diff --git a/docs/tiny-cloud.8.scd b/docs/tiny-cloud.8.scd
index 243d1d8..17c2f44 100644
--- a/docs/tiny-cloud.8.scd
+++ b/docs/tiny-cloud.8.scd
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ tiny-cloud - perform first-boot initialization for cloud instances
 
 # SYNOPSIS
 
-*tiny-cloud* [*-h*|*--help*] { *boot* | *early* | *main* | *final* | *-b*|*--bootstrap* { *complete* | *incomplete* | *status* } | *-E*|*--enable* | *-D*|*--disable* }
+*tiny-cloud* [*-h*|*--help*] { *boot* | *early* | *main* | *final* | *autodetect* | *-b*|*--bootstrap* { *complete* | *incomplete* | *status* } | *-E*|*--enable* | *-D*|*--disable* }
 
 # DESCRIPTION
 
@@ -61,6 +61,11 @@ been marked complete, later phase invocations exit without doing further work.
 	Run finalization actions. By default this marks bootstrap complete after any
 	additional configured final actions have succeeded.
 
+*autodetect*
+	Run provider autodetection probes and print the detected provider name.
+	This does not use the configured provider, kernel command line hints, or the
+	cached autodetection result.
+
 # OPERATION
 
 When invoked with a phase argument, *tiny-cloud* first checks whether
diff --git a/lib/tiny-cloud/common b/lib/tiny-cloud/common
index a483ef3..1269a9a 100644
--- a/lib/tiny-cloud/common
+++ b/lib/tiny-cloud/common
@@ -47,31 +47,42 @@ line_kval() {
 	cat "${2:--}" 2>/dev/null | xargs -n1 | grep "^$1=" | cut -d= -f2- | paste -sd' ' | tr "$3" ' '
 }
 
-if [ "$CLOUD" = "auto" ]; then
+cloud_alias() {
+	case "$1" in
+		ec2) echo aws;;
+		gce) echo gcp;;
+		nocloud-net) echo nocloud;;
+		oracle) echo oci;;
+		*) echo "$1";;
+	esac
+}
+
+cloud_hint() {
+	local F cloud
+	# try kernel cmdline & DMI product serial
+	for F in "$PROC/cmdline" "$SYS/class/dmi/id/product_serial"; do
+		cloud=$(line_kval tinycloud "$F" : | line_kval cloud)
+		[ -z "$cloud" ] && cloud=$(line_kval ds "$F" ';' | cut -d' ' -f1 | lower)
+		[ -n "$cloud" ] && {
+			cloud_alias "$cloud"
+			return
+		}
+	done
+}
+
+cloud_autodetect() {
+	for i in "$LIBDIR"/tiny-cloud/cloud/*/autodetect; do
+		if [ -x "$i" ]; then
+			"$i" || :
+		fi
+	done | sort -n | cut -d' ' -f2 | head -n 1
+}
+
+if [ "$CLOUD" = "auto" ] && [ -z "$TINY_CLOUD_NO_RESOLVE" ]; then
 	# previously detected?
 	CLOUD=$(cat "$TINY_CLOUD_VAR"/.autodetect 2>/dev/null) || {
-		# try kernel cmdline & DMI product serial
-		for F in "$PROC/cmdline" "$SYS/class/dmi/id/product_serial"; do
-			CLOUD=$(line_kval tinycloud "$F" : | line_kval cloud)
-			[ -z "$CLOUD" ] && CLOUD=$(line_kval ds "$F" ';' | cut -d' ' -f1 | lower)
-			[ -n "$CLOUD" ] && break
-		done
-		if [ -n "$CLOUD" ]; then
-			# convert cloud-init cloud names
-			case "$CLOUD" in
-				ec2) CLOUD=aws;;
-				gce) CLOUD=gcp;;
-				nocloud-net) CLOUD=nocloud;;
-				oracle) CLOUD=oci;;
-			esac
-		else
-			# try all the autodetects, sorted by confidence...
-			CLOUD=$(
-				for i in "$LIBDIR"/tiny-cloud/cloud/*/autodetect; do
-					[ -x "$i" ] && "$i"
-				done | sort -n | cut -d' ' -f2 | head -n 1
-			)
-		fi
+		CLOUD=$(cloud_hint)
+		[ -z "$CLOUD" ] && CLOUD=$(cloud_autodetect)
 		if [ -z "$CLOUD" ] || [ ! -d "$LIBDIR/tiny-cloud/cloud/$CLOUD" ]; then
 			log -t autodetect err "unable to determine cloud"
 			CLOUD=unknown
diff --git a/sbin/tiny-cloud b/sbin/tiny-cloud
index 251f4b9..68be4bd 100755
--- a/sbin/tiny-cloud
+++ b/sbin/tiny-cloud
@@ -7,11 +7,12 @@ set -e
 
 : "${PREFIX:=/usr}"
 : "${LIBDIR:=$PREFIX/lib}"
+[ "$1" = "autodetect" ] && TINY_CLOUD_NO_RESOLVE=1
 . "$LIBDIR/tiny-cloud/common"
 
 usage() {
 	cat <<-EOF
-		Usage: ${0##*/} [-h | --help] { boot | early | main | final | --bootstrap {complete|incomplete|status} | --enable | --disable }
+		Usage: ${0##*/} [-h | --help] { boot | early | main | final | autodetect | --bootstrap {complete|incomplete|status} | --enable | --disable }
 	EOF
 }
 
@@ -72,6 +73,14 @@ shift
 
 case "$phase" in
 	boot|early|main|final) ;;
+	autodetect)
+		CLOUD=$(cloud_autodetect)
+		if [ -z "$CLOUD" ] || [ ! -d "$LIBDIR/tiny-cloud/cloud/$CLOUD" ]; then
+			echo unknown
+			exit 1
+		fi
+		echo "$CLOUD"
+		exit 0;;
 	*) usage >&2; exit 1;;
 esac
 
diff --git a/tests/init.test b/tests/init.test
index e999c0b..d60e82d 100755
--- a/tests/init.test
+++ b/tests/init.test
@@ -26,6 +26,8 @@ init_tests \
 	set_ssh_keys_gcp \
 	userdata_type \
 	run_userdata \
+	autodetect_config_overrides_cmdline \
+	autodetect_cache_overrides_cmdline \
 	autodetect_aws_cmdline \
 	autodetect_aws_nitro \
 	autodetect_aws_xen \
@@ -38,6 +40,7 @@ init_tests \
 	autodetect_nocloud_dmi \
 	autodetect_nocloud_volume \
 	autodetect_oci \
+	autodetect_scaleway_cmdline \
 	autodetect_scaleway \
 	autodetect_unknown
 
@@ -351,6 +354,23 @@ autodetect_unknown_body() {
 		sh -c ". \"$lib\"; echo \$CLOUD"
 }
 
+autodetect_config_overrides_cmdline_body() {
+	mkdir -p proc
+	echo "quiet ds=scaleway console=ttyS0" > proc/cmdline
+	CLOUD=aws atf_check \
+		-o match:"aws" \
+		sh -c ". \"$lib\"; echo \$CLOUD"
+}
+
+autodetect_cache_overrides_cmdline_body() {
+	mkdir -p proc var/lib/cloud
+	echo aws > var/lib/cloud/.autodetect
+	echo "quiet ds=scaleway console=ttyS0" > proc/cmdline
+	atf_check \
+		-o match:"aws" \
+		sh -c ". \"$lib\"; echo \$CLOUD"
+}
+
 autodetect_aws_cmdline_body() {
 	mkdir -p proc
 	echo "quiet tinycloud=cloud=aws console=ttyS0" > proc/cmdline
@@ -466,6 +486,14 @@ autodetect_oci_body() {
 		sh -c ". \"$lib\"; echo \$CLOUD"
 }
 
+autodetect_scaleway_cmdline_body() {
+	mkdir -p proc
+	echo "quiet ds=scaleway console=ttyS0" > proc/cmdline
+	atf_check \
+		-o match:"scaleway" \
+		sh -c ". \"$lib\"; echo \$CLOUD"
+}
+
 autodetect_scaleway_body() {
 	mkdir -p sys/class/dmi/id
 	cat > sys/class/dmi/id/modalias <<-EOT
diff --git a/tests/tiny-cloud.test b/tests/tiny-cloud.test
index 6ec74fc..7287e74 100755
--- a/tests/tiny-cloud.test
+++ b/tests/tiny-cloud.test
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@ PROVIDERS="alpine aws azure digitalocean gcp incus hetzner nocloud oci scaleway"
 
 init_tests \
 	tiny_cloud_help \
+	tiny_cloud_autodetect \
+	tiny_cloud_autodetect_unknown \
 	tiny_cloud_disabled \
 	no_metadata_boot \
 	no_userdata_early \
@@ -28,6 +30,26 @@ tiny_cloud_help_body() {
 	done
 }
 
+tiny_cloud_autodetect_body() {
+	mkdir -p sys/class/dmi/id
+	cat > sys/class/dmi/id/modalias <<-EOT
+	dmi:bvnScaleway:bvrScaleway:bd10/22/2024:br1.0:svnScaleway:pnScaleway:pvr:rvnKVM:rnScaleway:rvr:cvnScaleway:ct1:cvr:sku:
+	EOT
+	atf_check -s exit:0 \
+		-o match:"^scaleway$" \
+		tiny-cloud autodetect
+}
+
+tiny_cloud_autodetect_unknown_body() {
+	mkdir -p etc proc var/lib/cloud
+	echo "CLOUD=auto" > etc/tiny-cloud.conf
+	echo scaleway > var/lib/cloud/.autodetect
+	echo "quiet ds=scaleway console=ttyS0" > proc/cmdline
+	atf_check -s exit:1 \
+		-o match:"^unknown$" \
+		tiny-cloud autodetect
+}
+
 tiny_cloud_disabled_body() {
 	mkdir -p etc
 	touch etc/tiny-cloud.disabled