diff --git a/driver/kubernetes/manifest/manifest.go b/driver/kubernetes/manifest/manifest.go
index 8199df000087..5093b4376a67 100644
--- a/driver/kubernetes/manifest/manifest.go
+++ b/driver/kubernetes/manifest/manifest.go
@@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ func NewDeployment(opt *DeploymentOpt) (d *appsv1.Deployment, s *appsv1.Stateful
 	}
 
 	if opt.Rootless {
-		if err := toRootless(&podTemplate); err != nil {
+		if err := toRootless(&podTemplate, opt.BuildKitRootVolumeMemory); err != nil {
 			return nil, nil, nil, err
 		}
 	}
@@ -267,7 +267,7 @@ func NewDeployment(opt *DeploymentOpt) (d *appsv1.Deployment, s *appsv1.Stateful
 		podTemplate.Spec.Containers[0].Resources.Limits[corev1.ResourceEphemeralStorage] = limStorage
 	}
 
-	if opt.BuildKitRootVolumeMemory != "" {
+	if opt.BuildKitRootVolumeMemory != "" && !opt.Rootless {
 		buildKitRootVolumeMemory, err := resource.ParseQuantity(opt.BuildKitRootVolumeMemory)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, nil, nil, err
@@ -371,7 +371,7 @@ func setupPersistentStorage(s *appsv1.StatefulSet, opt *DeploymentOpt) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func toRootless(p *corev1.PodTemplateSpec) error {
+func toRootless(p *corev1.PodTemplateSpec, buildKitRootVolumeMemory string) error {
 	p.Spec.Containers[0].Args = append(
 		p.Spec.Containers[0].Args,
 		"--oci-worker-no-process-sandbox",
@@ -396,10 +396,19 @@ func toRootless(p *corev1.PodTemplateSpec) error {
 		Name:      emptyDirVolName,
 		MountPath: "/home/user/.local/share/buildkit",
 	})
+	emptyDir := &corev1.EmptyDirVolumeSource{}
+	if buildKitRootVolumeMemory != "" {
+		mem, err := resource.ParseQuantity(buildKitRootVolumeMemory)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		emptyDir.Medium = corev1.StorageMediumMemory
+		emptyDir.SizeLimit = &mem
+	}
 	p.Spec.Volumes = append(p.Spec.Volumes, corev1.Volume{
 		Name: emptyDirVolName,
 		VolumeSource: corev1.VolumeSource{
-			EmptyDir: &corev1.EmptyDirVolumeSource{},
+			EmptyDir: emptyDir,
 		},
 	})
 
diff --git a/driver/kubernetes/manifest/manifest_test.go b/driver/kubernetes/manifest/manifest_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..ba7a41b0d767
--- /dev/null
+++ b/driver/kubernetes/manifest/manifest_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,113 @@
+package manifest
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
+)
+
+func newBaseOpt() *DeploymentOpt {
+	return &DeploymentOpt{
+		Namespace: "test-ns",
+		Name:      "test",
+		Image:     "moby/buildkit:latest",
+		Replicas:  1,
+	}
+}
+
+func findVolumeMount(mounts []corev1.VolumeMount, mountPath string) *corev1.VolumeMount {
+	for i := range mounts {
+		if mounts[i].MountPath == mountPath {
+			return &mounts[i]
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+func findVolume(volumes []corev1.Volume, name string) *corev1.Volume {
+	for i := range volumes {
+		if volumes[i].Name == name {
+			return &volumes[i]
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+func TestRootlessMemoryVolume(t *testing.T) {
+	opt := newBaseOpt()
+	opt.Rootless = true
+	opt.BuildKitRootVolumeMemory = "1Gi"
+
+	d, _, _, err := NewDeployment(opt)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.NotNil(t, d)
+
+	podSpec := d.Spec.Template.Spec
+	container := podSpec.Containers[0]
+
+	const rootlessDataPath = "/home/user/.local/share/buildkit"
+	vm := findVolumeMount(container.VolumeMounts, rootlessDataPath)
+	require.NotNil(t, vm, "expected volume mount at %s", rootlessDataPath)
+
+	vol := findVolume(podSpec.Volumes, vm.Name)
+	require.NotNil(t, vol, "expected volume with name %q", vm.Name)
+	require.NotNil(t, vol.EmptyDir, "expected EmptyDir volume source")
+	require.Equal(t, corev1.StorageMediumMemory, vol.EmptyDir.Medium,
+		"rootless EmptyDir should use memory medium when BuildKitRootVolumeMemory is set")
+	require.NotNil(t, vol.EmptyDir.SizeLimit,
+		"rootless EmptyDir should have a SizeLimit when BuildKitRootVolumeMemory is set")
+	require.Equal(t, "1Gi", vol.EmptyDir.SizeLimit.String())
+
+	// /var/lib/buildkit is unused in rootless mode; no mount or volume should appear.
+	vm2 := findVolumeMount(container.VolumeMounts, rootVolumePath)
+	require.Nil(t, vm2, "rootless mode should not mount %s", rootVolumePath)
+
+	vol2 := findVolume(podSpec.Volumes, rootVolumeName)
+	require.Nil(t, vol2, "rootless mode should not create a separate %q volume", rootVolumeName)
+}
+
+func TestRootlessNoMemoryVolume(t *testing.T) {
+	opt := newBaseOpt()
+	opt.Rootless = true
+
+	d, _, _, err := NewDeployment(opt)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.NotNil(t, d)
+
+	podSpec := d.Spec.Template.Spec
+	container := podSpec.Containers[0]
+
+	const rootlessDataPath = "/home/user/.local/share/buildkit"
+	vm := findVolumeMount(container.VolumeMounts, rootlessDataPath)
+	require.NotNil(t, vm, "expected volume mount at %s", rootlessDataPath)
+
+	vol := findVolume(podSpec.Volumes, vm.Name)
+	require.NotNil(t, vol)
+	require.NotNil(t, vol.EmptyDir)
+	require.Equal(t, corev1.StorageMediumDefault, vol.EmptyDir.Medium,
+		"rootless EmptyDir should use default medium when BuildKitRootVolumeMemory is not set")
+	require.Nil(t, vol.EmptyDir.SizeLimit)
+}
+
+func TestNonRootlessMemoryVolume(t *testing.T) {
+	opt := newBaseOpt()
+	opt.BuildKitRootVolumeMemory = "2Gi"
+
+	d, _, _, err := NewDeployment(opt)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.NotNil(t, d)
+
+	podSpec := d.Spec.Template.Spec
+	container := podSpec.Containers[0]
+
+	vm := findVolumeMount(container.VolumeMounts, rootVolumePath)
+	require.NotNil(t, vm, "expected volume mount at %s", rootVolumePath)
+
+	vol := findVolume(podSpec.Volumes, rootVolumeName)
+	require.NotNil(t, vol)
+	require.NotNil(t, vol.EmptyDir)
+	require.Equal(t, corev1.StorageMediumMemory, vol.EmptyDir.Medium)
+	require.NotNil(t, vol.EmptyDir.SizeLimit)
+	require.Equal(t, "2Gi", vol.EmptyDir.SizeLimit.String())
+}