diff --git a/mkosi/qemu.py b/mkosi/qemu.py
index 62a5ff549..333ead55c 100644
--- a/mkosi/qemu.py
+++ b/mkosi/qemu.py
@@ -450,6 +450,8 @@ def start_journal_remote(config: Config, sockfd: int) -> Iterator[None]:
         INVOKING_USER.chown(d)
 
     with tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile(mode="w", prefix="mkosi-journal-remote-config-") as f:
+        os.chmod(f.name, 0o644)
+
         # Make sure we capture all the logs by bumping the limits. We set MaxFileSize=4G because with the compact mode
         # enabled the files cannot grow any larger anyway.
         f.write(
diff --git a/mkosi/user.py b/mkosi/user.py
index 2d2dbfec9..823af4fc0 100644
--- a/mkosi/user.py
+++ b/mkosi/user.py
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
 class INVOKING_USER:
     uid = int(os.getenv("SUDO_UID") or os.getenv("PKEXEC_UID") or os.getuid())
     gid = int(os.getenv("SUDO_GID") or os.getgid())
-    invoked_as_root = uid == 0
+    invoked_as_root = os.getuid() == 0
 
     @classmethod
     def init(cls) -> None: