diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 97fc8ca9115597a4ab6740ce004a27985d6e1e6f..94bb54f55d89e18e047ca35c7a794e47338bbdb8 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ Deploy code!
 
 ## users
 
-The deployment runs as the user `deployer`, which has access to e.g. gitlab.
+The deployment runs as `root`, which has access to e.g. gitlab.
 The formula is organized in projects.
 
 ```yaml
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ deploy:
     project_name: {}
 ```
 
-For each project an additional user with the name `project_name` gets created, which is a member of the group `deployer`.
+For each project an additional user with the name `project_name` gets created.
 This user should be used to run daemons.
 
 ## states
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ The environment creation runs in the context of the project user.
 #### `deploy.projects.[...].user_groups`
 
 Each project receives a user that should be used to run the project (if it is runnable somehow...).
-By default this user is member of the groups: `deployer`, `[project_name]` and `virtualenv`.
+By default this user is member of the groups: `[project_name]` and `virtualenv`.
 With `user_groups` you can define additional groups the user should belojng to.
 This is especially interesting for access to cert data.
 If your run user needs to read a cert, you might add him into the corresponding group.
diff --git a/deploy/django.sls b/deploy/django.sls
index 9c6e92628721299578c4aac08e8fa5f43798b46d..1a8716c16782fd86d8a7282b6b02c16edc69f547 100644
--- a/deploy/django.sls
+++ b/deploy/django.sls
@@ -3,20 +3,16 @@
 deploy_static_directory:
   file.directory:
     - name: {{ deploy.config.static_directory }}
-    - user: deployer
+    - user: root
     - group: www-data
-    - mode: 2770
-    - require:
-      - user: deployer
+    - mode: 2775
 
 deploy_sqlite_directory:
   file.directory:
     - name: {{ deploy.config.sqlite_directory }}
-    - user: deployer
-    - group: deployer
-    - mode: 2770
-    - require:
-      - user: deployer
+    - user: root
+    - group: root
+    - mode: 2775
 
 {% for project_name, project_config in deploy.projects.items() if project_config.get('django', False) %}
 {% set dj_config = project_config.django %}
@@ -28,7 +24,7 @@ deploy_django_{{ project_name }}_settings:
     - source: salt://deploy/tpl/django_settings.py
     - template: jinja
     - mode: 640
-    - user: deployer
+    - user: root
     - group: {{ project_name }}
     - context: {{ dj_config|json }}
 
@@ -44,7 +40,7 @@ deploy_django_{{ project_name }}_migrate:
     - runas: {{ project_name }}
     - require:
       - file: deploy_django_{{ project_name }}_settings
-    - require_in:
+    - require:
       - cmd: fix_sqlite3_permissions
 {% endif %}
 
diff --git a/deploy/gitlab.sls b/deploy/gitlab.sls
index 47a52f9feddf9ae98833c6a6c7bcf8d3f481c1df..877a3e535ab1d245e1e66f3a5454851e23c86b6a 100644
--- a/deploy/gitlab.sls
+++ b/deploy/gitlab.sls
@@ -12,13 +12,9 @@ deploy_packages:
 deploy_target_directory_exists:
   file.directory:
     - name: {{ deploy.config.deploy_directory }}
-    - user: deployer
-    - group: deployer
-    - mode: 0770
-    - require:
-      - user: deployer
-      - group: deployer
-
+    - user: root
+    - group: root
+    - mode: 0755
 
 {% for project_name, project_config in deploy.projects.items() if project_config.get('gitlab', False) %}
 {% set repo_config = project_config.gitlab %}
@@ -27,7 +23,7 @@ deploy_{{ project_name }}_clone_git:
   git.latest:
     - name: {{ repo_config.url }}
     - rev: {{ repo_config.rev }}
-    - user: deployer
+    - user: root
     - force_fetch: true
     - force_reset: true  # ignore local repos changed!
     - target: {{ project_config.path }}
@@ -37,7 +33,7 @@ deploy_{{ project_name }}_clone_git:
 deploy_{{ project_name }}_clone_directory_permissions:
   file.directory:
     - name: {{ project_config.path }}
-    - user: deployer
+    - user: root
     - group: {{ project_name }}
     {% if repo_config.get('keep_chmod_from_repo', False) %}
     {% else %}
@@ -50,7 +46,6 @@ deploy_{{ project_name }}_clone_directory_permissions:
       - mode
     - require:
         - git: deploy_{{ project_name }}_clone_git
-        - sls: deploy.user
 
 {% if repo_config.get('after_clone_command', False) %}
 deploy_{{ project_name }}_run_after_clone_command:
diff --git a/deploy/user.sls b/deploy/user.sls
index 90f123eb2139aa60ad292d8714eb8daeb7b30095..70d3880a38451114a083e4c1a316e36955d1c6be 100644
--- a/deploy/user.sls
+++ b/deploy/user.sls
@@ -1,43 +1,37 @@
 {% from "deploy/map.jinja" import deploy with context %}
 
 deployer:
-  group.present:
-    - system: True
-  user.present:
-    - groups:
-      - deployer
+  user.absent: []
+  group.absent: []
+
 
-/home/deployer/.ssh/known_hosts:
+/root/.ssh/known_hosts:
   file.managed:
     - source: salt://deploy/tpl/ssh/known_hosts
-    - user: deployer
-    - group: deployer
+    - user: root
+    - group: root
     - makedirs: True
-    - require:
-      - user: deployer
 
-/home/deployer/.ssh/config:
+/root/.ssh/config:
   file.managed:
     - source: salt://deploy/tpl/ssh/config
-    - user: deployer
-    - group: deployer
+    - user: root
+    - group: root
     - makedirs: True
-    - require:
-      - user: deployer
 
 deploy_key:
   file.managed:
-    - name: /home/deployer/.ssh/deploy_key
+    - name: /root/.ssh/deploy_key
     - contents_pillar: deploy:config:key
     - mode: 600
-    - user: deployer
-    - group: deployer
+    - user: root
+    - group: root
     - makedirs: True
 
 {% for project_name, project_config in deploy.projects.items() %}
 
 {% set config_user_groups = project_config.get('user_groups', []) %}
-{% set default_user_groups = [project_name, 'deployer'] %}
+{% set default_user_groups = [project_name] %}
 {% set user_groups = config_user_groups + default_user_groups %}
 
 {{ project_name }}:
diff --git a/deploy/venv.sls b/deploy/venv.sls
index fa8bbb1acfab2ca027e4b0d9eb0c5acd369c5e19..caa2f39c72da81e2aa722f147e7dc1c8eadabaa8 100644
--- a/deploy/venv.sls
+++ b/deploy/venv.sls
@@ -20,11 +20,10 @@ deploy_provision_virtualenv_group_with_members:
 deploy_venv_directory:
   file.directory:
     - name: {{ deploy.config.venv_directory }}
-    - user: deployer
+    - user: root
     - group: virtualenv
     - mode: 2770
     - require:
-      - user: deployer
       - group: virtualenv
 
 {% for project_name, project_config in deploy.projects.items() if project_config.get('venv', False) %}
@@ -34,7 +33,7 @@ create_{{ project_name }}_venv:
   cmd.run:
     - name: python3 -m venv {{ venv_config.path }}
     - onlyif: test ! -e {{ venv_config.path }}
-    - runas: deployer
+    - runas: root
     - require:
         - file: deploy_venv_directory
         - pkg: deploy_venv_pkgs
@@ -42,7 +41,7 @@ create_{{ project_name }}_venv:
 upgrade_pip_in_{{ project_name }}_venv:
   cmd.run:
     - name: {{ venv_config.path }}/bin/pip install --upgrade pip
-    - runas: deployer
+    - runas: root
     - env:
         LANG: en_US.UTF-8
         LC_CTYPE: en_US.UTF-8
@@ -55,7 +54,7 @@ upgrade_pip_in_{{ project_name }}_venv:
 install_requirements_in_{{ project_name }}_venv:
   cmd.run:
     - name: {{ venv_config.path }}/bin/pip install --upgrade -r {{ venv_config.requirements }}
-    - runas: deployer
+    - runas: root
     - env:
         LANG: en_US.UTF-8
         LC_CTYPE: en_US.UTF-8