diff --git a/build_image b/build_image
index 1dc23e870d..52a8ddd10a 100755
--- a/build_image
+++ b/build_image
@@ -38,6 +38,8 @@ DEFINE_string group "${DEFAULT_GROUP}" \
   "The update group."
 DEFINE_boolean generate_update "${FLAGS_FALSE}" \
   "Generate update payload. (prod only)"
+DEFINE_string developer_data "" \
+  "Insert a custom cloudinit file into the image."
 
 # include upload options
 . "${BUILD_LIBRARY_DIR}/release_util.sh" || exit 1
@@ -134,6 +136,23 @@ mkdir -p "${BUILD_DIR}"
 DISK_LAYOUT="${FLAGS_disk_layout:-base}"
 CONTAINER_LAYOUT="${FLAGS_disk_layout:-container}"
 
+if [[ -n "${FLAGS_developer_data}" ]]; then
+  if [[ ! -f "${FLAGS_developer_data}" ]]; then
+    die_notrace "Developer data is not a file: ${FLAGS_developer_data}"
+  fi
+  info "Using developer cloudinit data: ${FLAGS_developer_data}"
+elif [[ -s /etc/shared_user_passwd.txt ]]; then
+  FLAGS_developer_data="${BUILD_DIR}/developer_data"
+  info "Generating developer cloudinit with shared user password."
+  cat >"${FLAGS_developer_data}" <<EOF
+#cloud-config
+
+users:
+  - name: core
+    passwd: $(</etc/shared_user_passwd.txt)
+EOF
+fi
+
 if [[ "${DEV_IMAGE}" -eq 1 ]]; then
   create_dev_image ${COREOS_DEVELOPER_IMAGE_NAME} ${DISK_LAYOUT} ${FLAGS_group}
   upload_image "${BUILD_DIR}/${COREOS_DEVELOPER_IMAGE_NAME}"
diff --git a/build_library/build_image_util.sh b/build_library/build_image_util.sh
index 64614ce430..8e19a37b08 100755
--- a/build_library/build_image_util.sh
+++ b/build_library/build_image_util.sh
@@ -104,6 +104,19 @@ emerge_to_image() {
   sudo -E ROOT="${root_fs_dir}" env-update
 }
 
+# Usage: systemd_enable /root default.target something.service
+# Or: systemd_enable /root default.target some@.service some@thing.service
+systemd_enable() {
+  local root_fs_dir="$1"
+  local target="$2"
+  local unit_file="$3"
+  local unit_alias="${4:-$3}"
+  local wants_dir="${root_fs_dir}/usr/lib/systemd/system/${target}.wants"
+
+  sudo mkdir -p "${wants_dir}"
+  sudo ln -sf "../${unit_file}" "${wants_dir}/${unit_alias}"
+}
+
 start_image() {
   local image_name="$1"
   local disk_layout="$2"
@@ -161,6 +174,14 @@ finish_image() {
       --boot_args="${FLAGS_boot_args}"
   fi
 
+  if [[ -n "${FLAGS_developer_data}" ]]; then
+    local data_path="/usr/share/coreos/developer_data"
+    local unit_path="usr-share-coreos-developer_data"
+    sudo cp "${FLAGS_developer_data}" "${root_fs_dir}/${data_path}"
+    systemd_enable "${root_fs_dir}" user-config.target \
+        "user-cloudinit@.path" "user-cloudinit@${unit_path}.path"
+  fi
+
   # Zero all fs free space to make it more compressible so auto-update
   # payloads become smaller, not fatal since it won't work on linux < 3.2
   sudo fstrim "${root_fs_dir}" || true
diff --git a/build_library/dev_image_util.sh b/build_library/dev_image_util.sh
index cc376d8d85..ec8bddc794 100755
--- a/build_library/dev_image_util.sh
+++ b/build_library/dev_image_util.sh
@@ -94,9 +94,7 @@ EOF
 
   # Remount the system partition read-write by default.
   # The remount services are provided by coreos-base/coreos-init
-  local fs_wants="${root_fs_dir}/usr/lib/systemd/system/local-fs.target.wants"
-  sudo mkdir -p "${fs_wants}"
-  sudo ln -s ../remount-usr.service "${fs_wants}"
+  systemd_enable "${root_fs_dir}" "local-fs.target" "remount-usr.service"
 
   finish_image "${disk_layout}" "${root_fs_dir}" "${update_group}"
 }
diff --git a/build_library/vm_image_util.sh b/build_library/vm_image_util.sh
index 362c1b96b5..795deabc0f 100644
--- a/build_library/vm_image_util.sh
+++ b/build_library/vm_image_util.sh
@@ -373,18 +373,6 @@ _write_cpio_common() {
         # Inject /usr/.noupdate into squashfs to disable update_engine
         echo "/usr/.noupdate f 444 root root echo -n" >"${VM_TMP_DIR}/extra"
     else
-        # Use OEM cloud-config to setup the core user's password
-        if [[ -s /etc/shared_user_passwd.txt ]]; then
-            sudo mkdir -p "${cpio_target}/usr/share/oem"
-            sudo_clobber "${cpio_target}/usr/share/oem/cloud-config.yml" <<EOF
-#cloud-config
-
-users:
-  - name: core
-    passwd: $(</etc/shared_user_passwd.txt)
-EOF
-        fi
-
         # Inject /usr/.noupdate into squashfs to disable update_engine
         echo "/.noupdate f 444 root root echo -n" >"${VM_TMP_DIR}/extra"
     fi