diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index f66c67eb..00f91f36 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -57,22 +57,22 @@ jobs:
             coverage: 'false'
             app-configuration: default
             extended-tests: none
-          - julia-version: '1.12' # current stable
+          - julia-version: '1.13' # current stable
             github-runner: ubuntu-latest
             coverage: 'true'
             app-configuration: filtered
             extended-tests: sysimage
-          - julia-version: '1.12'
+          - julia-version: '1.13'
             github-runner: windows-latest
             coverage: 'false'
             app-configuration: default
             extended-tests: library
-          - julia-version: '1.12'
+          - julia-version: '1.13'
             github-runner: macos-15 # Apple Silicon
             coverage: 'false'
             app-configuration: default
             extended-tests: library
-          - julia-version: '1.12'
+          - julia-version: '1.13'
             github-runner: macos-15-intel
             coverage: 'false'
             app-configuration: incremental
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ jobs:
       matrix:
         julia-version:
           - '1.10' # current LTS
-          - '1.12' # current stable
+          - '1.13' # current stable
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@11bd71901bbe5b1630ceea73d27597364c9af683 # v4.2.2
       - uses: julia-actions/setup-julia@5c9647d97b78a5debe5164e9eec09d653d29bd71 # v2.6.1
diff --git a/src/PackageCompiler.jl b/src/PackageCompiler.jl
index a5f48264..652679a7 100644
--- a/src/PackageCompiler.jl
+++ b/src/PackageCompiler.jl
@@ -32,6 +32,21 @@ else
 end
 const TLS_SYNTAX = `-DNEW_DEFINE_FAST_TLS_SYNTAX`
 
+# Resolve the `sysimage` cpu target keyword (Julia 1.13+) to the concrete target of
+# `sysimage`. Child processes started without a sysimage (non-incremental builds) would
+# otherwise expand it to `native`, and Julia 1.13.0 stores the keyword itself in the image
+# it builds, which breaks loading that image with `--cpu-target=sysimage`
+# (JuliaLang/julia#63220). The target is queried in a fresh process because
+# `Sys.sysimage_target()` reports the most recently loaded image, so its value is
+# overwritten as soon as any package image is loaded.
+function expand_sysimage_cpu_target(cpu_target::String,
+                                    sysimage::String=unsafe_string(Base.JLOptions().image_file))
+    (cpu_target == "sysimage" || startswith(cpu_target, "sysimage;")) || return cpu_target
+    isdefined(Sys, :sysimage_target) || return cpu_target
+    target = read(`$(get_julia_cmd()) --sysimage=$sysimage -e 'print(Sys.sysimage_target())'`, String)
+    return target * cpu_target[9:end]
+end
+
 const DEFAULT_EMBEDDING_WRAPPER = @path joinpath(@__DIR__, "embedding_wrapper.c")
 const DEFAULT_JULIA_INIT        = @path joinpath(@__DIR__, "julia_init.c")
 const DEFAULT_JULIA_INIT_HEADER = @path joinpath(@__DIR__, "julia_init.h")
@@ -802,6 +817,9 @@ function create_sysimage(packages::Union{Nothing, String, Symbol, Vector{String}
     @debug "instantiating project at $(repr(project))"
     Pkg.instantiate(ctx, verbose=true, allow_autoprecomp = false)
 
+    cpu_target = expand_sysimage_cpu_target(cpu_target,
+        something(base_sysimage, unsafe_string(Base.JLOptions().image_file)))
+
     if !incremental
         if base_sysimage !== nothing
             error("cannot specify `base_sysimage`  when `incremental=false`")
diff --git a/test/runtests.jl b/test/runtests.jl
index 528199ce..73fb0697 100644
--- a/test/runtests.jl
+++ b/test/runtests.jl
@@ -82,6 +82,16 @@ end
 @testset "PackageCompiler.jl" begin
     expected_sysimage_cpu_target = VERSION >= v"1.13-" ? "sysimage" : "native"
     @test PackageCompiler.DEFAULT_SYSIMAGE_CPU_TARGET == expected_sysimage_cpu_target
+    @test PackageCompiler.expand_sysimage_cpu_target("native") == "native"
+    if VERSION >= v"1.13-"
+        # Query in a fresh process: package images loaded here overwrite `Sys.sysimage_target()`
+        sysimage_target = read(`$(Base.julia_cmd()) --startup-file=no -e 'print(Sys.sysimage_target())'`, String)
+        @test sysimage_target != "sysimage"
+        @test PackageCompiler.expand_sysimage_cpu_target("sysimage") == sysimage_target
+        @test PackageCompiler.expand_sysimage_cpu_target("sysimage;native") == sysimage_target * ";native"
+    else
+        @test PackageCompiler.expand_sysimage_cpu_target("sysimage") == "sysimage"
+    end
 
     @testset "julia_libdir / julia_private_libdir" begin
         lib_dir = PackageCompiler.julia_libdir()