diff --git a/scripts/ingest-tarball.sh b/scripts/ingest-tarball.sh
index 634f6f61..9a2580d2 100755
--- a/scripts/ingest-tarball.sh
+++ b/scripts/ingest-tarball.sh
@@ -286,7 +286,13 @@ fi
 tar_file_basename=$(basename "${tar_file}")
 version=$(echo "${tar_file_basename}" | cut -d- -f2)
 contents_type_dir=$(echo "${tar_file_basename}" | cut -d- -f3)
-tar_first_file=$(tar tf "${tar_file}" | head -n 1)
+# find the first file in the tarball that corresponds to $contents_type_dir,
+# e.g. the first file that actually belongs to the software layer for software tarballs
+# (and, hence, skip other files, like init scripts)
+tar_first_file=$(tar tf "${tar_file}" | grep -m 1 "/${contents_type_dir}/")
+if [ -z ${tar_first_file} ]; then
+    tar_first_file=$(tar tf "${tar_file}" | head -n 1)
+fi
 tar_top_level_dir=$(echo "${tar_first_file}" | cut -d/ -f1)
 # Handle longer prefix with project name in dev.eessi.io and
 # get the right basedir from the tarball name