diff --git a/gnu/build/vm.scm b/gnu/build/vm.scm
index 527b4c495..b73c8f912 100644
--- a/gnu/build/vm.scm
+++ b/gnu/build/vm.scm
@@ -242,9 +242,21 @@ actual /dev name based on DEVICE."
                                      partition-size)
                             partitions)
                        ", "))
-  (apply invoke "parted" "--script"
+  (pk 'parted (which "parted"))
+  (pk 'parted2 (stat (which "parted")))
+  (pk 'opts device partitions offset)
+  (pk 'actual-options "parted" "--script"
          device "mklabel" label-type
          (options partitions offset))
+  (pk 'stat device (stat device))
+  (invoke "parted" "--version")
+  ;; (pk 'open-device device (open-fdes device O_WRONLY))
+  (pk 'parted)
+  (apply invoke "strace" "-s" "123"
+         "parted" "--script"
+         device "mklabel" label-type
+         (options partitions offset))
+  (pk 'parted-done)
 
   ;; Set the 'device' field of each partition.
   (reverse
diff --git a/gnu/system/vm.scm b/gnu/system/vm.scm
index 09a11af86..ba54a71dd 100644
--- a/gnu/system/vm.scm
+++ b/gnu/system/vm.scm
@@ -304,7 +304,7 @@ the image."
                       (ice-9 binary-ports))
 
          (let ((inputs
-                '#$(append (list qemu parted e2fsprogs dosfstools)
+                '#$(append (list strace qemu parted e2fsprogs dosfstools)
                            (map canonical-package
                                 (list sed grep coreutils findutils gawk))
                            (if register-closures? (list guix) '())))