diff --git a/scripts/tests/deploy/utils/filesystem/docker_dataroot.sh b/scripts/tests/deploy/utils/filesystem/docker_dataroot.sh
index 7f810384fc..076c6795db 100755
--- a/scripts/tests/deploy/utils/filesystem/docker_dataroot.sh
+++ b/scripts/tests/deploy/utils/filesystem/docker_dataroot.sh
@@ -282,7 +282,7 @@ done
 [ -n "${LOOP}" ] || decline "no loop device could be claimed after ${attempt} attempts"
 
 if [ "${FSTYPE}" = zfs ]; then
-	if ! zpool_out="$(zpool create -f -m "${MOUNT}" -O acltype=posixacl -O xattr=sa "${POOL}" "${LOOP}" 2>&1)"; then
+	if ! zpool_out="$(zpool create -f -o autotrim=on -m "${MOUNT}" -O acltype=posixacl -O xattr=sa "${POOL}" "${LOOP}" 2>&1)"; then
 		losetup -d "${LOOP}" ||
 			report "WARNING: ${LOOP} refused the detach and will leak into the next round"
 		rm -f "${IMAGE}"
diff --git a/tests/unit/python/scripts/tests/deploy/utils/filesystem/test_docker_dataroot.py b/tests/unit/python/scripts/tests/deploy/utils/filesystem/test_docker_dataroot.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..71e0efd9d5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/python/scripts/tests/deploy/utils/filesystem/test_docker_dataroot.py
@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import os
+import subprocess
+import tempfile
+import unittest
+from itertools import pairwise
+from pathlib import Path
+
+from utils.cache.files import PROJECT_ROOT, read_text
+
+SCRIPT = (
+    PROJECT_ROOT
+    / "scripts"
+    / "tests"
+    / "deploy"
+    / "utils"
+    / "filesystem"
+    / "docker_dataroot.sh"
+)
+STUB = (
+    "#!/usr/bin/env bash\n"
+    'name="$(basename "$0")"\n'
+    'printf "%s %s\\n" "${name}" "$*" >>"${STUB_LOG}"\n'
+    'case "${name}" in\n'
+    "  id) echo 0 ;;\n"
+    "  awk) echo 10 ;;\n"
+    "  losetup) echo /dev/infinito-test-loop ;;\n"
+    "  mountpoint) exit 1 ;;\n"
+    '  zpool) [ "$1" != list ] ;;\n'
+    '  systemctl) [ "$1" != cat ] ;;\n'
+    "  python3) cat >/dev/null ;;\n"
+    "esac\n"
+)
+STUBBED = (
+    "id",
+    "awk",
+    "losetup",
+    "mountpoint",
+    "zpool",
+    "zfs",
+    "systemctl",
+    "python3",
+    "modprobe",
+    "mknod",
+    "mkdir",
+    "rm",
+    "truncate",
+)
+
+
+def apply_zfs() -> tuple[subprocess.CompletedProcess, list[list[str]]]:
+    """Run the zfs path of docker_dataroot.sh against stubs of every host tool.
+
+    Returns:
+        The finished process and the argv of every stubbed call, tool first.
+    """
+    with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() as tmp:
+        bin_dir = Path(tmp) / "bin"
+        bin_dir.mkdir()
+        for name in STUBBED:
+            stub = bin_dir / name
+            stub.write_text(STUB)
+            stub.chmod(0o755)
+        log = Path(tmp) / "calls.log"
+        log.touch()
+        env = {
+            k: v
+            for k, v in os.environ.items()
+            if k not in ("BASH_ENV", "GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY")
+        }
+        env.update(PATH=f"{bin_dir}{os.pathsep}{os.environ['PATH']}", STUB_LOG=str(log))
+        done = subprocess.run(
+            ["bash", str(SCRIPT), "zfs", "true", "30G", "unit-node"],
+            env=env,
+            capture_output=True,
+            text=True,
+            check=False,
+        )
+        calls = [line.split() for line in read_text(str(log)).splitlines()]
+        return done, calls
+
+
+class TestDockerDatarootZfs(unittest.TestCase):
+    def test_the_stubbed_zfs_path_applies(self) -> None:
+        done, _ = apply_zfs()
+        self.assertEqual(done.returncode, 0, done.stdout + done.stderr)
+        self.assertIn("status=applied-pending-docker", done.stdout)
+
+    def test_the_pool_returns_freed_blocks_to_the_sparse_image(self) -> None:
+        _, calls = apply_zfs()
+        creates = [argv for argv in calls if argv[:2] == ["zpool", "create"]]
+        self.assertEqual(len(creates), 1, calls)
+        self.assertIn(("-o", "autotrim=on"), list(pairwise(creates[0])))
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    unittest.main()