diff --git a/builder/oracle/classic/builder.go b/builder/oracle/classic/builder.go
index 253b50c14..767ebe470 100644
--- a/builder/oracle/classic/builder.go
+++ b/builder/oracle/classic/builder.go
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/hashicorp/packer/helper/communicator"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/packer/helper/multistep"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/packer/packer"
+	"golang.org/x/crypto/ssh"
 )
 
 // BuilderId uniquely identifies the builder
@@ -24,6 +25,24 @@ type Builder struct {
 	runner multistep.Runner
 }
 
+// TODO: rename, comment
+type builderConfig struct {
+	*communicator.Config
+}
+
+func (c *builderConfig) sshConfigFunc(username string) func(multistep.StateBag) (*ssh.ClientConfig, error) {
+	return func(state multistep.StateBag) (*ssh.ClientConfig, error) {
+		// copy communicator config by value at the last possible moment,
+		// so we get any values written by prior steps, then change the static
+		// details to make it work correctly.
+		s := *c
+		s.SSHPty = true
+		s.Type = "ssh"
+		s.SSHUsername = username
+		return s.SSHConfigFunc()(state)
+	}
+}
+
 func (b *Builder) Prepare(rawConfig ...interface{}) ([]string, error) {
 	config, err := NewConfig(rawConfig...)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -71,10 +90,7 @@ func (b *Builder) Run(ui packer.Ui, hook packer.Hook, cache packer.Cache) (packe
 
 	var steps []multistep.Step
 	if b.config.IsPV() {
-		builderCommConfig := b.config.Comm
-		builderCommConfig.SSHPty = true
-		builderCommConfig.Type = "ssh"
-		builderCommConfig.SSHUsername = b.config.BuilderSSHUsername
+		bc := builderConfig{&b.config.Comm}
 
 		steps = []multistep.Step{
 			&ocommon.StepKeyPair{
@@ -85,7 +101,7 @@ func (b *Builder) Run(ui packer.Ui, hook packer.Hook, cache packer.Cache) (packe
 			&stepCreateIPReservation{},
 			&stepAddKeysToAPI{},
 			&stepSecurity{
-				Comm:            &b.config.Comm,
+				CommType:        b.config.Comm.Type,
 				SecurityListKey: "security_list_master",
 			},
 			&stepCreatePersistentVolume{
@@ -109,7 +125,7 @@ func (b *Builder) Run(ui packer.Ui, hook packer.Hook, cache packer.Cache) (packe
 			&stepTerminatePVMaster{},
 			&stepSecurity{
 				SecurityListKey: "security_list_builder",
-				Comm:            &builderCommConfig,
+				CommType:        "ssh",
 			},
 			&stepCreatePersistentVolume{
 				// We double the master volume size because we need room to
@@ -128,10 +144,10 @@ func (b *Builder) Run(ui packer.Ui, hook packer.Hook, cache packer.Cache) (packe
 				Index:           2,
 				InstanceInfoKey: "builder_instance_info",
 			},
-			&communicator.StepConnect{
-				Config:    &builderCommConfig,
+			&communicator.StepConnectSSH{
+				Config:    &b.config.Comm,
 				Host:      ocommon.CommHost,
-				SSHConfig: builderCommConfig.SSHConfigFunc(),
+				SSHConfig: bc.sshConfigFunc(b.config.BuilderSSHUsername),
 			},
 			&stepUploadImage{
 				UploadImageCommand: b.config.BuilderUploadImageCommand,
@@ -151,10 +167,12 @@ func (b *Builder) Run(ui packer.Ui, hook packer.Hook, cache packer.Cache) (packe
 				DebugKeyPath: fmt.Sprintf("oci_classic_%s.pem", b.config.PackerBuildName),
 			},
 			&stepCreateIPReservation{},
-			&stepAddKeysToAPI{},
+			&stepAddKeysToAPI{
+				Skip: b.config.Comm.Type != "ssh",
+			},
 			&stepSecurity{
 				SecurityListKey: "security_list",
-				Comm:            &b.config.Comm,
+				CommType:        b.config.Comm.Type,
 			},
 			&stepCreateInstance{},
 			&communicator.StepConnect{
diff --git a/builder/oracle/classic/pv_config.go b/builder/oracle/classic/pv_config.go
index 747c35842..de55b130e 100644
--- a/builder/oracle/classic/pv_config.go
+++ b/builder/oracle/classic/pv_config.go
@@ -25,6 +25,8 @@ type PVConfig struct {
 	* Documentation
 	* split master/builder image/connection config. i.e. build anything, master only linux
 		possible ignore everything for builder and always use SSH keys
+	* Need to prepare the ssh config
+	* Possible also to just have nested config?
 	*/
 }
 
diff --git a/builder/oracle/classic/step_add_keys.go b/builder/oracle/classic/step_add_keys.go
index dafea637f..a68093f32 100644
--- a/builder/oracle/classic/step_add_keys.go
+++ b/builder/oracle/classic/step_add_keys.go
@@ -11,7 +11,9 @@ import (
 	"github.com/hashicorp/packer/packer"
 )
 
-type stepAddKeysToAPI struct{}
+type stepAddKeysToAPI struct {
+	Skip bool
+}
 
 func (s *stepAddKeysToAPI) Run(_ context.Context, state multistep.StateBag) multistep.StepAction {
 	// get variables from state
@@ -19,12 +21,12 @@ func (s *stepAddKeysToAPI) Run(_ context.Context, state multistep.StateBag) mult
 	config := state.Get("config").(*Config)
 	client := state.Get("client").(*compute.Client)
 
-	if config.Comm.Type != "ssh" {
-		ui.Say("Not using SSH communicator; skip generating SSH keys...")
+	if s.Skip {
+		ui.Say("Skipping generating SSH keys...")
 		return multistep.ActionContinue
 	}
-
 	// grab packer-generated key from statebag context.
+	// Always check configured communicator for keys
 	sshPublicKey := bytes.TrimSpace(config.Comm.SSHPublicKey)
 
 	// form API call to add key to compute cloud
@@ -52,8 +54,11 @@ func (s *stepAddKeysToAPI) Run(_ context.Context, state multistep.StateBag) mult
 }
 
 func (s *stepAddKeysToAPI) Cleanup(state multistep.StateBag) {
-	// Delete the keys we created during this run
+	if s.Skip {
+		return
+	}
 	config := state.Get("config").(*Config)
+	// Delete the keys we created during this run
 	if len(config.Comm.SSHKeyPairName) == 0 {
 		// No keys were generated; none need to be cleaned up.
 		return
diff --git a/builder/oracle/classic/step_create_image.go b/builder/oracle/classic/step_create_image.go
index 94bb204b1..de97cf16b 100644
--- a/builder/oracle/classic/step_create_image.go
+++ b/builder/oracle/classic/step_create_image.go
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ func (s *stepCreateImage) Run(_ context.Context, state multistep.StateBag) multi
 	createMI := &compute.CreateMachineImageInput{
 		// Two-part name of the account
 		Account:     fmt.Sprintf("/Compute-%s/cloud_storage", config.IdentityDomain),
-		Description: "Packer generated TODO",
+		Description: "Packer generated Machine Image.",
 		// The three-part name of the object
 		Name: config.ImageName,
 		// image_file.tar.gz, where image_file is the .tar.gz name of the
diff --git a/builder/oracle/classic/step_create_persistent_volume.go b/builder/oracle/classic/step_create_persistent_volume.go
index 177b7e6b1..497253544 100644
--- a/builder/oracle/classic/step_create_persistent_volume.go
+++ b/builder/oracle/classic/step_create_persistent_volume.go
@@ -42,8 +42,6 @@ func (s *stepCreatePersistentVolume) Run(_ context.Context, state multistep.Stat
 		return multistep.ActionHalt
 	}
 
-	//TODO: wait to become available
-
 	ui.Message(fmt.Sprintf("Created volume: %s", cc.Name))
 	return multistep.ActionContinue
 }
diff --git a/builder/oracle/classic/step_security.go b/builder/oracle/classic/step_security.go
index 054ca7b5e..2fa6a6216 100644
--- a/builder/oracle/classic/step_security.go
+++ b/builder/oracle/classic/step_security.go
@@ -7,13 +7,12 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/hashicorp/go-oracle-terraform/compute"
-	"github.com/hashicorp/packer/helper/communicator"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/packer/helper/multistep"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/packer/packer"
 )
 
 type stepSecurity struct {
-	Comm            *communicator.Config
+	CommType        string
 	SecurityListKey string
 	secListName     string
 	secRuleName     string
@@ -37,9 +36,9 @@ func (s *stepSecurity) Run(_ context.Context, state multistep.StateBag) multiste
 	client := state.Get("client").(*compute.Client)
 
 	commType := ""
-	if s.Comm.Type == "ssh" {
+	if s.CommType == "ssh" {
 		commType = "SSH"
-	} else if s.Comm.Type == "winrm" {
+	} else if s.CommType == "winrm" {
 		commType = "WINRM"
 	}
 	secListName := fmt.Sprintf("Packer_%s_Allow_%s", commType, runID)
@@ -153,7 +152,7 @@ func (s *stepSecurity) Cleanup(state multistep.StateBag) {
 	}
 
 	// Some extra cleanup if we used the winRM communicator
-	if s.Comm.Type == "winrm" {
+	if s.CommType == "winrm" {
 		// Delete the packer-generated application
 		application, ok := state.GetOk("winrm_application")
 		if !ok {