diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index fc11ab82bc6f68050ec3eb8f51bf571ac3826bd7..cef7488c03ebbdbd052c9e8abff1db007411e448 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -78,8 +78,8 @@ variables:
          --bind ${CI_DATA}/spack-mirror:${MOUNT_POINT}/spack-mirror
          --bind ${CI_DATA}/squashfs-cache/:/squashfs-cache \
          --bind ${CI_DATA}/overlayfs:/overlayfs \
-         --fusemount "host:/usr/libexec/apptainer/bin/squashfuse_ll ${CI_DATA}/squashfs-cache/${stack}-${environment}-${SQUASHFS_ID}.sqfs /squashfs"
-         --fusemount "container:fuse-overlayfs -o squash_to_uid=$(id -u) -o squash_to_gid=$(id -g) -o lowerdir=/squashfs -o upperdir=/overlayfs/upper -o workdir=/overlayfs/wd ${MOUNT_POINT}/${stack}/${environment}/${STACK_VERSION}"
+         --fusemount "host:/usr/libexec/apptainer/bin/squashfuse_ll ${CI_DATA}/squashfs-cache/${stack}-${environment}-${SQUASHFS_ID}.sqfs /overlayfs/lower"
+         --fusemount "container:fuse-overlayfs -o squash_to_uid=$(id -u) -o squash_to_gid=$(id -g) -o lowerdir=/overlayfs/lower -o upperdir=/overlayfs/upper -o workdir=/overlayfs/wd ${MOUNT_POINT}/${stack}/${environment}/${STACK_VERSION}"
   after_script:
     - if [ $CI_JOB_STATUS != "success" ]; then exit 0; fi
     - ./ci/update_squashfs.sh
diff --git a/ci/prepare_squashfs.sh b/ci/prepare_squashfs.sh
index da80f5f017c8bd1a7b0aea987c30f7147dd0d01d..8b4f3ba6cdba3cf2633762bab2ebe7fbcabf47b4 100755
--- a/ci/prepare_squashfs.sh
+++ b/ci/prepare_squashfs.sh
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ fi
 
 if [ ! -d /overlayfs/upper ]
 then
+    mkdir -p /overlayfs/lower
     mkdir -p /overlayfs/upper
     mkdir -p /overlayfs/wd
 fi