diff --git a/pkg/tools/otelcol-config/main.go b/pkg/tools/otelcol-config/main.go
index 806d10efcd..7cbfe9a1bb 100644
--- a/pkg/tools/otelcol-config/main.go
+++ b/pkg/tools/otelcol-config/main.go
@@ -88,6 +88,7 @@ func getConfDWriter(values *flagValues, fileName string) func(doc []byte) (int,
 
 func getSumologicRemoteWriter(values *flagValues) func([]byte) (int, error) {
 	docPath := filepath.Join(values.ConfigDir, SumologicRemoteDotYaml)
+
 	return func(doc []byte) (int, error) {
 		if doc == nil {
 			// Special case: when doc is nil, we delete the file. This tells
@@ -95,7 +96,16 @@ func getSumologicRemoteWriter(values *flagValues) func([]byte) (int, error) {
 			// otelcol-sumo.
 			return 0, os.Remove(docPath)
 		}
-		return len(doc), os.WriteFile(docPath, doc, 0600)
+
+		if err := os.WriteFile(docPath, doc, 0600); err != nil {
+			return 0, fmt.Errorf("error writing sumologic-remote.yaml: %s", err)
+		}
+
+		if err := setSumologicRemoteOwner(values); err != nil {
+			return len(doc), fmt.Errorf("error setting sumologic-remote.yaml owner: %s", err)
+		}
+
+		return len(doc), nil
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/tools/otelcol-config/main_unix.go b/pkg/tools/otelcol-config/main_unix.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c692e1dedb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/tools/otelcol-config/main_unix.go
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"syscall"
+)
+
+// use chown to set the owner of sumologic-remote.yaml to otelcol-sumo
+// or whatever the user should be, based on the ownership of sumologic.yaml
+// or its parent directory
+func setSumologicRemoteOwner(values *flagValues) error {
+	baseConfigPath := filepath.Join(values.ConfigDir, SumologicDotYaml)
+	docPath := filepath.Join(values.ConfigDir, SumologicRemoteDotYaml)
+
+	// check who owns the base configuration file
+	stat, err := os.Stat(baseConfigPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		// maybe it doesn't exist, stat the parent dir instead
+		stat, err = os.Stat(values.ConfigDir)
+		if err != nil {
+			// something is seriously wrong
+			return fmt.Errorf("error reading config dir: %s", err)
+		}
+	}
+
+	sys, ok := stat.Sys().(*syscall.Stat_t)
+	if !ok {
+		// the platform does not has the expected sys somehow,
+		// so just bail out with no error
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	if int(sys.Uid) == syscall.Getuid() {
+		// we're already that user
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	// set the owner to be consistent with the other configuration
+	if err := os.Chown(docPath, int(sys.Uid), int(sys.Gid)); err != nil {
+		if err.(*os.PathError).Err == syscall.EPERM {
+			// we don't have permission to chown, skip it
+			return nil
+		}
+		return err
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/pkg/tools/otelcol-config/main_windows.go b/pkg/tools/otelcol-config/main_windows.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9bc4fe579e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/tools/otelcol-config/main_windows.go
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+package main
+
+// this is only a stub for Windows build support
+func setSumologicRemoteOwner(*flagValues) error {
+	return nil
+}