diff --git a/.devcontainer/devcontainer.json b/.devcontainer/devcontainer.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c2235983d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.devcontainer/devcontainer.json
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+{
+	"name": "Verilator Build Environment",
+
+	"build": {
+        "dockerfile": "../ci/docker/buildenv/Dockerfile"
+    }
+
+}
diff --git a/ci/docker/buildenv/Dockerfile b/ci/docker/buildenv/Dockerfile
index 3e3fbe177..385e0b088 100644
--- a/ci/docker/buildenv/Dockerfile
+++ b/ci/docker/buildenv/Dockerfile
@@ -8,6 +8,16 @@
 
 FROM ubuntu:22.04
 
+# Create the user
+RUN groupadd verilator \
+    && useradd -g verilator -m verilator -s /bin/bash \
+    && apt-get update \
+    && apt-get install --no-install-recommends -y sudo \
+    && apt-get clean \
+    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/* \
+    && echo verilator ALL=\(root\) NOPASSWD:ALL > /etc/sudoers.d/verilator \
+    && chmod 0440 /etc/sudoers.d/verilator
+
 RUN apt-get update \
     && DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive \
        apt-get install --no-install-recommends -y \
@@ -33,7 +43,6 @@ RUN apt-get update \
                         perl \
                         python3 \
                         wget \
-                        zlibc \
                         zlib1g \
                         zlib1g-dev \
     && apt-get clean \
@@ -52,6 +61,8 @@ COPY build.sh /tmp/build.sh
 
 ENV VERILATOR_AUTHOR_SITE=1
 
+USER verilator
+
 WORKDIR /work
 
 ENTRYPOINT [ "/tmp/build.sh" ]