diff --git a/bin/xbps-bin/main.c b/bin/xbps-bin/main.c
index 8edafef8b04..bd2254f0d62 100644
--- a/bin/xbps-bin/main.c
+++ b/bin/xbps-bin/main.c
@@ -134,12 +134,6 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
 		if (argc != 2)
 			usage();
 
-		if (geteuid() != 0) {
-			printf("ERROR: root permissions are needed to install"
-			    "and remove binary packages.\n");
-			exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
-		}
-
 		/* Install into root directory by default. */
 		if (strcasecmp(argv[0], "install") == 0) {
 			rv = xbps_install_binary_pkg(argv[1], root);
diff --git a/lib/unpack.c b/lib/unpack.c
index 07a2f4ad35e..4f564fb7d69 100644
--- a/lib/unpack.c
+++ b/lib/unpack.c
@@ -117,13 +117,12 @@ unpack_archive_init(prop_dictionary_t pkg, const char *destdir,
 }
 /*
  * Flags for extracting files in binary packages.
- * TODO: change this for non root users.
  */
-#define EXTRACT_FLAGS	ARCHIVE_EXTRACT_OWNER | ARCHIVE_EXTRACT_PERM | \
-			ARCHIVE_EXTRACT_TIME | \
-			ARCHIVE_EXTRACT_SECURE_NODOTDOT | \
+#define EXTRACT_FLAGS	ARCHIVE_EXTRACT_SECURE_NODOTDOT | \
 			ARCHIVE_EXTRACT_SECURE_SYMLINKS | \
 			ARCHIVE_EXTRACT_UNLINK
+#define FEXTRACT_FLAGS	ARCHIVE_EXTRACT_OWNER | ARCHIVE_EXTRACT_PERM | \
+			ARCHIVE_EXTRACT_TIME | EXTRACT_FLAGS
 
 /*
  * TODO: remove printfs and return appropiate errors to be interpreted by
@@ -138,7 +137,7 @@ unpack_archive_fini(struct archive *ar, const char *destdir,
 	const char *prepost = "./XBPS_PREPOST_INSTALL";
 	const char *pkgname, *version;
 	char *buf;
-	int rv = 0;
+	int rv = 0, flags = 0;
 	bool actgt = false;
 
 	assert(ar != NULL);
@@ -147,6 +146,11 @@ unpack_archive_fini(struct archive *ar, const char *destdir,
 	prop_dictionary_get_cstring_nocopy(pkg, "pkgname", &pkgname);
 	prop_dictionary_get_cstring_nocopy(pkg, "version", &version);
 
+	if (getuid() == 0)
+		flags = FEXTRACT_FLAGS;
+	else
+		flags = EXTRACT_FLAGS;
+
 	/*
 	 * This length is '.%s/metadata/%s/prepost-inst' not
 	 * including nul.
@@ -172,8 +176,7 @@ unpack_archive_fini(struct archive *ar, const char *destdir,
 
 			archive_entry_set_pathname(entry, buf);
 
-			if ((rv = archive_read_extract(ar, entry,
-			     EXTRACT_FLAGS)) != 0)
+			if ((rv = archive_read_extract(ar, entry, flags)) != 0)
 				break;
 
 			if ((rv = xbps_file_exec(buf, destdir, "pre",
@@ -190,8 +193,7 @@ unpack_archive_fini(struct archive *ar, const char *destdir,
 		/*
 		 * Extract all data from the archive now.
 		 */
-		if ((rv = archive_read_extract(ar, entry,
-		     EXTRACT_FLAGS)) != 0) {
+		if ((rv = archive_read_extract(ar, entry, flags)) != 0) {
 			printf("\ncouldn't unpack %s (%s), exiting!\n",
 			    archive_entry_pathname(entry), strerror(errno));
 			(void)fflush(stdout);