diff --git a/image/runner/cloud-init.txt b/image/runner/cloud-init.txt
index 052aa82b6..0c5ae37ae 100644
--- a/image/runner/cloud-init.txt
+++ b/image/runner/cloud-init.txt
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ users:
  - name: github-actions-runner-user
    groups: docker
    sudo: ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD:ALL
+   homedir: /home/github-actions-runner-user
 
 package_update: true
 packages:
@@ -18,19 +19,19 @@ packages:
  - lsb-release
  - jq
  - pv
- - sed
 
 runcmd:
  - [sudo, chmod, "+r", "/boot/vmlinuz*"]
  - [/bin/bash, -c, "curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg"]
  - [/bin/bash, -c, "echo \"deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu $(lsb_release -cs) stable\" | tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null "]
  - [apt-get, update]
- - [apt-get, install, -y, docker-ce, docker-ce-cli, containerd.io]
+ - [apt-get, install, -y, docker-ce, docker-ce-cli, containerd.io, libssl-dev, pigz]
  - [chmod, 666, /dev/kvm]
  - [mkdir, -p, /actions-runner]
  - [curl, -o, "/actions-runner/actions-runner-linux-x64-2.286.1.tar.gz", -L, "https://github.com/actions/runner/releases/download/v2.286.1/actions-runner-linux-x64-2.286.1.tar.gz"]
  - [/bin/bash, -c, "cd /actions-runner && tar xzf /actions-runner/actions-runner-linux-x64-2.286.1.tar.gz"]
+ - [sed, -i, "s:# insert anything to setup env when running as a service:export HOME=/home/github-actions-runner-user:", runsvc.sh]
  - [chown, -R, github-actions-runner-user:github-actions-runner-user, /actions-runner]
- - [sudo, -u, github-actions-runner-user, /bin/bash, -c, "cd /actions-runner && /actions-runner/config.sh --url https://github.com/edgelesssys/constellation-images --ephemeral --labels nested-virt --replace --unattended --token $(curl -u api:$(gcloud secrets versions access latest --secret=constellation-images-coreos-builder-github-token) -X POST -H 'Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json' https://api.github.com/repos/edgelesssys/constellation-images/actions/runners/registration-token | jq -r .token)"]
+ - [sudo, -u, github-actions-runner-user, /bin/bash, -c, "cd /actions-runner && /actions-runner/config.sh --url https://github.com/edgelesssys/constellation --ephemeral --labels nested-virt --replace --unattended --token $(curl -u api:$(gcloud secrets versions access latest --secret=constellation-images-coreos-builder-github-token) -X POST -H 'Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json' https://api.github.com/repos/edgelesssys/constellation/actions/runners/registration-token | jq -r .token)"]
  - [/bin/bash, -c, "cd /actions-runner && ./svc.sh install"]
  - [/bin/bash, -c, "systemctl enable --now actions.runner.edgelesssys-constellation.$(hostname).service"]