diff --git a/container_linux_test.go b/container_linux_test.go
index 9953e7133..ece24bf66 100644
--- a/container_linux_test.go
+++ b/container_linux_test.go
@@ -1432,9 +1432,9 @@ func testUserNamespaces(t *testing.T, readonlyRootFS bool) {
 		}),
 	)}
 	if readonlyRootFS {
-		opts = append([]NewContainerOpts{WithRemappedSnapshotView(id, image, 1000, 2000, remapperChown)}, opts...)
+		opts = append([]NewContainerOpts{WithRemappedSnapshotView(id, image, 1000, 2000)}, opts...)
 	} else {
-		opts = append([]NewContainerOpts{WithRemappedSnapshot(id, image, 1000, 2000, remapperChown)}, opts...)
+		opts = append([]NewContainerOpts{WithRemappedSnapshot(id, image, 1000, 2000)}, opts...)
 	}
 
 	container, err := client.NewContainer(ctx, id, opts...)
diff --git a/container_opts_unix.go b/container_opts_unix.go
index 04be00cd1..b109a10ec 100644
--- a/container_opts_unix.go
+++ b/container_opts_unix.go
@@ -28,35 +28,22 @@ import (
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/containers"
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/errdefs"
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/mount"
-	"github.com/containerd/containerd/snapshots"
 	"github.com/opencontainers/image-spec/identity"
 )
 
-// Remapper specifies the type of remapping to be done
-type Remapper string
-
-const (
-	remapperChown       Remapper = "chown"
-	remapperSnapshotter Remapper = "snapshotter"
-)
-
 // WithRemappedSnapshot creates a new snapshot and remaps the uid/gid for the
 // filesystem to be used by a container with user namespaces
-func WithRemappedSnapshot(id string, i Image, uid, gid uint32, remapper Remapper) NewContainerOpts {
-	return withRemappedSnapshotBase(id, i, uid, gid, false, remapper)
+func WithRemappedSnapshot(id string, i Image, uid, gid uint32) NewContainerOpts {
+	return withRemappedSnapshotBase(id, i, uid, gid, false)
 }
 
 // WithRemappedSnapshotView is similar to WithRemappedSnapshot but rootfs is mounted as read-only.
-func WithRemappedSnapshotView(id string, i Image, uid, gid uint32, remapper Remapper) NewContainerOpts {
-	return withRemappedSnapshotBase(id, i, uid, gid, true, remapper)
+func WithRemappedSnapshotView(id string, i Image, uid, gid uint32) NewContainerOpts {
+	return withRemappedSnapshotBase(id, i, uid, gid, true)
 }
 
-func withRemappedSnapshotBase(id string, i Image, uid, gid uint32, readonly bool, remapper Remapper) NewContainerOpts {
+func withRemappedSnapshotBase(id string, i Image, uid, gid uint32, readonly bool) NewContainerOpts {
 	return func(ctx context.Context, client *Client, c *containers.Container) error {
-		if remapper != remapperChown && remapper != remapperSnapshotter {
-			return fmt.Errorf("remapper must be either '%s' or '%s'", remapperChown, remapperSnapshotter)
-		}
-
 		diffIDs, err := i.(*image).i.RootFS(ctx, client.ContentStore(), client.platform)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
@@ -65,7 +52,6 @@ func withRemappedSnapshotBase(id string, i Image, uid, gid uint32, readonly bool
 		var (
 			parent   = identity.ChainID(diffIDs).String()
 			usernsID = fmt.Sprintf("%s-%d-%d", parent, uid, gid)
-			opts     = []snapshots.Opt{}
 		)
 		c.Snapshotter, err = client.resolveSnapshotterName(ctx, c.Snapshotter)
 		if err != nil {
@@ -75,15 +61,8 @@ func withRemappedSnapshotBase(id string, i Image, uid, gid uint32, readonly bool
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
-		if remapper == remapperSnapshotter {
-			opts = append(opts,
-				snapshots.WithLabels(map[string]string{
-					"containerd.io/snapshot/uidmapping": fmt.Sprintf("%d:%d:%d", 0, uid, 65535),
-					"containerd.io/snapshot/gidmapping": fmt.Sprintf("%d:%d:%d", 0, gid, 65535),
-				}))
-		}
 		if _, err := snapshotter.Stat(ctx, usernsID); err == nil {
-			if _, err := snapshotter.Prepare(ctx, id, usernsID, opts...); err == nil {
+			if _, err := snapshotter.Prepare(ctx, id, usernsID); err == nil {
 				c.SnapshotKey = id
 				c.Image = i.Name()
 				return nil
@@ -91,23 +70,21 @@ func withRemappedSnapshotBase(id string, i Image, uid, gid uint32, readonly bool
 				return err
 			}
 		}
-		mounts, err := snapshotter.Prepare(ctx, usernsID+"-remap", parent, opts...)
+		mounts, err := snapshotter.Prepare(ctx, usernsID+"-remap", parent)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
-		if remapper == remapperChown {
-			if err := remapRootFS(ctx, mounts, uid, gid); err != nil {
-				snapshotter.Remove(ctx, usernsID)
-				return err
-			}
+		if err := remapRootFS(ctx, mounts, uid, gid); err != nil {
+			snapshotter.Remove(ctx, usernsID)
+			return err
 		}
-		if err := snapshotter.Commit(ctx, usernsID, usernsID+"-remap", opts...); err != nil {
+		if err := snapshotter.Commit(ctx, usernsID, usernsID+"-remap"); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 		if readonly {
-			_, err = snapshotter.View(ctx, id, usernsID, opts...)
+			_, err = snapshotter.View(ctx, id, usernsID)
 		} else {
-			_, err = snapshotter.Prepare(ctx, id, usernsID, opts...)
+			_, err = snapshotter.Prepare(ctx, id, usernsID)
 		}
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
diff --git a/snapshotter_opts_unix.go b/snapshotter_opts_unix.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1964379d4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/snapshotter_opts_unix.go
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+// +build !windows
+
+/*
+   Copyright The containerd Authors.
+
+   Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+   you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+   You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+       http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+   Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+   distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+   WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+   See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+   limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package containerd
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+
+	"github.com/containerd/containerd/snapshots"
+)
+
+// WithRemapperLabels creates the labels used by any supporting snapshotter
+// to shift the filesystem ownership (user namespace mapping) automatically; currently
+// supported by the fuse-overlayfs snapshotter
+func WithRemapperLabels(ctrUID, hostUID, ctrGID, hostGID, length uint32) snapshots.Opt {
+	return snapshots.WithLabels(map[string]string{
+		"containerd.io/snapshot/uidmapping": fmt.Sprintf("%d:%d:%d", ctrUID, hostUID, length),
+		"containerd.io/snapshot/gidmapping": fmt.Sprintf("%d:%d:%d", ctrGID, hostGID, length),
+	})
+}