diff --git a/.github/workflows/validations.yaml b/.github/workflows/validations.yaml
index 4f04003f4..73305c489 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/validations.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/validations.yaml
@@ -99,13 +99,6 @@ jobs:
       - name: Run unit tests
         run: make unit
 
-      # TODO: remove me
-      - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v2
-        if: failure()
-        with:
-          name: unit-test-cache
-          path: syft/file/test-fixtures/cache
-
       - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v2
         with:
           name: unit-test-results
diff --git a/syft/file/metadata_cataloger_test.go b/syft/file/metadata_cataloger_test.go
index 91c89e85e..a6971d6b3 100644
--- a/syft/file/metadata_cataloger_test.go
+++ b/syft/file/metadata_cataloger_test.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package file
 
 import (
+	"flag"
 	"os"
 	"testing"
 
@@ -10,8 +11,16 @@ import (
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 )
 
-func TestFileMetadataFetch(t *testing.T) {
-	img := imagetest.GetFixtureImage(t, "docker-archive", "image-file-type-mix")
+var updateImageGoldenFiles = flag.Bool("update-image", false, "update the golden fixture images used for testing")
+
+func TestFileMetadataCataloger(t *testing.T) {
+	testImage := "image-file-type-mix"
+
+	if *updateImageGoldenFiles {
+		imagetest.UpdateGoldenFixtureImage(t, testImage)
+	}
+
+	img := imagetest.GetGoldenFixtureImage(t, testImage)
 
 	c := NewMetadataCataloger()
 
diff --git a/syft/file/test-fixtures/image-file-type-mix/Dockerfile b/syft/file/test-fixtures/image-file-type-mix/Dockerfile
index 218e369d0..d8f728587 100644
--- a/syft/file/test-fixtures/image-file-type-mix/Dockerfile
+++ b/syft/file/test-fixtures/image-file-type-mix/Dockerfile
@@ -4,7 +4,8 @@ ADD file-1.txt .
 RUN chmod 644 file-1.txt
 RUN chown 1:2 file-1.txt
 RUN ln -s file-1.txt symlink-1
+# note: hard links may behave inconsistently, this should be a golden image
 RUN ln file-1.txt hardlink-1
 RUN mknod char-device-1 c 89 1
 RUN mknod block-device-1 b 0 1
-RUN mknod fifo-1 p
\ No newline at end of file
+RUN mknod fifo-1 p
diff --git a/syft/file/test-fixtures/snapshot/stereoscope-fixture-image-file-type-mix.golden b/syft/file/test-fixtures/snapshot/stereoscope-fixture-image-file-type-mix.golden
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8acd4584c
Binary files /dev/null and b/syft/file/test-fixtures/snapshot/stereoscope-fixture-image-file-type-mix.golden differ
diff --git a/syft/source/file_metadata_test.go b/syft/source/file_metadata_test.go
deleted file mode 100644
index 4092e4374..000000000
--- a/syft/source/file_metadata_test.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,122 +0,0 @@
-package source
-
-import (
-	"os"
-	"testing"
-
-	"github.com/anchore/stereoscope/pkg/file"
-	"github.com/anchore/stereoscope/pkg/imagetest"
-	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
-)
-
-func TestFileMetadataFetch(t *testing.T) {
-	img := imagetest.GetFixtureImage(t, "docker-archive", "image-file-type-mix")
-
-	tests := []struct {
-		path     string
-		exists   bool
-		expected FileMetadata
-		err      bool
-	}{
-		{
-			path:   "/file-1.txt",
-			exists: true,
-			expected: FileMetadata{
-				Mode:    0644,
-				Type:    "regularFile",
-				UserID:  1,
-				GroupID: 2,
-			},
-		},
-		{
-			path:   "/hardlink-1",
-			exists: true,
-			expected: FileMetadata{
-				Mode:    0644,
-				Type:    "hardLink",
-				UserID:  1,
-				GroupID: 2,
-			},
-		},
-		{
-			path:   "/symlink-1",
-			exists: true,
-			expected: FileMetadata{
-				Mode:    0777 | os.ModeSymlink,
-				Type:    "symbolicLink",
-				UserID:  0,
-				GroupID: 0,
-			},
-		},
-		{
-			path:   "/char-device-1",
-			exists: true,
-			expected: FileMetadata{
-				Mode:    0644 | os.ModeDevice | os.ModeCharDevice,
-				Type:    "characterDevice",
-				UserID:  0,
-				GroupID: 0,
-			},
-		},
-		{
-			path:   "/block-device-1",
-			exists: true,
-			expected: FileMetadata{
-				Mode:    0644 | os.ModeDevice,
-				Type:    "blockDevice",
-				UserID:  0,
-				GroupID: 0,
-			},
-		},
-		{
-			path:   "/fifo-1",
-			exists: true,
-			expected: FileMetadata{
-				Mode:    0644 | os.ModeNamedPipe,
-				Type:    "fifoNode",
-				UserID:  0,
-				GroupID: 0,
-			},
-		},
-		{
-			path:   "/bin",
-			exists: true,
-			expected: FileMetadata{
-				Mode:    0755 | os.ModeDir,
-				Type:    "directory",
-				UserID:  0,
-				GroupID: 0,
-			},
-		},
-	}
-
-	for _, test := range tests {
-		t.Run(test.path, func(t *testing.T) {
-			exists, ref, err := img.SquashedTree().File(file.Path(test.path))
-			if err != nil {
-				t.Fatalf("unable to get file: %+v", err)
-			}
-
-			if exists && !test.exists {
-				t.Fatalf("file=%q exists but shouldn't", test.path)
-			} else if !exists && test.exists {
-				t.Fatalf("file=%q does not exist but should", test.path)
-			} else if !exists && !test.exists {
-				return
-			}
-
-			actual, err := fileMetadataByLocation(img, NewLocationFromImage(test.path, *ref, img))
-			if err != nil && !test.err {
-				t.Fatalf("could not fetch (but should have been able to): %+v", err)
-			} else if err == nil && test.err {
-				t.Fatalf("expected fetch error but did not get one")
-			} else if test.err && err != nil {
-				return
-			}
-
-			assert.Equal(t, test.expected, actual, "file metadata mismatch")
-
-		})
-	}
-
-}
diff --git a/syft/source/test-fixtures/image-file-type-mix/Dockerfile b/syft/source/test-fixtures/image-file-type-mix/Dockerfile
deleted file mode 100644
index 218e369d0..000000000
--- a/syft/source/test-fixtures/image-file-type-mix/Dockerfile
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,10 +0,0 @@
-FROM busybox:latest
-
-ADD file-1.txt .
-RUN chmod 644 file-1.txt
-RUN chown 1:2 file-1.txt
-RUN ln -s file-1.txt symlink-1
-RUN ln file-1.txt hardlink-1
-RUN mknod char-device-1 c 89 1
-RUN mknod block-device-1 b 0 1
-RUN mknod fifo-1 p
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/syft/source/test-fixtures/image-file-type-mix/file-1.txt b/syft/source/test-fixtures/image-file-type-mix/file-1.txt
deleted file mode 100644
index d86db8155..000000000
--- a/syft/source/test-fixtures/image-file-type-mix/file-1.txt
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-file 1!
\ No newline at end of file