diff --git a/docs/configuration.md b/docs/configuration.md
index 1fcc1d9d..ad850746 100644
--- a/docs/configuration.md
+++ b/docs/configuration.md
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ Modules write to a shared config dict that is accessible by other modules.
 * `build_dir` (initramfs_build) If relative, it will be placed under `tmpdir`, defines the build directory.
 * `random_build_dir` (false) Adds a uuid to the end of the build dir name when true.
 * `build_logging` (false) Enables additional logging during the build process.
-* `make_nodes` (false) Create real device nodes in the build dir. 
+* `make_nodes` (false) Create real device nodes in the build dir. Otherwise they are created in the CPIO archive. 
 * `find_libgcc` (true) Automatically locates libgcc using ldconfig -p and adds it to the initramfs.
 * `musl_libc` (false) Disable ldconfig -p usage for libgcc detection, skip ld.so.cache regeneration.
 * `out_dir` (initramfs_out) If relative, it will be placed under `tmpdir`, defines the output directory.
@@ -296,7 +296,6 @@ This module can be enabled by adding `ugrd.fs.fakeudev` to the `modules` list.
 
 This module handles CPIO creation.
 
-* `mknod_cpio` (true) Only create device nodes within the CPIO.
 * `cpio_compression` (xz) Sets the compression method for the CPIO file, passed to PyCPIO.
 * `cpio_rotate` (true) Rotates old CPIO files, keeping `old_count` number of old files.
 
diff --git a/src/ugrd/base/core.py b/src/ugrd/base/core.py
index 6d3f2a8e..1ae14f39 100644
--- a/src/ugrd/base/core.py
+++ b/src/ugrd/base/core.py
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 __author__ = "desultory"
-__version__ = "4.7.0"
+__version__ = "4.7.1"
 
 from os import environ, makedev, mknod, uname
 from pathlib import Path
@@ -303,9 +303,7 @@ def deploy_nodes(self) -> None:
             self.logger.info("Created device node '%s' at path: %s" % (node, node_path))
         except PermissionError as e:
             self.logger.error("Unable to create device node %s at path: %s" % (node, node_path))
-            self.logger.info(
-                "`mknod_cpio` in `ugrd.base` can be used to generate device nodes within the initramfs archive if they cannot be created on the host system."
-            )
+            self.logger.info("When `make_nodes` is disabled, device nodes are synthetically created in the resulting CPIO archive.")
             raise e
 
 
diff --git a/src/ugrd/fs/cpio.py b/src/ugrd/fs/cpio.py
index f7cd03e0..246bd5aa 100644
--- a/src/ugrd/fs/cpio.py
+++ b/src/ugrd/fs/cpio.py
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 __author__ = "desultory"
-__version__ = "3.7.3"
+__version__ = "3.8.0"
 
 from pathlib import Path
 
@@ -86,13 +86,13 @@ def make_cpio(self) -> None:
     """
     Populates the CPIO archive using the build directory,
     writes it to the output file, and rotates the output file if necessary.
-    Creates device nodes in the CPIO archive if the mknod_cpio option is set.
+    Creates device nodes in the CPIO archive if make_nodes is False. (make_nodes will create actual files instead)
     Raises FileNotFoundError if the output directory does not exist.
     """
     cpio = self._cpio_archive
     cpio.append_recursive(self._get_build_path("/"), relative=True)
 
-    if self.get("mknod_cpio"):
+    if not self.get("make_nodes"):
         for node in self["nodes"].values():
             self.logger.debug("Adding CPIO node: %s" % node)
             cpio.add_chardev(name=node["path"], mode=node["mode"], major=node["major"], minor=node["minor"])
diff --git a/src/ugrd/fs/cpio.toml b/src/ugrd/fs/cpio.toml
index 9b1c68be..26d41c45 100644
--- a/src/ugrd/fs/cpio.toml
+++ b/src/ugrd/fs/cpio.toml
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-mknod_cpio = true
 cpio_compression = "xz"
 cpio_rotate = true
 check_cpio = true
@@ -14,7 +13,6 @@ check_cpio = true
 
 [custom_parameters]
 cpio_rotate = "bool"  # makes a .old backup of the cpio file if it already exists.
-mknod_cpio = "bool"  # When enabled, mknod is not used to create device nodes, they are just created in the cpio.
 cpio_compression = "str"  # The compression method to use for the cpio file. XZ and ZSTD are supported.
 _cpio_archive = "PyCPIO"  # The cpio archive object.
 check_cpio = "bool"  # When enabled, the CPIO archive contents are checked for errors.