diff --git a/libpod/runtime.go b/libpod/runtime.go
index d80add032b..5534e6ab5f 100644
--- a/libpod/runtime.go
+++ b/libpod/runtime.go
@@ -322,6 +322,11 @@ func makeRuntime(runtime *Runtime) (retErr error) {
 		}
 	}
 
+	// Create the TmpDir if needed
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(runtime.config.Engine.TmpDir, 0751); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("creating runtime temporary files directory: %w", err)
+	}
+
 	// Set up the state.
 	//
 	// TODO - if we further break out the state implementation into
@@ -458,14 +463,6 @@ func makeRuntime(runtime *Runtime) (retErr error) {
 	}
 	runtime.imageContext.SignaturePolicyPath = runtime.config.Engine.SignaturePolicyPath
 
-	// Create the tmpDir
-	if err := os.MkdirAll(runtime.config.Engine.TmpDir, 0751); err != nil {
-		// The directory is allowed to exist
-		if !errors.Is(err, os.ErrExist) {
-			return fmt.Errorf("creating tmpdir: %w", err)
-		}
-	}
-
 	// Get us at least one working OCI runtime.
 	runtime.ociRuntimes = make(map[string]OCIRuntime)
 
@@ -516,14 +513,6 @@ func makeRuntime(runtime *Runtime) (retErr error) {
 		return fmt.Errorf("no default OCI runtime was configured: %w", define.ErrInvalidArg)
 	}
 
-	// Make the per-boot files directory if it does not exist
-	if err := os.MkdirAll(runtime.config.Engine.TmpDir, 0755); err != nil {
-		// The directory is allowed to exist
-		if !errors.Is(err, os.ErrExist) {
-			return fmt.Errorf("creating runtime temporary files directory: %w", err)
-		}
-	}
-
 	// the store is only set up when we are in the userns so we do the same for the network interface
 	if !needsUserns {
 		netBackend, netInterface, err := network.NetworkBackend(runtime.store, runtime.config, runtime.syslog)