diff --git a/src/nspawn/nspawn-register.c b/src/nspawn/nspawn-register.c
index 8e2c329665..7541c56d8f 100644
--- a/src/nspawn/nspawn-register.c
+++ b/src/nspawn/nspawn-register.c
@@ -209,7 +209,7 @@ int register_machine(
         return 0;
 }
 
-int terminate_machine(
+int unregister_machine(
                 sd_bus *bus,
                 const char *machine_name) {
 
@@ -223,13 +223,13 @@ int terminate_machine(
                         "org.freedesktop.machine1",
                         "/org/freedesktop/machine1",
                         "org.freedesktop.machine1.Manager",
-                        "TerminateMachine",
+                        "UnregisterMachine",
                         &error,
                         NULL,
                         "s",
                         machine_name);
         if (r < 0)
-                log_debug("Failed to terminate machine: %s", bus_error_message(&error, r));
+                log_debug("Failed to unregister machine: %s", bus_error_message(&error, r));
 
         return 0;
 }
diff --git a/src/nspawn/nspawn-register.h b/src/nspawn/nspawn-register.h
index 65a3ae85a7..07cca7fadc 100644
--- a/src/nspawn/nspawn-register.h
+++ b/src/nspawn/nspawn-register.h
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 #include "nspawn-mount.h"
 
 int register_machine(sd_bus *bus, const char *machine_name, pid_t pid, const char *directory, sd_id128_t uuid, int local_ifindex, const char *slice, CustomMount *mounts, unsigned n_mounts, int kill_signal, char **properties, sd_bus_message *properties_message, bool keep_unit, const char *service);
-int terminate_machine(sd_bus *bus, const char *machine_name);
+int unregister_machine(sd_bus *bus, const char *machine_name);
 
 int allocate_scope(sd_bus *bus, const char *machine_name, pid_t pid, const char *slice, CustomMount *mounts, unsigned n_mounts, int kill_signal, char **properties, sd_bus_message *properties_message);
 int terminate_scope(sd_bus *bus, const char *machine_name);
diff --git a/src/nspawn/nspawn.c b/src/nspawn/nspawn.c
index fed5c651ce..48244f3ae8 100644
--- a/src/nspawn/nspawn.c
+++ b/src/nspawn/nspawn.c
@@ -4551,12 +4551,8 @@ static int run_container(
         }
 
         /* Kill if it is not dead yet anyway */
-        if (bus) {
-                if (arg_register)
-                        terminate_machine(bus, arg_machine);
-                else if (!arg_keep_unit)
-                        terminate_scope(bus, arg_machine);
-        }
+        if (!arg_register && !arg_keep_unit && bus)
+                terminate_scope(bus, arg_machine);
 
         /* Normally redundant, but better safe than sorry */
         (void) kill(*pid, SIGKILL);
@@ -4564,6 +4560,10 @@ static int run_container(
         r = wait_for_container(*pid, &container_status);
         *pid = 0;
 
+        /* Tell machined that we are gone. */
+        if (bus)
+                (void) unregister_machine(bus, arg_machine);
+
         if (r < 0)
                 /* We failed to wait for the container, or the container exited abnormally. */
                 return r;