diff --git a/check_docker_clean.sh b/check_docker_clean.sh
index 3bd90f8c..4349e1d3 100755
--- a/check_docker_clean.sh
+++ b/check_docker_clean.sh
@@ -19,27 +19,53 @@ srcdir="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
 
 . "$srcdir/docker.sh"
 
+# Caches we want to check have been removed:
+#
+# .cache => Python pip
+#
+# .cpan  => Perl
+# .cpanm
+#
+# .gem   => Ruby
+#
+# Java / Scala / Groovy:
+#
+# .gradle => Gradle
+# .groovy => Groovy
+# .ivy    => Ivy (Sbt / Gradle)
+# .ivy2
+# .m2     => Maven
+# .sbt    => SBT
+
+cache_list="
+.cache
+.cpan
+.cpanm
+.gem
+.gradle
+.groovy
+.ivy
+.ivy2
+.m2
+.sbt
+"
+
 if is_inside_docker; then
-    # Python pip => .cache
-    # Perl       => .cpan / .cpanm
-    # Ruby       => .gem
-    # Java / Scala / Groovy:
-    #   Maven    => .m2
-    #   Ivy      => .ivy .ivy2
-    #       (Sbt / Gradle)
     for x in \
-        .cache \
-        .cpan \
-        .cpanm \
-        .m2 \
-        .ivy \
-        .ivy2 \
         ; do
         for y in /root ~; do
+            # This might fail if we're not running as root :-/
+            # consider sudo'ing and find / -type d -name $x but that might find .cache under some app or something, although we should probably remove that too
+            # for now this is good enough as most dockers are built as root
+            # should test for sudo availability as well
             if [ -e "$y/$x" ]; then
                 echo "$y/$x detected, should have been removed from docker build"
                 exit 1
             fi
         done
     done
+    if [ -n "$(find / -type f -name pytools_checks)" ]; then
+        echo "pytools_checks detected, should have been removed from docker build"
+        exit 1
+    fi
 fi
diff --git a/check_pytools.sh b/check_pytools.sh
index 4bbda39c..30378ff9 100755
--- a/check_pytools.sh
+++ b/check_pytools.sh
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ set -euo pipefail
 srcdir2="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
 
 . "$srcdir2/utils.sh"
+. "$srcdir2/docker.sh"
 
 srcdir="$srcdir2"
 
@@ -34,6 +35,9 @@ if [ "$PROJECT" = "pytools" ]; then
 elif [ "$PROJECT" = "Dockerfiles" ]; then
     echo "detected running in Dockerfiles repo, skipping checks here as will be called in bash-tools/all.sh..."
     skip_checks=1
+elif is_inside_docker; then
+    echo "detected running inside Docker, skipping pytools checks"
+    skip_checks=1
 fi
 
 if [ $skip_checks = 1 ]; then