diff --git a/panel/src/panel/views.py b/panel/src/panel/views.py
index a3c51e13..2299751b 100644
--- a/panel/src/panel/views.py
+++ b/panel/src/panel/views.py
@@ -132,8 +132,10 @@ class DeploymentStatus(ConfigurationForm):
         deployment_params = dummy_user | json.loads(submission)
         env = {
             "PATH": settings.bin_path,
-            # used in nixos-anywhere for ssh-copy-id
-            "HOME": expanduser("~"),
+            # used in nixos-anywhere for ssh-copy-id to make `.ssh` in for ssh-copy-id.
+            # run thru subprocess, HOME points to the read-only `/var/empty`.
+            # in local dev, it will just reject the `/tmp` and make it in HOME after all.
+            "HOME": "/tmp",
             "XDG_CACHE_HOME": "/tmp",
         } | {
             # pass in form info to our deployment