diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 11f3580..2ae92c7 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -34,7 +34,9 @@ RUN export DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive \
     && dpkg-reconfigure locales \
     && update-locale LANG=${__LANG} LANGUAGE=${__LANGUAGE} LC_ALL=${__LC_ALL} \
     && unset DEBIAN_FRONTEND \
-    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
+    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/* \
+    && mkdir -p /usr/share/terminfo/d \
+    && ln -s /lib/terminfo/d/dumb /usr/share/terminfo/d/dumb
 ENV LANG=${__LANG}
 SHELL ["/bin/sh", "-c"]
 
@@ -93,6 +95,7 @@ ARG NPM_VERSION
 ARG NVM_VERSION
 SHELL ["/bin/bash", "-c"]
 RUN adduser --disabled-password --shell /bin/bash --gecos "" embark \
+    && usermod -a -G tty embark \
     && mkdir -p /dapp \
     && chown embark:embark /dapp \
     && curl -fsSLO --compressed "https://bootstrap.pypa.io/get-pip.py" \
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 7e42016..fa4b549 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -27,12 +27,12 @@ Many aspects of `run_embark`'s behavior can be overridden with environment
 variables, and that approach can be (optionally) combined with `docker build`.
 
 ``` shell
-export EMBARK_DOCKER_IMAGE=statusim/embark
-export EMBARK_DOCKER_TAG=develop
-export EMBARK_DOCKERFILE='https://github.com/embark-framework/embark-docker.git#master'
-export EMBARK_VERSION='embark-framework/embark#develop'
-export NODE_VERSION=10.7.0
-export RUNNER='https://raw.githubusercontent.com/embark-framework/embark-docker/master/run.sh'
+EMBARK_DOCKER_IMAGE=statusim/embark
+EMBARK_DOCKER_TAG=develop
+EMBARK_DOCKERFILE='https://github.com/embark-framework/embark-docker.git#master'
+EMBARK_VERSION='embark-framework/embark#develop'
+NODE_VERSION=10.7.0
+RUNNER='https://raw.githubusercontent.com/embark-framework/embark-docker/master/run.sh'
 
 docker build \
        --build-arg EMBARK_VERSION=$EMBARK_VERSION \
@@ -261,7 +261,7 @@ echo $1
 # a comment
 echo $2
 echo $3
-eval echo \\\$\$3
+eval echo \$$3
 # another comment
 ```
 Invoke with:
diff --git a/env/.bash_env b/env/.bash_env
index 1f24db7..61bef7e 100644
--- a/env/.bash_env
+++ b/env/.bash_env
@@ -126,4 +126,6 @@ __versions_export () {
 }
 export -f __versions_export
 
-nac default
+if [[ ! -v NODE_VIRTUAL_ENV ]]; then
+    nac default
+fi
diff --git a/env/docker-entrypoint.sh b/env/docker-entrypoint.sh
index 92dd4b7..93d5259 100755
--- a/env/docker-entrypoint.sh
+++ b/env/docker-entrypoint.sh
@@ -3,4 +3,5 @@
 export BASH_ENV=/home/embark/.bash_env
 
 chmod a+w /dev/std*
+chmod g+r /dev/pts/0
 exec su-exec embark user-entrypoint.sh "$@"
diff --git a/run.sh b/run.sh
index 8fb90fc..c8a2d6a 100755
--- a/run.sh
+++ b/run.sh
@@ -141,17 +141,21 @@ run_embark () {
         fi
 
         local run_script=$(< "$EMBARK_DOCKER_RUN")
-# do not add indentation to lines below
-        run_script="exec bash -s ${cmd[@]} << 'SCRIPT'
-td=\$(mktemp -d)
-cat << 'RUN' > \$td/run_script
-$run_script
-RUN
-chmod +x \$td/run_script
-exec \$td/run_script \$@
-SCRIPT
-"
-# do not add indentation to lines above
+        # do not alter indentation, tabs in lines below
+        run_script=$(cat <<- RUN_SCRIPT
+	exec bash -${i_flag}s \$(tty) ${cmd[@]} << 'RUN'
+	__tty=\$1
+	shift
+	script=/tmp/run_embark_script
+	cat << 'SCRIPT' > \$script
+	$run_script
+	SCRIPT
+	chmod +x \$script
+	exec \$script \$@ < \$__tty
+	RUN
+	RUN_SCRIPT
+        )
+        # do not alter indentation, tabs in lines above
         cmd=( "bash" "-${i_flag}c" "$run_script" )
     fi