diff --git a/lifecycle/ak b/lifecycle/ak
index df6b38683eff..365b20692bc6 100755
--- a/lifecycle/ak
+++ b/lifecycle/ak
@@ -55,6 +55,10 @@ function cleanup {
 }
 
 function prepare_debug {
+    # Only attempt to install debug dependencies if we're running in a container
+    if [ ! -d /ak-root ]; then
+        return
+    fi
     export DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive
     apt-get update
     apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends krb5-kdc krb5-user krb5-admin-server libkrb5-dev gcc