diff --git a/.github/buildomat/jobs/deploy.sh b/.github/buildomat/jobs/deploy.sh
index 6574ac839c6..30df2b6fb9a 100755
--- a/.github/buildomat/jobs/deploy.sh
+++ b/.github/buildomat/jobs/deploy.sh
@@ -291,6 +291,12 @@ pfexec chmod +x /usr/oxide/oxide
 curl -sSfL -o debian-11-genericcloud-amd64.raw \
 	http://catacomb.eng.oxide.computer:12346/debian-11-genericcloud-amd64.raw
 
+#
+# Create the "omicron" project that sled-agent will inhabit.
+#
+projects -l omicron >/dev/null 2>&1 || \
+    pfexec projadd -c 'The Oxide Control Plane' omicron
+
 #
 # The lab-netdev target is a ramdisk system that is always cleared
 # out between runs, so it has not had any state yet that requires
diff --git a/smf/sled-agent/manifest.xml b/smf/sled-agent/manifest.xml
index 5732aedd752..179341c6724 100644
--- a/smf/sled-agent/manifest.xml
+++ b/smf/sled-agent/manifest.xml
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@
         <service_fmri value='svc:/system/t6init' />
   </dependency>
 
-  <method_context>
+  <method_context project='omicron'>
     <method_environment>
       <envvar name="LD_LIBRARY_PATH" value="/opt/ooce/pgsql-13/lib/amd64" />
     </method_environment>
diff --git a/tools/install_runner_prerequisites.sh b/tools/install_runner_prerequisites.sh
index 2b86c4c5f4f..9a93b095e5f 100755
--- a/tools/install_runner_prerequisites.sh
+++ b/tools/install_runner_prerequisites.sh
@@ -155,6 +155,10 @@ if [[ "${HOST_OS}" == "SunOS" ]]; then
     #
     # create_virtual_hardware.sh will use those to setup the softnpu zone
     retry ./tools/ci_download_softnpu_machinery
+
+    # Create the omicron project
+    projects -l omicron >/dev/null 2>&1 || \
+        pfexec projadd -c 'The Oxide Control Plane' omicron
 fi
 
 echo "All runner prerequisites installed successfully"