diff --git a/pkg/skaffold/initializer/build/resolve.go b/pkg/skaffold/initializer/build/resolve.go
index 24cc52536f1..7ee0d7cb8a5 100644
--- a/pkg/skaffold/initializer/build/resolve.go
+++ b/pkg/skaffold/initializer/build/resolve.go
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ package build
 import (
 	"fmt"
 	"path/filepath"
+	"regexp"
 	"sort"
 	"strings"
 
@@ -112,8 +113,20 @@ func getGeneratedBuilderPair(b InitBuilder) GeneratedBuilderImagePair {
 	return GeneratedBuilderImagePair{
 		BuilderImagePair: BuilderImagePair{
 			Builder:   b,
-			ImageName: imageName,
+			ImageName: sanitizeImageName(imageName),
 		},
 		ManifestPath: filepath.Join(path, "deployment.yaml"),
 	}
 }
+
+func sanitizeImageName(imageName string) string {
+	// Replace unsupported characters with `_`
+	sanitized := regexp.MustCompile(`[^a-zA-Z0-9-._]`).ReplaceAllString(imageName, `-`)
+
+	// Truncate to 128 characters
+	if len(sanitized) > 128 {
+		return sanitized[0:128]
+	}
+
+	return sanitized
+}
diff --git a/pkg/skaffold/initializer/build/util.go b/pkg/skaffold/initializer/build/util.go
index b20b1e3687b..73e2f73463b 100644
--- a/pkg/skaffold/initializer/build/util.go
+++ b/pkg/skaffold/initializer/build/util.go
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@ limitations under the License.
 package build
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
 
 	"github.com/GoogleContainerTools/skaffold/pkg/skaffold/docker"
@@ -91,6 +93,7 @@ func artifacts(pairs []BuilderImagePair) []*latest.Artifact {
 
 		workspace := filepath.Dir(pair.Builder.Path())
 		if workspace != "." {
+			fmt.Fprintf(os.Stdout, "using non standard workspace: %s\n", workspace)
 			artifact.Workspace = workspace
 		}