diff --git a/configs/config.go b/configs/config.go
index ca433b28..d8e2c9eb 100644
--- a/configs/config.go
+++ b/configs/config.go
@@ -49,12 +49,6 @@ type Config struct {
 	// Hostname optionally sets the container's hostname if provided
 	Hostname string `json:"hostname,omitempty"`
 
-	// User will set the uid and gid of the executing process running inside the container
-	User string `json:"user,omitempty"`
-
-	// WorkingDir will change the processes current working directory inside the container's rootfs
-	WorkingDir string `json:"working_dir,omitempty"`
-
 	// Console is the path to the console allocated to the container.
 	Console string `json:"console,omitempty"`
 
diff --git a/linux_init.go b/linux_init.go
index ecb770b3..9b28af63 100644
--- a/linux_init.go
+++ b/linux_init.go
@@ -31,6 +31,8 @@ const (
 type initConfig struct {
 	Args   []string        `json:"args,omitempty"`
 	Env    []string        `json:"env,omitempty"`
+	Cwd    string          `json:"cwd,omitempty"`
+	User   string          `json:"user,omitempty"`
 	Config *configs.Config `json:"config,omitempty"`
 }
 
@@ -49,24 +51,19 @@ func newContainerInit(t initType, pipe *os.File) (initer, error) {
 	switch t {
 	case initSetns:
 		return &linuxSetnsInit{
-			args:   config.Args,
-			env:    config.Env,
-			config: config.Config,
+			config: config,
 		}, nil
 	case initUserns:
 		return &linuxUsernsInit{
-			args:   config.Args,
-			env:    config.Env,
-			config: config.Config,
+			config: config,
 		}, nil
 	case initUsernsSetup:
 		return &linuxUsernsSideCar{
-			config: config.Config,
+			config: config,
 		}, nil
 	case initStandard:
 		return &linuxStandardInit{
 			config: config,
-			env:    config.Env,
 		}, nil
 	}
 	return nil, fmt.Errorf("unknown init type %q", t)
@@ -90,7 +87,7 @@ func populateProcessEnvironment(env []string) error {
 // finalizeNamespace drops the caps, sets the correct user
 // and working dir, and closes any leaky file descriptors
 // before execing the command inside the namespace
-func finalizeNamespace(config *configs.Config) error {
+func finalizeNamespace(config *initConfig) error {
 	// Ensure that all non-standard fds we may have accidentally
 	// inherited are marked close-on-exec so they stay out of the
 	// container
@@ -98,7 +95,7 @@ func finalizeNamespace(config *configs.Config) error {
 		return err
 	}
 	// drop capabilities in bounding set before changing user
-	if err := capabilities.DropBoundingSet(config.Capabilities); err != nil {
+	if err := capabilities.DropBoundingSet(config.Config.Capabilities); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 	// preserve existing capabilities while we change users
@@ -112,12 +109,12 @@ func finalizeNamespace(config *configs.Config) error {
 		return err
 	}
 	// drop all other capabilities
-	if err := capabilities.DropCapabilities(config.Capabilities); err != nil {
+	if err := capabilities.DropCapabilities(config.Config.Capabilities); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	if config.WorkingDir != "" {
-		if err := syscall.Chdir(config.WorkingDir); err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("chdir to %s %s", config.WorkingDir, err)
+	if config.Cwd != "" {
+		if err := syscall.Chdir(config.Cwd); err != nil {
+			return err
 		}
 	}
 	return nil
@@ -143,7 +140,7 @@ func joinExistingNamespaces(namespaces []configs.Namespace) error {
 }
 
 // setupUser changes the groups, gid, and uid for the user inside the container
-func setupUser(config *configs.Config) error {
+func setupUser(config *initConfig) error {
 	// Set up defaults.
 	defaultExecUser := user.ExecUser{
 		Uid:  syscall.Getuid(),
@@ -160,22 +157,22 @@ func setupUser(config *configs.Config) error {
 	}
 	execUser, err := user.GetExecUserPath(config.User, &defaultExecUser, passwdPath, groupPath)
 	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("get supplementary groups %s", err)
+		return err
 	}
-	suppGroups := append(execUser.Sgids, config.AdditionalGroups...)
+	suppGroups := append(execUser.Sgids, config.Config.AdditionalGroups...)
 	if err := syscall.Setgroups(suppGroups); err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("setgroups %s", err)
+		return err
 	}
 	if err := system.Setgid(execUser.Gid); err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("setgid %s", err)
+		return err
 	}
 	if err := system.Setuid(execUser.Uid); err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("setuid %s", err)
+		return err
 	}
 	// if we didn't get HOME already, set it based on the user's HOME
 	if envHome := os.Getenv("HOME"); envHome == "" {
 		if err := os.Setenv("HOME", execUser.Home); err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("set HOME %s", err)
+			return err
 		}
 	}
 	return nil
diff --git a/linux_setns_init.go b/linux_setns_init.go
index a9a1d27c..2d91475b 100644
--- a/linux_setns_init.go
+++ b/linux_setns_init.go
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ package libcontainer
 
 import (
 	"github.com/docker/libcontainer/apparmor"
-	"github.com/docker/libcontainer/configs"
 	"github.com/docker/libcontainer/label"
 	"github.com/docker/libcontainer/system"
 )
@@ -12,25 +11,23 @@ import (
 // linuxSetnsInit performs the container's initialization for running a new process
 // inside an existing container.
 type linuxSetnsInit struct {
-	args   []string
-	env    []string
-	config *configs.Config
+	config *initConfig
 }
 
 func (l *linuxSetnsInit) Init() error {
-	if err := setupRlimits(l.config); err != nil {
+	if err := setupRlimits(l.config.Config); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 	if err := finalizeNamespace(l.config); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	if err := apparmor.ApplyProfile(l.config.AppArmorProfile); err != nil {
+	if err := apparmor.ApplyProfile(l.config.Config.AppArmorProfile); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	if l.config.ProcessLabel != "" {
-		if err := label.SetProcessLabel(l.config.ProcessLabel); err != nil {
+	if l.config.Config.ProcessLabel != "" {
+		if err := label.SetProcessLabel(l.config.Config.ProcessLabel); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 	}
-	return system.Execv(l.args[0], l.args[0:], l.env)
+	return system.Execv(l.config.Args[0], l.config.Args[0:], l.config.Env)
 }
diff --git a/linux_standard_init.go b/linux_standard_init.go
index f69a4bdb..2fe558e7 100644
--- a/linux_standard_init.go
+++ b/linux_standard_init.go
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@ import (
 
 type linuxStandardInit struct {
 	config *initConfig
-	env    []string
 }
 
 func (l *linuxStandardInit) Init() error {
@@ -74,7 +73,7 @@ func (l *linuxStandardInit) Init() error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	if err := finalizeNamespace(l.config.Config); err != nil {
+	if err := finalizeNamespace(l.config); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 	// finalizeNamespace can change user/group which clears the parent death
@@ -87,5 +86,5 @@ func (l *linuxStandardInit) Init() error {
 	if syscall.Getppid() == 1 {
 		return syscall.Kill(syscall.Getpid(), syscall.SIGKILL)
 	}
-	return system.Execv(l.config.Args[0], l.config.Args[0:], l.env)
+	return system.Execv(l.config.Args[0], l.config.Args[0:], l.config.Env)
 }
diff --git a/linux_userns_init.go b/linux_userns_init.go
index b44c191e..71f2a96e 100644
--- a/linux_userns_init.go
+++ b/linux_userns_init.go
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@ import (
 	"syscall"
 
 	"github.com/docker/libcontainer/apparmor"
-	"github.com/docker/libcontainer/configs"
 	consolepkg "github.com/docker/libcontainer/console"
 	"github.com/docker/libcontainer/label"
 	"github.com/docker/libcontainer/security/restrict"
@@ -14,17 +13,15 @@ import (
 )
 
 type linuxUsernsInit struct {
-	args   []string
-	env    []string
-	config *configs.Config
+	config *initConfig
 }
 
 func (l *linuxUsernsInit) Init() error {
 	// join any namespaces via a path to the namespace fd if provided
-	if err := joinExistingNamespaces(l.config.Namespaces); err != nil {
+	if err := joinExistingNamespaces(l.config.Config.Namespaces); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	console := l.config.Console
+	console := l.config.Config.Console
 	if console != "" {
 		if err := consolepkg.OpenAndDup("/dev/console"); err != nil {
 			return err
@@ -38,24 +35,24 @@ func (l *linuxUsernsInit) Init() error {
 			return err
 		}
 	}
-	if l.config.WorkingDir == "" {
-		l.config.WorkingDir = "/"
+	if l.config.Cwd == "" {
+		l.config.Cwd = "/"
 	}
-	if err := setupRlimits(l.config); err != nil {
+	if err := setupRlimits(l.config.Config); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	if hostname := l.config.Hostname; hostname != "" {
+	if hostname := l.config.Config.Hostname; hostname != "" {
 		if err := syscall.Sethostname([]byte(hostname)); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 	}
-	if err := apparmor.ApplyProfile(l.config.AppArmorProfile); err != nil {
+	if err := apparmor.ApplyProfile(l.config.Config.AppArmorProfile); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	if err := label.SetProcessLabel(l.config.ProcessLabel); err != nil {
+	if err := label.SetProcessLabel(l.config.Config.ProcessLabel); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	if l.config.RestrictSys {
+	if l.config.Config.RestrictSys {
 		if err := restrict.Restrict("proc/sys", "proc/sysrq-trigger", "proc/irq", "proc/bus"); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
@@ -77,5 +74,5 @@ func (l *linuxUsernsInit) Init() error {
 	if syscall.Getppid() == 1 {
 		return syscall.Kill(syscall.Getpid(), syscall.SIGKILL)
 	}
-	return system.Execv(l.args[0], l.args[0:], l.env)
+	return system.Execv(l.config.Args[0], l.config.Args[0:], l.config.Env)
 }
diff --git a/linux_userns_sidecar_init.go b/linux_userns_sidecar_init.go
index 7ac7dc43..514b9dd4 100644
--- a/linux_userns_sidecar_init.go
+++ b/linux_userns_sidecar_init.go
@@ -15,20 +15,20 @@ import (
 // except the user namespace, so it run as root in the root user namespace
 // to perform these operations.
 type linuxUsernsSideCar struct {
-	config *configs.Config
+	config *initConfig
 }
 
 func (l *linuxUsernsSideCar) Init() error {
-	if err := setupNetwork(l.config); err != nil {
+	if err := setupNetwork(l.config.Config); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	if err := setupRoute(l.config); err != nil {
+	if err := setupRoute(l.config.Config); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 	label.Init()
 	// InitializeMountNamespace() can be executed only for a new mount namespace
-	if l.config.Namespaces.Contains(configs.NEWNET) {
-		if err := mount.InitializeMountNamespace(l.config); err != nil {
+	if l.config.Config.Namespaces.Contains(configs.NEWNET) {
+		if err := mount.InitializeMountNamespace(l.config.Config); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/process.go b/process.go
index a1528c55..d361f98f 100644
--- a/process.go
+++ b/process.go
@@ -11,6 +11,13 @@ type Process struct {
 	// Env specifies the environment variables for the process.
 	Env []string
 
+	// User will set the uid and gid of the executing process running inside the container
+	// local to the contaienr's user and group configuration.
+	User string
+
+	// Cwd will change the processes current working directory inside the container's rootfs.
+	Cwd string
+
 	// Stdin is a pointer to a reader which provides the standard input stream.
 	Stdin io.Reader