diff --git a/src/shared/copy.c b/src/shared/copy.c
index abebe2d2f2..8af1cb5ce5 100644
--- a/src/shared/copy.c
+++ b/src/shared/copy.c
@@ -765,6 +765,35 @@ static int memorize_hardlink(
         return 1;
 }
 
+static int prepare_nocow(int fdf, const char *from, int fdt, unsigned *chattr_mask, unsigned *chattr_flags) {
+        unsigned attrs = 0;
+        int r;
+
+        assert(fdf >= 0 || fdf == AT_FDCWD);
+        assert(fdt >= 0);
+        assert(!!chattr_mask == !!chattr_flags);
+
+        /* If caller explicitly requested NOCOW to be set or unset, let's not interfere. */
+        if (chattr_mask && FLAGS_SET(*chattr_mask, FS_NOCOW_FL))
+                return 0;
+
+        r = read_attr_at(fdf, from, &attrs);
+        if (r < 0 && !ERRNO_IS_NOT_SUPPORTED(r) && r != -ELOOP) /* If the source is a symlink we get ELOOP */
+                return r;
+
+        if (FLAGS_SET(attrs, FS_NOCOW_FL)) {
+                if (chattr_mask && chattr_flags) {
+                        *chattr_mask |= FS_NOCOW_FL;
+                        *chattr_flags |= FS_NOCOW_FL;
+                } else
+                        /* If the NOCOW flag is set on the source, make the copy NOCOW as well. If the source
+                         * is not NOCOW, don't do anything in particular with the copy. */
+                        (void) chattr_fd(fdt, FS_NOCOW_FL, FS_NOCOW_FL, /*previous=*/ NULL);
+        }
+
+        return 0;
+}
+
 static int fd_copy_tree_generic(
                 int df,
                 const char *from,
@@ -824,6 +853,10 @@ static int fd_copy_regular(
         if (fdt < 0)
                 return -errno;
 
+        r = prepare_nocow(fdf, /*from=*/ NULL, fdt, /*chattr_mask=*/ NULL, /*chattr_flags=*/ NULL);
+        if (r < 0)
+                return r;
+
         r = copy_bytes_full(fdf, fdt, UINT64_MAX, copy_flags, NULL, NULL, progress, userdata);
         if (r < 0)
                 goto fail;
@@ -1452,6 +1485,10 @@ int copy_file_at_full(
                         goto fail;
         }
 
+        r = prepare_nocow(fdf, /*from=*/ NULL, fdt, &chattr_mask, &chattr_flags);
+        if (r < 0)
+                return r;
+
         if (chattr_mask != 0)
                 (void) chattr_fd(fdt, chattr_flags, chattr_mask & CHATTR_EARLY_FL, NULL);
 
@@ -1530,6 +1567,10 @@ int copy_file_atomic_at_full(
         if (fdt < 0)
                 return fdt;
 
+        r = prepare_nocow(dir_fdf, from, fdt, &chattr_mask, &chattr_flags);
+        if (r < 0)
+                return r;
+
         if (chattr_mask != 0)
                 (void) chattr_fd(fdt, chattr_flags, chattr_mask & CHATTR_EARLY_FL, NULL);