@@ -660,11 +660,19 @@ func copyAsDirectory(source, destination string) error {

 }

 func fixPermissions(source, destination string, uid, gid int) error {

+	// The copied root permission should not be changed for previously existing

+	// directories.

+	s, err := os.Stat(destination)

+	if err != nil && !os.IsNotExist(err) {

+		return err

+	}

+	fixRootPermission := (err != nil) || !s.IsDir()

+

 	// We Walk on the source rather than on the destination because we don't

 	// want to change permissions on things we haven't created or modified.

 	return filepath.Walk(source, func(fullpath string, info os.FileInfo, err error) error {

 		// Do not alter the walk root itself as it potentially existed before.

-		if source == fullpath {

+		if !fixRootPermission && (source == fullpath) {

 			return nil

 		}

 		// Path is prefixed by source: substitute with destination instead.

@@ -3564,3 +3564,31 @@ func TestBuildStderr(t *testing.T) {

 	}

 	logDone("build - testing stderr")

 }

+

+func TestBuildChownSingleFile(t *testing.T) {

+	name := "testbuildchownsinglefile"

+	defer deleteImages(name)

+

+	ctx, err := fakeContext(`

+FROM busybox

+COPY test /

+RUN ls -l /test

+RUN [ $(ls -l /test | awk '{print $3":"$4}') = 'root:root' ]

+`, map[string]string{

+		"test": "test",

+	})

+	if err != nil {

+		t.Fatal(err)

+	}

+	defer ctx.Close()

+

+	if err := os.Chown(filepath.Join(ctx.Dir, "test"), 4242, 4242); err != nil {

+		t.Fatal(err)

+	}

+

+	if _, err := buildImageFromContext(name, ctx, true); err != nil {

+		t.Fatal(err)

+	}

+

+	logDone("build - change permission on single file")

+}