diff --git a/packaging/flavorgen/flavors/clusterclass_generators.go b/packaging/flavorgen/flavors/clusterclass_generators.go
index f1ced4bd34..4c8d79cc47 100644
--- a/packaging/flavorgen/flavors/clusterclass_generators.go
+++ b/packaging/flavorgen/flavors/clusterclass_generators.go
@@ -108,6 +108,7 @@ func getWorkersClass() clusterv1.WorkersClass {
 
 func getClusterClassPatches() []clusterv1.ClusterClassPatch {
 	return []clusterv1.ClusterClassPatch{
+		createFilesArrayPatch(),
 		enableSSHPatch(),
 		infraClusterPatch(),
 		kubeVipEnabledPatch(),
@@ -223,7 +224,6 @@ func newVSphereClusterTemplate() infrav1.VSphereClusterTemplate {
 }
 
 func newKubeadmControlPlaneTemplate(templateName string) controlplanev1.KubeadmControlPlaneTemplate {
-	files := []bootstrapv1.File{}
 	return controlplanev1.KubeadmControlPlaneTemplate{
 		TypeMeta: metav1.TypeMeta{
 			Kind:       util.TypeToKind(&controlplanev1.KubeadmControlPlaneTemplate{}),
@@ -236,7 +236,7 @@ func newKubeadmControlPlaneTemplate(templateName string) controlplanev1.KubeadmC
 		Spec: controlplanev1.KubeadmControlPlaneTemplateSpec{
 			Template: controlplanev1.KubeadmControlPlaneTemplateResource{
 				Spec: controlplanev1.KubeadmControlPlaneTemplateResourceSpec{
-					KubeadmConfigSpec: defaultKubeadmInitSpec(files),
+					KubeadmConfigSpec: defaultKubeadmInitSpec([]bootstrapv1.File{}),
 				},
 			},
 		},
diff --git a/packaging/flavorgen/flavors/patches.go b/packaging/flavorgen/flavors/patches.go
index 805231eb45..7b12a8b998 100644
--- a/packaging/flavorgen/flavors/patches.go
+++ b/packaging/flavorgen/flavors/patches.go
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ package flavors
 import (
 	"fmt"
 
+	apiextensionsv1 "k8s.io/apiextensions-apiserver/pkg/apis/apiextensions/v1"
 	"k8s.io/utils/pointer"
 	clusterv1 "sigs.k8s.io/cluster-api/api/v1beta1"
 	bootstrapv1 "sigs.k8s.io/cluster-api/bootstrap/kubeadm/api/v1beta1"
@@ -29,6 +30,52 @@ import (
 	"sigs.k8s.io/cluster-api-provider-vsphere/packaging/flavorgen/flavors/util"
 )
 
+func createFilesArrayPatch() clusterv1.ClusterClassPatch {
+	return clusterv1.ClusterClassPatch{
+		Name: "createFilesArray",
+		Definitions: []clusterv1.PatchDefinition{
+			{
+				Selector: clusterv1.PatchSelector{
+					APIVersion: controlplanev1.GroupVersion.String(),
+					Kind:       util.TypeToKind(&controlplanev1.KubeadmControlPlaneTemplate{}),
+					MatchResources: clusterv1.PatchSelectorMatch{
+						ControlPlane: true,
+					},
+				},
+				JSONPatches: []clusterv1.JSONPatch{
+					{
+						Op:   "add",
+						Path: "/spec/template/spec/kubeadmConfigSpec/files",
+						Value: &apiextensionsv1.JSON{
+							Raw: []byte("[]"),
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			{
+				Selector: clusterv1.PatchSelector{
+					APIVersion: controlplanev1.GroupVersion.String(),
+					Kind:       util.TypeToKind(&bootstrapv1.KubeadmConfigTemplate{}),
+					MatchResources: clusterv1.PatchSelectorMatch{
+						MachineDeploymentClass: &clusterv1.PatchSelectorMatchMachineDeploymentClass{
+							Names: []string{fmt.Sprintf("%s-worker", env.ClusterClassNameVar)},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+				JSONPatches: []clusterv1.JSONPatch{
+					{
+						Op:   "add",
+						Path: "/spec/template/spec/files",
+						Value: &apiextensionsv1.JSON{
+							Raw: []byte("[]"),
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+		},
+	}
+}
+
 func enableSSHPatch() clusterv1.ClusterClassPatch {
 	return clusterv1.ClusterClassPatch{
 		Name:      "enableSSHIntoNodes",
diff --git a/templates/clusterclass-template.yaml b/templates/clusterclass-template.yaml
index 7b92296d14..261ba93592 100644
--- a/templates/clusterclass-template.yaml
+++ b/templates/clusterclass-template.yaml
@@ -32,6 +32,28 @@ spec:
       name: '${CLUSTER_CLASS_NAME}'
       namespace: '${NAMESPACE}'
   patches:
+  - definitions:
+    - jsonPatches:
+      - op: add
+        path: /spec/template/spec/kubeadmConfigSpec/files
+        value: []
+      selector:
+        apiVersion: controlplane.cluster.x-k8s.io/v1beta1
+        kind: KubeadmControlPlaneTemplate
+        matchResources:
+          controlPlane: true
+    - jsonPatches:
+      - op: add
+        path: /spec/template/spec/files
+        value: []
+      selector:
+        apiVersion: controlplane.cluster.x-k8s.io/v1beta1
+        kind: KubeadmConfigTemplate
+        matchResources:
+          machineDeploymentClass:
+            names:
+            - ${CLUSTER_CLASS_NAME}-worker
+    name: createFilesArray
   - definitions:
     - jsonPatches:
       - op: add
diff --git a/test/e2e/data/infrastructure-vsphere/main/clusterclass/patch-create-files-array.yaml b/test/e2e/data/infrastructure-vsphere/main/clusterclass/patch-create-files-array.yaml
deleted file mode 100644
index a8002f4784..0000000000
--- a/test/e2e/data/infrastructure-vsphere/main/clusterclass/patch-create-files-array.yaml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,25 +0,0 @@
-- op: add
-  path: /spec/patches/-
-  value:
-    definitions:
-    - jsonPatches:
-      - op: add
-        path: /spec/template/spec/kubeadmConfigSpec/files
-        value: []
-      selector:
-        apiVersion: controlplane.cluster.x-k8s.io/v1beta1
-        kind: KubeadmControlPlaneTemplate
-        matchResources:
-          controlPlane: true
-    - jsonPatches:
-      - op: add
-        path: /spec/template/spec/kubeadmConfigSpec/files
-        value: []
-      selector:
-        apiVersion: bootstrap.cluster.x-k8s.io/v1beta1
-        kind: KubeadmConfigTemplate
-        matchResources:
-          machineDeploymentClass:
-            names:
-            - ${CLUSTER_CLASS_NAME}-worker
-    name: create-files-array
diff --git a/test/e2e/data/infrastructure-vsphere/v1.7/clusterclass/patch-create-files-array.yaml b/test/e2e/data/infrastructure-vsphere/v1.7/clusterclass/patch-create-files-array.yaml
deleted file mode 100644
index a8002f4784..0000000000
--- a/test/e2e/data/infrastructure-vsphere/v1.7/clusterclass/patch-create-files-array.yaml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,25 +0,0 @@
-- op: add
-  path: /spec/patches/-
-  value:
-    definitions:
-    - jsonPatches:
-      - op: add
-        path: /spec/template/spec/kubeadmConfigSpec/files
-        value: []
-      selector:
-        apiVersion: controlplane.cluster.x-k8s.io/v1beta1
-        kind: KubeadmControlPlaneTemplate
-        matchResources:
-          controlPlane: true
-    - jsonPatches:
-      - op: add
-        path: /spec/template/spec/kubeadmConfigSpec/files
-        value: []
-      selector:
-        apiVersion: bootstrap.cluster.x-k8s.io/v1beta1
-        kind: KubeadmConfigTemplate
-        matchResources:
-          machineDeploymentClass:
-            names:
-            - ${CLUSTER_CLASS_NAME}-worker
-    name: create-files-array
diff --git a/test/e2e/data/infrastructure-vsphere/v1.8/clusterclass/patch-create-files-array.yaml b/test/e2e/data/infrastructure-vsphere/v1.8/clusterclass/patch-create-files-array.yaml
deleted file mode 100644
index a8002f4784..0000000000
--- a/test/e2e/data/infrastructure-vsphere/v1.8/clusterclass/patch-create-files-array.yaml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,25 +0,0 @@
-- op: add
-  path: /spec/patches/-
-  value:
-    definitions:
-    - jsonPatches:
-      - op: add
-        path: /spec/template/spec/kubeadmConfigSpec/files
-        value: []
-      selector:
-        apiVersion: controlplane.cluster.x-k8s.io/v1beta1
-        kind: KubeadmControlPlaneTemplate
-        matchResources:
-          controlPlane: true
-    - jsonPatches:
-      - op: add
-        path: /spec/template/spec/kubeadmConfigSpec/files
-        value: []
-      selector:
-        apiVersion: bootstrap.cluster.x-k8s.io/v1beta1
-        kind: KubeadmConfigTemplate
-        matchResources:
-          machineDeploymentClass:
-            names:
-            - ${CLUSTER_CLASS_NAME}-worker
-    name: create-files-array