@@ -149,9 +149,7 @@ func (c *Context) writeTar(ctx context.Context, tw *tar.Writer, fsys fs.FS, user
 		header.Name = path
 
 		// zero out timestamps for reproducibility
-		header.AccessTime = c.SourceDateEpoch
-		header.ModTime = c.SourceDateEpoch
-		header.ChangeTime = c.SourceDateEpoch
+		header.ModTime = info.ModTime()
 
 		if uid, ok := c.remapUIDs[header.Uid]; ok {
 			header.Uid = uid
diff --git a/pkg/tarfs/fs.go b/pkg/tarfs/fs.go
index d8f77d0bb..db64dc62a 100644
--- a/pkg/tarfs/fs.go
+++ b/pkg/tarfs/fs.go
@@ -259,14 +259,12 @@ func (m *memFS) Mkdir(path string, perms fs.FileMode) error {
 	}
 	// now create the directory
 	anode.children[filepath.Base(path)] = &node{
-		name:       filepath.Base(path),
-		mode:       fs.ModeDir | perms,
-		dir:        true,
-		modTime:    time.Now(),
-		createTime: time.Now(),
-		children:   map[string]*node{},
-		xattrs:     map[string][]byte{},
-		hardlinks:  map[string]*tar.Header{},
+		name:      filepath.Base(path),
+		mode:      fs.ModeDir | perms,
+		dir:       true,
+		children:  map[string]*node{},
+		xattrs:    map[string][]byte{},
+		hardlinks: map[string]*tar.Header{},
 	}
 	return nil
 }
@@ -310,14 +308,12 @@ func (m *memFS) MkdirAll(path string, perm fs.FileMode) error {
 		newnode, ok := anode.children[part]
 		if !ok {
 			newnode = &node{
-				name:       part,
-				mode:       fs.ModeDir | perm,
-				dir:        true,
-				modTime:    time.Now(),
-				createTime: time.Now(),
-				children:   map[string]*node{},
-				xattrs:     map[string][]byte{},
-				hardlinks:  map[string]*tar.Header{},
+				name:      part,
+				mode:      fs.ModeDir | perm,
+				dir:       true,
+				children:  map[string]*node{},
+				xattrs:    map[string][]byte{},
+				hardlinks: map[string]*tar.Header{},
 			}
 			anode.children[part] = newnode
 		}
@@ -383,13 +379,11 @@ func (m *memFS) openFile(name string, flag int, perm fs.FileMode, linkCount int)
 		if !ok {
 			// create the file
 			anode = &node{
-				name:       base,
-				mode:       perm,
-				dir:        false,
-				modTime:    time.Now(),
-				createTime: time.Now(),
-				xattrs:     map[string][]byte{},
-				hardlinks:  map[string]*tar.Header{},
+				name:      base,
+				mode:      perm,
+				dir:       false,
+				xattrs:    map[string][]byte{},
+				hardlinks: map[string]*tar.Header{},
 			}
 			parentAnode.children[base] = anode
 		}
@@ -461,8 +455,7 @@ func (m *memFS) writeHeader(name string, te tarEntry) (bool, error) {
 			name:       base,
 			mode:       te.header.FileInfo().Mode(),
 			dir:        false,
-			modTime:    time.Now(),
-			createTime: time.Now(),
+			modTime:    te.header.ModTime,
 			linkTarget: te.header.Linkname,
 			xattrs:     map[string][]byte{},
 			hardlinks:  map[string]*tar.Header{},
@@ -526,8 +519,7 @@ func (m *memFS) writeHeader(name string, te tarEntry) (bool, error) {
 		name:       base,
 		mode:       te.header.FileInfo().Mode(),
 		dir:        false,
-		modTime:    time.Now(),
-		createTime: time.Now(),
+		modTime:    te.header.ModTime,
 		linkTarget: te.header.Linkname,
 		xattrs:     map[string][]byte{},
 		hardlinks:  map[string]*tar.Header{},
@@ -600,14 +592,12 @@ func (m *memFS) Mknod(path string, mode uint32, dev int) error {
 		return fs.ErrExist
 	}
 	anode.children[base] = &node{
-		name:       base,
-		mode:       fs.FileMode(mode) | os.ModeCharDevice | os.ModeDevice,
-		modTime:    time.Now(),
-		createTime: time.Now(),
-		major:      unix.Major(uint64(dev)),
-		minor:      unix.Minor(uint64(dev)),
-		xattrs:     map[string][]byte{},
-		hardlinks:  map[string]*tar.Header{},
+		name:      base,
+		mode:      fs.FileMode(mode) | os.ModeCharDevice | os.ModeDevice,
+		major:     unix.Major(uint64(dev)),
+		minor:     unix.Minor(uint64(dev)),
+		xattrs:    map[string][]byte{},
+		hardlinks: map[string]*tar.Header{},
 	}
 
 	return nil
@@ -670,7 +660,6 @@ func (m *memFS) Symlink(oldname, newname string) error {
 	anode.children[base] = &node{
 		name:       base,
 		mode:       0o777 | os.ModeSymlink,
-		modTime:    time.Now(),
 		linkTarget: oldname,
 		xattrs:     map[string][]byte{},
 		hardlinks:  map[string]*tar.Header{},
@@ -932,7 +921,6 @@ type node struct {
 	name         string
 	data         []byte
 	modTime      time.Time
-	createTime   time.Time
 	linkTarget   string
 	linkCount    int // extra links, so 0 means a single pointer. O-based, like most compuuter counting systems.
 	major, minor uint32