diff --git a/providers-sdk/v1/plugin/service.go b/providers-sdk/v1/plugin/service.go
index 7ec9427ecf..38913b900e 100644
--- a/providers-sdk/v1/plugin/service.go
+++ b/providers-sdk/v1/plugin/service.go
@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@ import (
 	inventory "go.mondoo.com/cnquery/v10/providers-sdk/v1/inventory"
 )
 
+const DISABLE_DELAYED_DISCOVERY_OPTION = "disable-delayed-discovery"
+
 type Service struct {
 	runtimes         map[uint32]*Runtime
 	lastConnectionID uint32
@@ -39,6 +41,12 @@ func (s *Service) AddRuntime(conf *inventory.Config, createRuntime func(connId u
 	// FIXME: DEPRECATED, remove in v12.0 vv
 	// This approach is used only when old clients use new providers. We will throw it away in v12
 	if conf.Id == 0 {
+		if conf.Options == nil {
+			conf.Options = make(map[string]string)
+		}
+
+		// Disable delayed discovery for old clients since they don't know how to handle it
+		conf.Options[DISABLE_DELAYED_DISCOVERY_OPTION] = "true"
 		return s.deprecatedAddRuntime(createRuntime)
 	}
 	// ^^
diff --git a/providers/os/connection/container/image_connection.go b/providers/os/connection/container/image_connection.go
index 00dae8be8e..0353f0c326 100644
--- a/providers/os/connection/container/image_connection.go
+++ b/providers/os/connection/container/image_connection.go
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/google/go-containerregistry/pkg/v1/tarball"
 	"github.com/rs/zerolog/log"
 	"go.mondoo.com/cnquery/v10/providers-sdk/v1/inventory"
+	"go.mondoo.com/cnquery/v10/providers-sdk/v1/plugin"
 	"go.mondoo.com/cnquery/v10/providers/os/connection/container/auth"
 	"go.mondoo.com/cnquery/v10/providers/os/connection/container/image"
 	"go.mondoo.com/cnquery/v10/providers/os/connection/tar"
@@ -21,7 +22,12 @@ import (
 
 // NewImageConnection uses a container image reference as input and creates a tar connection
 func NewImageConnection(id uint32, conf *inventory.Config, asset *inventory.Asset, img v1.Image) (*tar.Connection, error) {
-	conf.SkipDiscovery = true
+	// FIXME: DEPRECATED, remove in v12.0 vv
+	// The SkipDiscovery flag should always be set from v12
+	if conf.Options == nil || conf.Options[plugin.DISABLE_DELAYED_DISCOVERY_OPTION] == "" {
+		conf.SkipDiscovery = true // Skip discovery, to make sure we don't directly download the image
+	}
+	// ^^
 	f, err := tar.RandomFile()
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
diff --git a/providers/os/connection/docker/container_connection.go b/providers/os/connection/docker/container_connection.go
index c4a70b7614..e83abf8b03 100644
--- a/providers/os/connection/docker/container_connection.go
+++ b/providers/os/connection/docker/container_connection.go
@@ -216,7 +216,12 @@ func NewDockerEngineContainer(id uint32, conf *inventory.Config, asset *inventor
 		conn.PlatformIdentifier = containerid.MondooContainerID(ci.ID)
 		conn.Metadata.Name = containerid.ShortContainerImageID(ci.ID)
 		conn.Metadata.Labels = ci.Labels
-		conf.SkipDiscovery = true // Skip discovery, to make sure we don't directly download the image
+		// FIXME: DEPRECATED, remove in v12.0 vv
+		// The SkipDiscovery flag should always be set from v12
+		if conf.Options == nil || conf.Options[plugin.DISABLE_DELAYED_DISCOVERY_OPTION] == "" {
+			conf.SkipDiscovery = true // Skip discovery, to make sure we don't directly download the image
+		}
+		// ^^
 		asset.Name = ci.Name
 		asset.PlatformIds = []string{containerid.MondooContainerID(ci.ID)}
 		return conn, nil
@@ -296,7 +301,12 @@ func NewContainerImageConnection(id uint32, conf *inventory.Config, asset *inven
 		conf.Options = map[string]string{}
 	}
 	conf.Options[tar.OPTION_FILE] = filename
-	conf.SkipDiscovery = true // Skip discovery, to make sure we don't directly download the image
+	// FIXME: DEPRECATED, remove in v12.0 vv
+	// The SkipDiscovery flag should always be set from v12
+	if conf.Options == nil || conf.Options[plugin.DISABLE_DELAYED_DISCOVERY_OPTION] == "" {
+		conf.SkipDiscovery = true // Skip discovery, to make sure we don't directly download the image
+	}
+	// ^^
 
 	tarConn, err := tar.NewConnection(
 		id,