diff --git a/docs/balena-cli.md b/docs/balena-cli.md
index 3d5c2f4964..cc02672ab8 100644
--- a/docs/balena-cli.md
+++ b/docs/balena-cli.md
@@ -3048,6 +3048,7 @@ because we need to access the raw devices directly.
 
 Examples:
 
+	$ balena os initialize ../path/rpi.img
 	$ balena os initialize ../path/rpi.img --type raspberry-pi
 
 ### Arguments
diff --git a/src/commands/internal/osinit.ts b/src/commands/internal/osinit.ts
index 4a420ae88b..0d98802c04 100644
--- a/src/commands/internal/osinit.ts
+++ b/src/commands/internal/osinit.ts
@@ -38,9 +38,6 @@ export default class OsinitCmd extends Command {
 		image: Args.string({
 			required: true,
 		}),
-		type: Args.string({
-			required: true,
-		}),
 		config: Args.string({
 			required: true,
 		}),
@@ -58,7 +55,7 @@ export default class OsinitCmd extends Command {
 		const { getManifest, osProgressHandler } = await import(
 			'../../utils/helpers'
 		);
-		const manifest = await getManifest(params.image, params.type);
+		const manifest = await getManifest(params.image);
 
 		const { initialize } = await import('balena-device-init');
 		const initializeEmitter = await initialize(params.image, manifest, config);
diff --git a/src/commands/os/build-config.ts b/src/commands/os/build-config.ts
index 7a15613b59..bfa8bd3d09 100644
--- a/src/commands/os/build-config.ts
+++ b/src/commands/os/build-config.ts
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ export default class OsBuildConfigCmd extends Command {
 			description: 'os image',
 			required: true,
 		}),
+		// TODO: Drop this arg on the next major
 		'device-type': Args.string({
 			description: 'device type',
 			required: true,
@@ -63,6 +64,12 @@ export default class OsBuildConfigCmd extends Command {
 
 		const { writeFile } = (await import('fs')).promises;
 
+		// the "device-type" arg will be removed on the next major - warn user
+		if (params['device-type'] != null) {
+			const { deviceTypeArgDeprecation } = await import('../../utils/messages');
+			console.log(deviceTypeArgDeprecation('device-type'));
+		}
+
 		const config = await this.buildConfig(
 			params.image,
 			params['device-type'],
@@ -74,7 +81,12 @@ export default class OsBuildConfigCmd extends Command {
 		console.info(`Config file "${options.output}" created successfully.`);
 	}
 
-	async buildConfig(image: string, deviceTypeSlug: string, advanced: boolean) {
+	async buildConfig(
+		image: string,
+		// TODO: Drop this parameter on the next major
+		deviceTypeSlug: string | undefined,
+		advanced: boolean,
+	) {
 		advanced = advanced || false;
 
 		const { getManifest } = await import('../../utils/helpers');
diff --git a/src/commands/os/configure.ts b/src/commands/os/configure.ts
index 3d9640ce06..47919673fe 100644
--- a/src/commands/os/configure.ts
+++ b/src/commands/os/configure.ts
@@ -197,6 +197,7 @@ export default class OsConfigureCmd extends Command {
 
 		const deviceTypeManifest = await helpers.getManifest(
 			params.image,
+			// TODO: Drop this in the next major in favor of calling checkManifestMatchesDeviceType() directly
 			deviceTypeSlug,
 		);
 
diff --git a/src/commands/os/initialize.ts b/src/commands/os/initialize.ts
index c6d4b52aef..f9cf25abe2 100644
--- a/src/commands/os/initialize.ts
+++ b/src/commands/os/initialize.ts
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ export default class OsInitializeCmd extends Command {
 	`;
 
 	public static examples = [
+		'$ balena os initialize ../path/rpi.img',
 		'$ balena os initialize ../path/rpi.img --type raspberry-pi',
 	];
 
@@ -63,6 +64,11 @@ export default class OsInitializeCmd extends Command {
 		console.info(`Initializing device ${INIT_WARNING_MESSAGE}`);
 
 		const manifest = await getManifest(params.image, options.type);
+		// the "type" arg will be removed on the next major - warn user
+		if (options.type != null) {
+			const { deviceTypeArgDeprecation } = await import('../../utils/messages');
+			console.log(deviceTypeArgDeprecation('type'));
+		}
 
 		const answers = await getCliForm().run(manifest.initialization?.options, {
 			override: {
@@ -81,13 +87,7 @@ export default class OsInitializeCmd extends Command {
 			await safeUmount(answers.drive);
 		}
 
-		await sudo([
-			'internal',
-			'osinit',
-			params.image,
-			options.type,
-			JSON.stringify(answers),
-		]);
+		await sudo(['internal', 'osinit', params.image, JSON.stringify(answers)]);
 
 		if (answers.drive != null) {
 			const { safeUmount } = await import('../../utils/umount');
diff --git a/src/utils/common-flags.ts b/src/utils/common-flags.ts
index ba84db1390..3d5a69dad2 100644
--- a/src/utils/common-flags.ts
+++ b/src/utils/common-flags.ts
@@ -94,7 +94,6 @@ export const deviceType = Flags.string({
 	description:
 		'device type (Check available types with `balena device-type list`)',
 	char: 't',
-	required: true,
 });
 
 export const json = Flags.boolean({
diff --git a/src/utils/helpers.ts b/src/utils/helpers.ts
index f98d08f89a..06c6075400 100644
--- a/src/utils/helpers.ts
+++ b/src/utils/helpers.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
 You may obtain a copy of the License at
 
-   http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+	http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
 
 Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
 distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
@@ -103,48 +103,67 @@ export async function runCommand<T>(commandArgs: string[]): Promise<T> {
 	return run(commandArgs) as Promise<T>;
 }
 
+export async function checkManifestMatchesDeviceType(
+	manifest: BalenaSdk.DeviceTypeJson.DeviceType,
+	deviceType: string,
+) {
+	if (
+		manifest.slug !== deviceType &&
+		manifest.slug !==
+			(await getBalenaSdk().models.deviceType.get(deviceType)).slug
+	) {
+		const { ExpectedError } = await import('../errors');
+		throw new ExpectedError(
+			`The device type of the provided OS image ${manifest.slug}, does not match the expected device type ${deviceType}`,
+		);
+	}
+}
+
 export async function getManifest(
 	image: string,
-	deviceType: string,
+	// TODO: Drop this parameter in the next major
+	fallbackDeviceType?: string,
 ): Promise<BalenaSdk.DeviceTypeJson.DeviceType> {
 	const init = await import('balena-device-init');
-	const sdk = getBalenaSdk();
 	const manifest = await init.getImageManifest(image);
-	if (manifest != null) {
-		const config = manifest.configuration?.config;
-		if (config?.partition != null) {
-			const { getBootPartition } = await import('balena-config-json');
-			// Find the device-type.json property that holds the boot partition number for
-			// this device type (config.partition or config.partition.primary) and overwrite it
-			// with the boot partition number that was found by inspecting the image.
-			// since it's deprecated & no longer updated for newer releases.
-			if (typeof config.partition === 'number') {
-				config.partition = await getBootPartition(image);
-			} else if (config.partition.primary != null) {
-				config.partition.primary = await getBootPartition(image);
-			}
-			// TODO: Add handling for when we no longer include a `config.partition` at all.
+	if (manifest == null) {
+		// TODO: Change this in the next major to throw when not being able to find the manifest
+		// on the provided image, after confirming that this works for all supported OS versions.
+		if (fallbackDeviceType != null) {
+			console.error(
+				`[warn] Error while finding a device-type.json on the provided image path. Attempting to fetch from the API.`,
+			);
+			const sdk = getBalenaSdk();
+			return await sdk.models.config.getDeviceTypeManifestBySlug(
+				fallbackDeviceType,
+			);
 		}
-	} else {
-		// TODO: Change this in the next major to throw, after confirming that this works for all supported OS versions.
-		console.error(
-			`[warn] Error while finding a device-type.json on the provided image path. Attempting to fetch from the API.`,
-		);
-	}
-	if (
-		manifest != null &&
-		manifest.slug !== deviceType &&
-		manifest.slug !== (await sdk.models.deviceType.get(deviceType)).slug
-	) {
 		const { ExpectedError } = await import('../errors');
 		throw new ExpectedError(
-			`The device type of the provided OS image ${manifest.slug}, does not match the expected device type ${deviceType}`,
+			`Could not find the manifest on the provided image path '${image}'. Please double check that this is a valid balenaOS image.`,
 		);
 	}
-	return (
-		manifest ??
-		(await sdk.models.config.getDeviceTypeManifestBySlug(deviceType))
-	);
+
+	const config = manifest.configuration?.config;
+	if (config?.partition != null) {
+		const { getBootPartition } = await import('balena-config-json');
+		// Find the device-type.json property that holds the boot partition number for
+		// this device type (config.partition or config.partition.primary) and overwrite it
+		// with the boot partition number that was found by inspecting the image.
+		// since it's deprecated & no longer updated for newer releases.
+		if (typeof config.partition === 'number') {
+			config.partition = await getBootPartition(image);
+		} else if (config.partition.primary != null) {
+			config.partition.primary = await getBootPartition(image);
+		}
+		// TODO: Add handling for when we no longer include a `config.partition` at all.
+	}
+	// TODO: Drop this in the next major along with the fallbackDeviceType argument
+	// and move the checkManifestMatchesDeviceType() to the caller side when still necessary.
+	if (fallbackDeviceType != null) {
+		await checkManifestMatchesDeviceType(manifest, fallbackDeviceType);
+	}
+	return manifest;
 }
 
 export const areDeviceTypesCompatible = async (
diff --git a/src/utils/messages.ts b/src/utils/messages.ts
index 88a21c7de0..0c10dc1e56 100644
--- a/src/utils/messages.ts
+++ b/src/utils/messages.ts
@@ -189,6 +189,12 @@ If you have a particular use for buildArg, which is not satisfied by build-time
 secrets, please contact us via support or the forums: https://forums.balena.io/
 \n`;
 
+export const deviceTypeArgDeprecation = (paramName: string) => `\
+WARNING: You have specified a '--${paramName}' option, which is now deprecated, and
+may be removed in the future. The balena-cli will now try to auto-detect
+the device type of the provided balenaOS image.
+\n`;
+
 export function getNodeEngineVersionWarn(
 	version: string,
 	validVersions: string,