diff --git a/microdroid/Android.bp b/microdroid/Android.bp
index 650f9fff..2ee03a0a 100644
--- a/microdroid/Android.bp
+++ b/microdroid/Android.bp
@@ -89,6 +89,8 @@ android_system_image {
         // TODO(b/195425111) these should be added automatically
         "libcrypto", // used by many (init_second_stage, microdroid_manager, toybox, etc)
         "liblzma", // used by init_second_stage
+
+        "libvm_payload", // used by payload to interact with microdroid manager
     ] + microdroid_shell_and_utilities,
     multilib: {
         common: {