diff --git a/cmd/power_user_tasks.go b/cmd/power_user_tasks.go
index 10070e548..a33036cac 100644
--- a/cmd/power_user_tasks.go
+++ b/cmd/power_user_tasks.go
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 package cmd
 
 import (
+	"crypto"
+	"fmt"
+
 	"github.com/anchore/syft/internal/presenter/poweruser"
 	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft"
 	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/file"
@@ -80,7 +83,26 @@ func catalogFileDigestTask() (powerUserTask, error) {
 		return nil, nil
 	}
 
-	digestsCataloger, err := file.NewDigestsCataloger(appConfig.FileMetadata.Digests)
+	supportedHashAlgorithms := make(map[string]crypto.Hash)
+	for _, h := range []crypto.Hash{
+		crypto.MD5,
+		crypto.SHA1,
+		crypto.SHA256,
+	} {
+		supportedHashAlgorithms[file.DigestAlgorithmName(h)] = h
+	}
+
+	var hashes []crypto.Hash
+	for _, hashStr := range appConfig.FileMetadata.Digests {
+		name := file.CleanDigestAlgorithmName(hashStr)
+		hashObj, ok := supportedHashAlgorithms[name]
+		if !ok {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("unsupported hash algorithm: %s", hashStr)
+		}
+		hashes = append(hashes, hashObj)
+	}
+
+	digestsCataloger, err := file.NewDigestsCataloger(hashes)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
diff --git a/internal/presenter/poweruser/json_presenter_test.go b/internal/presenter/poweruser/json_presenter_test.go
index eacd59cc0..97724da69 100644
--- a/internal/presenter/poweruser/json_presenter_test.go
+++ b/internal/presenter/poweruser/json_presenter_test.go
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ func TestJSONPresenter(t *testing.T) {
 		Metadata: pkg.PythonPackageMetadata{
 			Name:    "package-1",
 			Version: "1.0.1",
+			Files:   []pkg.PythonFileRecord{},
 		},
 		PURL: "a-purl-1",
 		CPEs: []pkg.CPE{
@@ -68,6 +69,7 @@ func TestJSONPresenter(t *testing.T) {
 		Metadata: pkg.DpkgMetadata{
 			Package: "package-2",
 			Version: "2.0.1",
+			Files:   []pkg.DpkgFileRecord{},
 		},
 		PURL: "a-purl-2",
 		CPEs: []pkg.CPE{
@@ -76,8 +78,12 @@ func TestJSONPresenter(t *testing.T) {
 	})
 
 	cfg := JSONDocumentConfig{
-		ApplicationConfig: config.Application{},
-		PackageCatalog:    catalog,
+		ApplicationConfig: config.Application{
+			FileMetadata: config.FileMetadata{
+				Digests: []string{"sha256"},
+			},
+		},
+		PackageCatalog: catalog,
 		FileMetadata: map[source.Location]source.FileMetadata{
 			source.NewLocation("/a/place"): {
 				Mode:    0775,
@@ -149,6 +155,7 @@ func TestJSONPresenter(t *testing.T) {
 				},
 				RawManifest: []byte("eyJzY2hlbWFWZXJzaW9uIjoyLCJtZWRpYVR5cGUiOiJh..."),
 				RawConfig:   []byte("eyJhcmNoaXRlY3R1cmUiOiJhbWQ2NCIsImNvbmZp..."),
+				RepoDigests: []string{},
 			},
 		},
 	}
@@ -162,7 +169,7 @@ func TestJSONPresenter(t *testing.T) {
 		testutils.UpdateGoldenFileContents(t, actual)
 	}
 
-	var expected = testutils.GetGoldenFileContents(t)
+	expected := testutils.GetGoldenFileContents(t)
 
 	if !bytes.Equal(expected, actual) {
 		dmp := diffmatchpatch.New()
diff --git a/internal/presenter/poweruser/test-fixtures/snapshot/TestJSONPresenter.golden b/internal/presenter/poweruser/test-fixtures/snapshot/TestJSONPresenter.golden
index 9b428db23..77b2894f9 100644
--- a/internal/presenter/poweruser/test-fixtures/snapshot/TestJSONPresenter.golden
+++ b/internal/presenter/poweruser/test-fixtures/snapshot/TestJSONPresenter.golden
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@
     "architecture": "",
     "maintainer": "",
     "installedSize": 0,
-    "files": null
+    "files": []
    }
   }
  ],
@@ -145,6 +145,7 @@
    ],
    "manifest": "ZXlKelkyaGxiV0ZXWlhKemFXOXVJam95TENKdFpXUnBZVlI1Y0dVaU9pSmguLi4=",
    "config": "ZXlKaGNtTm9hWFJsWTNSMWNtVWlPaUpoYldRMk5DSXNJbU52Ym1acC4uLg==",
+   "repoDigests": [],
    "scope": ""
   }
  },
@@ -187,7 +188,9 @@
      "enabled": false,
      "scope": ""
     },
-    "digests": null
+    "digests": [
+     "sha256"
+    ]
    }
   }
  },
diff --git a/syft/file/digest_cataloger.go b/syft/file/digest_cataloger.go
index a528d2a81..c18478166 100644
--- a/syft/file/digest_cataloger.go
+++ b/syft/file/digest_cataloger.go
@@ -10,33 +10,11 @@ import (
 	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/source"
 )
 
-var supportedHashAlgorithms = make(map[string]crypto.Hash)
-
 type DigestsCataloger struct {
 	hashes []crypto.Hash
 }
 
-func init() {
-	for _, h := range []crypto.Hash{
-		crypto.MD5,
-		crypto.SHA1,
-		crypto.SHA256,
-	} {
-		supportedHashAlgorithms[cleanAlgorithmName(h.String())] = h
-	}
-}
-
-func NewDigestsCataloger(hashAlgorithms []string) (*DigestsCataloger, error) {
-	var hashes []crypto.Hash
-	for _, hashStr := range hashAlgorithms {
-		name := cleanAlgorithmName(hashStr)
-		hashObj, ok := supportedHashAlgorithms[name]
-		if !ok {
-			return nil, fmt.Errorf("unsupported hash algorithm: %s", hashStr)
-		}
-		hashes = append(hashes, hashObj)
-	}
-
+func NewDigestsCataloger(hashes []crypto.Hash) (*DigestsCataloger, error) {
 	return &DigestsCataloger{
 		hashes: hashes,
 	}, nil
@@ -84,7 +62,7 @@ func (i *DigestsCataloger) catalogLocation(resolver source.FileResolver, locatio
 	// file type but a body is still allowed.
 	for idx, hasher := range hashers {
 		result[idx] = Digest{
-			Algorithm: cleanAlgorithmName(i.hashes[idx].String()),
+			Algorithm: DigestAlgorithmName(i.hashes[idx]),
 			Value:     fmt.Sprintf("%+x", hasher.Sum(nil)),
 		}
 	}
@@ -92,7 +70,11 @@ func (i *DigestsCataloger) catalogLocation(resolver source.FileResolver, locatio
 	return result, nil
 }
 
-func cleanAlgorithmName(name string) string {
+func DigestAlgorithmName(hash crypto.Hash) string {
+	return CleanDigestAlgorithmName(hash.String())
+}
+
+func CleanDigestAlgorithmName(name string) string {
 	lower := strings.ToLower(name)
 	return strings.Replace(lower, "-", "", -1)
 }
diff --git a/syft/file/digest_cataloger_test.go b/syft/file/digest_cataloger_test.go
index 7f4516d43..526b79359 100644
--- a/syft/file/digest_cataloger_test.go
+++ b/syft/file/digest_cataloger_test.go
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ func testDigests(t testing.TB, files []string, hashes ...crypto.Hash) map[source
 			h := hash.New()
 			h.Write(b)
 			digests[source.NewLocation(f)] = append(digests[source.NewLocation(f)], Digest{
-				Algorithm: cleanAlgorithmName(hash.String()),
+				Algorithm: CleanDigestAlgorithmName(hash.String()),
 				Value:     fmt.Sprintf("%x", h.Sum(nil)),
 			})
 		}
@@ -46,40 +46,27 @@ func TestDigestsCataloger_SimpleContents(t *testing.T) {
 	regularFiles := []string{"test-fixtures/last/path.txt", "test-fixtures/another-path.txt", "test-fixtures/a-path.txt"}
 
 	tests := []struct {
-		name           string
-		algorithms     []string
-		files          []string
-		expected       map[source.Location][]Digest
-		constructorErr bool
-		catalogErr     bool
+		name       string
+		digests    []crypto.Hash
+		files      []string
+		expected   map[source.Location][]Digest
+		catalogErr bool
 	}{
 		{
-			name:           "bad algorithm",
-			algorithms:     []string{"sha-nothing"},
-			files:          regularFiles,
-			constructorErr: true,
+			name:     "md5",
+			digests:  []crypto.Hash{crypto.MD5},
+			files:    regularFiles,
+			expected: testDigests(t, regularFiles, crypto.MD5),
 		},
 		{
-			name:           "unsupported algorithm",
-			algorithms:     []string{"sha512"},
-			files:          regularFiles,
-			constructorErr: true,
-		},
-		{
-			name:       "md5",
-			algorithms: []string{"md5"},
-			files:      regularFiles,
-			expected:   testDigests(t, regularFiles, crypto.MD5),
-		},
-		{
-			name:       "md5-sha1-sha256",
-			algorithms: []string{"md5", "sha1", "sha256"},
-			files:      regularFiles,
-			expected:   testDigests(t, regularFiles, crypto.MD5, crypto.SHA1, crypto.SHA256),
+			name:     "md5-sha1-sha256",
+			digests:  []crypto.Hash{crypto.MD5, crypto.SHA1, crypto.SHA256},
+			files:    regularFiles,
+			expected: testDigests(t, regularFiles, crypto.MD5, crypto.SHA1, crypto.SHA256),
 		},
 		{
 			name:       "directory returns error",
-			algorithms: []string{"md5"},
+			digests:    []crypto.Hash{crypto.MD5},
 			files:      []string{"test-fixtures/last"},
 			catalogErr: true,
 		},
@@ -87,13 +74,9 @@ func TestDigestsCataloger_SimpleContents(t *testing.T) {
 
 	for _, test := range tests {
 		t.Run(test.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			c, err := NewDigestsCataloger(test.algorithms)
-			if err != nil && !test.constructorErr {
-				t.Fatalf("could not create cataloger (but should have been able to): %+v", err)
-			} else if err == nil && test.constructorErr {
-				t.Fatalf("expected constructor error but did not get one")
-			} else if test.constructorErr && err != nil {
-				return
+			c, err := NewDigestsCataloger(test.digests)
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("could not create cataloger: %+v", err)
 			}
 
 			resolver := source.NewMockResolverForPaths(test.files...)
@@ -161,7 +144,7 @@ func TestDigestsCataloger_MixFileTypes(t *testing.T) {
 
 	for _, test := range tests {
 		t.Run(test.path, func(t *testing.T) {
-			c, err := NewDigestsCataloger([]string{"md5"})
+			c, err := NewDigestsCataloger([]crypto.Hash{crypto.MD5})
 			if err != nil {
 				t.Fatalf("unable to get cataloger: %+v", err)
 			}