diff --git a/nixos/maintainers/scripts/lxd/lxd-container-image-inner.nix b/nixos/maintainers/scripts/lxd/lxd-container-image-inner.nix
index 7b743d170bc6..62a6e1f9aa3a 100644
--- a/nixos/maintainers/scripts/lxd/lxd-container-image-inner.nix
+++ b/nixos/maintainers/scripts/lxd/lxd-container-image-inner.nix
@@ -2,13 +2,13 @@
 # your system.  Help is available in the configuration.nix(5) man page
 # and in the NixOS manual (accessible by running ‘nixos-help’).
 
-{ config, pkgs, lib, ... }:
+{ config, pkgs, lib, modulesPath, ... }:
 
 {
   imports =
     [
       # Include the default lxd configuration.
-      ../../../modules/virtualisation/lxc-container.nix
+      "${modulesPath}/modules/virtualisation/lxc-container.nix"
       # Include the container-specific autogenerated configuration.
       ./lxd.nix
     ];
@@ -16,5 +16,5 @@
   networking.useDHCP = false;
   networking.interfaces.eth0.useDHCP = true;
 
-  system.stateVersion = "21.05"; # Did you read the comment?
+  system.stateVersion = "@stateVersion@"; # Did you read the comment?
 }
diff --git a/nixos/maintainers/scripts/lxd/lxd-container-image.nix b/nixos/maintainers/scripts/lxd/lxd-container-image.nix
index 3bd1320b2b68..b77f9f5aabe0 100644
--- a/nixos/maintainers/scripts/lxd/lxd-container-image.nix
+++ b/nixos/maintainers/scripts/lxd/lxd-container-image.nix
@@ -13,11 +13,15 @@
   };
 
   # copy the config for nixos-rebuild
-  system.activationScripts.config = ''
+  system.activationScripts.config = let
+    config = pkgs.substituteAll {
+      src = ./lxd-container-image-inner.nix;
+      stateVersion = lib.trivial.release;
+    };
+  in ''
     if [ ! -e /etc/nixos/configuration.nix ]; then
       mkdir -p /etc/nixos
-      cat ${./lxd-container-image-inner.nix} > /etc/nixos/configuration.nix
-      ${lib.getExe pkgs.gnused} 's|../../../modules/virtualisation/lxc-container.nix|<nixpkgs/nixos/modules/virtualisation/lxc-container.nix>|g' -i /etc/nixos/configuration.nix
+      cp ${config} /etc/nixos/configuration.nix
     fi
   '';
 
diff --git a/nixos/maintainers/scripts/lxd/lxd-virtual-machine-image-inner.nix b/nixos/maintainers/scripts/lxd/lxd-virtual-machine-image-inner.nix
index a8f2c63ac5c6..c1c50b32ff5b 100644
--- a/nixos/maintainers/scripts/lxd/lxd-virtual-machine-image-inner.nix
+++ b/nixos/maintainers/scripts/lxd/lxd-virtual-machine-image-inner.nix
@@ -2,13 +2,13 @@
 # your system.  Help is available in the configuration.nix(5) man page
 # and in the NixOS manual (accessible by running ‘nixos-help’).
 
-{ config, pkgs, lib, ... }:
+{ config, pkgs, lib, modulesPath, ... }:
 
 {
   imports =
     [
       # Include the default lxd configuration.
-      ../../../modules/virtualisation/lxd-virtual-machine.nix
+      "${modulesPath}/virtualisation/lxd-virtual-machine.nix"
       # Include the container-specific autogenerated configuration.
       ./lxd.nix
     ];
@@ -16,5 +16,5 @@
   networking.useDHCP = false;
   networking.interfaces.eth0.useDHCP = true;
 
-  system.stateVersion = "23.05"; # Did you read the comment?
+  system.stateVersion = "@stateVersion@"; # Did you read the comment?
 }
diff --git a/nixos/maintainers/scripts/lxd/lxd-virtual-machine-image.nix b/nixos/maintainers/scripts/lxd/lxd-virtual-machine-image.nix
index eb0d9217d402..0d96eea0e2d2 100644
--- a/nixos/maintainers/scripts/lxd/lxd-virtual-machine-image.nix
+++ b/nixos/maintainers/scripts/lxd/lxd-virtual-machine-image.nix
@@ -13,11 +13,15 @@
   };
 
   # copy the config for nixos-rebuild
-  system.activationScripts.config = ''
+  system.activationScripts.config = let
+    config = pkgs.substituteAll {
+      src = ./lxd-virtual-machine-image-inner.nix;
+      stateVersion = lib.trivial.release;
+    };
+  in ''
     if [ ! -e /etc/nixos/configuration.nix ]; then
       mkdir -p /etc/nixos
-      cat ${./lxd-virtual-machine-image-inner.nix} > /etc/nixos/configuration.nix
-      ${lib.getExe pkgs.gnused} 's|../../../modules/virtualisation/lxd-virtual-machine.nix|<nixpkgs/nixos/modules/virtualisation/lxd-virtual-machine.nix>|g' -i /etc/nixos/configuration.nix
+      cp ${config} /etc/nixos/configuration.nix
     fi
   '';