diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 4273aef..1d54f8d 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -99,6 +99,12 @@ When the document declares its root, through an SPDX `DESCRIBES` edge or the Cyc
 ids, declared := doc.Roots()
 ```
 
+An inferred root isn't always the project: in an image, packages nothing depends on, such as `alpine-baselayout`, are roots too. `ProjectRoots` returns only the roots that are the project: the declared ones, and inferred roots syft records as coming from a lock file that lists the project (`package-lock.json`, `npm-shrinkwrap.json`, `Cargo.lock`, `uv.lock` or a yarn berry `yarn.lock`):
+
+```go
+project := doc.ProjectRoots()
+```
+
 ## Ancestors
 
 `Package.Ancestors` records the components a package was derived from, such as the upstream project of a fork. CycloneDX JSON and XML read and write these as `pedigree.ancestors`:
diff --git a/sbom.go b/sbom.go
index a2d918a..8c2673c 100644
--- a/sbom.go
+++ b/sbom.go
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import (
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"maps"
+	"path"
 	"slices"
 	"strings"
 )
@@ -328,28 +329,60 @@ func (s *SBOM) Roots() (ids []string, declared bool) {
 	return ids, declared
 }
 
+// ProjectRoots returns the IDs of the roots that are the project rather than
+// a top of the graph: the declared roots, and inferred roots read from a lock
+// file that lists the project (see projectLockFiles). Packages of an image
+// that nothing depends on are inferred roots, but not the project. It
+// returns nil for a flat-list SBOM.
+func (s *SBOM) ProjectRoots() []string {
+	ids, declared := s.Roots()
+	if ids == nil || declared {
+		return ids
+	}
+	project := s.declaredRoots()
+	for i := range s.Packages {
+		if p := &s.Packages[i]; projectLockFiles[path.Base(p.lockFile())] {
+			project[p.ID] = true
+		}
+	}
+	return slices.DeleteFunc(ids, func(id string) bool { return !project[id] })
+}
+
+// declaredRoots returns the roots the document declares: the targets of
+// DESCRIBES edges and the CycloneDX metadata.component.
+func (s *SBOM) declaredRoots() map[string]bool {
+	roots := map[string]bool{}
+	for _, r := range s.Relationships {
+		if r.Type == RelDescribes {
+			roots[r.TargetID] = true
+		}
+	}
+	if id := s.Document.Component.ID; id != "" {
+		roots[id] = true
+	}
+	return roots
+}
+
 // scopeRoots returns the root set for ClassifyScope, nil when there is no
 // graph, the inferred roots that are top-level dependencies instead (see
 // topLevelDependencies), and whether every root is declared.
 func (s *SBOM) scopeRoots() (roots, top map[string]bool, declared bool) {
 	targets := map[string]bool{}
 	sources := map[string]bool{}
-	declaredRoots := map[string]bool{}
+	describes := false
 	for _, r := range s.Relationships {
 		switch r.Type {
 		case RelDependsOn:
 			sources[r.SourceID] = true
 			targets[r.TargetID] = true
 		case RelDescribes:
-			declaredRoots[r.TargetID] = true
+			describes = true
 		}
 	}
-	if len(sources) == 0 && len(declaredRoots) == 0 {
+	if len(sources) == 0 && !describes {
 		return nil, nil, false
 	}
-	if id := s.Document.Component.ID; id != "" {
-		declaredRoots[id] = true
-	}
+	declaredRoots := s.declaredRoots()
 	// A declared root with edges of its own names the project's direct
 	// dependencies, so nothing needs inferring.
 	linked := map[string]bool{}
diff --git a/scope_lock.go b/scope_lock.go
index 49f89f8..b996e61 100644
--- a/scope_lock.go
+++ b/scope_lock.go
@@ -7,9 +7,8 @@ import (
 
 // These lock files list only the project's dependencies, not the project
 // itself, so a package from one that nothing depends on is a direct
-// dependency rather than the project. npm's package-lock.json, Cargo.lock,
-// uv.lock and yarn berry's yarn.lock do list the project, and are left to
-// root inference.
+// dependency rather than the project. Lock files that do list the project
+// are in projectLockFiles and are left to root inference.
 var projectlessLockFiles = map[string]bool{
 	"poetry.lock":    true,
 	"pdm.lock":       true,
@@ -17,6 +16,16 @@ var projectlessLockFiles = map[string]bool{
 	yarnLockFile:     true, // yarn v1; see yarnBerryWorkspaces
 }
 
+// These lock files list the project itself, so an inferred root read from
+// one is the project.
+var projectLockFiles = map[string]bool{
+	"package-lock.json":   true,
+	"npm-shrinkwrap.json": true,
+	"Cargo.lock":          true,
+	"uv.lock":             true,
+	yarnLockFile:          true, // yarn berry; yarn v1's roots are dependencies
+}
+
 const (
 	yarnLockFile = "yarn.lock"
 	// syftLocationPath is the CycloneDX property syft records the file a
diff --git a/scope_test.go b/scope_test.go
index 245fad0..1695858 100644
--- a/scope_test.go
+++ b/scope_test.go
@@ -319,13 +319,63 @@ func testSyftLockScope(t *testing.T, file string, want map[string]string, wantRo
 	// The scanned directory, which syft declares as the root without
 	// edges, is a root too and shows as "".
 	ids, declared := doc.Roots()
+	roots := rootNames(ids, names)
+	if declared != wantDeclared || !slices.Equal(roots, wantRoots) {
+		t.Errorf("Roots() = %v, %v; want %v, %v", roots, declared, wantRoots, wantDeclared)
+	}
+	// Every root of these lock files is the project: the scanned directory
+	// and the entry for the project in lock files that list it.
+	if got := rootNames(doc.ProjectRoots(), names); !slices.Equal(got, wantRoots) {
+		t.Errorf("ProjectRoots() = %v, want %v", got, wantRoots)
+	}
+}
+
+func rootNames(ids []string, names map[string]string) []string {
 	var roots []string
 	for _, id := range ids {
 		roots = append(roots, names[id])
 	}
 	slices.Sort(roots)
-	if declared != wantDeclared || !slices.Equal(roots, wantRoots) {
-		t.Errorf("Roots() = %v, %v; want %v, %v", roots, declared, wantRoots, wantDeclared)
+	return roots
+}
+
+func TestProjectRootsImage(t *testing.T) {
+	// syft declares the image as the root without edges, so packages
+	// nothing depends on, such as alpine-baselayout, are inferred roots.
+	// They are the image's packages, not the project.
+	tests := []struct {
+		file string
+		want []string
+	}{
+		{"cyclonedx/alpine.cdx.json", []string{""}},
+		{"spdx/alpine.spdx.json", []string{"docker.io/library/alpine"}},
+		{"cyclonedx/nginx.cdx.json", []string{""}},
+		{"spdx/nginx.spdx.json", []string{"docker.io/library/nginx"}},
+	}
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.file, func(t *testing.T) {
+			data, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join("testdata", tt.file))
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatal(err)
+			}
+			doc, err := Parse(data)
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatal(err)
+			}
+			names := map[string]string{}
+			for _, p := range doc.Packages {
+				names[p.ID] = p.Name
+			}
+			if got := rootNames(doc.ProjectRoots(), names); !slices.Equal(got, tt.want) {
+				t.Errorf("ProjectRoots() = %v, want %v", got, tt.want)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestProjectRootsFlatList(t *testing.T) {
+	if got := (&SBOM{}).ProjectRoots(); got != nil {
+		t.Errorf("ProjectRoots() = %v, want nil", got)
 	}
 }