diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes
index df988ff5..d619e54d 100644
--- a/.gitattributes
+++ b/.gitattributes
@@ -1,3 +1,2 @@
 .git_archival.txt  export-subst
-python/.git_archival.txt  export-subst
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/deploy_dockerhub.yml b/.github/workflows/deploy_dockerhub.yml
index a9be1fc3..da790438 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/deploy_dockerhub.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/deploy_dockerhub.yml
@@ -24,13 +24,13 @@ jobs:
     if: needs.check-secret.outputs.secrets-defined == 'true'
     steps:
     - uses: actions/checkout@master
-    - run: git archive -v -o container/charliecloud/parpe_base/parpe.tar.gz --format=tar.gz HEAD
+    - run: git archive -v -o container/charliecloud/container_files/parpe.tar.gz --format=tar.gz HEAD
     - name: Publish to Registry
       uses: elgohr/Publish-Docker-Github-Action@v5
       with:
         name: dweindl/parpe
         username: ${{ secrets.DOCKER_USERNAME }}
         password: ${{ secrets.DOCKER_PASSWORD }}
-        workdir: container/charliecloud/parpe_base/
+        workdir: container/charliecloud/container_files/
         dockerfile: Dockerfile
         tag_names: true
diff --git a/container/charliecloud/parpe_base/Dockerfile b/container/charliecloud/Dockerfile
similarity index 65%
rename from container/charliecloud/parpe_base/Dockerfile
rename to container/charliecloud/Dockerfile
index 5389e867..188de5fb 100644
--- a/container/charliecloud/parpe_base/Dockerfile
+++ b/container/charliecloud/Dockerfile
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 FROM ubuntu:24.04
 
-COPY . /container-files
+COPY /container_files /container-files
 
 RUN /container-files/install.sh && rm -rf /tmp && mkdir /tmp
 
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@ ENV CXX clang++
 ENV OMPI_CC clang
 ENV OMPI_CXX clang++
 RUN /container-files/install_parpe.sh
+# activate virtual Python environment
+RUN echo "source /parPE/build/venv/bin/activate" >> /etc/bash.bashrc
 
 ENV PARPE_DIR "/parPE"
 
diff --git a/container/charliecloud/parpe_base/90forceyes b/container/charliecloud/container_files/90forceyes
similarity index 100%
rename from container/charliecloud/parpe_base/90forceyes
rename to container/charliecloud/container_files/90forceyes
diff --git a/container/charliecloud/parpe_base/config b/container/charliecloud/container_files/config
similarity index 100%
rename from container/charliecloud/parpe_base/config
rename to container/charliecloud/container_files/config
diff --git a/container/charliecloud/parpe_base/gbl_env.sh b/container/charliecloud/container_files/gbl_env.sh
similarity index 100%
rename from container/charliecloud/parpe_base/gbl_env.sh
rename to container/charliecloud/container_files/gbl_env.sh
diff --git a/container/charliecloud/parpe_base/install.sh b/container/charliecloud/container_files/install.sh
similarity index 100%
rename from container/charliecloud/parpe_base/install.sh
rename to container/charliecloud/container_files/install.sh
diff --git a/container/charliecloud/parpe_base/install_parpe.sh b/container/charliecloud/container_files/install_parpe.sh
similarity index 100%
rename from container/charliecloud/parpe_base/install_parpe.sh
rename to container/charliecloud/container_files/install_parpe.sh
diff --git a/doc/parpe_with_charliecloud.md b/doc/parpe_with_charliecloud.md
index 3bbab213..9db3ca78 100644
--- a/doc/parpe_with_charliecloud.md
+++ b/doc/parpe_with_charliecloud.md
@@ -22,8 +22,8 @@ This will create the parPE base image *from parPE from github*
 takes about 10'):
 
 ```shell
-git archive -v -o container/charliecloud/parpe_base/parpe.tar.gz --format=tar.gz HEAD
-cd container/charliecloud/parpe_base
+git archive -v -o container/charliecloud/container_files/parpe.tar.gz --format=tar.gz HEAD
+cd container/charliecloud/
 ch-build -t parpe .
 ```
 
diff --git a/python/.git_archival.txt b/python/.git_archival.txt
deleted file mode 100644
index 2b181ff6..00000000
--- a/python/.git_archival.txt
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-node: $Format:%H$
-node-date: $Format:%cI$
-describe-name: $Format:%(describe:tags=true,match=*[0-9]*)$
-
diff --git a/python/.git_archival.txt b/python/.git_archival.txt
new file mode 120000
index 00000000..d7a42b25
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python/.git_archival.txt
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+../.git_archival.txt
\ No newline at end of file