diff --git a/plugins/admin_user/__init__.py b/plugins/admin_user/__init__.py
index 49725d6..8c396c9 100644
--- a/plugins/admin_user/__init__.py
+++ b/plugins/admin_user/__init__.py
@@ -1,5 +1,15 @@
 
 
 def tasks(tasklist, manifest):
-	from adminuser import AddSudoPackage
-	tasklist.add(AddSudoPackage())
+	import tasks
+	tasklist.add(tasks.AddSudoPackage())
+	tasklist.add(tasks.CreateAdminUser())
+	tasklist.add(tasks.PasswordlessSudo())
+	tasklist.add(tasks.AdminUserCredentials())
+	tasklist.add(tasks.DisableRootLogin())
+
+
+def validate_manifest(data, schema_validate):
+	from os import path
+	schema_path = path.normpath(path.join(path.dirname(__file__), 'manifest-schema.json'))
+	schema_validate(data, schema_path)
diff --git a/plugins/admin_user/adminuser.py b/plugins/admin_user/adminuser.py
deleted file mode 100644
index e21db40..0000000
--- a/plugins/admin_user/adminuser.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,14 +0,0 @@
-from base import Task
-from common import phases
-from providers.ec2.tasks.packages import ImagePackages
-from providers.ec2.tasks.host import CheckPackages
-
-
-class AddSudoPackage(Task):
-	description = 'Adding ``sudo\'\' to the image packages'
-	phase = phases.preparation
-	after = [ImagePackages]
-	before = [CheckPackages]
-
-	def run(self, info):
-		info.img_packages[0].add('sudo')
diff --git a/plugins/admin_user/manifest-schema.json b/plugins/admin_user/manifest-schema.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..422877f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/admin_user/manifest-schema.json
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+{
+	"$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-04/schema#",
+	"title": "Admin user plugin manifest",
+	"type": "object",
+	"properties": {
+		"plugins": {
+			"type": "object",
+			"properties": {
+				"admin_user": {
+					"type": "object",
+					"properties": {
+						"username": {
+							"type": "string"
+						}
+					},
+					"required": ["username"]
+				}
+			},
+			"required": ["admin_user"]
+		}
+	},
+	"required": ["plugins"]
+}
diff --git a/plugins/admin_user/tasks.py b/plugins/admin_user/tasks.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..96df75b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/admin_user/tasks.py
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+from base import Task
+from common import phases
+from providers.ec2.tasks.packages import ImagePackages
+from common.tasks.host import CheckPackages
+from common.tasks.initd import InstallInitScripts
+import os
+
+
+class AddSudoPackage(Task):
+	description = 'Adding ``sudo\'\' to the image packages'
+	phase = phases.preparation
+	after = [ImagePackages]
+	before = [CheckPackages]
+
+	def run(self, info):
+		info.img_packages[0].add('sudo')
+
+
+class CreateAdminUser(Task):
+	description = 'Creating the admin user'
+	phase = phases.system_modification
+
+	def run(self, info):
+		from common.tools import log_check_call
+		log_check_call(['/usr/sbin/chroot', info.root,
+		                '/usr/sbin/useradd',
+		                '--create-home', '--shell /bin/bash',
+		                info.manifest.plugins['admin_user']['username']])
+
+
+class PasswordlessSudo(Task):
+	description = 'Allowing the admin user to use sudo without a password'
+	phase = phases.system_modification
+
+	def run(self, info):
+		sudo_admin_path = os.path.join(info.root, 'etc/sudoers.d/99_admin')
+		username = info.manifest.plugins['admin_user']['username']
+		with open(sudo_admin_path, 'w') as sudo_admin:
+			sudo_admin.write('{username} ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD:ALL'.format(username=username))
+		import stat
+		ug_read_only = (stat.S_IRUSR | stat.S_IRGRP)
+		os.chmod(sudo_admin_path, ug_read_only)
+
+
+class AdminUserCredentials(Task):
+	description = 'Modifying ec2-get-credentials to copy the ssh public key to the admin user'
+	phase = phases.system_modification
+	after = [InstallInitScripts]
+
+	def run(self, info):
+		from common.tools import sed_i
+		getcreds_path = os.path.join(info.root, 'etc/init.d/ec2-get-credentials')
+		username = info.manifest.plugins['admin_user']['username']
+		sed_i(getcreds_path, 'username=\'root\'', 'username=\'{username}\''.format(username=username))
+
+
+class DisableRootLogin(Task):
+	description = 'Disable SSH login for root'
+	phase = phases.system_modification
+
+	def run(self, info):
+		from common.tools import sed_i
+		sshdconfig_path = os.path.join(info.root, 'etc/ssh/sshd_config')
+		sed_i(sshdconfig_path, 'PermitRootLogin yes', 'PermitRootLogin no')