diff --git a/ansible/inventory/group_vars/all/compute b/ansible/inventory/group_vars/all/compute
index 6e0dd86c7..30878e069 100644
--- a/ansible/inventory/group_vars/all/compute
+++ b/ansible/inventory/group_vars/all/compute
@@ -2,9 +2,10 @@
 ###############################################################################
 # Compute node configuration.
 
-# User with which to access the computes via SSH during bootstrap, in order
-# to setup the Kayobe user account. Default is {{ os_distribution }}.
-compute_bootstrap_user: "{{ os_distribution }}"
+# User with which to access the compute nodes via SSH during bootstrap, in
+# order to setup the Kayobe user account. Default is 'cloud-user' if
+# os_distribution is set to centos, otherwise 'os_distribution'.
+compute_bootstrap_user: "{{ 'cloud-user' if os_distribution == 'centos' else os_distribution }}"
 
 ###############################################################################
 # Compute network interface configuration.
diff --git a/ansible/inventory/group_vars/all/controllers b/ansible/inventory/group_vars/all/controllers
index b1fa12b07..5d2f2b804 100644
--- a/ansible/inventory/group_vars/all/controllers
+++ b/ansible/inventory/group_vars/all/controllers
@@ -3,8 +3,9 @@
 # Controller node configuration.
 
 # User with which to access the controllers via SSH during bootstrap, in order
-# to setup the Kayobe user account. Default is {{ os_distribution }}.
-controller_bootstrap_user: "{{ os_distribution }}"
+# to setup the Kayobe user account. Default is 'cloud-user' if os_distribution
+# is set to centos, otherwise 'os_distribution'.
+controller_bootstrap_user: "{{ 'cloud-user' if os_distribution == 'centos' else os_distribution }}"
 
 ###############################################################################
 # Controller groups.
diff --git a/ansible/inventory/group_vars/all/infra-vms b/ansible/inventory/group_vars/all/infra-vms
index 65f5b9bce..2105c5e3e 100644
--- a/ansible/inventory/group_vars/all/infra-vms
+++ b/ansible/inventory/group_vars/all/infra-vms
@@ -86,8 +86,9 @@ infra_vm_machine:
 # Infrastructure VM node configuration.
 
 # User with which to access the infrastructure vm via SSH during bootstrap, in
-# order to setup the Kayobe user account. Default is {{ os_distribution }}.
-infra_vm_bootstrap_user: "{{ os_distribution }}"
+# order to setup the Kayobe user account. Default is 'cloud-user' if
+# os_distribution is set to centos, otherwise 'os_distribution'.
+infra_vm_bootstrap_user: "{{ 'cloud-user' if os_distribution == 'centos' else os_distribution }}"
 
 ###############################################################################
 # Infrastructure VM network interface configuration.
diff --git a/ansible/inventory/group_vars/all/monitoring b/ansible/inventory/group_vars/all/monitoring
index 56da639e9..ee1fa4ebc 100644
--- a/ansible/inventory/group_vars/all/monitoring
+++ b/ansible/inventory/group_vars/all/monitoring
@@ -3,7 +3,8 @@
 # Monitoring node configuration.
 
 # User with which to access the monitoring nodes via SSH during bootstrap, in
-# order to setup the Kayobe user account.
+# order to setup the Kayobe user account. Default is 'cloud-user' if
+# os_distribution is set to centos, otherwise 'os_distribution'.
 monitoring_bootstrap_user: "{{ controller_bootstrap_user }}"
 
 ###############################################################################
diff --git a/ansible/inventory/group_vars/all/seed b/ansible/inventory/group_vars/all/seed
index f5b1bd38d..37d4497d9 100644
--- a/ansible/inventory/group_vars/all/seed
+++ b/ansible/inventory/group_vars/all/seed
@@ -3,8 +3,9 @@
 # Seed node configuration.
 
 # User with which to access the seed via SSH during bootstrap, in order to
-# setup the Kayobe user account. Default is {{ os_distribution }}.
-seed_bootstrap_user: "{{ os_distribution }}"
+# setup the Kayobe user account. Default is 'cloud-user' if os_distribution is
+# set to centos, otherwise 'os_distribution'.
+seed_bootstrap_user: "{{ 'cloud-user' if os_distribution == 'centos' else os_distribution }}"
 
 ###############################################################################
 # Seed network interface configuration.
diff --git a/ansible/inventory/group_vars/all/seed-hypervisor b/ansible/inventory/group_vars/all/seed-hypervisor
index 9b9cf889f..0c2a0e6f9 100644
--- a/ansible/inventory/group_vars/all/seed-hypervisor
+++ b/ansible/inventory/group_vars/all/seed-hypervisor
@@ -3,8 +3,9 @@
 # Seed hypervisor node configuration.
 
 # User with which to access the seed hypervisor via SSH during bootstrap, in
-# order to setup the Kayobe user account. Default is {{ os_distribution }}.
-seed_hypervisor_bootstrap_user: "{{ os_distribution }}"
+# order to setup the Kayobe user account. Default is 'cloud-user' if
+# os_distribution is set to centos, otherwise 'os_distribution'.
+seed_hypervisor_bootstrap_user: "{{ 'cloud-user' if os_distribution == 'centos' else os_distribution }}"
 
 ###############################################################################
 # Seed hypervisor network interface configuration.
diff --git a/ansible/inventory/group_vars/all/storage b/ansible/inventory/group_vars/all/storage
index ff4f20d5f..429c0e816 100644
--- a/ansible/inventory/group_vars/all/storage
+++ b/ansible/inventory/group_vars/all/storage
@@ -2,9 +2,10 @@
 ###############################################################################
 # Storage node configuration.
 
-# User with which to access the storages via SSH during bootstrap, in order
-# to setup the Kayobe user account. Default is {{ os_distribution }}.
-storage_bootstrap_user: "{{ os_distribution }}"
+# User with which to access the storage nodes via SSH during bootstrap, in
+# order to setup the Kayobe user account. Default is 'cloud-user' if
+# os_distribution is set to centos, otherwise 'os_distribution'.
+storage_bootstrap_user: "{{ 'cloud-user' if os_distribution == 'centos' else os_distribution }}"
 
 ###############################################################################
 # Storage network interface configuration.
diff --git a/doc/source/configuration/reference/hosts.rst b/doc/source/configuration/reference/hosts.rst
index 6b08e84ab..edda6514a 100644
--- a/doc/source/configuration/reference/hosts.rst
+++ b/doc/source/configuration/reference/hosts.rst
@@ -79,8 +79,9 @@ is ``stack``.
 Typically, the image used to provision these hosts will not include this user
 account, so Kayobe performs a bootstrapping step to create it, as a different
 user. In cloud images, there is often a user named after the OS distro, e.g.
-``centos``, ``rocky`` or ``ubuntu``. This user defaults to the
-``os_distribution`` variable, but may be set via the following variables:
+``rocky`` or ``ubuntu``. This user defaults to the ``os_distribution``
+variable, except for CentOS which uses ``cloud-user``, but may be set via the
+following variables:
 
 * ``seed_hypervisor_bootstrap_user``
 * ``seed_bootstrap_user``
diff --git a/doc/source/configuration/scenarios/all-in-one/index.rst b/doc/source/configuration/scenarios/all-in-one/index.rst
index 750a2487d..1c7e33d71 100644
--- a/doc/source/configuration/scenarios/all-in-one/index.rst
+++ b/doc/source/configuration/scenarios/all-in-one/index.rst
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ It also requires a single host running a :ref:`supported operating system
 * at least one network interface that has Internet access
 
 You will need access to a user account with passwordless sudo. The default user
-in a cloud image (e.g. ``centos`` or ``rocky`` or ``ubuntu``) is typically
+in a cloud image (e.g. ``cloud-user`` or ``rocky`` or ``ubuntu``) is typically
 sufficient. This user will be used to run Kayobe commands. It will also be used
 by Kayobe to bootstrap other user accounts.
 
diff --git a/doc/source/configuration/scenarios/all-in-one/overcloud.rst b/doc/source/configuration/scenarios/all-in-one/overcloud.rst
index 2992877ab..2677df323 100644
--- a/doc/source/configuration/scenarios/all-in-one/overcloud.rst
+++ b/doc/source/configuration/scenarios/all-in-one/overcloud.rst
@@ -219,11 +219,11 @@ or ``rocky`` if using Rocky Linux..
    os_distribution: "ubuntu"
 
 Kayobe uses a bootstrap user to create a ``stack`` user account. By default,
-this user is ``centos`` on CentOS, ``rocky`` on Rocky and ``ubuntu`` on Ubuntu,
-in line with the default user in the official cloud images. If you are using
-a different bootstrap user, set the ``controller_bootstrap_user`` variable in
-``etc/kayobe/controllers.yml``. For example, to set it to ``cloud-user`` (as
-seen in MAAS):
+this user is ``cloud-user`` on CentOS, ``rocky`` on Rocky and ``ubuntu`` on
+Ubuntu, in line with the default user in the official cloud images. If you are
+using a different bootstrap user, set the ``controller_bootstrap_user``
+variable in ``etc/kayobe/controllers.yml``. For example, to set it to
+``cloud-user`` (as seen in MAAS):
 
 .. code-block:: yaml
    :caption: ``etc/kayobe/controllers.yml``
diff --git a/doc/source/contributor/automated.rst b/doc/source/contributor/automated.rst
index 8db00d530..316588b4a 100644
--- a/doc/source/contributor/automated.rst
+++ b/doc/source/contributor/automated.rst
@@ -309,8 +309,8 @@ It is now possible to discover, inspect and provision the controller VM::
     kayobe overcloud hardware inspect
     kayobe overcloud provision
 
-The controller VM is now accessible via SSH as the bootstrap user (``centos``
-or ``ubuntu``) at ``192.168.33.3``.
+The controller VM is now accessible via SSH as the bootstrap user
+(``cloud-user``, ``rocky`` or ``ubuntu``) at ``192.168.33.3``.
 
 The machines and networking created by Tenks can be cleaned up via
 ``dev/tenks-teardown-overcloud.sh``::
diff --git a/etc/kayobe/compute.yml b/etc/kayobe/compute.yml
index 5572bbe00..f27522349 100644
--- a/etc/kayobe/compute.yml
+++ b/etc/kayobe/compute.yml
@@ -2,8 +2,9 @@
 ###############################################################################
 # Compute node configuration.
 
-# User with which to access the computes via SSH during bootstrap, in order
-# to setup the Kayobe user account. Default is {{ os_distribution }}.
+# User with which to access the compute nodes via SSH during bootstrap, in
+# order to setup the Kayobe user account. Default is 'cloud-user' if
+# os_distribution is set to centos, otherwise 'os_distribution'.
 #compute_bootstrap_user:
 
 ###############################################################################
diff --git a/etc/kayobe/controllers.yml b/etc/kayobe/controllers.yml
index d974cc6b1..caa03a6ff 100644
--- a/etc/kayobe/controllers.yml
+++ b/etc/kayobe/controllers.yml
@@ -3,7 +3,8 @@
 # Controller node configuration.
 
 # User with which to access the controllers via SSH during bootstrap, in order
-# to setup the Kayobe user account. Default is {{ os_distribution }}.
+# to setup the Kayobe user account. Default is 'cloud-user' if os_distribution
+# is set to centos, otherwise 'os_distribution'.
 #controller_bootstrap_user:
 
 ###############################################################################
diff --git a/etc/kayobe/infra-vms.yml b/etc/kayobe/infra-vms.yml
index 994f82d96..abbd24e68 100644
--- a/etc/kayobe/infra-vms.yml
+++ b/etc/kayobe/infra-vms.yml
@@ -68,7 +68,8 @@
 # Infrastructure VM node configuration.
 
 # User with which to access the infrastructure vm via SSH during bootstrap, in
-# order to setup the Kayobe user account.
+# order to setup the Kayobe user account. Default is 'cloud-user' if
+# os_distribution is set to centos, otherwise 'os_distribution'.
 #infra_vm_bootstrap_user:
 
 ###############################################################################
diff --git a/etc/kayobe/monitoring.yml b/etc/kayobe/monitoring.yml
index 5468936d3..5a19d7023 100644
--- a/etc/kayobe/monitoring.yml
+++ b/etc/kayobe/monitoring.yml
@@ -3,7 +3,8 @@
 # Monitoring node configuration.
 
 # User with which to access the monitoring nodes via SSH during bootstrap, in
-# order to setup the Kayobe user account.
+# order to setup the Kayobe user account. Default is 'cloud-user' if
+# os_distribution is set to centos, otherwise 'os_distribution'.
 #monitoring_bootstrap_user:
 
 ###############################################################################
diff --git a/etc/kayobe/seed-hypervisor.yml b/etc/kayobe/seed-hypervisor.yml
index dd8fbca23..cded893f9 100644
--- a/etc/kayobe/seed-hypervisor.yml
+++ b/etc/kayobe/seed-hypervisor.yml
@@ -3,7 +3,8 @@
 # Seed hypervisor node configuration.
 
 # User with which to access the seed hypervisor via SSH during bootstrap, in
-# order to setup the Kayobe user account. Default is {{ os_distribution }}.
+# order to setup the Kayobe user account. Default is 'cloud-user' if
+# os_distribution is set to centos, otherwise 'os_distribution'.
 #seed_hypervisor_bootstrap_user:
 
 ###############################################################################
diff --git a/etc/kayobe/seed.yml b/etc/kayobe/seed.yml
index 48bcfb878..9f4f7055b 100644
--- a/etc/kayobe/seed.yml
+++ b/etc/kayobe/seed.yml
@@ -3,7 +3,8 @@
 # Seed node configuration.
 
 # User with which to access the seed via SSH during bootstrap, in order to
-# setup the Kayobe user account. Default is {{ os_distribution }}.
+# setup the Kayobe user account. Default is 'cloud-user' if os_distribution is
+# set to centos, otherwise 'os_distribution'.
 #seed_bootstrap_user:
 
 ###############################################################################
diff --git a/etc/kayobe/storage.yml b/etc/kayobe/storage.yml
index 2cdac5bed..1866e6df3 100644
--- a/etc/kayobe/storage.yml
+++ b/etc/kayobe/storage.yml
@@ -2,8 +2,9 @@
 ###############################################################################
 # Storage node configuration.
 
-# User with which to access the storages via SSH during bootstrap, in order
-# to setup the Kayobe user account. Default is {{ os_distribution }}.
+# User with which to access the storage nodes via SSH during bootstrap, in
+# order to setup the Kayobe user account. Default is 'cloud-user' if
+# os_distribution is set to centos, otherwise 'os_distribution'.
 #storage_bootstrap_user:
 
 ###############################################################################
diff --git a/releasenotes/notes/centos-bootstrap-user-4ee02dee551c62a6.yaml b/releasenotes/notes/centos-bootstrap-user-4ee02dee551c62a6.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..045a74b19
--- /dev/null
+++ b/releasenotes/notes/centos-bootstrap-user-4ee02dee551c62a6.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+---
+upgrade:
+  - |
+    The default bootstrap user has been changed to ``cloud-user`` if
+    ``os_distribution`` is set to ``centos``. Set ``*_bootstrap_user``
+    variables to ``centos`` to retain existing behaviour.
+fixes:
+  - |
+    The default bootstrap user has been changed to ``cloud-user`` if
+    ``os_distribution`` is set to ``centos``, to match official cloud images.