diff --git a/common/libnetwork/network/interface.go b/common/libnetwork/network/interface.go
index 332c2e5b83..aeac8d9c15 100644
--- a/common/libnetwork/network/interface.go
+++ b/common/libnetwork/network/interface.go
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ func NetworkBackend(store storage.Store, conf *config.Config, syslog bool) (type
 			NetworkRunDir:      runDir,
 			NetavarkBinary:     netavarkBin,
 			AardvarkBinary:     aardvarkBin,
-			PluginDirs:         conf.Network.NetavarkPluginDirs,
+			PluginDirs:         conf.Network.NetavarkPluginDirs.Get(),
 			DefaultNetwork:     conf.Network.DefaultNetwork,
 			DefaultSubnet:      conf.Network.DefaultSubnet,
 			DefaultsubnetPools: conf.Network.DefaultSubnetPools,
diff --git a/common/pkg/config/config.go b/common/pkg/config/config.go
index dd473783ab..284612f921 100644
--- a/common/pkg/config/config.go
+++ b/common/pkg/config/config.go
@@ -565,7 +565,7 @@ type NetworkConfig struct {
 	CNIPluginDirs attributedstring.Slice `toml:"cni_plugin_dirs,omitempty"`
 
 	// NetavarkPluginDirs is a list of directories which contain netavark plugins.
-	NetavarkPluginDirs []string `toml:"netavark_plugin_dirs,omitempty"`
+	NetavarkPluginDirs attributedstring.Slice `toml:"netavark_plugin_dirs,omitempty"`
 
 	// DefaultNetwork is the network name of the default network
 	// to attach pods to.
diff --git a/common/pkg/config/config_test.go b/common/pkg/config/config_test.go
index b0dd81071b..fe5d1b4d04 100644
--- a/common/pkg/config/config_test.go
+++ b/common/pkg/config/config_test.go
@@ -290,7 +290,7 @@ image_copy_tmp_dir="storage"`
 			gomega.Expect(defaultConfig.Containers.Mounts.Values).To(gomega.BeEquivalentTo(mounts))
 			gomega.Expect(defaultConfig.Containers.PidsLimit).To(gomega.BeEquivalentTo(2048))
 			gomega.Expect(defaultConfig.Network.CNIPluginDirs.Get()).To(gomega.Equal(pluginDirs))
-			gomega.Expect(defaultConfig.Network.NetavarkPluginDirs).To(gomega.Equal([]string{"/usr/netavark"}))
+			gomega.Expect(defaultConfig.Network.NetavarkPluginDirs.Get()).To(gomega.Equal([]string{"/usr/netavark"}))
 			gomega.Expect(defaultConfig.Engine.NumLocks).To(gomega.BeEquivalentTo(2048))
 			gomega.Expect(defaultConfig.Engine.OCIRuntimes).To(gomega.Equal(OCIRuntimeMap))
 			gomega.Expect(defaultConfig.Engine.PlatformToOCIRuntime).To(gomega.Equal(PlatformToOCIRuntimeMap))
@@ -431,7 +431,7 @@ image_copy_tmp_dir="storage"`
 			gomega.Expect(config.Containers.Env.Values).To(gomega.BeEquivalentTo(envs))
 			gomega.Expect(config.Containers.UserNS).To(gomega.BeEquivalentTo(""))
 			gomega.Expect(config.Network.CNIPluginDirs.Get()).To(gomega.Equal(DefaultCNIPluginDirs))
-			gomega.Expect(config.Network.NetavarkPluginDirs).To(gomega.Equal(DefaultNetavarkPluginDirs))
+			gomega.Expect(config.Network.NetavarkPluginDirs.Get()).To(gomega.Equal(DefaultNetavarkPluginDirs))
 			gomega.Expect(config.Engine.NumLocks).To(gomega.BeEquivalentTo(2048))
 			gomega.Expect(config.Engine.OCIRuntimes["runc"]).To(gomega.Equal(OCIRuntimeMap["runc"]))
 			gomega.Expect(config.Containers.CgroupConf.Values).To(gomega.BeNil())
diff --git a/common/pkg/config/default.go b/common/pkg/config/default.go
index e95f806cfe..f98706c480 100644
--- a/common/pkg/config/default.go
+++ b/common/pkg/config/default.go
@@ -234,7 +234,7 @@ func defaultConfig() (*Config, error) {
 			DefaultRootlessNetworkCmd: "slirp4netns",
 			DNSBindPort:               0,
 			CNIPluginDirs:             attributedstring.Slice{Values: DefaultCNIPluginDirs},
-			NetavarkPluginDirs:        DefaultNetavarkPluginDirs,
+			NetavarkPluginDirs:        attributedstring.Slice{Values: DefaultNetavarkPluginDirs},
 		},
 		Engine:  *defaultEngineConfig,
 		Secrets: defaultSecretConfig(),