diff --git a/image.go b/image.go
index 40dc3ff6cb73c..76b77ee4cb6e5 100644
--- a/image.go
+++ b/image.go
@@ -336,6 +336,8 @@ func WithUnpackDuplicationSuppressor(suppressor kmutex.KeyedLocker) UnpackOpt {
 	}
 }
 
+type DiscardUnpackedLayersKey struct{}
+
 func (i *image) Unpack(ctx context.Context, snapshotterName string, opts ...UnpackOpt) error {
 	ctx, done, err := i.client.WithLease(ctx)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -384,7 +386,24 @@ func (i *image) Unpack(ctx context.Context, snapshotterName string, opts ...Unpa
 	for _, layer := range layers {
 		unpacked, err = rootfs.ApplyLayerWithOpts(ctx, layer, chain, sn, a, config.SnapshotOpts, config.ApplyOpts)
 		if err != nil {
-			return err
+			// layer not found in content, try to fetch layer and retry unpack
+			if errdefs.IsNotFound(err) {
+				pullOpts := []RemoteOpt{}
+				if discardUnpackedLayers, ok := ctx.Value(DiscardUnpackedLayersKey{}).(bool); ok && discardUnpackedLayers {
+					pullOpts = append(pullOpts, WithChildLabelMap(images.ChildGCLabelsFilterLayers))
+				}
+
+				if _, err2 := i.client.Pull(ctx, i.Name(), pullOpts...); err2 != nil {
+					return fmt.Errorf("fetch lost layer failed: %w : %w", err2, err)
+				}
+				// retry
+				unpacked, err = rootfs.ApplyLayerWithOpts(ctx, layer, chain, sn, a, config.SnapshotOpts, config.ApplyOpts)
+				if err != nil {
+					return err
+				}
+			} else {
+				return err
+			}
 		}
 
 		if unpacked {
diff --git a/pkg/cri/server/container_create.go b/pkg/cri/server/container_create.go
index 9483778d19e00..48929bf14a8a7 100644
--- a/pkg/cri/server/container_create.go
+++ b/pkg/cri/server/container_create.go
@@ -259,6 +259,9 @@ func (c *criService) CreateContainer(ctx context.Context, r *runtime.CreateConta
 	}()
 
 	var cntr containerd.Container
+	if c.config.ContainerdConfig.DiscardUnpackedLayers {
+		ctx = context.WithValue(ctx, containerd.DiscardUnpackedLayersKey{}, true)
+	}
 	if cntr, err = c.client.NewContainer(ctx, id, opts...); err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to create containerd container: %w", err)
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/cri/server/sandbox_run.go b/pkg/cri/server/sandbox_run.go
index ebe9facda760d..461a9d99f389f 100644
--- a/pkg/cri/server/sandbox_run.go
+++ b/pkg/cri/server/sandbox_run.go
@@ -173,6 +173,9 @@ func (c *criService) RunPodSandbox(ctx context.Context, r *runtime.RunPodSandbox
 		containerd.WithContainerExtension(sandboxMetadataExtension, &sandbox.Metadata),
 		containerd.WithRuntime(ociRuntime.Type, runtimeOpts)}
 
+	if c.config.ContainerdConfig.DiscardUnpackedLayers {
+		ctx = context.WithValue(ctx, containerd.DiscardUnpackedLayersKey{}, true)
+	}
 	container, err := c.client.NewContainer(ctx, id, opts...)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to create containerd container: %w", err)