diff --git a/tests/lib/assertions/pc-kernel-snap-decl-extras.json b/tests/lib/assertions/pc-kernel-snap-decl-extras.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..775ab3ef230
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/lib/assertions/pc-kernel-snap-decl-extras.json
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+{
+    "format": "5",
+    "slots": {
+        "cuda-driver-libs": {
+            "allow-installation": "true"
+        },
+        "egl-driver-libs": {
+            "allow-installation": "true"
+        },
+        "gbm-driver-libs": {
+            "allow-installation": "true"
+        },
+        "opengl-driver-libs": {
+            "allow-installation": "true"
+        },
+        "opengles-driver-libs": {
+            "allow-installation": "true"
+        },
+        "vulkan-driver-libs": {
+            "allow-installation": "true"
+        },
+        "nvidia-video-driver-libs": {
+            "allow-installation": "true"
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/tests/lib/nested.sh b/tests/lib/nested.sh
index 8be7bb98c4e..f85a2248b24 100755
--- a/tests/lib/nested.sh
+++ b/tests/lib/nested.sh
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 : "${NESTED_SIGN_SNAPS_FAKESTORE:=false}"
 : "${NESTED_REPACK_FOR_FAKESTORE:=false}"
 : "${NESTED_FAKESTORE_SNAP_DECL_PC_GADGET:=}"
+: "${NESTED_FAKESTORE_SNAP_DECL_PC_KERNEL:=}"
 : "${NESTED_UBUNTU_IMAGE_SNAPPY_FORCE_SAS_URL:=}"
 : "${NESTED_UBUNTU_IMAGE_PRESEED_KEY:=}"
 : "${NESTED_UBUNTU_SEED_SIZE:=}"
@@ -754,7 +755,16 @@ nested_prepare_kernel() {
 
         # sign the pc-kernel snap with fakestore if requested
         if [ "$NESTED_SIGN_SNAPS_FAKESTORE" = "true" ]; then
-            "$TESTSTOOLS"/store-state make-snap-installable --noack "$NESTED_FAKESTORE_BLOB_DIR" "$(nested_get_extra_snaps_path)/$output_name" "$snap_id"
+            local extra_decl_args=""
+            local kernel_decl="$NESTED_FAKESTORE_SNAP_DECL_PC_KERNEL"
+            if [ -z "$kernel_decl" ] ; then
+                kernel_decl="$TESTSLIB/assertions/pc-kernel-snap-decl-extras.json"
+            fi
+            if [ -n "$kernel_decl" ]; then
+                extra_decl_args="--extra-decl-json $kernel_decl"
+            fi
+            # shellcheck disable=SC2086
+            "$TESTSTOOLS"/store-state make-snap-installable --noack $extra_decl_args "$NESTED_FAKESTORE_BLOB_DIR" "$(nested_get_extra_snaps_path)/$output_name" "$snap_id"
         fi
     fi
 }
diff --git a/tests/lib/prepare.sh b/tests/lib/prepare.sh
index e7b3121c9de..4e96429cfcc 100755
--- a/tests/lib/prepare.sh
+++ b/tests/lib/prepare.sh
@@ -854,15 +854,25 @@ repack_core_snap_with_tweaks() {
     UNPACK_DIR="$(mktemp -d /tmp/core-unpack.XXXXXXXX)"
     unsquashfs -no-progress -f -d "$UNPACK_DIR" "$CORESNAP"
 
-    mkdir -p "$UNPACK_DIR"/etc/systemd/journald.conf.d
-    cat <<EOF > "$UNPACK_DIR"/etc/systemd/journald.conf.d/to-console.conf
+    # determine destination directory for systemd configuration files
+    # core26+ uses /usr/share/factory/writable/system-data/etc/
+    # core24 and earlier use /etc/
+    local DEST_ETC
+    if [ -e "$UNPACK_DIR/usr/share/factory/writable" ]; then
+        DEST_ETC="$UNPACK_DIR/usr/share/factory/writable/system-data/etc"
+    else
+        DEST_ETC="$UNPACK_DIR/etc"
+    fi
+
+    mkdir -p "$DEST_ETC"/systemd/journald.conf.d
+    cat <<EOF > "$DEST_ETC"/systemd/journald.conf.d/to-console.conf
 [Journal]
 ForwardToConsole=yes
 TTYPath=/dev/ttyS0
 MaxLevelConsole=debug
 EOF
-    mkdir -p "$UNPACK_DIR"/etc/systemd/system/snapd.service.d
-cat <<EOF > "$UNPACK_DIR"/etc/systemd/system/snapd.service.d/logging.conf
+    mkdir -p "$DEST_ETC"/systemd/system/snapd.service.d
+cat <<EOF > "$DEST_ETC"/systemd/system/snapd.service.d/logging.conf
 [Service]
 Environment=SNAPD_DEBUG_HTTP=7 SNAPD_DEBUG=1 SNAPPY_TESTING=1 SNAPD_CONFIGURE_HOOK_TIMEOUT=30s
 StandardOutput=journal+console
@@ -870,7 +880,7 @@ StandardError=journal+console
 EOF
 
     if [ "${NESTED_REPACK_FOR_FAKESTORE-}" = "true" ]; then
-        cat <<EOF > "$UNPACK_DIR"/etc/systemd/system/snapd.service.d/store.conf
+        cat <<EOF > "$DEST_ETC"/systemd/system/snapd.service.d/store.conf
 [Service]
 Environment=SNAPPY_FORCE_API_URL=http://10.0.2.2:11028
 EOF
diff --git a/tests/lib/tools/build_kernel_with_comps.sh b/tests/lib/tools/build_kernel_with_comps.sh
index d952d7bf97e..7eabdf90ea7 100755
--- a/tests/lib/tools/build_kernel_with_comps.sh
+++ b/tests/lib/tools/build_kernel_with_comps.sh
@@ -39,16 +39,19 @@ description: kernel component for testing purposes
 EOF
     # Replace _ or - with [_-], as it can be any of these
     glob_mod_name=$(printf '%s' "$mod_name" | sed -r 's/[-_]/[-_]/g')
-    module_path=$(find kernel -name "${glob_mod_name}.ko*")
-    mapfile -t module_path <<< "$module_path"
-    cp --update=none "${module_path[@]}" "$comp_ko_dir"
+    # TODO: search only in kernel/modules to avoid duplicates (pc-kernel in
+    # 26/edge has both modules/ and lib/modules/). remove this hack once
+    # the kernel snap is fixed
+    module_path=$(find kernel/modules -name "${glob_mod_name}.ko*")
+    cp "$module_path" "$comp_ko_dir"
     snap pack --filename="${kernel_name}+${comp_name}".comp "$comp_name"
 
     # Create kernel without the kernel module
-    rm "${module_path[@]}"
-    # depmod wants a lib subdir
-    mkdir -p kernel/lib
-    ln -s ../modules kernel/lib/modules
+    rm "$module_path"
+    if [ ! -e kernel/lib/modules ]; then
+        mkdir -p kernel/lib
+        ln -s ../modules kernel/lib/modules
+    fi
     depmod -b kernel/ "$kern_ver"
     rm "${kernel_snap_file}"
     # append component meta-information
diff --git a/tests/nested/manual/kernel-modules-components/task.yaml b/tests/nested/manual/kernel-modules-components/task.yaml
index 5f2d9a51152..a7ffcf79465 100644
--- a/tests/nested/manual/kernel-modules-components/task.yaml
+++ b/tests/nested/manual/kernel-modules-components/task.yaml
@@ -7,8 +7,6 @@ systems:
   - -ubuntu-1*
   - -ubuntu-20*
   - -ubuntu-22*
-  # FIXME
-  - -ubuntu-26*
 
 environment:
   # Test both encrypted and unencrypted cases
diff --git a/tests/nested/manual/remodel-with-components-offline/task.yaml b/tests/nested/manual/remodel-with-components-offline/task.yaml
index 1e0b6c5dc5b..cd531988983 100644
--- a/tests/nested/manual/remodel-with-components-offline/task.yaml
+++ b/tests/nested/manual/remodel-with-components-offline/task.yaml
@@ -10,8 +10,6 @@ systems:
  - -ubuntu-1*
  - -ubuntu-20*
  - -ubuntu-22*
- # FIXME
- - -ubuntu-26*
 
 environment:
   INITIAL_MODEL_JSON: $TESTSLIB/assertions/test-snapd-component-remodel-initial-pc-VERSION.json
@@ -86,9 +84,17 @@ execute: |
 
   kernel_id='pYVQrBcKmBa0mZ4CCN7ExT6jH8rY1hza'
 
+  # include declaration extras for driver slots
+  extra_decl_args=""
+  if [ "$(tests.nested show version)" -ge 26 ]; then
+      extra_decl_args="--extra-decl-json $TESTSLIB/assertions/pc-kernel-snap-decl-extras.json"
+  fi
+
   # bump the available kernel version in the fake store
+  #shellcheck disable=SC2086
   "${TESTSTOOLS}"/store-state make-snap-installable --noack \
     --revision 2 \
+    $extra_decl_args \
     "${NESTED_FAKESTORE_BLOB_DIR}" \
     ./pc-kernel-with-comps.snap \
     "${kernel_id}"
diff --git a/tests/nested/manual/remodel-with-components/task.yaml b/tests/nested/manual/remodel-with-components/task.yaml
index 98354d50d3f..0f8739d6876 100644
--- a/tests/nested/manual/remodel-with-components/task.yaml
+++ b/tests/nested/manual/remodel-with-components/task.yaml
@@ -8,8 +8,8 @@ details: |
   validates that the newly created system can be rebooted into.
 
 systems:
-  # FIXME: make it work on 26
   - ubuntu-24*
+  - ubuntu-26*
 
 environment:
   INITIAL_MODEL_JSON: $TESTSLIB/assertions/test-snapd-component-remodel-initial-pc-VERSION.json
@@ -84,9 +84,17 @@ execute: |
 
   kernel_id='pYVQrBcKmBa0mZ4CCN7ExT6jH8rY1hza'
 
+  # include declaration extras for driver slots
+  extra_decl_args=""
+  if [ "$(tests.nested show version)" -ge 26 ]; then
+      extra_decl_args="--extra-decl-json $TESTSLIB/assertions/pc-kernel-snap-decl-extras.json"
+  fi
+
   # bump the available kernel version in the fake store
+  #shellcheck disable=SC2086
   "${TESTSTOOLS}"/store-state make-snap-installable --noack \
     --revision 2 \
+    $extra_decl_args \
     "${NESTED_FAKESTORE_BLOB_DIR}" \
     ./pc-kernel-with-comps.snap \
     "${kernel_id}"