diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 1e376b5..a98d883 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -137,11 +137,11 @@ jobs:
         server-id: github # Value of the distributionManagement/repository/id field of the pom.xml
         username: ${{ github.actor }} # username for server authentication
         password: ${{ github.token }} # password or token for authentication
-        m2-home: ${{ $GITHUB_WORKSPACE }} # location of the .m2 directory
+        m2-home: ${{ $GITHUB_WORKSPACE }} # location for the settings.xml file
     - name: Build with Maven
       run: mvn -B package --file pom.xml
     - name: Publish to GitHub Packages Apache Maven
-      run: mvn deploy
+      run: mvn deploy -s ${{ $GITHUB_WORKSPACE }}/settings.xml
 ```
 
 # License
diff --git a/__tests__/auth.test.ts b/__tests__/auth.test.ts
index 7134e5c..ce13ef7 100644
--- a/__tests__/auth.test.ts
+++ b/__tests__/auth.test.ts
@@ -28,6 +28,31 @@ describe('auth tests', () => {
     }
   }, 100000);
 
+  it('creates settings.xml in alternate locations', async () => {
+    const id = 'packages';
+    const username = 'bluebottle';
+    const password = 'SingleOrigin';
+
+    const altHome = path.join(__dirname, 'runner', 'settings');
+    const altSettingsFile = path.join(altHome, auth.SETTINGS_FILE);
+    process.env[`INPUT_M2-HOME`] = altHome;
+    await io.rmRF(altHome); // ensure it doesn't already exist
+
+    await auth.configAuthentication(id, username, password);
+
+    expect(fs.existsSync(m2Dir)).toBe(false);
+    expect(fs.existsSync(settingsFile)).toBe(false);
+
+    expect(fs.existsSync(altHome)).toBe(true);
+    expect(fs.existsSync(altSettingsFile)).toBe(true);
+    expect(fs.readFileSync(altSettingsFile, 'utf-8')).toEqual(
+      auth.generate(id, username, password)
+    );
+
+    delete process.env[`INPUT_M2-HOME`];
+    await io.rmRF(altHome);
+  }, 100000);
+
   it('creates settings.xml with username and password', async () => {
     const id = 'packages';
     const username = 'bluebottle';
diff --git a/dist/index.js b/dist/index.js
index c7b1f98..f4ff8d1 100644
Binary files a/dist/index.js and b/dist/index.js differ
diff --git a/src/auth.ts b/src/auth.ts
index ca43c20..9cfa69a 100644
--- a/src/auth.ts
+++ b/src/auth.ts
@@ -16,7 +16,12 @@ export async function configAuthentication(
     console.log(
       `creating ${SETTINGS_FILE} with server-id: ${id}, username: ${username}, and a password`
     );
-    const directory: string = path.join(os.homedir(), M2_DIR);
+    // when an alternate m2 location is specified use only that location (no .m2 directory)
+    // otherwise use the home/.m2/ path
+    const directory: string = path.join(
+      core.getInput('m2-home') || os.homedir(),
+      core.getInput('m2-home') ? '' : M2_DIR
+    );
     await io.mkdirP(directory);
     core.debug(`created directory ${directory}`);
     await write(directory, generate(id, username, password));