diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 5e114acea2..b99ba65d71 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -1319,17 +1319,11 @@ fi
 ##########################################
 # functions to probe cross compilers
 
-container="no"
-runc=""
+runc="no"
 if test $use_containers = "yes" && (has "docker" || has "podman"); then
-    case $($python "$source_path"/tests/docker/docker.py --engine "$container_engine" probe) in
-        *docker) container=docker ;;
-        podman) container=podman ;;
-        no) container=no ;;
-    esac
-    if test "$container" != "no"; then
-        docker_py="$python $source_path/tests/docker/docker.py --engine $container"
-        runc=$container
+    runc=$($python "$source_path"/tests/docker/docker.py --engine "$container_engine" probe)
+    if test "$runc" != "no"; then
+        docker_py="$python $source_path/tests/docker/docker.py --engine $container_engine"
     fi
 fi
 
@@ -1449,7 +1443,7 @@ probe_target_compiler() {
   esac
 
   for host in $container_hosts; do
-    test "$container" != no || continue
+    test "$runc" != no || continue
     test "$host" = "$cpu" || continue
     case $target_arch in
       # debian-all-test-cross architectures
@@ -1771,8 +1765,9 @@ echo all: >> $config_host_mak
 echo "SRC_PATH=$source_path" >> $config_host_mak
 echo "TARGET_DIRS=$target_list" >> $config_host_mak
 echo "GDB=$gdb_bin" >> $config_host_mak
-if test "$container" != no; then
+if test "$runc" != no; then
     echo "RUNC=$runc" >> $config_host_mak
+    echo "CONTAINER_ENGINE=$container_engine" >> $config_host_mak
 fi
 echo "SUBDIRS=$subdirs" >> $config_host_mak
 if test "$rust" != disabled; then
diff --git a/tests/docker/Makefile.include b/tests/docker/Makefile.include
index 38467cca61..7d4582b6a8 100644
--- a/tests/docker/Makefile.include
+++ b/tests/docker/Makefile.include
@@ -16,8 +16,9 @@ DOCKER_DEFAULT_REGISTRY := registry.gitlab.com/qemu-project/qemu
 endif
 DOCKER_REGISTRY := $(if $(REGISTRY),$(REGISTRY),$(DOCKER_DEFAULT_REGISTRY))
 
-RUNC ?= $(if $(shell command -v docker), docker, podman)
-DOCKER_SCRIPT=$(SRC_PATH)/tests/docker/docker.py --engine $(RUNC)
+CONTAINER_ENGINE = auto
+DOCKER_SCRIPT=$(SRC_PATH)/tests/docker/docker.py --engine $(CONTAINER_ENGINE)
+RUNC ?= $(shell $(DOCKER_SCRIPT) probe)
 
 CUR_TIME := $(shell date +%Y-%m-%d-%H.%M.%S.$$$$)
 DOCKER_SRC_COPY := $(BUILD_DIR)/docker-src.$(CUR_TIME)
diff --git a/tests/docker/docker.py b/tests/docker/docker.py
index 3b8a26704d..ff68c7bf6f 100755
--- a/tests/docker/docker.py
+++ b/tests/docker/docker.py
@@ -618,12 +618,7 @@ class ProbeCommand(SubCommand):
     def run(self, args, argv):
         try:
             docker = Docker()
-            if docker._command[0] == "docker":
-                print("docker")
-            elif docker._command[0] == "sudo":
-                print("sudo docker")
-            elif docker._command[0] == "podman":
-                print("podman")
+            print(" ".join(docker._command))
         except Exception:
             print("no")