diff --git a/ansible_navigator/_version.py b/ansible_navigator/_version.py
index 94893fbfc..610bc0b20 100644
--- a/ansible_navigator/_version.py
+++ b/ansible_navigator/_version.py
@@ -15,5 +15,5 @@
 application version, although keeping the major in sync is probably
 not a bad idea to minimize the amount of stale docs in the user's cache
 """
-__version__ = "1.0.0rc2"
+__version__ = "1.0.0"
 __version_collection_doc_cache__ = "1.0"
diff --git a/ansible_navigator/actions/collections.py b/ansible_navigator/actions/collections.py
index b93c53799..8749be697 100644
--- a/ansible_navigator/actions/collections.py
+++ b/ansible_navigator/actions/collections.py
@@ -304,7 +304,7 @@ def _run_runner(self) -> None:
             self._logger.debug("running collections command with execution environment enabled")
             python_exec_path = "python3"
 
-            container_volume_mounts = [f"{share_directory}/utils:{share_directory}/utils:z"]
+            container_volume_mounts = [f"{share_directory}/utils:{share_directory}/utils"]
             if os.path.exists(self._adjacent_collection_dir):
                 container_volume_mounts.append(
                     f"{self._adjacent_collection_dir}:{self._adjacent_collection_dir}:z"
diff --git a/ansible_navigator/actions/images.py b/ansible_navigator/actions/images.py
index 85e763afd..9f9802298 100644
--- a/ansible_navigator/actions/images.py
+++ b/ansible_navigator/actions/images.py
@@ -207,7 +207,9 @@ def _build_image_content(self) -> Step:
             message = "Collecting image details, this may take a minute..."
             notification = nonblocking_notification(messages=[message])
             self._interaction.ui.show(notification)
-            self._introspect_image()
+            introspection_success = self._introspect_image()
+            if introspection_success is False:
+                return self.steps.previous
 
         if self.steps.current.index == 1:
             step = Step(
@@ -345,11 +347,15 @@ def _collect_image_list(self):
                 image["execution_environment"] = False
         self._images.value = sorted(images, key=lambda i: i["name"])
 
-    def _introspect_image(self):
+    def _introspect_image(self) -> bool:
+
+        if self._images.selected is None:
+            # an image should always be selected by now
+            return False
 
         self._images.selected["__introspected"] = True
         share_directory = self._args.internals.share_directory
-        container_volume_mounts = [f"{share_directory}/utils:{share_directory}/utils:z"]
+        container_volume_mounts = [f"{share_directory}/utils:{share_directory}/utils"]
         python_exec_path = "python3"
 
         kwargs = {
@@ -365,8 +371,21 @@ def _introspect_image(self):
         )
         _runner = CommandRunner(executable_cmd=python_exec_path, **kwargs)
         output, error, _ = _runner.run()
-        if not error:
-            parsed = self._parse(output)
+        if error:
+            self._logger.error(
+                "Image introspection failed (runner), the return value was: %s", error
+            )
+            self.notify_failed()
+            return False
+        parsed = self._parse(output)
+        if parsed is None:
+            self._logger.error(
+                "Image introspection failed (parsed), the return value was: %s", output[0:1000]
+            )
+            self.notify_failed()
+            return False
+
+        try:
             self._images.selected["general"] = {
                 "os": parsed["os_release"],
                 "friendly": parsed["redhat_release"],
@@ -380,8 +399,15 @@ def _introspect_image(self):
             }
             self._images.selected["python"] = parsed["python_packages"]
             self._images.selected["system"] = parsed["system_packages"]
+        except KeyError:
+            self._logger.exception(
+                "Image introspection failed (keys), the return value was: %s", output[0:1000]
+            )
+            self.notify_failed()
+            return False
+        return True
 
-    def _parse(self, output) -> None:
+    def _parse(self, output) -> Union[Dict, None]:
         """parse the introspection output"""
         # pylint: disable=too-many-branches
         try:
@@ -401,3 +427,11 @@ def _parse(self, output) -> None:
         for error in parsed["errors"]:
             self._logger.error("%s %s", error["path"], error["error"])
         return parsed
+
+    def notify_failed(self):
+        """notify introspection failed"""
+        msgs = ["humph. Something went really wrong while introspecting the image."]
+        msgs.append("Details have been added to the log file")
+        closing = ["[HINT] Please log an issue about this one, it shouldn't have happened"]
+        warning = warning_notification(messages=msgs + closing)
+        self._interaction.ui.show(warning)
diff --git a/ansible_navigator/runner/api.py b/ansible_navigator/runner/api.py
index 356d7653e..2b9890981 100644
--- a/ansible_navigator/runner/api.py
+++ b/ansible_navigator/runner/api.py
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 """ ansible_runner API's interface
 """
-import shutil
-import sys
 import logging
 import os
+import shutil
+import tempfile
+import sys
 
 from queue import Queue
-from tempfile import gettempdir
 from typing import Any
 from typing import Dict
 from typing import List
@@ -84,11 +84,9 @@ def __init__(
                                        It the timeout is triggered it will force cancel the
                                        execution.
         """
-        if isinstance(private_data_dir, str):
-            self._private_data_dir = private_data_dir
-        else:
-            self._private_data_dir = os.path.join(gettempdir(), "ansible-navigator")
+        self._logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
+        self._set_private_data_directory(private_data_dir)
         self._ce = container_engine
         self._ee = execution_environment
         self._eei = execution_environment_image
@@ -106,7 +104,6 @@ def __init__(
         self.cancelled: bool = False
         self.finished: bool = False
         self.status: Optional[str] = None
-        self._logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
         self._runner_args: Dict = {}
         self._runner_artifact_dir: Optional[str] = None
         if self._ee:
@@ -162,6 +159,29 @@ class destructor, handle runner artifact file deletion is rotate_artifacts
             )
             shutil.rmtree(self._runner_artifact_dir, ignore_errors=True)
 
+    @staticmethod
+    def _generate_tmp_directory():
+        """generate a tmp directory for artifacts"""
+        return tempfile.mkdtemp(prefix="ansible-navigator_")
+
+    def _set_private_data_directory(self, provided: Union[str, None]) -> None:
+        """Set the private data directory to the provided, the username, or a uuid"""
+
+        if isinstance(provided, str):
+            if os.access(provided, os.W_OK | os.R_OK | os.X_OK):
+                private_data_directory = provided
+                source = "user provided"
+            else:
+                self._logger.debug("Provided private data dir `%s` was not user writable")
+                private_data_directory = self._generate_tmp_directory()
+                source = "user provided, but changed to tmp location due to permissions"
+        else:
+            private_data_directory = self._generate_tmp_directory()
+            source = "not user provided, used tmp location"
+
+        self._private_data_dir = private_data_directory
+        self._logger.debug("private data dir %s: %s", source, self._private_data_dir)
+
     def runner_artifacts_handler(self, artifact_dir):
         """
         ansible-runner callback to handle artifacts after each runner innvocation
diff --git a/setup.cfg b/setup.cfg
index 92eaba942..b2a158c0c 100644
--- a/setup.cfg
+++ b/setup.cfg
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ classifiers =
 [options]
 packages = find:
 install_requires =
-    ansible-runner >=2rc1,<3
+    ansible-runner >=2,<3
     jinja2
     onigurumacffi >=1.1.0,<2
     pyyaml