diff --git a/workloads/linux/spec2017/README.md b/workloads/linux/spec2017/README.md
index 6ada17a..bd45504 100644
--- a/workloads/linux/spec2017/README.md
+++ b/workloads/linux/spec2017/README.md
@@ -58,10 +58,14 @@ Export reference speed images:
 make spec2017-images SPEC2017_ISO=/path/to/cpu2017.iso MODE=speed -jN
 ```
 
+By default, rate images are exported under `build/images/spec2017rate/` and
+speed images under `build/images/spec2017speed/`. `SPEC2017_IMAGE_MODE=all`
+keeps the combined export under `build/images/spec2017/`.
+
 The export tree is:
 
 ```text
-build/images/spec2017/
+build/images/<mode>/
   bin/<variant>.fw_payload.bin
   kernel/<variant>.Image
   elf/<case>.elf
@@ -72,6 +76,8 @@ build/images/spec2017/
   cfg/riscv-gcc15.cfg
 ```
 
+`<mode>` is `spec2017rate` for rate and `spec2017speed` for speed.
+
 When SPEC generates multiple run commands for a case, `spec2017-images` exports
 one firmware image, one rootfs, and one `cmd/<variant>.run.sh` per command,
 plus one shared ELF for the base case. Variants are named with the base case,
diff --git a/workloads/linux/spec2017/rules.mk b/workloads/linux/spec2017/rules.mk
index 994bef8..78891fb 100644
--- a/workloads/linux/spec2017/rules.mk
+++ b/workloads/linux/spec2017/rules.mk
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ SPEC2017_EXPLICIT_CFG := $(if $(filter undefined,$(origin SPEC2017_CFG)),,1)
 SPEC2017_RATE_CFG ?= $(SPEC2017_WORKLOAD_DIR)/riscv-gcc15.cfg
 SPEC2017_SPEED_CFG ?= $(SPEC2017_WORKLOAD_DIR)/riscv-gcc15.cfg
 SPEC2017_HELPER := $(SPEC2017_WORKLOAD_DIR)/spec2017-package.py
-SPEC2017_IMAGE_DIR ?= $(SPEC2017_REPO_ROOT)/build/images/spec2017
+SPEC2017_IMAGE_DIR ?= $(SPEC2017_REPO_ROOT)/build/images/$(if $(filter rate,$(SPEC2017_IMAGE_MODE)),spec2017rate,$(if $(filter speed,$(SPEC2017_IMAGE_MODE)),spec2017speed,spec2017))
 SPEC2017_SOURCE_SPEC_ISO := $(SPEC2017_ISO)
 SPEC2017_PREPARED_SPEC_ROOT := $(SPEC2017_BUILD_DIR)/spec-src
 SPEC2017_SOURCE_SPEC_HASH := $(shell if [ -n "$(SPEC2017_SOURCE_SPEC_ISO)" ] && [ -f "$(SPEC2017_SOURCE_SPEC_ISO)" ]; then stat -c '%n:%s:%Y' "$(SPEC2017_SOURCE_SPEC_ISO)"; else printf '%s\n' "$(SPEC2017_SOURCE_SPEC_ISO)"; fi | sha256sum | cut -d ' ' -f 1)