diff --git a/tools/tools/nanobsd/defaults.sh b/tools/tools/nanobsd/defaults.sh
--- a/tools/tools/nanobsd/defaults.sh
+++ b/tools/tools/nanobsd/defaults.sh
@@ -187,9 +187,11 @@
 
 # Directory to populate /cfg from
 NANO_CFGDIR=""
+NANO_METALOG_CFG=""
 
 # Directory to populate /data from
 NANO_DATADIR=""
+NANO_METALOG_DATA=""
 
 # We don't need SRCCONF or SRC_ENV_CONF. NanoBSD puts everything we
 # need for the build in files included with __MAKE_CONF. Override in your
@@ -352,6 +354,10 @@
 	nano_global_make_env
 	echo "${CONF_WORLD}"
 	echo "${CONF_BUILD}"
+	if [ -n "${NANO_NOPRIV_BUILD}" ]; then
+		echo NO_ROOT=true
+		echo METALOG="${NANO_METALOG}"
+	fi
 	) > ${NANO_MAKE_CONF_BUILD}
 )
 
@@ -591,15 +597,28 @@
 		# link /$d under /conf
 		# we use hard links so we have them both places.
 		# the files in /$d will be hidden by the mount.
-		mkdir -p conf/base/$d conf/default/$d
+		tgt_dir conf/base/$d conf/default/$d
 		find $d -print | cpio ${CPIO_SYMLINK} -dumpl conf/base/
+		if [ -n "$NANO_METALOG" ]; then
+			grep "^.\/${d}\/" "${NANO_METALOG}" |
+			    sed -e "s=^./${d}=./conf/base/${d}=g" |
+			    sort | uniq >> "${NANO_METALOG}.conf"
+		fi
 	done
 
+	if [ -n "$NANO_METALOG" ]; then
+		cat "${NANO_METALOG}.conf" >> "${NANO_METALOG}"
+		rm -f "${NANO_METALOG}.conf"
+	fi
+
 	echo "$NANO_RAM_ETCSIZE" > conf/base/etc/md_size
 	echo "$NANO_RAM_TMPVARSIZE" > conf/base/var/md_size
+	tgt_touch conf/base/etc/md_size
+	tgt_touch conf/base/var/md_size
 
 	# pick up config files from the special partition
 	echo "mount -o ro /dev/${NANO_DRIVE}${NANO_SLICE_CFG}" > conf/default/etc/remount
+	tgt_touch conf/default/etc/remount
 
 	# Put /tmp on the /var ramdisk (could be symlink already)
 	tgt_dir2symlink tmp var/tmp 1777
@@ -656,13 +675,15 @@
 
 	# save config file for scripts
 	echo "NANO_DRIVE=${NANO_DRIVE}" > etc/nanobsd.conf
+	tgt_touch etc/nanobsd.conf
 
 	echo "/dev/${NANO_DRIVE}${NANO_ROOT} / ufs ro 1 1" > etc/fstab
 	echo "/dev/${NANO_DRIVE}${NANO_SLICE_CFG} /cfg ufs rw,noauto 2 2" >> etc/fstab
-	mkdir -p cfg
+	tgt_touch etc/fstab
+	tgt_dir cfg
 
 	# Create directory for eventual /usr/local/etc contents
-	mkdir -p etc/local
+	tgt_dir etc/local
 	)
 )
 
@@ -879,6 +900,8 @@
 	if [ -n "${NANO_CUST_FILES_MTREE}" -a -f ${NANO_CUST_FILES_MTREE} ]; then
 		CR "mtree -eiU -p /" <${NANO_CUST_FILES_MTREE}
 	fi
+
+	tgt_touch $(find * -type f)
 )
 
 #######################################################################
@@ -991,7 +1014,7 @@
 
 usage ( ) {
 	(
-	echo "Usage: $0 [-BbfhIiKknqvWwX] [-c config_file]"
+	echo "Usage: $0 [-BbfhIiKknqUvWwX] [-c config_file]"
 	echo "	-B	suppress installs (both kernel and world)"
 	echo "	-b	suppress builds (both kernel and world)"
 	echo "	-c	specify config file"
@@ -1003,6 +1026,7 @@
 	echo "	-k	suppress buildkernel"
 	echo "	-n	add -DNO_CLEAN to buildworld, buildkernel, etc"
 	echo "	-q	make output more quiet"
+	echo "	-U	add -DNO_ROOT to build without root privileges"
 	echo "	-v	make output more verbose"
 	echo "	-W	suppress installworld"
 	echo "	-w	suppress buildworld"
@@ -1035,6 +1059,9 @@
 	if ! $do_clean; then
 		NANO_PMAKE="${NANO_PMAKE} -DNO_CLEAN"
 	fi
+	if ! $do_root; then
+		NANO_PMAKE="${NANO_PMAKE} -DNO_ROOT"
+	fi
 	NANO_MAKE_CONF_BUILD=${MAKEOBJDIRPREFIX}/make.conf.build
 	NANO_MAKE_CONF_INSTALL=${NANO_OBJ}/make.conf.install
 
@@ -1045,8 +1072,9 @@
 	[ ! -d "${NANO_TOOLS}" ] && [ -d "${NANO_SRC}/${NANO_TOOLS}" ] && \
 		NANO_TOOLS="${NANO_SRC}/${NANO_TOOLS}" || true
 
-	[ -n "${NANO_NOPRIV_BUILD}" ] && [ -z "${NANO_METALOG}" ] && \
-		NANO_METALOG=${NANO_OBJ}/_.metalog || true
+	if [ -n "${NANO_NOPRIV_BUILD}" ] && [ -z "${NANO_METALOG}" ]; then
+		NANO_METALOG=${NANO_OBJ}/_.metalog
+	fi
 
 	NANO_STARTTIME=`date +%s`
 	: ${NANO_TIMESTAMP:=${NANO_STARTTIME}}
diff --git a/tools/tools/nanobsd/legacy.sh b/tools/tools/nanobsd/legacy.sh
--- a/tools/tools/nanobsd/legacy.sh
+++ b/tools/tools/nanobsd/legacy.sh
@@ -156,6 +156,33 @@
 	) > ${NANO_OBJ}/_.cs 2>&1
 )
 
+_create_code_slice ( ) (
+	pprint 2 "build code slice"
+	pprint 3 "log: ${NANO_OBJ}/_.cs"
+
+	(
+	IMG=${NANO_DISKIMGDIR}/_.disk.image
+	CODE_SIZE=$(head -n 1 "${NANO_LOG}/_.partitioning" | awk '{ print $2 }')
+	CODE_SIZE=$(_xxx_adjust_code_size "$CODE_SIZE")
+
+	echo "Writing code image..."
+	if [ -f "${NANO_WORLDDIR}/boot/boot" ]; then
+		echo "Making bootable partition"
+		bootcode="-b ${NANO_WORLDDIR}/boot/boot"
+	else
+		echo "Partition will not be bootable"
+	fi
+	nano_makefs "-DxZ ${NANO_MAKEFS} -o minfree=0,optimization=space" \
+	    "${NANO_METALOG}" "${CODE_SIZE}" "${NANO_OBJ}/_.disk.part" \
+	    "${NANO_WORLDDIR}"
+	mkimg -s bsd \
+	    ${bootcode} \
+	    -p freebsd-ufs:="${NANO_OBJ}/_.disk.part" \
+	    -o "${NANO_DISKIMGDIR}/_.disk.image"
+	rm -f "${NANO_OBJ}/_.disk.part"
+
+	) > ${NANO_OBJ}/_.cs 2>&1
+)
 
 create_diskimage ( ) (
 	pprint 2 "build diskimage"
@@ -256,3 +283,76 @@
 
 	) > ${NANO_LOG}/_.di 2>&1
 )
+
+_create_diskimage ( ) (
+	pprint 2 "build diskimage"
+	pprint 3 "log: ${NANO_OBJ}/_.di"
+
+	(
+	local altroot bootloader cfgimage dataimage diskimage
+
+	CODE_SIZE=$(head -n 1 "${NANO_LOG}/_.partitioning" | awk '{ print $2 }')
+	CODE_SIZE=$(_xxx_adjust_code_size "$CODE_SIZE")
+	IMG=${NANO_DISKIMGDIR}/${NANO_IMGNAME}
+
+	if [ -f "${NANO_WORLDDIR}/${NANO_BOOTLOADER}" ]; then
+		bootloader="-b ${NANO_WORLDDIR}/${NANO_BOOTLOADER}"
+	else
+		echo "Image will not be bootable"
+	fi
+
+	diskimage="-p freebsd:=${NANO_DISKIMGDIR}/_.disk.image"
+
+	if [ "$NANO_IMAGES" -gt 1 ] && [ "$NANO_INIT_IMG2" -gt 0 ] ; then
+		echo "Duplicating to second image..."
+		tgt_switch_root_fstab "${NANO_SLICE_ROOT}" "${NANO_SLICE_ALTROOT}"
+		nano_makefs "-DxZ ${NANO_MAKEFS} -o minfree=0,optimization=space" \
+		    "${NANO_METALOG}" "${CODE_SIZE}" "${NANO_OBJ}/_.altroot.part" \
+		    "${NANO_WORLDDIR}"
+		tgt_switch_root_fstab "${NANO_SLICE_ALTROOT}" "${NANO_SLICE_ROOT}"
+		if [ -f "${NANO_WORLDDIR}/boot/boot" ]; then
+			bootcode="-b ${NANO_WORLDDIR}/boot/boot"
+		fi
+		mkimg -s bsd \
+		    ${bootcode} \
+		    -p freebsd-ufs:="${NANO_OBJ}/_.altroot.part" \
+		    -o "${NANO_OBJ}/_.altroot.image"
+		altroot="-p freebsd:=${NANO_OBJ}/_.altroot.image"
+		rm -f "${NANO_OBJ}/_.altroot.part"
+	else
+		altroot="-p-"
+	fi
+	if [ "${NANO_INIT_IMG2}" -eq 0 ]; then
+		altroot="-p freebsd::${CODE_SIZE}b"
+	fi
+
+	# Create Config slice
+	_populate_cfg_part "${NANO_OBJ}/_.cfg.part" "${NANO_CFGDIR}" \
+	    "${NANO_SLICE_CFG}" "${NANO_CONFSIZE}" "${NANO_METALOG_CFG}"
+	cfgimage="-p freebsd:=${NANO_OBJ}/_.cfg.part"
+
+	# Create Data slice, if any.
+	if [ -n "${NANO_SLICE_DATA}" ] &&
+	    [ "${NANO_SLICE_CFG}" = "${NANO_SLICE_DATA}" ] &&
+	    [ "${NANO_DATASIZE}" -ne 0 ]; then
+		pprint 2 "NANO_SLICE_DATA is the same as NANO_SLICE_CFG, fix."
+		exit 2
+	fi
+	if [ "${NANO_DATASIZE}" -ne 0 ] && [ -n "${NANO_SLICE_DATA}" ] ; then
+		_populate_data_part "${NANO_OBJ}/_.data.part" "${NANO_DATADIR}" \
+		    "${NANO_SLICE_DATA}" "${NANO_DATASIZE}" "${NANO_METALOG_DATA}"
+		dataimage="-p freebsd:=${NANO_OBJ}/_.data.part"
+	fi
+
+	echo "Writing out ${NANO_IMGNAME}..."
+	mkimg -s mbr \
+	    ${bootloader} \
+	    ${diskimage} \
+	    ${altroot} \
+	    ${cfgimage} \
+	    ${dataimage} \
+	    -o ${IMG}
+	exit
+
+	) > ${NANO_LOG}/_.di 2>&1
+)
diff --git a/tools/tools/nanobsd/nanobsd.sh b/tools/tools/nanobsd/nanobsd.sh
--- a/tools/tools/nanobsd/nanobsd.sh
+++ b/tools/tools/nanobsd/nanobsd.sh
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
 # Parse arguments
 
 do_clean=true
+do_root=true
 do_kernel=true
 do_installkernel=true
 do_world=true
@@ -49,7 +50,7 @@
 . "${topdir}/legacy.sh"
 
 set +e
-args=`getopt BKXWbc:fhiIknqvw $*`
+args=`getopt BKXWbc:fhiIknqUvw $*`
 if [ $? -ne 0 ] ; then
 	usage
 	exit 2
@@ -120,6 +121,11 @@
 		PPLEVEL=$(($PPLEVEL + 1))
 		shift
 		;;
+	-U)
+		do_root=false
+		NANO_NOPRIV_BUILD=true
+		shift
+		;;
 	-w)
 		do_world=false
 		shift
@@ -213,9 +219,17 @@
 fi
 if $do_code ; then
 	calculate_partitioning
-	create_code_slice
+	if [ -z "${NANO_NOPRIV_BUILD}" ]; then
+		create_code_slice
+	else
+		_create_code_slice
+	fi
 	if $do_image ; then
-		create_diskimage
+		if [ -z "${NANO_NOPRIV_BUILD}" ]; then
+			create_diskimage
+		else
+			_create_diskimage
+		fi
 	else
 		pprint 2 "Skipping image build (as instructed)"
 	fi