diff --git a/.github/workflows/e2e-publishing.yml b/.github/workflows/e2e-publishing.yml
index 2405e41..90b02b9 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/e2e-publishing.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/e2e-publishing.yml
@@ -11,6 +11,10 @@ on:
     paths-ignore:
       - '**.md'
 
+defaults:
+  run:
+    shell: pwsh
+
 jobs:
   setup-java-publishing:
     name: Validate settings.xml
@@ -34,12 +38,7 @@ jobs:
           gpg-passphrase: MAVEN_GPG_PASSPHRASE
       - name: Validate settings.xml
         run: |
-          $homePath = $env:USERPROFILE
-          if (-not $homePath) {
-            $homePath = $env:HOME
-          }
-          $xmlPath = Join-Path $homePath ".m2" "settings.xml"
-
+          $xmlPath = Join-Path $HOME ".m2" "settings.xml"
           Get-Content $xmlPath | ForEach-Object { Write-Host $_ }
 
           [xml]$xml = Get-Content $xmlPath
@@ -51,10 +50,82 @@ jobs:
           if (($servers[1].id -ne 'gpg.passphrase') -or ($servers[1].passphrase -ne '${env.MAVEN_GPG_PASSPHRASE}')) {
             throw "Generated XML file is incorrect"
           }
-        shell: pwsh
+
+  test-publishing-overwrite:
+    name: settings.xml is overwritten if flag is true
+    runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
+    strategy:
+      fail-fast: false
+      matrix:
+        os: [macos-latest, windows-latest, ubuntu-latest]
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v2
+      - name: Create fake settings.xml
+        run: |
+          $xmlDirectory = Join-Path $HOME ".m2"
+          $xmlPath = Join-Path $xmlDirectory "settings.xml"
+          New-Item -Path $xmlDirectory -ItemType Directory
+          Set-Content -Path $xmlPath -Value "Fake_XML"
+      - name: setup-java
+        uses: ./
+        id: setup-java
+        with:
+          distribution: 'adopt'
+          java-version: '11'
+          server-id: maven
+          server-username: MAVEN_USERNAME
+          server-password: MAVEN_CENTRAL_TOKEN
+          gpg-passphrase: MAVEN_GPG_PASSPHRASE
+      - name: Validate settings.xml is overwritten
+        run: |
+          $xmlPath = Join-Path $HOME ".m2" "settings.xml"
+          Get-Content $xmlPath | ForEach-Object { Write-Host $_ }
+
+          $content = Get-Content $xmlPath -Raw
+          if ($content -notlike '*maven*') {
+            throw "settings.xml file is not overwritten"
+          }
+  
+  test-publishing-skip-overwrite:
+    name: settings.xml is not overwritten if flag is false
+    runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
+    strategy:
+      fail-fast: false
+      matrix:
+        os: [macos-latest, windows-latest, ubuntu-latest]
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v2
+      - name: Create fake settings.xml
+        run: |
+          $xmlDirectory = Join-Path $HOME ".m2"
+          $xmlPath = Join-Path $xmlDirectory "settings.xml"
+          New-Item -Path $xmlDirectory -ItemType Directory
+          Set-Content -Path $xmlPath -Value "Fake_XML"
+      - name: setup-java
+        uses: ./
+        id: setup-java
+        with:
+          distribution: 'adopt'
+          java-version: '11'
+          server-id: maven
+          server-username: MAVEN_USERNAME
+          server-password: MAVEN_CENTRAL_TOKEN
+          overwrite-settings: false
+          gpg-passphrase: MAVEN_GPG_PASSPHRASE
+      - name: Validate that settings.xml is not overwritten
+        run: |
+          $xmlPath = Join-Path $HOME ".m2" "settings.xml"
+          $content = Get-Content -Path $xmlPath -Raw
+          Write-Host $content
+
+          if ($content -notlike "*Fake_XML*") {
+            throw "settings.xml file was overwritten but it should not be"
+          }
 
   test-publishing-custom-location:
-    name: Validate settings.xml in custom location
+    name: settings.xml in custom location
     runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
     strategy:
       fail-fast: false
@@ -79,5 +150,4 @@ jobs:
           $path = Join-Path $env:RUNNER_TEMP "settings.xml"
           if (-not (Test-Path $path)) {
             throw "settings.xml file is not found in expected location"
-          }
-        shell: pwsh
\ No newline at end of file
+          }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index b109577..84429bd 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ This action provides the following functionality for GitHub Actions runners:
 Inputs `java-version` and `distribution` are mandatory. See [Supported distributions](../README.md#Supported-distributions) section for a list of available options.
 
 ### Basic
+**Adopt OpenJDK**
 ```yaml
 steps:
 - uses: actions/checkout@v2
@@ -30,6 +31,17 @@ steps:
 - run: java -cp java HelloWorldApp
 ```
 
+**Zulu OpenJDK**
+```yaml
+steps:
+- uses: actions/checkout@v2
+- uses: actions/setup-java@v2-preview
+  with:
+    distribution: 'zulu' # See 'Supported distributions' for available options
+    java-version: '11'
+- run: java -cp java HelloWorldApp
+```
+
 #### Supported version syntax
 The `java-version` input supports an exact version or a version range using [SemVer](https://semver.org/) notation:
 - major versions: `8`, `11`, `15`
diff --git a/__tests__/auth.test.ts b/__tests__/auth.test.ts
index b45b510..fccb3fe 100644
--- a/__tests__/auth.test.ts
+++ b/__tests__/auth.test.ts
@@ -35,10 +35,9 @@ describe('auth tests', () => {
 
     const altHome = path.join(__dirname, 'runner', 'settings');
     const altSettingsFile = path.join(altHome, auth.SETTINGS_FILE);
-    process.env[`INPUT_SETTINGS-PATH`] = altHome;
     await io.rmRF(altHome); // ensure it doesn't already exist
 
-    await auth.createAuthenticationSettings(id, username, password);
+    await auth.createAuthenticationSettings(id, username, password, altHome, true);
 
     expect(fs.existsSync(m2Dir)).toBe(false);
     expect(fs.existsSync(settingsFile)).toBe(false);
@@ -49,7 +48,6 @@ describe('auth tests', () => {
       auth.generate(id, username, password)
     );
 
-    delete process.env[`INPUT_SETTINGS-PATH`];
     await io.rmRF(altHome);
   }, 100000);
 
@@ -58,7 +56,7 @@ describe('auth tests', () => {
     const username = 'UNAME';
     const password = 'TOKEN';
 
-    await auth.createAuthenticationSettings(id, username, password);
+    await auth.createAuthenticationSettings(id, username, password, m2Dir, true);
 
     expect(fs.existsSync(m2Dir)).toBe(true);
     expect(fs.existsSync(settingsFile)).toBe(true);
@@ -71,7 +69,7 @@ describe('auth tests', () => {
     const password = 'TOKEN';
     const gpgPassphrase = 'GPG';
 
-    await auth.createAuthenticationSettings(id, username, password, gpgPassphrase);
+    await auth.createAuthenticationSettings(id, username, password, m2Dir, true, gpgPassphrase);
 
     expect(fs.existsSync(m2Dir)).toBe(true);
     expect(fs.existsSync(settingsFile)).toBe(true);
@@ -90,13 +88,30 @@ describe('auth tests', () => {
     expect(fs.existsSync(m2Dir)).toBe(true);
     expect(fs.existsSync(settingsFile)).toBe(true);
 
-    await auth.createAuthenticationSettings(id, username, password);
+    await auth.createAuthenticationSettings(id, username, password, m2Dir, true);
 
     expect(fs.existsSync(m2Dir)).toBe(true);
     expect(fs.existsSync(settingsFile)).toBe(true);
     expect(fs.readFileSync(settingsFile, 'utf-8')).toEqual(auth.generate(id, username, password));
   }, 100000);
 
+  it('does not overwrite existing settings.xml files', async () => {
+    const id = 'packages';
+    const username = 'USERNAME';
+    const password = 'PASSWORD';
+
+    fs.mkdirSync(m2Dir, { recursive: true });
+    fs.writeFileSync(settingsFile, 'FAKE FILE');
+    expect(fs.existsSync(m2Dir)).toBe(true);
+    expect(fs.existsSync(settingsFile)).toBe(true);
+
+    await auth.createAuthenticationSettings(id, username, password, m2Dir, false);
+
+    expect(fs.existsSync(m2Dir)).toBe(true);
+    expect(fs.existsSync(settingsFile)).toBe(true);
+    expect(fs.readFileSync(settingsFile, 'utf-8')).toEqual('FAKE FILE');
+  }, 100000);
+
   it('generates valid settings.xml with minimal configuration', () => {
     const id = 'packages';
     const username = 'USER';
diff --git a/action.yml b/action.yml
index df59abd..406ad3a 100644
--- a/action.yml
+++ b/action.yml
@@ -38,6 +38,10 @@ inputs:
   settings-path:
     description: 'Path to where the settings.xml file will be written. Default is ~/.m2.'
     required: false
+  overwrite-settings:
+    description: 'Overwrite the settings.xml file if it exists. Default is "true".'
+    required: false
+    default: true
   gpg-private-key:
     description: 'GPG private key to import. Default is empty string.'
     required: false
diff --git a/dist/cleanup/index.js b/dist/cleanup/index.js
index 6bcd087..ca595b1 100644
--- a/dist/cleanup/index.js
+++ b/dist/cleanup/index.js
@@ -2685,17 +2685,22 @@ var __importDefault = (this && this.__importDefault) || function (mod) {
     return (mod && mod.__esModule) ? mod : { "default": mod };
 };
 Object.defineProperty(exports, "__esModule", { value: true });
-exports.getToolcachePath = exports.isVersionSatisfies = exports.getDownloadArchiveExtension = exports.extractJdkFile = exports.getVersionFromToolcachePath = exports.getTempDir = void 0;
+exports.getToolcachePath = exports.isVersionSatisfies = exports.getDownloadArchiveExtension = exports.extractJdkFile = exports.getVersionFromToolcachePath = exports.getBooleanInput = exports.getTempDir = void 0;
 const os_1 = __importDefault(__webpack_require__(87));
 const path_1 = __importDefault(__webpack_require__(622));
 const fs = __importStar(__webpack_require__(747));
 const semver = __importStar(__webpack_require__(876));
+const core = __importStar(__webpack_require__(470));
 const tc = __importStar(__webpack_require__(533));
 function getTempDir() {
     let tempDirectory = process.env['RUNNER_TEMP'] || os_1.default.tmpdir();
     return tempDirectory;
 }
 exports.getTempDir = getTempDir;
+function getBooleanInput(inputName, defaultValue = false) {
+    return (core.getInput(inputName) || String(defaultValue)).toUpperCase() === 'TRUE';
+}
+exports.getBooleanInput = getBooleanInput;
 function getVersionFromToolcachePath(toolPath) {
     if (toolPath) {
         return path_1.default.basename(path_1.default.dirname(toolPath));
@@ -6824,7 +6829,7 @@ function isUnixExecutable(stats) {
 "use strict";
 
 Object.defineProperty(exports, "__esModule", { value: true });
-exports.STATE_GPG_PRIVATE_KEY_FINGERPRINT = exports.INPUT_DEFAULT_GPG_PASSPHRASE = exports.INPUT_DEFAULT_GPG_PRIVATE_KEY = exports.INPUT_GPG_PASSPHRASE = exports.INPUT_GPG_PRIVATE_KEY = exports.INPUT_SETTINGS_PATH = exports.INPUT_SERVER_PASSWORD = exports.INPUT_SERVER_USERNAME = exports.INPUT_SERVER_ID = exports.INPUT_JDK_FILE = exports.INPUT_DISTRIBUTION = exports.INPUT_JAVA_PACKAGE = exports.INPUT_ARCHITECTURE = exports.INPUT_JAVA_VERSION = exports.MACOS_JAVA_CONTENT_POSTFIX = void 0;
+exports.STATE_GPG_PRIVATE_KEY_FINGERPRINT = exports.INPUT_DEFAULT_GPG_PASSPHRASE = exports.INPUT_DEFAULT_GPG_PRIVATE_KEY = exports.INPUT_GPG_PASSPHRASE = exports.INPUT_GPG_PRIVATE_KEY = exports.INPUT_OVERWRITE_SETTINGS = exports.INPUT_SETTINGS_PATH = exports.INPUT_SERVER_PASSWORD = exports.INPUT_SERVER_USERNAME = exports.INPUT_SERVER_ID = exports.INPUT_JDK_FILE = exports.INPUT_DISTRIBUTION = exports.INPUT_JAVA_PACKAGE = exports.INPUT_ARCHITECTURE = exports.INPUT_JAVA_VERSION = exports.MACOS_JAVA_CONTENT_POSTFIX = void 0;
 exports.MACOS_JAVA_CONTENT_POSTFIX = 'Contents/Home';
 exports.INPUT_JAVA_VERSION = 'java-version';
 exports.INPUT_ARCHITECTURE = 'architecture';
@@ -6835,6 +6840,7 @@ exports.INPUT_SERVER_ID = 'server-id';
 exports.INPUT_SERVER_USERNAME = 'server-username';
 exports.INPUT_SERVER_PASSWORD = 'server-password';
 exports.INPUT_SETTINGS_PATH = 'settings-path';
+exports.INPUT_OVERWRITE_SETTINGS = 'overwrite-settings';
 exports.INPUT_GPG_PRIVATE_KEY = 'gpg-private-key';
 exports.INPUT_GPG_PASSPHRASE = 'gpg-passphrase';
 exports.INPUT_DEFAULT_GPG_PRIVATE_KEY = undefined;
diff --git a/dist/setup/index.js b/dist/setup/index.js
index bd0168d..f102f90 100644
--- a/dist/setup/index.js
+++ b/dist/setup/index.js
@@ -11302,7 +11302,7 @@ exports.HTMLCollectionImpl = HTMLCollectionImpl;
 "use strict";
 
 Object.defineProperty(exports, "__esModule", { value: true });
-exports.STATE_GPG_PRIVATE_KEY_FINGERPRINT = exports.INPUT_DEFAULT_GPG_PASSPHRASE = exports.INPUT_DEFAULT_GPG_PRIVATE_KEY = exports.INPUT_GPG_PASSPHRASE = exports.INPUT_GPG_PRIVATE_KEY = exports.INPUT_SETTINGS_PATH = exports.INPUT_SERVER_PASSWORD = exports.INPUT_SERVER_USERNAME = exports.INPUT_SERVER_ID = exports.INPUT_JDK_FILE = exports.INPUT_DISTRIBUTION = exports.INPUT_JAVA_PACKAGE = exports.INPUT_ARCHITECTURE = exports.INPUT_JAVA_VERSION = exports.MACOS_JAVA_CONTENT_POSTFIX = void 0;
+exports.STATE_GPG_PRIVATE_KEY_FINGERPRINT = exports.INPUT_DEFAULT_GPG_PASSPHRASE = exports.INPUT_DEFAULT_GPG_PRIVATE_KEY = exports.INPUT_GPG_PASSPHRASE = exports.INPUT_GPG_PRIVATE_KEY = exports.INPUT_OVERWRITE_SETTINGS = exports.INPUT_SETTINGS_PATH = exports.INPUT_SERVER_PASSWORD = exports.INPUT_SERVER_USERNAME = exports.INPUT_SERVER_ID = exports.INPUT_JDK_FILE = exports.INPUT_DISTRIBUTION = exports.INPUT_JAVA_PACKAGE = exports.INPUT_ARCHITECTURE = exports.INPUT_JAVA_VERSION = exports.MACOS_JAVA_CONTENT_POSTFIX = void 0;
 exports.MACOS_JAVA_CONTENT_POSTFIX = 'Contents/Home';
 exports.INPUT_JAVA_VERSION = 'java-version';
 exports.INPUT_ARCHITECTURE = 'architecture';
@@ -11313,6 +11313,7 @@ exports.INPUT_SERVER_ID = 'server-id';
 exports.INPUT_SERVER_USERNAME = 'server-username';
 exports.INPUT_SERVER_PASSWORD = 'server-password';
 exports.INPUT_SETTINGS_PATH = 'settings-path';
+exports.INPUT_OVERWRITE_SETTINGS = 'overwrite-settings';
 exports.INPUT_GPG_PRIVATE_KEY = 'gpg-private-key';
 exports.INPUT_GPG_PASSPHRASE = 'gpg-passphrase';
 exports.INPUT_DEFAULT_GPG_PRIVATE_KEY = undefined;
@@ -12935,17 +12936,22 @@ var __importDefault = (this && this.__importDefault) || function (mod) {
     return (mod && mod.__esModule) ? mod : { "default": mod };
 };
 Object.defineProperty(exports, "__esModule", { value: true });
-exports.getToolcachePath = exports.isVersionSatisfies = exports.getDownloadArchiveExtension = exports.extractJdkFile = exports.getVersionFromToolcachePath = exports.getTempDir = void 0;
+exports.getToolcachePath = exports.isVersionSatisfies = exports.getDownloadArchiveExtension = exports.extractJdkFile = exports.getVersionFromToolcachePath = exports.getBooleanInput = exports.getTempDir = void 0;
 const os_1 = __importDefault(__webpack_require__(87));
 const path_1 = __importDefault(__webpack_require__(622));
 const fs = __importStar(__webpack_require__(747));
 const semver = __importStar(__webpack_require__(876));
+const core = __importStar(__webpack_require__(470));
 const tc = __importStar(__webpack_require__(139));
 function getTempDir() {
     let tempDirectory = process.env['RUNNER_TEMP'] || os_1.default.tmpdir();
     return tempDirectory;
 }
 exports.getTempDir = getTempDir;
+function getBooleanInput(inputName, defaultValue = false) {
+    return (core.getInput(inputName) || String(defaultValue)).toUpperCase() === 'TRUE';
+}
+exports.getBooleanInput = getBooleanInput;
 function getVersionFromToolcachePath(toolPath) {
     if (toolPath) {
         return path_1.default.basename(path_1.default.dirname(toolPath));
@@ -13257,6 +13263,7 @@ const os = __importStar(__webpack_require__(87));
 const xmlbuilder2_1 = __webpack_require__(255);
 const constants = __importStar(__webpack_require__(211));
 const gpg = __importStar(__webpack_require__(884));
+const util_1 = __webpack_require__(322);
 exports.M2_DIR = '.m2';
 exports.SETTINGS_FILE = 'settings.xml';
 function configureAuthentication() {
@@ -13264,13 +13271,15 @@ function configureAuthentication() {
         const id = core.getInput(constants.INPUT_SERVER_ID);
         const username = core.getInput(constants.INPUT_SERVER_USERNAME);
         const password = core.getInput(constants.INPUT_SERVER_PASSWORD);
+        const settingsDirectory = core.getInput(constants.INPUT_SETTINGS_PATH) || path.join(os.homedir(), exports.M2_DIR);
+        const overwriteSettings = util_1.getBooleanInput(constants.INPUT_OVERWRITE_SETTINGS, true);
         const gpgPrivateKey = core.getInput(constants.INPUT_GPG_PRIVATE_KEY) || constants.INPUT_DEFAULT_GPG_PRIVATE_KEY;
         const gpgPassphrase = core.getInput(constants.INPUT_GPG_PASSPHRASE) ||
             (gpgPrivateKey ? constants.INPUT_DEFAULT_GPG_PASSPHRASE : undefined);
         if (gpgPrivateKey) {
             core.setSecret(gpgPrivateKey);
         }
-        yield createAuthenticationSettings(id, username, password, gpgPassphrase);
+        yield createAuthenticationSettings(id, username, password, settingsDirectory, overwriteSettings, gpgPassphrase);
         if (gpgPrivateKey) {
             core.info('Importing private gpg key');
             const keyFingerprint = (yield gpg.importKey(gpgPrivateKey)) || '';
@@ -13279,14 +13288,13 @@ function configureAuthentication() {
     });
 }
 exports.configureAuthentication = configureAuthentication;
-function createAuthenticationSettings(id, username, password, gpgPassphrase = undefined) {
+function createAuthenticationSettings(id, username, password, settingsDirectory, overwriteSettings, gpgPassphrase = undefined) {
     return __awaiter(this, void 0, void 0, function* () {
         core.info(`Creating ${exports.SETTINGS_FILE} with server-id: ${id}`);
         // when an alternate m2 location is specified use only that location (no .m2 directory)
         // otherwise use the home/.m2/ path
-        const settingsDirectory = path.join(core.getInput(constants.INPUT_SETTINGS_PATH) || os.homedir(), core.getInput(constants.INPUT_SETTINGS_PATH) ? '' : exports.M2_DIR);
         yield io.mkdirP(settingsDirectory);
-        yield write(settingsDirectory, generate(id, username, password, gpgPassphrase));
+        yield write(settingsDirectory, generate(id, username, password, gpgPassphrase), overwriteSettings);
     });
 }
 exports.createAuthenticationSettings = createAuthenticationSettings;
@@ -13322,14 +13330,19 @@ function generate(id, username, password, gpgPassphrase) {
     });
 }
 exports.generate = generate;
-function write(directory, settings) {
+function write(directory, settings, overwriteSettings) {
     return __awaiter(this, void 0, void 0, function* () {
         const location = path.join(directory, exports.SETTINGS_FILE);
-        if (fs.existsSync(location)) {
+        const settingsExists = fs.existsSync(location);
+        if (settingsExists && overwriteSettings) {
             core.info(`Overwriting existing file ${location}`);
         }
+        else if (!settingsExists) {
+            core.info(`Writing to ${location}`);
+        }
         else {
-            core.info(`Writing ${location}`);
+            core.info(`Skipping generation ${location} because file already exists and overwriting is not required`);
+            return;
         }
         return fs.writeFileSync(location, settings, {
             encoding: 'utf-8',
diff --git a/docs/advanced-usage.md b/docs/advanced-usage.md
index 96d31fb..c78ca68 100644
--- a/docs/advanced-usage.md
+++ b/docs/advanced-usage.md
@@ -206,7 +206,9 @@ The two `settings.xml` files created from the above example look like the follow
 </settings>
 ```
 
-***NOTE: The `settings.xml` file is created in the Actions $HOME/.m2 directory. If you have an existing `settings.xml` file at that location, it will be overwritten. See below for using the `settings-path` to change your `settings.xml` file location.***
+***NOTE***: The `settings.xml` file is created in the Actions $HOME/.m2 directory. If you have an existing `settings.xml` file at that location, it will be overwritten. See below for using the `settings-path` to change your `settings.xml` file location.
+
+If you don't want to overwrite the `settings.xml` file, you can set `overwrite-settings: false`
 
 ### Extra setup for pom.xml:
 
diff --git a/src/auth.ts b/src/auth.ts
index 30810bb..a52306b 100644
--- a/src/auth.ts
+++ b/src/auth.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import * as os from 'os';
 import { create as xmlCreate } from 'xmlbuilder2';
 import * as constants from './constants';
 import * as gpg from './gpg';
+import { getBooleanInput } from './util';
 
 export const M2_DIR = '.m2';
 export const SETTINGS_FILE = 'settings.xml';
@@ -16,6 +17,9 @@ export async function configureAuthentication() {
   const id = core.getInput(constants.INPUT_SERVER_ID);
   const username = core.getInput(constants.INPUT_SERVER_USERNAME);
   const password = core.getInput(constants.INPUT_SERVER_PASSWORD);
+  const settingsDirectory =
+    core.getInput(constants.INPUT_SETTINGS_PATH) || path.join(os.homedir(), M2_DIR);
+  const overwriteSettings = getBooleanInput(constants.INPUT_OVERWRITE_SETTINGS, true);
   const gpgPrivateKey =
     core.getInput(constants.INPUT_GPG_PRIVATE_KEY) || constants.INPUT_DEFAULT_GPG_PRIVATE_KEY;
   const gpgPassphrase =
@@ -26,7 +30,14 @@ export async function configureAuthentication() {
     core.setSecret(gpgPrivateKey);
   }
 
-  await createAuthenticationSettings(id, username, password, gpgPassphrase);
+  await createAuthenticationSettings(
+    id,
+    username,
+    password,
+    settingsDirectory,
+    overwriteSettings,
+    gpgPassphrase
+  );
 
   if (gpgPrivateKey) {
     core.info('Importing private gpg key');
@@ -39,17 +50,19 @@ export async function createAuthenticationSettings(
   id: string,
   username: string,
   password: string,
+  settingsDirectory: string,
+  overwriteSettings: boolean,
   gpgPassphrase: string | undefined = undefined
 ) {
   core.info(`Creating ${SETTINGS_FILE} with server-id: ${id}`);
   // when an alternate m2 location is specified use only that location (no .m2 directory)
   // otherwise use the home/.m2/ path
-  const settingsDirectory: string = path.join(
-    core.getInput(constants.INPUT_SETTINGS_PATH) || os.homedir(),
-    core.getInput(constants.INPUT_SETTINGS_PATH) ? '' : M2_DIR
-  );
   await io.mkdirP(settingsDirectory);
-  await write(settingsDirectory, generate(id, username, password, gpgPassphrase));
+  await write(
+    settingsDirectory,
+    generate(id, username, password, gpgPassphrase),
+    overwriteSettings
+  );
 }
 
 // only exported for testing purposes
@@ -92,12 +105,18 @@ export function generate(
   });
 }
 
-async function write(directory: string, settings: string) {
+async function write(directory: string, settings: string, overwriteSettings: boolean) {
   const location = path.join(directory, SETTINGS_FILE);
-  if (fs.existsSync(location)) {
+  const settingsExists = fs.existsSync(location);
+  if (settingsExists && overwriteSettings) {
     core.info(`Overwriting existing file ${location}`);
+  } else if (!settingsExists) {
+    core.info(`Writing to ${location}`);
   } else {
-    core.info(`Writing ${location}`);
+    core.info(
+      `Skipping generation ${location} because file already exists and overwriting is not required`
+    );
+    return;
   }
 
   return fs.writeFileSync(location, settings, {
diff --git a/src/constants.ts b/src/constants.ts
index 41fd1d4..99c8351 100644
--- a/src/constants.ts
+++ b/src/constants.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ export const INPUT_SERVER_ID = 'server-id';
 export const INPUT_SERVER_USERNAME = 'server-username';
 export const INPUT_SERVER_PASSWORD = 'server-password';
 export const INPUT_SETTINGS_PATH = 'settings-path';
+export const INPUT_OVERWRITE_SETTINGS = 'overwrite-settings';
 export const INPUT_GPG_PRIVATE_KEY = 'gpg-private-key';
 export const INPUT_GPG_PASSPHRASE = 'gpg-passphrase';
 
diff --git a/src/util.ts b/src/util.ts
index 2864faa..080597a 100644
--- a/src/util.ts
+++ b/src/util.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import os from 'os';
 import path from 'path';
 import * as fs from 'fs';
 import * as semver from 'semver';
+import * as core from '@actions/core';
 
 import * as tc from '@actions/tool-cache';
 export function getTempDir() {
@@ -10,6 +11,10 @@ export function getTempDir() {
   return tempDirectory;
 }
 
+export function getBooleanInput(inputName: string, defaultValue: boolean = false) {
+  return (core.getInput(inputName) || String(defaultValue)).toUpperCase() === 'TRUE';
+}
+
 export function getVersionFromToolcachePath(toolPath: string) {
   if (toolPath) {
     return path.basename(path.dirname(toolPath));