diff --git a/src/core/manager.c b/src/core/manager.c
index ede2a9910d..14f069ba97 100644
--- a/src/core/manager.c
+++ b/src/core/manager.c
@@ -573,6 +573,7 @@ int manager_new(ManagerRunningAs running_as, bool test_run, Manager **_m) {
 
         m->ask_password_inotify_fd = -1;
         m->have_ask_password = -EINVAL; /* we don't know */
+        m->first_boot = -1;
 
         m->test_run = test_run;
 
@@ -2998,12 +2999,14 @@ void manager_set_first_boot(Manager *m, bool b) {
         if (m->running_as != MANAGER_SYSTEM)
                 return;
 
-        m->first_boot = b;
+        if (m->first_boot != (int) b) {
+                if (b)
+                        (void) touch("/run/systemd/first-boot");
+                else
+                        (void) unlink("/run/systemd/first-boot");
+        }
 
-        if (m->first_boot)
-                touch("/run/systemd/first-boot");
-        else
-                unlink("/run/systemd/first-boot");
+        m->first_boot = b;
 }
 
 void manager_status_printf(Manager *m, StatusType type, const char *status, const char *format, ...) {
diff --git a/src/core/manager.h b/src/core/manager.h
index 1e01f2bdef..3f7fa24e58 100644
--- a/src/core/manager.h
+++ b/src/core/manager.h
@@ -233,7 +233,6 @@ struct Manager {
         bool dispatching_dbus_queue:1;
 
         bool taint_usr:1;
-        bool first_boot:1;
 
         bool test_run:1;
 
@@ -295,6 +294,8 @@ struct Manager {
 
         const char *unit_log_field;
         const char *unit_log_format_string;
+
+        int first_boot;
 };
 
 int manager_new(ManagerRunningAs running_as, bool test_run, Manager **m);