diff --git a/cord-diag-playbook.yml b/cord-diag-playbook.yml
index 3e7a157..ea06cda 100644
--- a/cord-diag-playbook.yml
+++ b/cord-diag-playbook.yml
@@ -2,7 +2,10 @@
 # Collects diagnostic information for the currently running cord-pod config
 
 - name: Create diag_dir fact
-  set_fact: diag_dir="~/diag-{{ ansible_date_time.iso8601_basic_short }}"
+  hosts: head
+  tasks:
+    - set_fact:
+        diag_dir: "diag-{{ ansible_date_time.iso8601_basic_short }}"
 
 - name: Diagnostics on head node
   hosts: head
@@ -16,9 +19,11 @@
 
 - name: Collect compute node diagnostics on head node
   hosts: compute
-  synchronize:
-    src: "{{ diag_dir }}"
-    dest: "{{ diag_dir }}"
-    recursive: yes
-  delegate_to: "{{ groups['head'][0] }}"
+  tasks:
+    - synchronize:
+        src: "/tmp/{{ hostvars[groups['head'][0]]['diag_dir'] }}/{{ inventory_hostname }}"
+        dest: "~/{{ hostvars[groups['head'][0]]['diag_dir'] }}/"
+        recursive: yes
+        mode: pull
+      delegate_to: "{{ groups['head'][0] }}"
 
diff --git a/inventory/single-localhost b/inventory/single-localhost
index 5b70063..7f86038 100644
--- a/inventory/single-localhost
+++ b/inventory/single-localhost
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 [all:vars]
-ansible_ssh_user=ubuntu
+ansible_ssh_user=replaceme
 
 [head]
 localhost
@@ -8,5 +8,5 @@
 localhost
 
 [compute]
-nova-compute-1
+nova-compute-1 ansible_ssh_user=ubuntu
 
diff --git a/roles/compute-diag/tasks/main.yml b/roles/compute-diag/tasks/main.yml
index 050c7c5..d6290b9 100644
--- a/roles/compute-diag/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/roles/compute-diag/tasks/main.yml
@@ -1,12 +1,13 @@
 ---
 # compute-diag/tasks/main.yml
-
-- name: Create diag_dir subdirs
+#
+- name: Create diag_dir subdir
   file:
-    dest="{{ diag_dir }}/{{ inventory_hostname }}"
+    dest="/tmp/{{ hostvars[groups['head'][0]]['diag_dir'] }}/{{ inventory_hostname }}"
+    state=directory
 
 - name: Compute node diag collection
-  shell: "{{ item }} > {{ diag_dir }}/{{ inventory_hostname}}/{{ item | regex_replace('[^\\w-]', '_')}}"
+  shell: "{{ item }} > /tmp/{{ hostvars[groups['head'][0]]['diag_dir'] }}/{{ inventory_hostname }}/{{ item | regex_replace('[^\\w-]', '_')}}"
   with_items:
    - "arp -n"
    - "brctl show"
diff --git a/roles/head-diag/tasks/main.yml b/roles/head-diag/tasks/main.yml
index 71723a2..f21ab89 100644
--- a/roles/head-diag/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/roles/head-diag/tasks/main.yml
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 
 - name: Create diag_dir subdirs
   file:
-    dest="{{ diag_dir }}/{{ item }}"
+    dest="~/{{ diag_dir }}/{{ item }}"
     state=directory
   with_items:
   - net
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
   - xos
 
 - name: Networking diag collection
-  shell: "{{ item }} > {{ diag_dir }}/net/{{ item | regex_replace('[^\\w-]', '_')}}"
+  shell: "{{ item }} > ~/{{ diag_dir }}/net/{{ item | regex_replace('[^\\w-]', '_')}}"
   with_items:
    - "ifconfig -a"
    - "route -n"
@@ -23,13 +23,13 @@
    - "sudo uvt-kvm list"
 
 - name: Juju diag collection
-  shell: "{{ item }} > {{ diag_dir }}/juju/{{ item | regex_replace('[^\\w-]', '_')}}"
+  shell: "{{ item }} > ~/{{ diag_dir }}/juju/{{ item | regex_replace('[^\\w-]', '_')}}"
   with_items:
    - "juju status --format=summary"
    - "juju status --format=json"
 
 - name: OpenStack diag collection
-  shell: "source ~/admin-openrc.sh && {{ item }} > {{ diag_dir }}/openstack/{{ item | regex_replace('[^\\w-]', '_')}}"
+  shell: "source ~/admin-openrc.sh && {{ item }} > ~/{{ diag_dir }}/openstack/{{ item | regex_replace('[^\\w-]', '_')}}"
   args:
     executable: "/bin/bash"
   with_items:
@@ -43,12 +43,12 @@
    - "neutron port-list"
 
 - name: ONOS diag collection - REST API
-  shell: "curl -X GET -u karaf:karaf http://onos-cord-1:8181/onos/v1/{{ item }} | python -m json.tool > {{ diag_dir }}/onos/rest_{{ item | regex_replace('[^\\w-]', '_') }}"
+  shell: "curl -X GET -u karaf:karaf http://onos-cord-1:8181/onos/v1/{{ item }} | python -m json.tool > ~/{{ diag_dir }}/onos/rest_{{ item | regex_replace('[^\\w-]', '_') }}"
   with_items:
    - "hosts"
 
 - name: ONOS diag collection - ONOS CLI
-  shell: "sshpass -p 'karaf' ssh -p 8101 karaf@onos-cord {{ item }} > {{ diag_dir }}/onos/{{ item | regex_replace('[^\\w-]', '_') }}"
+  shell: "sshpass -p 'karaf' ssh -p 8101 karaf@onos-cord {{ item }} > ~/{{ diag_dir }}/onos/{{ item | regex_replace('[^\\w-]', '_') }}"
   with_items:
    - "cordvtn-nodes"
    - "cordvtn-node-check nova-compute-1"
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@
    - "dhcp-list"
 
 - name: XOS diag collection
-  shell: "ssh ubuntu@xos-1 \"{{ item }}\" > {{ diag_dir }}/xos/{{ item | regex_replace('[^\\w-]', '_')}}"
+  shell: "ssh ubuntu@xos-1 \"{{ item }}\" > ~/{{ diag_dir }}/xos/{{ item | regex_replace('[^\\w-]', '_')}}"
   with_items:
    - "docker ps"
    - "arp -n"
@@ -67,5 +67,5 @@
   with_items:
    - "scp {{ role_path }}/files/docker_logs.sh ubuntu@xos-1:~/docker_logs.sh"
    - "ssh ubuntu@xos-1 'bash ~/docker_logs.sh'"
-   - "rsync -avP ubuntu@xos-1:~/docker_logs/ {{ diag_dir }}/xos/"
+   - "rsync -avP ubuntu@xos-1:~/docker_logs/ ~/{{ diag_dir }}/xos/"
 
diff --git a/scripts/single-node-pod.sh b/scripts/single-node-pod.sh
index a85a002..b20c94c 100755
--- a/scripts/single-node-pod.sh
+++ b/scripts/single-node-pod.sh
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@
     cd ~/openstack-cluster-setup
     git checkout $SETUP_BRANCH
 
-    sed -i "s/ubuntu/`whoami`/" $INVENTORY
+    sed -i "s/replaceme/`whoami`/" $INVENTORY
     cp vars/example_keystone.yml vars/cord_keystone.yml
 
     # Log into the local node once to get host key
@@ -202,6 +202,11 @@
     ssh ubuntu@nova-compute "sudo lxc-attach -n testclient -- curl -s http://$PUBLICIP"
 }
 
+function run_diagnostics() {
+    echo "*** COLLECTING DIAGNOSTIC INFO - check ~/diag-* on the head node"
+    ansible-playbook -i $INVENTORY cord-diag-playbook.yml
+}
+
 # Parse options
 RUN_TEST=0
 EXAMPLESERVICE=0
@@ -209,16 +214,20 @@
 INVENTORY="inventory/single-localhost"
 XOS_BRANCH="master"
 XOS_REPO_URL="https://gerrit.opencord.org/xos"
+DIAGNOSTICS=1
 
-while getopts "b:ehi:r:ts:" opt; do
+while getopts "b:dehi:r:ts:" opt; do
   case ${opt} in
     b ) XOS_BRANCH=$OPTARG
       ;;
+    d ) DIAGNOSTICS=0
+      ;;
     e ) EXAMPLESERVICE=1
       ;;
     h ) echo "Usage:"
       echo "    $0                install OpenStack and prep XOS and ONOS VMs [default]"
       echo "    $0 -b <branch>    build XOS containers using the <branch> branch of XOS git repo"
+      echo "    $0 -d             don't run diagnostic collector"
       echo "    $0 -e             add exampleservice to XOS"
       echo "    $0 -h             display this help message"
       echo "    $0 -i <inv_file>  specify an inventory file (default is inventory/single-localhost)"
@@ -264,5 +273,9 @@
   fi
 fi
 
+if [[ $DIAGNOSTICS -eq 1 ]]
+  run_diagnostics
+fi
+
 exit 0