diff --git a/docs/user/reference/config/components.md b/docs/user/reference/config/components.md
index 78b39579..d61315b4 100644
--- a/docs/user/reference/config/components.md
+++ b/docs/user/reference/config/components.md
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ A component definition tells azldev where to find the spec file, how to customiz
 | Release config | `release` | [ReleaseConfig](#release-configuration) | No | Controls how the Release tag is managed during rendering |
 | Overlays | `overlays` | array of [Overlay](overlays.md) | No | Modifications to apply to the spec and/or source files |
 | Build config | `build` | [BuildConfig](#build-configuration) | No | Build-time options (macros, conditionals, check config) |
+| Render config | `render` | [RenderConfig](#render-configuration) | No | Options controlling spec rendering behavior |
 | Source files | `source-files` | array of [SourceFileReference](#source-file-references) | No | Additional source files to download for this component |
 | Default package config | `default-package-config` | [PackageConfig](package-groups.md#package-config) | No | Default configuration applied to all binary packages produced by this component; overrides project defaults and package-group defaults |
 | Package overrides | `packages` | map of string → [PackageConfig](package-groups.md#package-config) | No | Exact per-package configuration overrides; highest priority in the resolution order |
@@ -113,6 +114,27 @@ Most components use auto mode (the default) and need no release configuration. S
 calculation = "manual"
 ```
 
+## Render Configuration
+
+The `[components.<name>.render]` section controls rendering behavior for a component.
+
+| Field | TOML Key | Type | Required | Description |
+|-------|----------|------|----------|-------------|
+| Skip file filter | `skip-file-filter` | boolean | No | Disable post-render file filtering (defaults to `false`) |
+
+### Skip File Filter
+
+During rendering, azldev uses `spectool` to determine which files are referenced by `Source` and `Patch` tags in the spec, then removes unreferenced files from the rendered output. Some specs use dynamic macros (e.g., `%{fontpkgname1}`) that `spectool` cannot expand, causing it to report incorrect filenames. This results in referenced files being incorrectly removed.
+
+Set `skip-file-filter = true` to preserve all files from the dist-git checkout:
+
+```toml
+[components.dejavu-fonts.render]
+skip-file-filter = true
+```
+
+> **Note:** This should only be used for specs with macros that `spectool` cannot resolve. For most components, the default filtering behavior is correct and keeps the rendered output clean.
+
 ## Build Configuration
 
 The `[components.<name>.build]` section controls build-time options for a component.
diff --git a/internal/app/azldev/cmds/component/render.go b/internal/app/azldev/cmds/component/render.go
index 20126af2..b10b1a3c 100644
--- a/internal/app/azldev/cmds/component/render.go
+++ b/internal/app/azldev/cmds/component/render.go
@@ -636,7 +636,16 @@ func finishComponentRender(
 	}
 
 	// Filter files using spectool result from batch mock.
-	if filterErr := removeUnreferencedFiles(
+	// Skip filtering when:
+	// 1. The component config explicitly opts out via 'skip-file-filter'.
+	// 2. spectool output contains unexpanded RPM macros (%{...}), indicating
+	//    that the reported filenames don't match the real files on disk.
+	if prep.comp.GetConfig().Render.SkipFileFilter {
+		slog.Info("Skipping file filter ('skip-file-filter' is set)", "component", componentName)
+	} else if macro := findUnexpandedMacro(mockResult.SpecFiles); macro != "" {
+		slog.Info("Skipping file filter (spectool output contains unexpanded macros)",
+			"component", componentName, "example", macro)
+	} else if filterErr := removeUnreferencedFiles(
 		env.FS(), componentDir, specPath, mockResult.SpecFiles, componentName,
 	); filterErr != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("filtering unreferenced files for %#q:\n%w", componentName, filterErr)
@@ -700,6 +709,21 @@ func copyRenderedOutput(env *azldev.Env, tempDir, componentOutputDir string, all
 	return nil
 }
 
+// findUnexpandedMacro returns the first filename from specFiles that contains
+// an unexpanded RPM macro (i.e., a literal "%{...}" sequence), or "" if all
+// macros were resolved. When spectool cannot resolve a macro, it emits the raw
+// macro text as part of the filename (e.g., "57-%{fontpkgname1}.xml"), which
+// won't match any real file on disk.
+func findUnexpandedMacro(specFiles []string) string {
+	for _, f := range specFiles {
+		if strings.Contains(f, "%{") {
+			return f
+		}
+	}
+
+	return ""
+}
+
 // removeUnreferencedFiles removes files from the directory that aren't in the keep-list.
 // The keep-list is built from the spec file, the "sources" directory, and all
 // source/patch filenames provided. For paths with subdirectories (e.g., "patches/fix.patch"),
diff --git a/internal/app/azldev/cmds/component/render_internal_test.go b/internal/app/azldev/cmds/component/render_internal_test.go
index 85f7d420..185e0a5c 100644
--- a/internal/app/azldev/cmds/component/render_internal_test.go
+++ b/internal/app/azldev/cmds/component/render_internal_test.go
@@ -264,3 +264,100 @@ func TestRemoveUnreferencedFiles(t *testing.T) {
 		assert.Len(t, entries, 2, "both files should remain")
 	})
 }
+
+func TestSkipFileFilterPreservesAllFiles(t *testing.T) {
+	// Verifies that when SkipFileFilter is true, unreferenced files are NOT removed.
+	// This mirrors the finishComponentRender logic: when the flag is set,
+	// removeUnreferencedFiles is not called, so all files survive.
+	testFS := afero.NewMemMapFs()
+
+	require.NoError(t, fileutils.MkdirAll(testFS, "/render"))
+	require.NoError(t, fileutils.WriteFile(testFS, "/render/pkg.spec", []byte("spec"), fileperms.PublicFile))
+	require.NoError(t, fileutils.WriteFile(testFS, "/render/sources", []byte("hash"), fileperms.PublicFile))
+	require.NoError(t, fileutils.WriteFile(testFS, "/render/57-pkg-fonts.xml", []byte("fontconfig"), fileperms.PublicFile))
+	require.NoError(t, fileutils.WriteFile(
+		testFS, "/render/58-pkg-lgc-fonts.xml", []byte("fontconfig"), fileperms.PublicFile))
+
+	// spectool would report unexpanded macros like "57-%{fontpkgname1}.xml"
+	// which don't match any file on disk. Without skip-file-filter, the
+	// filter would delete the real XML files.
+	specFiles := []string{"57-%{fontpkgname1}.xml", "58-%{fontpkgname4}.xml"}
+
+	// Simulate skip-file-filter=false: XML files get removed.
+	err := removeUnreferencedFiles(testFS, "/render", "/render/pkg.spec", specFiles, "pkg")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	for _, name := range []string{"57-pkg-fonts.xml", "58-pkg-lgc-fonts.xml"} {
+		exists, existsErr := fileutils.Exists(testFS, filepath.Join("/render", name))
+		require.NoError(t, existsErr)
+		assert.False(t, exists, "%s should be removed when skip-file-filter is false", name)
+	}
+
+	// Simulate skip-file-filter=true: removeUnreferencedFiles is never called,
+	// so all files are preserved. Reset the filesystem and verify.
+	testFS = afero.NewMemMapFs()
+
+	require.NoError(t, fileutils.MkdirAll(testFS, "/render"))
+	require.NoError(t, fileutils.WriteFile(testFS, "/render/pkg.spec", []byte("spec"), fileperms.PublicFile))
+	require.NoError(t, fileutils.WriteFile(testFS, "/render/sources", []byte("hash"), fileperms.PublicFile))
+	require.NoError(t, fileutils.WriteFile(testFS, "/render/57-pkg-fonts.xml", []byte("fontconfig"), fileperms.PublicFile))
+	require.NoError(t, fileutils.WriteFile(
+		testFS, "/render/58-pkg-lgc-fonts.xml", []byte("fontconfig"), fileperms.PublicFile))
+
+	// With skip-file-filter=true, removeUnreferencedFiles is NOT called.
+	// All files should remain.
+	for _, name := range []string{"pkg.spec", "sources", "57-pkg-fonts.xml", "58-pkg-lgc-fonts.xml"} {
+		exists, existsErr := fileutils.Exists(testFS, filepath.Join("/render", name))
+		require.NoError(t, existsErr)
+		assert.True(t, exists, "%s should be preserved when skip-file-filter is true", name)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestFindUnexpandedMacro(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	tests := []struct {
+		name      string
+		specFiles []string
+		want      string
+	}{
+		{
+			name:      "no macros",
+			specFiles: []string{"curl-8.0.tar.xz", "fix.patch"},
+			want:      "",
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "one unexpanded macro",
+			specFiles: []string{"curl-8.0.tar.xz", "57-%{fontpkgname1}.xml"},
+			want:      "57-%{fontpkgname1}.xml",
+		},
+		{
+			name: "returns first match",
+			specFiles: []string{
+				"good.tar.gz",
+				"57-%{fontpkgname1}.xml",
+				"58-%{fontpkgname4}.xml",
+			},
+			want: "57-%{fontpkgname1}.xml",
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "empty input",
+			specFiles: nil,
+			want:      "",
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "rust crates_source macro",
+			specFiles: []string{"%{crates_source}"},
+			want:      "%{crates_source}",
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tc := range tests {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			t.Parallel()
+
+			result := findUnexpandedMacro(tc.specFiles)
+			assert.Equal(t, tc.want, result)
+		})
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/projectconfig/component.go b/internal/projectconfig/component.go
index 8e8a9137..4d59035c 100644
--- a/internal/projectconfig/component.go
+++ b/internal/projectconfig/component.go
@@ -156,6 +156,9 @@ type ComponentConfig struct {
 	// Configuration for building the component.
 	Build ComponentBuildConfig `toml:"build,omitempty" json:"build,omitempty" table:"-" jsonschema:"title=Build configuration,description=Configuration for building the component"`
 
+	// Configuration for rendering the component.
+	Render ComponentRenderConfig `toml:"render,omitempty" json:"render,omitempty" table:"-" jsonschema:"title=Render configuration,description=Configuration for rendering the component"`
+
 	// Source file references for this component.
 	SourceFiles []SourceFileReference `toml:"source-files,omitempty" json:"sourceFiles,omitempty" table:"-" jsonschema:"title=Source files,description=Source files to download for this component"`
 
@@ -237,6 +240,7 @@ func (c *ComponentConfig) WithAbsolutePaths(referenceDir string) *ComponentConfi
 		Release:              c.Release,
 		Spec:                 deep.MustCopy(c.Spec),
 		Build:                deep.MustCopy(c.Build),
+		Render:               c.Render,
 		SourceFiles:          deep.MustCopy(c.SourceFiles),
 		DefaultPackageConfig: deep.MustCopy(c.DefaultPackageConfig),
 		Packages:             deep.MustCopy(c.Packages),
diff --git a/internal/projectconfig/fingerprint_test.go b/internal/projectconfig/fingerprint_test.go
index 2cdd8a9f..32b32bdd 100644
--- a/internal/projectconfig/fingerprint_test.go
+++ b/internal/projectconfig/fingerprint_test.go
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ func TestAllFingerprintedFieldsHaveDecision(t *testing.T) {
 		reflect.TypeFor[projectconfig.DistroReference](),
 		reflect.TypeFor[projectconfig.SourceFileReference](),
 		reflect.TypeFor[projectconfig.ReleaseConfig](),
+		reflect.TypeFor[projectconfig.ComponentRenderConfig](),
 	}
 
 	// Maps "StructName.FieldName" for every field that should carry a
diff --git a/internal/projectconfig/render.go b/internal/projectconfig/render.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c623f8af
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/projectconfig/render.go
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+// Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation.
+// Licensed under the MIT License.
+
+package projectconfig
+
+// ComponentRenderConfig encapsulates configuration for rendering a component.
+type ComponentRenderConfig struct {
+	// SkipFileFilter, when true, disables the post-render file filter for this
+	// component. Normally, rendered output is filtered to only include files
+	// referenced by Source/Patch tags in the spec (as reported by spectool).
+	// Some specs use macros that spectool cannot expand, causing referenced
+	// files to be incorrectly removed. Setting this to true preserves all
+	// files from the dist-git checkout.
+	SkipFileFilter bool `toml:"skip-file-filter,omitempty" json:"skipFileFilter,omitempty" jsonschema:"title=Skip file filter,description=Disable post-render file filtering for specs with unexpandable macros in Source/Patch tags"`
+}
diff --git a/scenario/__snapshots__/TestSnapshotsContainer_config_generate-schema_stdout_1.snap b/scenario/__snapshots__/TestSnapshotsContainer_config_generate-schema_stdout_1.snap
index d90a8344..f9dd59a2 100755
--- a/scenario/__snapshots__/TestSnapshotsContainer_config_generate-schema_stdout_1.snap
+++ b/scenario/__snapshots__/TestSnapshotsContainer_config_generate-schema_stdout_1.snap
@@ -124,6 +124,11 @@
           "title": "Build configuration",
           "description": "Configuration for building the component"
         },
+        "render": {
+          "$ref": "#/$defs/ComponentRenderConfig",
+          "title": "Render configuration",
+          "description": "Configuration for rendering the component"
+        },
         "source-files": {
           "items": {
             "$ref": "#/$defs/SourceFileReference"
@@ -280,6 +285,17 @@
         "type"
       ]
     },
+    "ComponentRenderConfig": {
+      "properties": {
+        "skip-file-filter": {
+          "type": "boolean",
+          "title": "Skip file filter",
+          "description": "Disable post-render file filtering for specs with unexpandable macros in Source/Patch tags"
+        }
+      },
+      "additionalProperties": false,
+      "type": "object"
+    },
     "ConfigFile": {
       "properties": {
         "$schema": {
diff --git a/scenario/__snapshots__/TestSnapshots_config_generate-schema_stdout_1.snap b/scenario/__snapshots__/TestSnapshots_config_generate-schema_stdout_1.snap
index d90a8344..f9dd59a2 100755
--- a/scenario/__snapshots__/TestSnapshots_config_generate-schema_stdout_1.snap
+++ b/scenario/__snapshots__/TestSnapshots_config_generate-schema_stdout_1.snap
@@ -124,6 +124,11 @@
           "title": "Build configuration",
           "description": "Configuration for building the component"
         },
+        "render": {
+          "$ref": "#/$defs/ComponentRenderConfig",
+          "title": "Render configuration",
+          "description": "Configuration for rendering the component"
+        },
         "source-files": {
           "items": {
             "$ref": "#/$defs/SourceFileReference"
@@ -280,6 +285,17 @@
         "type"
       ]
     },
+    "ComponentRenderConfig": {
+      "properties": {
+        "skip-file-filter": {
+          "type": "boolean",
+          "title": "Skip file filter",
+          "description": "Disable post-render file filtering for specs with unexpandable macros in Source/Patch tags"
+        }
+      },
+      "additionalProperties": false,
+      "type": "object"
+    },
     "ConfigFile": {
       "properties": {
         "$schema": {
diff --git a/schemas/azldev.schema.json b/schemas/azldev.schema.json
index d90a8344..f9dd59a2 100644
--- a/schemas/azldev.schema.json
+++ b/schemas/azldev.schema.json
@@ -124,6 +124,11 @@
           "title": "Build configuration",
           "description": "Configuration for building the component"
         },
+        "render": {
+          "$ref": "#/$defs/ComponentRenderConfig",
+          "title": "Render configuration",
+          "description": "Configuration for rendering the component"
+        },
         "source-files": {
           "items": {
             "$ref": "#/$defs/SourceFileReference"
@@ -280,6 +285,17 @@
         "type"
       ]
     },
+    "ComponentRenderConfig": {
+      "properties": {
+        "skip-file-filter": {
+          "type": "boolean",
+          "title": "Skip file filter",
+          "description": "Disable post-render file filtering for specs with unexpandable macros in Source/Patch tags"
+        }
+      },
+      "additionalProperties": false,
+      "type": "object"
+    },
     "ConfigFile": {
       "properties": {
         "$schema": {