diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 2ebbe27..0676b89 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -17,6 +17,132 @@ include:
       - template/automagic.gitlab-ci.yaml
   #- template: Jobs/Container-Scanning.gitlab-ci.yml # see https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/381665
 
+
+
+.build_docker_container:
+  stage: build
+  image: 
+    name: nofusscomputing/docker-buildx-qemu:dev
+    pull_policy: always
+  services:
+    - name: docker:23-dind
+      entrypoint: ["env", "-u", "DOCKER_HOST"]
+      command: ["dockerd-entrypoint.sh"]
+  variables:
+    DOCKER_HOST: tcp://docker:2375/
+    DOCKER_DRIVER: overlay2
+    DOCKER_DOCKERFILE: dockerfile
+    # See https://github.com/docker-library/docker/pull/166
+    DOCKER_TLS_CERTDIR: ""
+  before_script:
+    - git submodule foreach git submodule update --init
+    - if [ "0$JOB_ROOT_DIR" == "0" ]; then ROOT_DIR=gitlab-ci; else ROOT_DIR=$JOB_ROOT_DIR ; fi
+    - echo "[DEBUG] ROOT_DIR[$ROOT_DIR]"
+    - docker info
+    - docker login -u $CI_REGISTRY_USER -p $CI_REGISTRY_PASSWORD $CI_REGISTRY
+    #- pip3 install -r gitlab-ci/gitlab_release/requirements.txt
+    - pip3 install setuptools wheel
+    - pip install -r $ROOT_DIR/conventional_commits/requirements.txt
+    - pip3 install gitlab-ci/gitlab_release/python-module/cz_nfc/.
+      # see: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-runner/-/merge_requests/1861 
+      # on why this `docker run` is required. without it multiarch support doesnt work.
+    - docker run --rm --privileged multiarch/qemu-user-static --reset -p yes
+    - update-binfmts --display
+    - update-binfmts --enable # Important: Ensures execution of other binary formats is enabled in the kernel
+    - docker buildx create --driver=docker-container --driver-opt image=moby/buildkit:v0.11.6 --use
+    - docker buildx inspect --bootstrap
+
+
+  #       --label org.opencontainers.image.url="$CI_PROJECT_URL/-/releases/$(cz -n cz_nfc version --project)" \
+  #       --label org.opencontainers.image.version="$(cz -n cz_nfc version --project)" \
+  script: 
+    - update-binfmts --display
+    - |
+
+      if [ "0$DOCKER_IMAGE_BUILD_TARGET_PLATFORMS" != "0" ]; then
+
+        echo "[DEBUG] building multiarch/specified arch image";
+
+        docker buildx build --platform=$DOCKER_IMAGE_BUILD_TARGET_PLATFORMS . \
+          --label org.opencontainers.image.created="$(date '+%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S%:z')" \
+          --label org.opencontainers.image.description="An Ansible Execution Environment" \
+          --label org.opencontainers.image.documentation="$CI_PROJECT_URL" \
+          --label org.opencontainers.image.source="$CI_PROJECT_URL" \
+          --label org.opencontainers.image.revision="$CI_COMMIT_SHA" \
+          --label io.artifacthub.package.readme-url="$CI_PROJECT_URL/-/raw/development/README.md?ref_type=heads" \
+          --label io.artifacthub.package.maintainers='[{"name":"No Fuss Computing","email":"helpdesk@nofusscomputing.com"}, {"name":"jon_nfc","email":"jonathon.lockwood@networkedweb.com"}]' \
+        --push \
+        --build-arg CI_JOB_TOKEN=$CI_JOB_TOKEN --build-arg CI_PROJECT_ID=$CI_PROJECT_ID --build-arg CI_API_V4_URL=$CI_API_V4_URL \
+        --file $DOCKER_DOCKERFILE \
+        --tag $DOCKER_IMAGE_BUILD_REGISTRY/$DOCKER_IMAGE_BUILD_NAME:$DOCKER_IMAGE_BUILD_TAG;
+
+        docker buildx imagetools inspect $DOCKER_IMAGE_BUILD_REGISTRY/$DOCKER_IMAGE_BUILD_NAME:$DOCKER_IMAGE_BUILD_TAG;
+
+        # during docker multi platform build there are >=3 additional unknown images added to gitlab container registry. cleanup
+        
+        DOCKER_MULTI_ARCH_IMAGES=$(docker buildx imagetools inspect "$DOCKER_IMAGE_BUILD_REGISTRY/$DOCKER_IMAGE_BUILD_NAME:$DOCKER_IMAGE_BUILD_TAG" --format "{{ range .Manifest.Manifests }}{{ if ne (print .Platform) \"&{unknown unknown  [] }\" }}$DOCKER_IMAGE_BUILD_REGISTRY/$DOCKER_IMAGE_BUILD_NAME:$DOCKER_IMAGE_BUILD_TAG@{{ println .Digest }}{{end}} {{end}}");
+
+        docker buildx imagetools create $DOCKER_MULTI_ARCH_IMAGES --tag $DOCKER_IMAGE_BUILD_REGISTRY/$DOCKER_IMAGE_BUILD_NAME:$DOCKER_IMAGE_BUILD_TAG;
+
+        docker buildx imagetools inspect $DOCKER_IMAGE_BUILD_REGISTRY/$DOCKER_IMAGE_BUILD_NAME:$DOCKER_IMAGE_BUILD_TAG;
+
+      else
+
+        echo "[DEBUG] building image";
+
+        docker build . \
+          --label org.opencontainers.image.created="$(date '+%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S%:z')" \
+          --label org.opencontainers.image.description="An Ansible Execution Environment" \
+          --label org.opencontainers.image.documentation="$CI_PROJECT_URL" \
+          --label org.opencontainers.image.source="$CI_PROJECT_URL" \
+          --label org.opencontainers.image.url="$CI_PROJECT_URL/-/releases/$(cz -n cz_nfc version --project)" \
+          --label org.opencontainers.image.version="$(cz -n cz_nfc version --project)" \
+          --label org.opencontainers.image.revision="$CI_COMMIT_SHA" \
+          --label io.artifacthub.package.readme-url="$CI_PROJECT_URL/-/raw/development/README.md?ref_type=heads" \
+          --label io.artifacthub.package.maintainers='[{"name":"No Fuss Computing","email":"helpdesk@nofusscomputing.com"}, {"name":"jon_nfc","email":"jonathon.lockwood@networkedweb.com"}]' \
+        --build-arg CI_JOB_TOKEN=$CI_JOB_TOKEN --build-arg CI_PROJECT_ID=$CI_PROJECT_ID --build-arg CI_API_V4_URL=$CI_API_V4_URL \
+        --file $DOCKER_DOCKERFILE \
+        --tag $DOCKER_IMAGE_BUILD_REGISTRY/$DOCKER_IMAGE_BUILD_NAME:$DOCKER_IMAGE_BUILD_TAG;
+      
+      docker push $DOCKER_IMAGE_BUILD_REGISTRY/$DOCKER_IMAGE_BUILD_NAME:$DOCKER_IMAGE_BUILD_TAG;
+
+      fi
+  rules:
+
+    - if: # condition_git_tag
+        $CI_COMMIT_TAG != null &&
+        $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH == null
+      exists:
+        - '{dockerfile,dockerfile.j2}'
+      when: on_success
+
+    - if: # condition_dev_branch_push
+        $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH == "development" && 
+        $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == "push"
+      exists:
+        - '{dockerfile,dockerfile.j2}'
+      changes:
+        paths:
+          - '{dockerfile,dockerfile.j2,includes/**/*}'
+        compare_to: 'master'
+      when: always
+
+    - if: # condition_not_master_or_dev_push
+        $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH != "master" && 
+        $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH != "development" && 
+        $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == "push"
+      exists:
+        - '{dockerfile,dockerfile.j2}'
+      changes:
+        paths:
+          - '{dockerfile,dockerfile.j2,includes/**/*}'
+        compare_to: 'development'
+      when: always
+
+    - when: never
+
+
+
 .MKDocs_Build:
   image: python:3.11-buster
 
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 8c7ff4a..66715ff 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@
 
 ![Project Status - Active](https://img.shields.io/badge/Project%20Status-Active-green?logo=gitlab&style=plastic) 
 
+[![Docker Pulls](https://img.shields.io/docker/pulls/nofusscomputing/ansible-ee?style=plastic&logo=docker&color=0db7ed)](https://hub.docker.com/r/nofusscomputing/ansible-ee) [![Artifact Hub](https://img.shields.io/endpoint?style=plastic&url=https://artifacthub.io/badge/repository/nfc-ansible-ee)](https://artifacthub.io/packages/search?repo=nfc-ansible-ee)
+
 <br>
 
 ![Gitlab forks count](https://img.shields.io/badge/dynamic/json?label=Forks&query=%24.forks_count&url=https%3A%2F%2Fgitlab.com%2Fapi%2Fv4%2Fprojects%2F45741845%2F&color=ff782e&logo=gitlab&style=plastic) ![Gitlab stars](https://img.shields.io/badge/dynamic/json?label=Stars&query=%24.star_count&url=https%3A%2F%2Fgitlab.com%2Fapi%2Fv4%2Fprojects%2F45741845%2F&color=ff782e&logo=gitlab&style=plastic) [![Open Issues](https://img.shields.io/badge/dynamic/json?color=ff782e&logo=gitlab&style=plastic&label=Open%20Issues&query=%24.statistics.counts.opened&url=https%3A%2F%2Fgitlab.com%2Fapi%2Fv4%2Fprojects%2F45741845%2Fissues_statistics)](https://gitlab.com/nofusscomputing/projects/ansible/execution_environment/-/issues)