diff --git a/play.yml b/play.yml
index 69e2107..a7c18ca 100644
--- a/play.yml
+++ b/play.yml
@@ -76,6 +76,9 @@
     import_role: name=slurm
     vars:
       slurm_user: slurm # or root
+      slurm_user_accounts:
+      - name: cobald
+        dir: /var/lib/cobald
       num_nodes: "{{slurm_num_nodes}}"
       extra_nodes:
       - "{{cobald_container_hostname}}" # from cobald_facts, read or generated
diff --git a/roles/cobald/templates/cobald.Dockerfile b/roles/cobald/templates/cobald.Dockerfile
index b4256cd..7ff8689 100644
--- a/roles/cobald/templates/cobald.Dockerfile
+++ b/roles/cobald/templates/cobald.Dockerfile
@@ -11,7 +11,8 @@ RUN git clone $REPOCOBALD /usr/local/src/cobald && \
 	git clone $REPOTARDIS /usr/local/src/tardis
 
 RUN mkdir /etc/cobald /var/log/cobald && \
-	useradd -m -d /var/lib/cobald --no-log-init --system cobald && \
+	( getent passwd cobald > /dev/null || \
+		useradd -m -d /var/lib/cobald --no-log-init --system cobald ) && \
 	chown cobald:cobald /var/log/cobald
 
 #RUN mkdir /cobald && python3 -m venv /cobald && source /cobald/bin/activate &&\
diff --git a/roles/cobald/vars/cobald-slurm.yml b/roles/cobald/vars/cobald-slurm.yml
index ab38387..cbe6924 100644
--- a/roles/cobald/vars/cobald-slurm.yml
+++ b/roles/cobald/vars/cobald-slurm.yml
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 cobald_image_tag: slurm
-cobald_docker_base_image: "{{slurm.base_image}}"
+cobald_docker_base_image: "slurm:slurmd"
 cobald_docker_default_command: False
 cobald_docker_network: "{{slurm.network}}"
 cobald_domainname: "{{slurm.domain}}"
diff --git a/roles/slurm/files/slurm-base.Dockerfile b/roles/slurm/files/slurm-base.Dockerfile
index 4873efa..8c41fd8 100644
--- a/roles/slurm/files/slurm-base.Dockerfile
+++ b/roles/slurm/files/slurm-base.Dockerfile
@@ -28,4 +28,8 @@ RUN mkdir /etc/docker-init.d  && chmod 755 /usr/local/sbin/docker-init
 COPY start-scripts/10-munge /etc/docker-init.d/10-munge
 RUN chmod 755 /etc/docker-init.d/10-munge
 
+ARG moreusers
+RUN function mu { [ -z "$1" ] || useradd -d $2 -m --no-log-init --system $1 ;};\
+	echo "${moreusers}" | tr ',' '\n' | while read i ; do mu $i ; done
+
 CMD /usr/local/sbin/docker-init
diff --git a/roles/slurm/tasks/dockerimage.yml b/roles/slurm/tasks/dockerimage.yml
index 3f470ba..c4fb325 100644
--- a/roles/slurm/tasks/dockerimage.yml
+++ b/roles/slurm/tasks/dockerimage.yml
@@ -13,6 +13,11 @@
       content: "{{ lookup('file', 'docker-init') }}"
     - dest: start-scripts/10-munge
       content: "{{ lookup('file', 'start-scripts/10-munge') }}"
+    image_args:
+      moreusers: >-
+        {% for a in slurm_user_accounts | default([]) -%}
+        {{a['name']}} {{a['dir']}}{{loop.last | ternary('',',')}}
+        {%- endfor %}
   register: slurm_baseimg_build
   when: not slurm_baseimg_build_chg | default(False)
 
diff --git a/roles/slurm/tasks/dockerimage_build.yml b/roles/slurm/tasks/dockerimage_build.yml
index 5eed2ec..106358e 100644
--- a/roles/slurm/tasks/dockerimage_build.yml
+++ b/roles/slurm/tasks/dockerimage_build.yml
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@
     tag: "{{image_name}}"
 #    pull: False
     build:
+      args: "{{image_args | default(omit)}}"
       pull: False
       path: "/container/docker-images/{{slurm_image_prefix}}-{{image_name}}/"
     source: build