diff --git a/init.tf b/init.tf
index 4222f2f6..a58e0a81 100644
--- a/init.tf
+++ b/init.tf
@@ -73,8 +73,8 @@ resource "null_resource" "first_control_plane" {
   provisioner "remote-exec" {
     inline = [
       "systemctl start k3s",
-      # prepare the post_install directory
-      "mkdir -p /var/post_install",
+      # prepare the needed directories
+      "mkdir -p /var/post_install /var/user_kustomize",
       # wait for k3s to become ready
       <<-EOT
       timeout 120 bash <<EOF
diff --git a/kustomization_user.tf b/kustomization_user.tf
index 201e4025..97004d20 100644
--- a/kustomization_user.tf
+++ b/kustomization_user.tf
@@ -2,38 +2,6 @@ locals {
   user_kustomization_templates = try(fileset("extra-manifests", "*.yaml.tpl"), toset([]))
 }
 
-resource "null_resource" "kustomization_user_setup" {
-  count = length(local.user_kustomization_templates) > 0 ? 1 : 0
-
-  connection {
-    user           = "root"
-    private_key    = var.ssh_private_key
-    agent_identity = local.ssh_agent_identity
-    host           = module.control_planes[keys(module.control_planes)[0]].ipv4_address
-    port           = var.ssh_port
-  }
-
-  # Create remote directory
-  provisioner "remote-exec" {
-    inline = [
-      "echo 'Create new /var/user_kustomize directory...'",
-      "rm -rf /var/user_kustomize && mkdir -p /var/user_kustomize"
-    ]
-  }
-
-  # Copy all files, recursively from extra-manifests/ into the /var/user_kustomize directory.
-  # NOTE: If non *.yaml.tpl files are changed, you need to taint this resource to re-provision the changes,
-  # since there is no 'triggers {}' definition that watches all files/directories for changes.
-  provisioner "file" {
-    source      = "extra-manifests/"
-    destination = "/var/user_kustomize"
-  }
-
-  depends_on = [
-    null_resource.kustomization
-  ]
-}
-
 resource "null_resource" "kustomization_user" {
   for_each = local.user_kustomization_templates
 
@@ -54,14 +22,8 @@ resource "null_resource" "kustomization_user" {
     manifest_sha1 = "${sha1(templatefile("extra-manifests/${each.key}", var.extra_kustomize_parameters))}"
   }
 
-  lifecycle {
-    replace_triggered_by = [
-      null_resource.kustomization_user_setup
-    ]
-  }
-
   depends_on = [
-    null_resource.kustomization_user_setup[0]
+    null_resource.kustomization
   ]
 }
 
@@ -81,9 +43,9 @@ resource "null_resource" "kustomization_user_deploy" {
     # Debugging: "sh -c 'for file in $(find /var/user_kustomize -type f -name \"*.yaml\" | sort -n); do echo \"\n### Template $${file}.tpl after rendering:\" && cat $${file}; done'",
     inline = compact([
       "rm -f /var/user_kustomize/*.yaml.tpl",
-      "echo 'Deploying manifests from /var/user_kustomize/:' && ls -alh /var/user_kustomize",
-      "kubectl kustomize /var/user_kustomize/ | kubectl apply --wait=true -f -",
-      "${var.extra_kustomize_deployment_commands}"
+      "echo 'Applying user kustomization...",
+      "kubectl apply -k /var/user_kustomize/ --wait=true",
+      var.extra_kustomize_deployment_commands
     ])
   }