diff --git a/podman/api/http_utils.py b/podman/api/http_utils.py
index d71629ad..37d895ad 100644
--- a/podman/api/http_utils.py
+++ b/podman/api/http_utils.py
@@ -7,7 +7,9 @@
 from collections.abc import Mapping
 
 
-def prepare_filters(filters: Union[str, list[str], Mapping[str, str]]) -> Optional[str]:
+def prepare_filters(
+    filters: Union[str, list[str], Mapping[str, Any], None],
+) -> Optional[str]:
     """Return filters as an URL quoted JSON dict[str, list[Any]]."""
 
     if filters is None or len(filters) == 0:
diff --git a/podman/client.py b/podman/client.py
index 2cce2ef4..99964692 100644
--- a/podman/client.py
+++ b/podman/client.py
@@ -127,11 +127,10 @@ def from_env(
         environment = environment or os.environ
         credstore_env = credstore_env or {}
 
-        if version == "auto":
-            version = None
+        api_version: Optional[str] = None if version == "auto" else version
 
         kwargs = {
-            'version': version,
+            'version': api_version,
             'timeout': timeout,
             'tls': False,
             'credstore_env': credstore_env,
diff --git a/podman/domain/containers.py b/podman/domain/containers.py
index 2f1e888f..495721d2 100644
--- a/podman/domain/containers.py
+++ b/podman/domain/containers.py
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ def commit(self, repository: str = None, tag: str = None, **kwargs) -> Image:
             "repo": repository,
             "tag": tag,
         }
-        response = self.client.post("/commit", params=params)
+        response = self.api.post("/commit", params=params)
         response.raise_for_status()
 
         body = response.json()
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ def diff(self) -> list[dict[str, int]]:
         Raises:
             APIError: when service reports an error
         """
-        response = self.client.get(f"/containers/{self.id}/changes")
+        response = self.api.get(f"/containers/{self.id}/changes")
         response.raise_for_status()
         return response.json()
 
@@ -207,11 +207,11 @@ def exec_run(
         stream = stream and not detach
 
         # create the exec instance
-        response = self.client.post(f"/containers/{self.name}/exec", data=json.dumps(data))
+        response = self.api.post(f"/containers/{self.name}/exec", data=json.dumps(data))
         response.raise_for_status()
         exec_id = response.json()['Id']
         # start the exec instance, this will store command output
-        start_resp = self.client.post(
+        start_resp = self.api.post(
             f"/exec/{exec_id}/start", data=json.dumps({"Detach": detach, "Tty": tty}), stream=stream
         )
         start_resp.raise_for_status()
@@ -220,7 +220,7 @@ def exec_run(
             return None, api.stream_frames(start_resp, demux=demux)
 
         # get and return exec information
-        response = self.client.get(f"/exec/{exec_id}/json")
+        response = self.api.get(f"/exec/{exec_id}/json")
         response.raise_for_status()
         if demux:
             stdout_data, stderr_data = demux_output(start_resp.content)
@@ -240,7 +240,7 @@ def export(self, chunk_size: int = api.DEFAULT_CHUNK_SIZE) -> Iterator[bytes]:
             NotFound: when container has been removed from service
             APIError: when service reports an error
         """
-        response = self.client.get(f"/containers/{self.id}/export", stream=True)
+        response = self.api.get(f"/containers/{self.id}/export", stream=True)
         response.raise_for_status()
 
         yield from response.iter_content(chunk_size=chunk_size)
@@ -258,7 +258,7 @@ def get_archive(
             First item is a raw tar data stream.
             Second item is a dict containing os.stat() information on the specified path.
         """
-        response = self.client.get(f"/containers/{self.id}/archive", params={"path": [path]})
+        response = self.api.get(f"/containers/{self.id}/archive", params={"path": [path]})
         response.raise_for_status()
 
         stat = response.headers.get("x-docker-container-path-stat", None)
@@ -267,7 +267,7 @@ def get_archive(
 
     def init(self) -> None:
         """Initialize the container."""
-        response = self.client.post(f"/containers/{self.id}/init")
+        response = self.api.post(f"/containers/{self.id}/init")
         response.raise_for_status()
 
     def inspect(self) -> dict:
@@ -276,7 +276,7 @@ def inspect(self) -> dict:
         Raises:
             APIError: when service reports an error
         """
-        response = self.client.get(f"/containers/{self.id}/json")
+        response = self.api.get(f"/containers/{self.id}/json")
         response.raise_for_status()
         return response.json()
 
@@ -286,7 +286,7 @@ def kill(self, signal: Union[str, int, None] = None) -> None:
         Raises:
             APIError: when service reports an error
         """
-        response = self.client.post(f"/containers/{self.id}/kill", params={"signal": signal})
+        response = self.api.post(f"/containers/{self.id}/kill", params={"signal": signal})
         response.raise_for_status()
 
     def logs(self, **kwargs) -> Union[bytes, Iterator[bytes]]:
@@ -317,7 +317,7 @@ def logs(self, **kwargs) -> Union[bytes, Iterator[bytes]]:
             "until": api.prepare_timestamp(kwargs.get("until")),
         }
 
-        response = self.client.get(f"/containers/{self.id}/logs", stream=stream, params=params)
+        response = self.api.get(f"/containers/{self.id}/logs", stream=stream, params=params)
         response.raise_for_status()
 
         if stream:
@@ -326,7 +326,7 @@ def logs(self, **kwargs) -> Union[bytes, Iterator[bytes]]:
 
     def pause(self) -> None:
         """Pause processes within the container."""
-        response = self.client.post(f"/containers/{self.id}/pause")
+        response = self.api.post(f"/containers/{self.id}/pause")
         response.raise_for_status()
 
     def put_archive(self, path: str, data: bytes = None) -> bool:
@@ -349,9 +349,7 @@ def put_archive(self, path: str, data: bytes = None) -> bool:
         if data is None:
             data = api.create_tar("/", path)
 
-        response = self.client.put(
-            f"/containers/{self.id}/archive", params={"path": path}, data=data
-        )
+        response = self.api.put(f"/containers/{self.id}/archive", params={"path": path}, data=data)
         return response.ok
 
     def remove(self, **kwargs) -> None:
@@ -375,7 +373,7 @@ def rename(self, name: str) -> None:
         if not name:
             raise ValueError("'name' is a required argument.")
 
-        response = self.client.post(f"/containers/{self.id}/rename", params={"name": name})
+        response = self.api.post(f"/containers/{self.id}/rename", params={"name": name})
         response.raise_for_status()
 
         self.attrs["Name"] = name  # shortcut to avoid needing reload()
@@ -391,7 +389,7 @@ def resize(self, height: int = None, width: int = None) -> None:
             "h": height,
             "w": width,
         }
-        response = self.client.post(f"/containers/{self.id}/resize", params=params)
+        response = self.api.post(f"/containers/{self.id}/resize", params=params)
         response.raise_for_status()
 
     def restart(self, **kwargs) -> None:
@@ -405,7 +403,7 @@ def restart(self, **kwargs) -> None:
         if kwargs.get("timeout"):
             post_kwargs["timeout"] = float(params["timeout"]) * 1.5
 
-        response = self.client.post(f"/containers/{self.id}/restart", params=params, **post_kwargs)
+        response = self.api.post(f"/containers/{self.id}/restart", params=params, **post_kwargs)
         response.raise_for_status()
 
     def start(self, **kwargs) -> None:
@@ -414,7 +412,7 @@ def start(self, **kwargs) -> None:
         Keyword Args:
             detach_keys: Override the key sequence for detaching a container (Podman only)
         """
-        response = self.client.post(
+        response = self.api.post(
             f"/containers/{self.id}/start", params={"detachKeys": kwargs.get("detach_keys")}
         )
         response.raise_for_status()
@@ -441,7 +439,7 @@ def stats(
             "stream": stream,
         }
 
-        response = self.client.get("/containers/stats", params=params, stream=stream)
+        response = self.api.get("/containers/stats", params=params, stream=stream)
         response.raise_for_status()
 
         if stream:
@@ -463,7 +461,7 @@ def stop(self, **kwargs) -> None:
         if kwargs.get("timeout"):
             post_kwargs["timeout"] = float(params["timeout"]) * 1.5
 
-        response = self.client.post(f"/containers/{self.id}/stop", params=params, **post_kwargs)
+        response = self.api.post(f"/containers/{self.id}/stop", params=params, **post_kwargs)
         response.raise_for_status()
 
         if response.status_code == requests.codes.no_content:
@@ -493,7 +491,7 @@ def top(self, **kwargs) -> Union[Iterator[dict[str, Any]], dict[str, Any]]:
             "stream": stream,
             "ps_args": kwargs.get("ps_args"),
         }
-        response = self.client.get(f"/containers/{self.id}/top", params=params, stream=stream)
+        response = self.api.get(f"/containers/{self.id}/top", params=params, stream=stream)
         response.raise_for_status()
 
         if stream:
@@ -503,7 +501,7 @@ def top(self, **kwargs) -> Union[Iterator[dict[str, Any]], dict[str, Any]]:
 
     def unpause(self) -> None:
         """Unpause processes in container."""
-        response = self.client.post(f"/containers/{self.id}/unpause")
+        response = self.api.post(f"/containers/{self.id}/unpause")
         response.raise_for_status()
 
     def update(self, **kwargs) -> None:
@@ -724,7 +722,7 @@ def update(self, **kwargs) -> None:
         if kwargs.get("restart_retries"):
             params["restartRetries"] = kwargs.get("restart_retries")
 
-        response = self.client.post(
+        response = self.api.post(
             f"/containers/{self.id}/update", params=params, data=json.dumps(data)
         )
         response.raise_for_status()
@@ -764,6 +762,6 @@ def wait(self, **kwargs) -> int:
         # This API endpoint responds with a JSON encoded integer, the exit code of the container.
         # See:
         # https://docs.podman.io/en/latest/_static/api.html#tag/containers/operation/ContainerWaitLibpod
-        response = self.client.post(f"/containers/{self.id}/wait", params=params, timeout=timeout)
+        response = self.api.post(f"/containers/{self.id}/wait", params=params, timeout=timeout)
         response.raise_for_status()
         return response.json()
diff --git a/podman/domain/containers_create.py b/podman/domain/containers_create.py
index 225bb7aa..7ccdf7f4 100644
--- a/podman/domain/containers_create.py
+++ b/podman/domain/containers_create.py
@@ -421,7 +421,7 @@ def create(
         payload = self._render_payload(payload)
         payload = api.prepare_body(payload)
 
-        response = self.client.post(
+        response = self.api.post(
             "/containers/create",
             headers={"content-type": "application/json"},
             data=payload,
diff --git a/podman/domain/containers_manager.py b/podman/domain/containers_manager.py
index ac9b80e6..04770900 100644
--- a/podman/domain/containers_manager.py
+++ b/podman/domain/containers_manager.py
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 import logging
 import urllib
 from collections.abc import Mapping
-from typing import Any, Union
+from typing import Any, Optional, Union
 
 from podman import api
 from podman.domain.containers import Container
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ def resource(self):
         return Container
 
     def exists(self, key: str) -> bool:
-        response = self.client.get(f"/containers/{key}/exists")
+        response = self.api.get(f"/containers/{key}/exists")
         return response.ok
 
     def get(self, key: str, **kwargs) -> Container:
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ def get(self, key: str, **kwargs) -> Container:
         compatible = kwargs.get("compatible", False)
 
         container_id = urllib.parse.quote_plus(key)
-        response = self.client.get(f"/containers/{container_id}/json", compatible=compatible)
+        response = self.api.get(f"/containers/{container_id}/json", compatible=compatible)
         response.raise_for_status()
         return self.prepare_model(attrs=response.json())
 
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ def list(self, **kwargs) -> list[Container]:
         # filters formatted last because some kwargs may need to be mapped into filters
         params["filters"] = api.prepare_filters(params["filters"])
 
-        response = self.client.get("/containers/json", params=params, compatible=compatible)
+        response = self.api.get("/containers/json", params=params, compatible=compatible)
         response.raise_for_status()
 
         containers: list[Container] = [self.prepare_model(attrs=i) for i in response.json()]
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ def list(self, **kwargs) -> list[Container]:
 
         return containers
 
-    def prune(self, filters: Mapping[str, str] = None) -> dict[str, Any]:
+    def prune(self, filters: Optional[Mapping[str, str]] = None) -> dict[str, Any]:
         """Delete stopped containers.
 
         Args:
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ def prune(self, filters: Mapping[str, str] = None) -> dict[str, Any]:
             APIError: when service reports an error
         """
         params = {"filters": api.prepare_filters(filters)}
-        response = self.client.post("/containers/prune", params=params)
+        response = self.api.post("/containers/prune", params=params)
         response.raise_for_status()
 
         results = {"ContainersDeleted": [], "SpaceReclaimed": 0}
@@ -173,5 +173,5 @@ def remove(self, container_id: Union[Container, str], **kwargs):
         # v is used for the compat endpoint while volumes is used for the libpod endpoint
         params = {"v": kwargs.get("v"), "force": kwargs.get("force"), "volumes": kwargs.get("v")}
 
-        response = self.client.delete(f"/containers/{container_id}", params=params)
+        response = self.api.delete(f"/containers/{container_id}", params=params)
         response.raise_for_status()
diff --git a/podman/domain/containers_run.py b/podman/domain/containers_run.py
index ead63ea9..38e0cb50 100644
--- a/podman/domain/containers_run.py
+++ b/podman/domain/containers_run.py
@@ -108,6 +108,6 @@ def remove_container(container_object: Container) -> None:
             container.remove()
 
         if exit_status != 0:
-            raise ContainerError(container, exit_status, command, image_id, log_iter)
+            raise ContainerError(container, exit_status, command or [], image_id, log_iter)
 
         return log_iter if kwargs.get("stream", False) or log_iter is None else b"".join(log_iter)  # type: ignore[return-value]
diff --git a/podman/domain/images.py b/podman/domain/images.py
index 733a3ca7..d7dcd822 100644
--- a/podman/domain/images.py
+++ b/podman/domain/images.py
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ def history(self) -> list[dict[str, Any]]:
             APIError: when service returns an error
         """
 
-        response = self.client.get(f"/images/{self.id}/history")
+        response = self.api.get(f"/images/{self.id}/history")
         response.raise_for_status(not_found=ImageNotFound)
         return response.json()
 
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ def save(
                     raise InvalidArgument(f"'{named}' is not a valid tag for this image")
                 img = urllib.parse.quote(named)
 
-        response = self.client.get(
+        response = self.api.get(
             f"/images/{img}/get", params={"format": ["docker-archive"]}, stream=True
         )
         response.raise_for_status(not_found=ImageNotFound)
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ def tag(
             APIError: when service returns an error
         """
         params = {"repo": repository, "tag": tag}
-        response = self.client.post(f"/images/{self.id}/tag", params=params)
+        response = self.api.post(f"/images/{self.id}/tag", params=params)
         if response.ok:
             return True
 
diff --git a/podman/domain/images_build.py b/podman/domain/images_build.py
index 1850ae70..1333caf9 100644
--- a/podman/domain/images_build.py
+++ b/podman/domain/images_build.py
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ def build(self, **kwargs) -> tuple[Image, Iterator[bytes]]:
         if kwargs.get("timeout"):
             post_kwargs["timeout"] = float(kwargs.get("timeout"))
 
-        response = self.client.post(  # type: ignore[attr-defined]
+        response = self.api.post(  # type: ignore[attr-defined]
             "/build",
             params=params,
             data=body,
diff --git a/podman/domain/images_manager.py b/podman/domain/images_manager.py
index a2bfb9aa..c0ca05c1 100644
--- a/podman/domain/images_manager.py
+++ b/podman/domain/images_manager.py
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ def resource(self):
     def exists(self, key: str) -> bool:
         """Return true when image exists."""
         key = urllib.parse.quote_plus(key)
-        response = self.client.get(f"/images/{key}/exists")
+        response = self.api.get(f"/images/{key}/exists")
         return response.ok
 
     def list(self, **kwargs) -> builtins.list[Image]:
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ def list(self, **kwargs) -> builtins.list[Image]:
             "all": kwargs.get("all"),
             "filters": api.prepare_filters(filters=filters),
         }
-        response = self.client.get("/images/json", params=params)
+        response = self.api.get("/images/json", params=params)
         if response.status_code == requests.codes.not_found:
             return []
         response.raise_for_status()
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ def get(self, name: str) -> Image:  # pylint: disable=arguments-differ,arguments
             APIError: when service returns an error
         """
         name = urllib.parse.quote_plus(name)
-        response = self.client.get(f"/images/{name}/json")
+        response = self.api.get(f"/images/{name}/json")
         response.raise_for_status(not_found=ImageNotFound)
 
         return self.prepare_model(response.json())
@@ -152,7 +152,7 @@ def _generator(body: dict) -> Generator[Image, None, None]:
                 yield self.get(item)
 
         with Path(file_path).open("rb") if file_path else io.BytesIO(data) as stream:
-            response = self.client.post(
+            response = self.api.post(
                 "/images/load", data=stream, headers={"Content-type": "application/x-tar"}
             )
             response.raise_for_status()
@@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ def prune(
             "filters": api.prepare_filters(filters),
         }
 
-        response = self.client.post("/images/prune", params=params)
+        response = self.api.post("/images/prune", params=params)
         response.raise_for_status()
 
         deleted: builtins.list[dict[str, str]] = []
@@ -269,7 +269,7 @@ def push(
 
         name = f'{repository}:{tag}' if tag else repository
         name = urllib.parse.quote_plus(name)
-        response = self.client.post(
+        response = self.api.post(
             f"/images/{name}/push", params=params, stream=stream, headers=headers
         )
         response.raise_for_status(not_found=ImageNotFound)
@@ -395,7 +395,7 @@ def pull(
         if not params["compatMode"] and not stream:
             params["quiet"] = True
 
-        response = self.client.post("/images/pull", params=params, stream=stream, headers=headers)
+        response = self.api.post("/images/pull", params=params, stream=stream, headers=headers)
         response.raise_for_status(not_found=ImageNotFound)
 
         if progress_bar:
@@ -479,7 +479,7 @@ def remove(
         if isinstance(image, Image):
             image = image.id
 
-        response = self.client.delete(f"/images/{image}", params={"force": force})
+        response = self.api.delete(f"/images/{image}", params={"force": force})
         response.raise_for_status(not_found=ImageNotFound)
 
         body = response.json()
@@ -521,7 +521,7 @@ def search(self, term: str, **kwargs) -> builtins.list[dict[str, Any]]:
         if "listTags" in kwargs:
             params["listTags"] = kwargs.get("listTags")
 
-        response = self.client.get("/images/search", params=params)
+        response = self.api.get("/images/search", params=params)
         response.raise_for_status(not_found=ImageNotFound)
         return response.json()
 
@@ -548,7 +548,7 @@ def scp(
         if dest is not None:
             params["destination"] = dest
 
-        response = self.client.post(f"/images/scp/{source}", params=params)
+        response = self.api.post(f"/images/scp/{source}", params=params)
         response.raise_for_status()
         return response.json()
 
diff --git a/podman/domain/manager.py b/podman/domain/manager.py
index 47f256a2..5ae9d1b4 100644
--- a/podman/domain/manager.py
+++ b/podman/domain/manager.py
@@ -47,6 +47,13 @@ def __init__(
         if attrs is not None:
             self.attrs.update(attrs)
 
+    @property
+    def api(self) -> APIClient:
+        """Return the API client, raising if not configured."""
+        if self.client is None:
+            raise AttributeError(f"{self.__class__.__name__} has no API client configured")
+        return self.client
+
     def __repr__(self):
         return f"<{self.__class__.__name__}: {self.short_id}>"
 
@@ -116,6 +123,13 @@ def __init__(
         self.client = client
         self.podman_client = podman_client
 
+    @property
+    def api(self) -> APIClient:
+        """Return the API client, raising if not configured."""
+        if self.client is None:
+            raise AttributeError(f"{self.__class__.__name__} has no API client configured")
+        return self.client
+
     @abstractmethod
     def exists(self, key: str) -> bool:
         """Returns True if resource exists.
diff --git a/podman/domain/manifests.py b/podman/domain/manifests.py
index a5efd053..46457061 100644
--- a/podman/domain/manifests.py
+++ b/podman/domain/manifests.py
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ def add(self, images: list[Union[Image, str]], **kwargs) -> None:
             data["images"].append(img_item)
 
         data = api.prepare_body(data)
-        response = self.client.put(f"/manifests/{self.quoted_name}", data=data)
+        response = self.api.put(f"/manifests/{self.quoted_name}", data=data)
         response.raise_for_status(not_found=ImageNotFound)
         return self.reload()
 
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ def push(
         }
 
         destination_quoted = urllib.parse.quote_plus(destination)
-        response = self.client.post(
+        response = self.api.post(
             f"/manifests/{self.quoted_name}/registry/{destination_quoted}",
             params=params,
             headers=headers,
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ def remove(self, digest: str) -> None:
         data = {"operation": "remove", "images": [digest]}
         data = api.prepare_body(data)
 
-        response = self.client.put(f"/manifests/{self.quoted_name}", data=data)
+        response = self.api.put(f"/manifests/{self.quoted_name}", data=data)
         response.raise_for_status(not_found=ImageNotFound)
         return self.reload()
 
@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@ def create(
             params["all"] = all
 
         name_quoted = urllib.parse.quote_plus(name)
-        response = self.client.post(f"/manifests/{name_quoted}", params=params)
+        response = self.api.post(f"/manifests/{name_quoted}", params=params)
         response.raise_for_status(not_found=ImageNotFound)
 
         body = response.json()
@@ -212,7 +212,7 @@ def create(
 
     def exists(self, key: str) -> bool:
         key = urllib.parse.quote_plus(key)
-        response = self.client.get(f"/manifests/{key}/exists")
+        response = self.api.get(f"/manifests/{key}/exists")
         return response.ok
 
     def get(self, key: str) -> Manifest:
@@ -229,7 +229,7 @@ def get(self, key: str) -> Manifest:
             APIError: when service reports an error
         """
         quoted_key = urllib.parse.quote_plus(key)
-        response = self.client.get(f"/manifests/{quoted_key}/json")
+        response = self.api.get(f"/manifests/{quoted_key}/json")
         response.raise_for_status()
 
         body = response.json()
@@ -247,7 +247,7 @@ def remove(self, name: Union[Manifest, str]) -> dict[str, Any]:
         if isinstance(name, Manifest):
             name = name.name
 
-        response = self.client.delete(f"/manifests/{name}")
+        response = self.api.delete(f"/manifests/{name}")
         response.raise_for_status(not_found=ImageNotFound)
 
         body = response.json()
diff --git a/podman/domain/networks.py b/podman/domain/networks.py
index e26d1617..e030251e 100644
--- a/podman/domain/networks.py
+++ b/podman/domain/networks.py
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ def connect(self, container: Union[str, Container], *_, **kwargs) -> None:
         data = {"Container": container, "EndpointConfig": endpoint_config}
         data = {k: v for (k, v) in data.items() if not (v is None or len(v) == 0)}  # type: ignore[arg-type]
 
-        response = self.client.post(
+        response = self.api.post(
             f"/networks/{self.name}/connect",
             data=json.dumps(data),
             headers={"Content-type": "application/json"},
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ def disconnect(self, container: Union[str, Container], **kwargs) -> None:
             container = container.id
 
         data = {"Container": container, "Force": kwargs.get("force")}
-        response = self.client.post(f"/networks/{self.name}/disconnect", data=json.dumps(data))
+        response = self.api.post(f"/networks/{self.name}/disconnect", data=json.dumps(data))
         response.raise_for_status()
 
     def remove(self, force: Optional[bool] = None, **kwargs) -> None:
diff --git a/podman/domain/networks_manager.py b/podman/domain/networks_manager.py
index 7137479f..fff842a1 100644
--- a/podman/domain/networks_manager.py
+++ b/podman/domain/networks_manager.py
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ def create(self, name: str, **kwargs) -> Network:
         with suppress(KeyError):
             self._prepare_ipam(data, kwargs["ipam"])
 
-        response = self.client.post(
+        response = self.api.post(
             "/networks/create",
             data=http_utils.prepare_body(data),
             headers={"Content-Type": "application/json"},
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ def _prepare_ipam(self, data: dict[str, Any], ipam: dict[str, Any]):
             data["subnets"].append(subnet)
 
     def exists(self, key: str) -> bool:
-        response = self.client.get(f"/networks/{key}/exists")
+        response = self.api.get(f"/networks/{key}/exists")
         return response.ok
 
     def get(self, key: str) -> Network:
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ def get(self, key: str) -> Network:
             NotFound: when Network does not exist
             APIError: when error returned by service
         """
-        response = self.client.get(f"/networks/{key}")
+        response = self.api.get(f"/networks/{key}")
         response.raise_for_status()
 
         return self.prepare_model(attrs=response.json())
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ def list(self, **kwargs) -> list[Network]:
         filters = prepare_filters(filters)
 
         params = {"filters": filters}
-        response = self.client.get("/networks/json", params=params)
+        response = self.api.get("/networks/json", params=params)
         response.raise_for_status()
 
         return [self.prepare_model(i) for i in response.json()]
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ def prune(
             APIError: when service reports error
         """
         params = {"filters": prepare_filters(filters)}
-        response = self.client.post("/networks/prune", params=params)
+        response = self.api.post("/networks/prune", params=params)
         response.raise_for_status()
 
         deleted: list[str] = []
@@ -206,5 +206,5 @@ def remove(self, name: Union[Network, str], force: Optional[bool] = None) -> Non
         if isinstance(name, Network):
             name = name.name
 
-        response = self.client.delete(f"/networks/{name}", params={"force": force})
+        response = self.api.delete(f"/networks/{name}", params={"force": force})
         response.raise_for_status()
diff --git a/podman/domain/pods.py b/podman/domain/pods.py
index 4a75ce0d..0cdf2228 100644
--- a/podman/domain/pods.py
+++ b/podman/domain/pods.py
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ def kill(self, signal: Union[str, int, None] = None) -> None:
             NotFound: when pod not found
             APIError: when service reports an error
         """
-        response = self.client.post(f"/pods/{self.id}/kill", params={"signal": signal})
+        response = self.api.post(f"/pods/{self.id}/kill", params={"signal": signal})
         response.raise_for_status()
 
     def pause(self) -> None:
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ def pause(self) -> None:
             NotFound: when pod not found
             APIError: when service reports an error
         """
-        response = self.client.post(f"/pods/{self.id}/pause")
+        response = self.api.post(f"/pods/{self.id}/pause")
         response.raise_for_status()
 
     def remove(self, force: Optional[bool] = None) -> None:
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ def restart(self) -> None:
             NotFound: when pod not found
             APIError: when service reports an error
         """
-        response = self.client.post(f"/pods/{self.id}/restart")
+        response = self.api.post(f"/pods/{self.id}/restart")
         response.raise_for_status()
 
     def start(self) -> None:
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ def start(self) -> None:
             NotFound: when pod not found
             APIError: when service reports an error
         """
-        response = self.client.post(f"/pods/{self.id}/start")
+        response = self.api.post(f"/pods/{self.id}/start")
         response.raise_for_status()
 
     def stop(self, timeout: _Timeout = None) -> None:
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ def stop(self, timeout: _Timeout = None) -> None:
             APIError: when service reports an error
         """
         params = {"t": timeout}
-        response = self.client.post(f"/pods/{self.id}/stop", params=params)
+        response = self.api.post(f"/pods/{self.id}/stop", params=params)
         response.raise_for_status()
 
     def top(self, **kwargs) -> dict[str, Any]:
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ def top(self, **kwargs) -> dict[str, Any]:
             "ps_args": kwargs.get("ps_args"),
             "stream": False,
         }
-        response = self.client.get(f"/pods/{self.id}/top", params=params)
+        response = self.api.get(f"/pods/{self.id}/top", params=params)
         response.raise_for_status()
 
         if len(response.text) == 0:
@@ -121,5 +121,5 @@ def unpause(self) -> None:
             NotFound: when pod not found
             APIError: when service reports an error
         """
-        response = self.client.post(f"/pods/{self.id}/unpause")
+        response = self.api.post(f"/pods/{self.id}/unpause")
         response.raise_for_status()
diff --git a/podman/domain/pods_manager.py b/podman/domain/pods_manager.py
index 77828606..e150dd2b 100644
--- a/podman/domain/pods_manager.py
+++ b/podman/domain/pods_manager.py
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ def create(self, name: str, **kwargs) -> Pod:
         data = {} if kwargs is None else kwargs.copy()
         data["name"] = name
 
-        response = self.client.post("/pods/create", data=json.dumps(data))
+        response = self.api.post("/pods/create", data=json.dumps(data))
         response.raise_for_status()
 
         body = response.json()
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ def create(self, name: str, **kwargs) -> Pod:
 
     def exists(self, key: str) -> bool:
         """Returns True, when pod exists."""
-        response = self.client.get(f"/pods/{key}/exists")
+        response = self.api.get(f"/pods/{key}/exists")
         return response.ok
 
     # pylint is flagging 'pod_id' here vs. 'key' parameter in super.get()
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ def get(self, pod_id: str) -> Pod:  # pylint: disable=arguments-differ,arguments
             NotFound: when network does not exist
             APIError: when error returned by service
         """
-        response = self.client.get(f"/pods/{pod_id}/json")
+        response = self.api.get(f"/pods/{pod_id}/json")
         response.raise_for_status()
         return self.prepare_model(attrs=response.json())
 
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ def list(self, **kwargs) -> builtins.list[Pod]:
             APIError: when an error returned by service
         """
         params = {"filters": api.prepare_filters(kwargs.get("filters"))}
-        response = self.client.get("/pods/json", params=params)
+        response = self.api.get("/pods/json", params=params)
         response.raise_for_status()
         return [self.prepare_model(attrs=i) for i in response.json()]
 
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ def prune(self, filters: Optional[dict[str, str]] = None) -> dict[str, Any]:
         Raises:
             APIError: when service reports error
         """
-        response = self.client.post("/pods/prune", params={"filters": api.prepare_filters(filters)})
+        response = self.api.post("/pods/prune", params={"filters": api.prepare_filters(filters)})
         response.raise_for_status()
 
         deleted: builtins.list[str] = []
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ def remove(self, pod_id: Union[Pod, str], force: Optional[bool] = None) -> None:
         if isinstance(pod_id, Pod):
             pod_id = pod_id.id
 
-        response = self.client.delete(f"/pods/{pod_id}", params={"force": force})
+        response = self.api.delete(f"/pods/{pod_id}", params={"force": force})
         response.raise_for_status()
 
     def stats(
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ def stats(
             "namesOrIDs": kwargs.get("name"),
             "stream": stream,
         }
-        response = self.client.get("/pods/stats", params=params, stream=stream)
+        response = self.api.get("/pods/stats", params=params, stream=stream)
         response.raise_for_status()
 
         if stream:
diff --git a/podman/domain/quadlets.py b/podman/domain/quadlets.py
index c8b8cb04..5c7c62e9 100644
--- a/podman/domain/quadlets.py
+++ b/podman/domain/quadlets.py
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ def exists(self, key: str) -> bool:
         Returns:
             True if the quadlet exists, False otherwise.
         """
-        response = self.client.get(f"/quadlets/{key}/exists")
+        response = self.api.get(f"/quadlets/{key}/exists")
         if response.status_code == 404:
             return False
         response.raise_for_status()
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ def get(self, name: str) -> Quadlet:
             NotFound: when quadlet could not be found
             APIError: when service reports an error
         """
-        response = self.client.get(
+        response = self.api.get(
             "/quadlets/json",
             params={"filters": api.prepare_filters({"name": name})},
         )
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ def list(self, *_, **kwargs) -> builtins.list[Quadlet]:
         if filters:
             params["filters"] = filters
 
-        response = self.client.get("/quadlets/json", params=params)
+        response = self.api.get("/quadlets/json", params=params)
 
         if response.status_code == requests.codes.not_found:
             return []
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ def get_contents(self, name: Union[Quadlet, str]) -> str:
         if isinstance(name, Quadlet):
             name = name.name
 
-        response = self.client.get(f"/quadlets/{name}/file")
+        response = self.api.get(f"/quadlets/{name}/file")
         response.raise_for_status()
         return response.text
 
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ def print_contents(self, name: Union[Quadlet, str]) -> None:
         if isinstance(name, Quadlet):
             name = name.name
 
-        response = self.client.get(f"/quadlets/{name}/file")
+        response = self.api.get(f"/quadlets/{name}/file")
         response.raise_for_status()
         print(response.text.strip())
 
@@ -219,9 +219,9 @@ def delete(
 
         if all:
             params["all"] = True
-            response = self.client.delete("/quadlets", params=params)
+            response = self.api.delete("/quadlets", params=params)
         else:
-            response = self.client.delete(f"/quadlets/{name}", params=params)
+            response = self.api.delete(f"/quadlets/{name}", params=params)
 
         response.raise_for_status()
         return response.json()["Removed"]
@@ -299,7 +299,7 @@ def install(
             tar_path = pathlib.Path(first)
             if not tar_path.is_file():
                 raise FileNotFoundError(f"No such file: '{tar_path}'")
-            response = self.client.post(
+            response = self.api.post(
                 "/quadlets",
                 params=params,
                 data=tar_path.read_bytes(),
@@ -307,7 +307,7 @@ def install(
             )
         else:
             multipart = self._prepare_install_body(files)
-            response = self.client.post(
+            response = self.api.post(
                 "/quadlets",
                 params=params,
                 files=multipart,
diff --git a/podman/domain/secrets.py b/podman/domain/secrets.py
index 3bc5fa92..57c22ed9 100644
--- a/podman/domain/secrets.py
+++ b/podman/domain/secrets.py
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ def __init__(self, client: APIClient):
         super().__init__(client)
 
     def exists(self, key: str) -> bool:
-        response = self.client.get(f"/secrets/{key}/json")
+        response = self.api.get(f"/secrets/{key}/json")
         return response.ok
 
     # pylint is flagging 'secret_id' here vs. 'key' parameter in super.get()
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ def get(self, secret_id: str) -> Secret:  # pylint: disable=arguments-differ,arg
             NotFound: when Secret does not exist
             APIError: when error returned by service
         """
-        response = self.client.get(f"/secrets/{secret_id}/json")
+        response = self.api.get(f"/secrets/{secret_id}/json")
         response.raise_for_status()
         return self.prepare_model(attrs=response.json())
 
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ def list(self, **kwargs) -> list[Secret]:
         Raises:
             APIError: when error returned by service
         """
-        response = self.client.get("/secrets/json")
+        response = self.api.get("/secrets/json")
         response.raise_for_status()
         return [self.prepare_model(attrs=item) for item in response.json()]
 
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ def create(
             "name": name,
             "driver": driver,
         }
-        response = self.client.post("/secrets/create", params=params, data=data)
+        response = self.api.post("/secrets/create", params=params, data=data)
         response.raise_for_status()
 
         body = response.json()
@@ -139,5 +139,5 @@ def remove(
         if isinstance(secret_id, Secret):
             secret_id = secret_id.id
 
-        response = self.client.delete(f"/secrets/{secret_id}", params={"all": all})
+        response = self.api.delete(f"/secrets/{secret_id}", params={"all": all})
         response.raise_for_status()
diff --git a/podman/domain/volumes.py b/podman/domain/volumes.py
index 9ef565a2..c14dffe8 100644
--- a/podman/domain/volumes.py
+++ b/podman/domain/volumes.py
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ def inspect(self, **kwargs) -> dict:
             APIError: when service reports an error
         """
         params = {"tlsVerify": kwargs.get("tls_verify", True)}
-        response = self.client.get(f"/volumes/{self.id}/json", params=params)
+        response = self.api.get(f"/volumes/{self.id}/json", params=params)
         response.raise_for_status()
         return response.json()
 
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ def create(self, name: Optional[str] = None, **kwargs) -> Volume:
             "Name": name,
             "Options": kwargs.get("driver_opts"),
         }
-        response = self.client.post(
+        response = self.api.post(
             "/volumes/create",
             data=api.prepare_body(data),
             headers={"Content-Type": "application/json"},
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ def create(self, name: Optional[str] = None, **kwargs) -> Volume:
         return self.prepare_model(attrs=response.json())
 
     def exists(self, key: str) -> bool:
-        response = self.client.get(f"/volumes/{key}/exists")
+        response = self.api.get(f"/volumes/{key}/exists")
         return response.ok
 
     # pylint is flagging 'volume_id' here vs. 'key' parameter in super.get()
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ def get(self, volume_id: str) -> Volume:  # pylint: disable=arguments-differ,arg
             NotFound: when volume could not be found
             APIError: when service reports an error
         """
-        response = self.client.get(f"/volumes/{volume_id}/json")
+        response = self.api.get(f"/volumes/{volume_id}/json")
         response.raise_for_status()
         return self.prepare_model(attrs=response.json())
 
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ def list(self, *_, **kwargs) -> list[Volume]:
                 - name (str): filter by volume's name
         """
         filters = api.prepare_filters(kwargs.get("filters"))
-        response = self.client.get("/volumes/json", params={"filters": filters})
+        response = self.api.get("/volumes/json", params={"filters": filters})
 
         if response.status_code == requests.codes.not_found:
             return []
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ def prune(
         Raises:
             APIError: when service reports error
         """
-        response = self.client.post("/volumes/prune")
+        response = self.api.post("/volumes/prune")
         data = response.json()
         response.raise_for_status()
 
@@ -174,7 +174,7 @@ def remove(self, name: Union[Volume, str], force: Optional[bool] = None) -> None
         """
         if isinstance(name, Volume):
             name = name.name
-        response = self.client.delete(f"/volumes/{name}", params={"force": force})
+        response = self.api.delete(f"/volumes/{name}", params={"force": force})
         response.raise_for_status()
 
     def export_archive(self, name: Union[Volume, str]) -> bytes:
@@ -188,7 +188,7 @@ def export_archive(self, name: Union[Volume, str]) -> bytes:
         """
         if isinstance(name, Volume):
             name = name.name
-        response = self.client.get(f"/volumes/{name}/export")
+        response = self.api.get(f"/volumes/{name}/export")
         response.raise_for_status()
         return response._content
 
@@ -211,14 +211,15 @@ def import_archive(
 
         if data is None and path is None:
             raise RuntimeError("Either data or path must be provided !")
-        elif data is not None and path is not None:
+        if data is not None and path is not None:
             raise RuntimeError("Data and path must not be set at the same time !")
 
         if data is None:
+            assert path is not None
             file = pathlib.Path(path)
             if not file.exists():
                 raise RuntimeError(f"Archive {path} does not exist !")
             data = file.read_bytes()
 
-        response = self.client.post(f"/volumes/{name}/import", data=data)
+        response = self.api.post(f"/volumes/{name}/import", data=data)
         response.raise_for_status()
diff --git a/podman/tests/integration/base.py b/podman/tests/integration/base.py
index 3086730f..a733694c 100644
--- a/podman/tests/integration/base.py
+++ b/podman/tests/integration/base.py
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 import os
 import shutil
 import uuid
+from typing import Optional
 
 import fixtures
 
@@ -34,7 +35,7 @@ class IntegrationTest(fixtures.TestWithFixtures):
           results and logging captured by the unittest module test runner.
     """
 
-    podman: str = None
+    podman: Optional[str] = None
 
     @classmethod
     def setUpClass(cls) -> None:
diff --git a/podman/tests/integration/utils.py b/podman/tests/integration/utils.py
index 7151a7f9..8ead4fe5 100644
--- a/podman/tests/integration/utils.py
+++ b/podman/tests/integration/utils.py
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ def __init__(
         log_level: str = "WARNING",
     ) -> None:
         """create a launcher and build podman command"""
-        podman_exe: str = podman_path
+        podman_exe: Optional[str] = podman_path
         if not podman_exe:
             podman_exe = shutil.which('podman')
         if podman_exe is None:
diff --git a/podman/tests/unit/test_api_utils.py b/podman/tests/unit/test_api_utils.py
index 9c027d67..4cfe95c4 100644
--- a/podman/tests/unit/test_api_utils.py
+++ b/podman/tests/unit/test_api_utils.py
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ def test_prepare_body_all_types(self) -> None:
         self.assertEqual(actual, json.dumps(payload, sort_keys=True))
 
     def test_prepare_body_none(self) -> None:
-        payload = {
+        payload: dict[str, Any] = {
             "String": "",
             "Integer": None,
             "Boolean": False,
diff --git a/podman/tests/utils.py b/podman/tests/utils.py
index ea11e54f..30549cc7 100644
--- a/podman/tests/utils.py
+++ b/podman/tests/utils.py
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ def freedesktop_os_release() -> dict[str, str]:
 def podman_version() -> tuple[int, ...]:
     cmd = ["podman", "info", "--format", "{{.Version.Version}}"]
     with subprocess.Popen(cmd, stdout=subprocess.PIPE) as proc:
+        assert proc.stdout is not None
         version = proc.stdout.read().decode("utf-8").strip()
     match = re.match(r"(\d+\.\d+\.\d+)", version)
     if not match:
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 0b58f1a2..fe43628f 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -79,19 +79,19 @@ version = {attr = "podman.version.__version__"}
 [tool.ruff]
 line-length = 100
 src = ["podman"]
-
-# This is the section where Black is mostly replaced with Ruff
-[tool.ruff.format]
 exclude = [
     ".git",
     ".history",
     ".tox",
     ".venv",
+    "_build",
     "build",
     "dist",
     "docs",
     "hack",
 ]
+
+[tool.ruff.format]
 quote-style = "preserve"
 
 [tool.ruff.lint]
@@ -125,7 +125,6 @@ builtins-ignorelist = ["copyright", "all"]
 install_types = true
 non_interactive = true
 allow_redefinition = true
-no_strict_optional = true
 ignore_missing_imports = true
 
 [[tool.mypy.overrides]]