diff --git a/SPEC.md b/SPEC.md
index a726d297ae9..f92f19e58ab 100644
--- a/SPEC.md
+++ b/SPEC.md
@@ -156,11 +156,12 @@ Implementations MAY store signatures objects in the same OCI repository as the t
 This section describes the way the properties from above are embedded into OCI objects that can be stored in a registry.
 Implementations MUST support storing signatures in at least the following object types:
 
-* [Image Manifest V2 Schema 2](https://docs.docker.com/registry/spec/manifest-v2-2/)
+* [OCI Image Manifest V1](#oci-image-manifest-v1)
 
-#### Image Manifest V2 Schema 2
+#### OCI Image Manifest V1
 
-This section describes the way the mandatory and optional signature properties are embedded into an Image Manifest V2 Schema 2 object.
+This section describes the way the mandatory and optional signature properties are embedded into an
+[OCI Image Manifest V1](https://github.com/opencontainers/image-spec/blob/master/manifest.md) object.
 
 Only one image manifest is created for every signed object.
 Multiple signatures can be embedded in one image manifest.
@@ -177,8 +178,8 @@ Example `payload`:
 ```
 {
   "schemaVersion": 2,
-  "mediaType": "application/vnd.docker.distribution.manifest.v2+json",
   "config": {
+    "mediaType": "application/vnd.oci.image.config.v1+json",
     <omitted for brevity>
   },
   "layers": [
diff --git a/pkg/cosign/remote.go b/pkg/cosign/remote.go
index da37cc22b69..5d430af8f70 100644
--- a/pkg/cosign/remote.go
+++ b/pkg/cosign/remote.go
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ func Descriptors(ref name.Reference) ([]v1.Descriptor, error) {
 	return m.Layers, nil
 }
 
-// SignatureImage
+// SignatureImage returns the existing destination image, or a new, empty one.
 func SignatureImage(dstTag name.Reference, opts ...remote.Option) (v1.Image, error) {
 	base, err := remote.Image(dstTag, opts...)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -60,7 +60,15 @@ func SignatureImage(dstTag name.Reference, opts ...remote.Option) (v1.Image, err
 			if te.StatusCode != http.StatusNotFound {
 				return nil, te
 			}
-			base = empty.Image
+			if !DockerMediaTypes() {
+				base = mutate.MediaType(empty.Image, types.OCIManifestSchema1)
+				m, err := base.Manifest()
+				if err != nil {
+					// should never happen...?
+					return nil, err
+				}
+				m.Config.MediaType = types.OCIConfigJSON
+			}
 		} else {
 			return nil, err
 		}
diff --git a/pkg/cosign/upload.go b/pkg/cosign/upload.go
index 6e4602e7dd4..8e75eed2e6e 100644
--- a/pkg/cosign/upload.go
+++ b/pkg/cosign/upload.go
@@ -34,10 +34,11 @@ import (
 )
 
 const (
-	ExperimentalEnv = "COSIGN_EXPERIMENTAL"
-	repoEnv         = "COSIGN_REPOSITORY"
-	ServerEnv       = "REKOR_SERVER"
-	rekorServer     = "https://api.rekor.dev"
+	ExperimentalEnv     = "COSIGN_EXPERIMENTAL"
+	repoEnv             = "COSIGN_REPOSITORY"
+	DockerMediaTypesEnv = "COSIGN_DOCKER_MEDIA_TYPES"
+	ServerEnv           = "REKOR_SERVER"
+	rekorServer         = "https://api.rekor.dev"
 )
 
 func Experimental() bool {
@@ -47,6 +48,13 @@ func Experimental() bool {
 	return false
 }
 
+func DockerMediaTypes() bool {
+	if b, err := strconv.ParseBool(os.Getenv(DockerMediaTypesEnv)); err == nil {
+		return b
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
 func DestinationRef(ref name.Reference, img *remote.Descriptor) (name.Reference, error) {
 	dstTag := ref.Context().Tag(Munge(img.Descriptor))
 	wantRepo := os.Getenv(repoEnv)
diff --git a/test/e2e_test_secrets.sh b/test/e2e_test_secrets.sh
index 96ba797681b..48fbab3dc12 100755
--- a/test/e2e_test_secrets.sh
+++ b/test/e2e_test_secrets.sh
@@ -31,7 +31,8 @@ export COSIGN_PASSWORD=$pass
 ./cosign generate-key-pair
 img="us-central1-docker.pkg.dev/projectsigstore/cosign-ci/test"
 img2="us-central1-docker.pkg.dev/projectsigstore/cosign-ci/test-2"
-for image in $img $img2
+legacy_img="us-central1-docker.pkg.dev/projectsigstore/cosign-ci/legacy-test"
+for image in $img $img2 $legacy_img
 do
     (crane delete $(./cosign triangulate $image)) || true
     crane cp busybox $image
@@ -42,6 +43,9 @@ done
 ./cosign sign -key cosign.key $img
 ./cosign verify -key cosign.pub $img
 
+## confirm use of OCI media type in signature image
+crane manifest $(./cosign triangulate $img) | grep -q "application/vnd.oci.image.config.v1+json"
+
 ## sign/verify multiple images
 ./cosign sign -key cosign.key -a multiple=true $img $img2
 ./cosign verify -key cosign.pub -a multiple=true $img $img2
@@ -56,6 +60,13 @@ if (./cosign verify -key cosign.pub -a foo=bar -a bar=baz $img); then false; fi
 ./cosign verify -key cosign.pub -a foo=bar -a bar=baz $img
 ./cosign verify -key cosign.pub -a bar=baz $img
 
+# confirm the use of legacy (Docker) media types
+COSIGN_DOCKER_MEDIA_TYPES=1 ./cosign sign -key cosign.key $legacy_img
+./cosign verify -key cosign.pub $legacy_img
+legacy_manifest=$(crane manifest $(./cosign triangulate $legacy_img))
+echo $legacy_manifest | grep -q "application/vnd.docker.distribution.manifest.v2+json"
+echo $legacy_manifest | grep -q "application/vnd.docker.container.image.v1+json"
+
 # wrong keys
 mkdir wrong && pushd wrong
 ../cosign generate-key-pair