diff --git a/internal/fakes/fake_access_checker.go b/internal/fakes/fake_access_checker.go
index 9912df97dc..c4d731774f 100644
--- a/internal/fakes/fake_access_checker.go
+++ b/internal/fakes/fake_access_checker.go
@@ -8,7 +8,10 @@ func NewFakeAccessChecker() *FakeAccessChecker {
 	return &FakeAccessChecker{}
 }
 
-func (f *FakeAccessChecker) Check(repo string) bool {
+func (f *FakeAccessChecker) Check(repo string, publish bool) bool {
+	if !publish {
+		return true
+	}
 	for _, toFail := range f.RegistriesToFail {
 		if toFail == repo {
 			return false
diff --git a/pkg/client/client.go b/pkg/client/client.go
index d034851fc6..d46ccb2d2b 100644
--- a/pkg/client/client.go
+++ b/pkg/client/client.go
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ type BuildpackDownloader interface {
 
 // AccessChecker is an interface for checking remote images for read access
 type AccessChecker interface {
-	Check(repo string) bool
+	Check(repo string, publish bool) bool
 }
 
 // Client is an orchestration object, it contains all parameters needed to
diff --git a/pkg/client/common.go b/pkg/client/common.go
index d3c67d882b..ff824c5d3e 100644
--- a/pkg/client/common.go
+++ b/pkg/client/common.go
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ func (c *Client) resolveRunImage(runImage, imgRegistry, bldrRegistry string, run
 		runImageMetadata.Image,
 		runImageMetadata.Mirrors,
 		additionalMirrors[runImageMetadata.Image],
+		publish,
 		accessChecker,
 	)
 
@@ -108,8 +109,8 @@ func contains(slc []string, v string) bool {
 	return false
 }
 
-func getBestRunMirror(registry string, runImage string, mirrors []string, preferredMirrors []string, accessChecker AccessChecker) string {
-	runImageList := filterImageList(append(append(append([]string{}, preferredMirrors...), runImage), mirrors...), accessChecker)
+func getBestRunMirror(registry string, runImage string, mirrors []string, preferredMirrors []string, publish bool, accessChecker AccessChecker) string {
+	runImageList := filterImageList(append(append(append([]string{}, preferredMirrors...), runImage), mirrors...), publish, accessChecker)
 	for _, img := range runImageList {
 		ref, err := name.ParseReference(img, name.WeakValidation)
 		if err != nil {
@@ -127,11 +128,11 @@ func getBestRunMirror(registry string, runImage string, mirrors []string, prefer
 	return runImage
 }
 
-func filterImageList(imageList []string, accessChecker AccessChecker) []string {
+func filterImageList(imageList []string, publish bool, accessChecker AccessChecker) []string {
 	var accessibleImages []string
 
 	for i, img := range imageList {
-		if accessChecker.Check(img) {
+		if accessChecker.Check(img, publish) {
 			accessibleImages = append(accessibleImages, imageList[i])
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/client/common_test.go b/pkg/client/common_test.go
index 76138b5678..e610020760 100644
--- a/pkg/client/common_test.go
+++ b/pkg/client/common_test.go
@@ -131,9 +131,30 @@ func testCommon(t *testing.T, when spec.G, it spec.S) {
 				accessChecker.RegistriesToFail = nil
 			})
 
-			it("selects the first accessible run-image", func() {
-				runImageName := subject.resolveRunImage("", gcrRegistry, defaultRegistry, stackInfo.RunImage, nil, true, accessChecker)
-				assert.Equal(runImageName, defaultMirror)
+			when("publish is true", func() {
+				it("selects the first accessible run-image", func() {
+					runImageName := subject.resolveRunImage("", gcrRegistry, defaultRegistry, stackInfo.RunImage, nil, true, accessChecker)
+					assert.Equal(runImageName, defaultMirror)
+				})
+			})
+
+			when("publish is false", func() {
+				it.Before(func() {
+					stackInfo = builder.StackMetadata{
+						RunImage: builder.RunImageMetadata{
+							Image: "stack/run-image",
+						},
+					}
+					accessChecker.RegistriesToFail = []string{
+						stackInfo.RunImage.Image,
+					}
+				})
+
+				it("selects the given run-image", func() {
+					// issue: https://github.com/buildpacks/pack/issues/2078
+					runImageName := subject.resolveRunImage("", "", "", stackInfo.RunImage, nil, false, accessChecker)
+					assert.Equal(runImageName, "stack/run-image")
+				})
 			})
 		})
 	})
diff --git a/pkg/image/access_checker.go b/pkg/image/access_checker.go
index bc9ae55cd0..50401a104f 100644
--- a/pkg/image/access_checker.go
+++ b/pkg/image/access_checker.go
@@ -25,7 +25,12 @@ func NewAccessChecker(logger logging.Logger, keychain authn.Keychain) *Checker {
 	return checker
 }
 
-func (c *Checker) Check(repo string) bool {
+func (c *Checker) Check(repo string, publish bool) bool {
+	if !publish {
+		// nop checker, we are running against the daemon
+		return true
+	}
+
 	img, err := remote.NewImage(repo, c.keychain)
 	if err != nil {
 		return false
diff --git a/pkg/image/access_checker_test.go b/pkg/image/access_checker_test.go
index 9b1bf3ebd6..567f4eb41f 100644
--- a/pkg/image/access_checker_test.go
+++ b/pkg/image/access_checker_test.go
@@ -19,16 +19,31 @@ func TestChecker(t *testing.T) {
 
 func testChecker(t *testing.T, when spec.G, it spec.S) {
 	when("#Check", func() {
-		it("fails when checking dummy image", func() {
-			buf := &bytes.Buffer{}
+		when("publish is false", func() {
+			// issue: https://github.com/buildpacks/pack/issues/2078
+			it("returns true", func() {
+				buf := &bytes.Buffer{}
 
-			keychain, err := auth.DefaultKeychain("pack.test/dummy")
-			h.AssertNil(t, err)
+				keychain, err := auth.DefaultKeychain("pack-test/dummy")
+				h.AssertNil(t, err)
 
-			ic := image.NewAccessChecker(logging.NewSimpleLogger(buf), keychain)
+				ic := image.NewAccessChecker(logging.NewSimpleLogger(buf), keychain)
+				h.AssertTrue(t, ic.Check("pack.test/dummy", false))
+			})
+		})
+
+		when("publish is true", func() {
+			it("fails when checking dummy image", func() {
+				buf := &bytes.Buffer{}
+
+				keychain, err := auth.DefaultKeychain("pack.test/dummy")
+				h.AssertNil(t, err)
+
+				ic := image.NewAccessChecker(logging.NewSimpleLogger(buf), keychain)
 
-			h.AssertFalse(t, ic.Check("pack.test/dummy"))
-			h.AssertContains(t, buf.String(), "DEBUG:  CheckReadAccess failed for the run image pack.test/dummy")
+				h.AssertFalse(t, ic.Check("pack.test/dummy", true))
+				h.AssertContains(t, buf.String(), "DEBUG:  CheckReadAccess failed for the run image pack.test/dummy")
+			})
 		})
 	})
 }