diff --git a/infra/image/shcontainer b/infra/image/shcontainer
index a2d36c65..636cd678 100644
--- a/infra/image/shcontainer
+++ b/infra/image/shcontainer
@@ -47,6 +47,8 @@ container_start() {
 
     log info "= Starting ${name} ="
     podman start "${name}"
+    # Ensure /etc/shadow is readable
+    podman exec "${name}" bash -c "chmod u+r /etc/shadow"
     echo
 }