diff --git a/bin/omarchy-iso-make b/bin/omarchy-iso-make
index 1d1f13a..353c1b8 100755
--- a/bin/omarchy-iso-make
+++ b/bin/omarchy-iso-make
@@ -16,9 +16,7 @@ while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
     shift
     ;;
   --local-source)
-    # Kept as a flag for back-compat (older callers passed it); the ISO
-    # build now always builds from local omarchy-installer + omarchy-pkgs
-    # checkouts.
+    LOCAL_SOURCE=1
     OMARCHY_MIRROR=edge
     shift
     ;;
@@ -56,16 +54,6 @@ OMARCHY_INSTALLER_REPO="${OMARCHY_INSTALLER_REPO:-basecamp/omarchy}"
 OMARCHY_INSTALLER_REF="${OMARCHY_INSTALLER_REF:-master}"
 OMARCHY_MIRROR="${OMARCHY_MIRROR:-stable}"
 
-# Source paths for the local package builds. The ISO builder pacstraps
-# locally-built omarchy* packages from /omarchy-installer and /omarchy-pkgs,
-# so these must point at checkouts of those repos.
-OMARCHY_INSTALLER_PATH="${OMARCHY_INSTALLER_PATH:-$BUILD_ROOT/../omarchy-installer}"
-OMARCHY_PKGS_PATH="${OMARCHY_PKGS_PATH:-$BUILD_ROOT/../omarchy-pkgs}"
-[[ -d $OMARCHY_INSTALLER_PATH ]] || { echo "Error: omarchy-installer checkout not found at $OMARCHY_INSTALLER_PATH" >&2; exit 1; }
-[[ -d $OMARCHY_PKGS_PATH ]]      || { echo "Error: omarchy-pkgs checkout not found at $OMARCHY_PKGS_PATH"           >&2; exit 1; }
-OMARCHY_INSTALLER_PATH=$(realpath "$OMARCHY_INSTALLER_PATH")
-OMARCHY_PKGS_PATH=$(realpath "$OMARCHY_PKGS_PATH")
-
 DOCKER_ARGS=(
   --rm
   --privileged
@@ -79,10 +67,25 @@ DOCKER_ARGS=(
   -v "$BUILD_ROOT/archiso:/archiso:ro"
   -v "$BUILD_ROOT/builder:/builder:ro"
   -v "$BUILD_ROOT/configs:/configs:ro"
-  -v "$OMARCHY_INSTALLER_PATH:/omarchy-installer:ro"
-  -v "$OMARCHY_PKGS_PATH:/omarchy-pkgs:ro"
 )
 
+# --local-source: build the omarchy* packages from local omarchy-installer +
+# omarchy-pkgs checkouts (mounted into the container) instead of pulling them
+# from the omarchy network mirror. Useful for testing in-flight changes
+# before they're released through pkgs.omarchy.org.
+if [[ -n "${LOCAL_SOURCE-}" ]]; then
+  OMARCHY_INSTALLER_PATH="${OMARCHY_INSTALLER_PATH:-$BUILD_ROOT/../omarchy-installer}"
+  OMARCHY_PKGS_PATH="${OMARCHY_PKGS_PATH:-$BUILD_ROOT/../omarchy-pkgs}"
+  [[ -d $OMARCHY_INSTALLER_PATH ]] || { echo "Error: omarchy-installer checkout not found at $OMARCHY_INSTALLER_PATH" >&2; exit 1; }
+  [[ -d $OMARCHY_PKGS_PATH ]]      || { echo "Error: omarchy-pkgs checkout not found at $OMARCHY_PKGS_PATH"           >&2; exit 1; }
+  OMARCHY_INSTALLER_PATH=$(realpath "$OMARCHY_INSTALLER_PATH")
+  OMARCHY_PKGS_PATH=$(realpath "$OMARCHY_PKGS_PATH")
+  DOCKER_ARGS+=(
+    -v "$OMARCHY_INSTALLER_PATH:/omarchy-installer:ro"
+    -v "$OMARCHY_PKGS_PATH:/omarchy-pkgs:ro"
+  )
+fi
+
 # Use local pacman cache if you already have one on host to speed up repeat runs
 if [ -d "/var/cache/pacman/pkg" ]; then
   DOCKER_ARGS+=(-v "/var/cache/pacman/pkg:/var/cache/pacman/pkg")
diff --git a/builder/build-iso.sh b/builder/build-iso.sh
index c8d728a..826447b 100755
--- a/builder/build-iso.sh
+++ b/builder/build-iso.sh
@@ -34,10 +34,13 @@ rm -rf "$build_cache_dir/airootfs/etc/xdg/reflector"
 cp -r /configs/* "$build_cache_dir/"
 echo "$OMARCHY_MIRROR" > "$build_cache_dir/airootfs/root/omarchy_mirror"
 
-# Build omarchy* packages from the mounted source trees and drop them in the
-# offline mirror. The .automated_script.sh later pacstraps omarchy-installer
-# (which deps-in omarchy + omarchy-settings + omarchy-limine) from there.
-bash /builder/build-omarchy-packages.sh "$offline_mirror_dir"
+# When --local-source is in effect, build omarchy* from the mounted source
+# trees and drop them in the offline mirror. Otherwise pacman -Syw below
+# downloads the published versions from the omarchy network mirror.
+if [[ -d /omarchy-installer && -d /omarchy-pkgs ]]; then
+  bash /builder/build-omarchy-packages.sh "$offline_mirror_dir"
+  LOCAL_OMARCHY_BUILD=1
+fi
 
 # Node.js binary for offline mise install.
 NODE_DIST_URL="https://nodejs.org/dist/latest"
@@ -54,17 +57,32 @@ arch_packages=(linux-t2 git gum jq openssl plymouth tzupdate omarchy-keyring lvm
 printf '%s\n' "${arch_packages[@]}" >> "$build_cache_dir/packages.x86_64"
 
 # Build the offline mirror: everything pacstrap might want during the target
-# install. The omarchy* packages we just built are already in the mirror;
-# this pacman -Syw downloads the rest from the live network mirror.
+# install. With --local-source, the omarchy* packages we just built are
+# already in the mirror and we filter them out below. Without it, pacman -Syw
+# pulls the published omarchy* from the network mirror like any other package.
+if [[ -d /omarchy-installer ]]; then
+  base_pkg_lists=(/omarchy-installer/install/omarchy-base.packages /omarchy-installer/install/omarchy-other.packages)
+else
+  # Pull the same package lists out of the freshly-downloaded omarchy package
+  # so we don't need a local checkout in the non-local-source path.
+  pacman --config /configs/pacman-online-${OMARCHY_MIRROR}.conf --noconfirm -Sw omarchy --cachedir /tmp --dbpath /tmp/offlinedb-bootstrap >/dev/null
+  omarchy_pkg=$(ls /tmp/omarchy-*.pkg.tar.zst | head -1)
+  mkdir -p /tmp/omarchy-pkglists
+  bsdtar -xf "$omarchy_pkg" -C /tmp/omarchy-pkglists usr/share/omarchy/install/omarchy-base.packages usr/share/omarchy/install/omarchy-other.packages
+  base_pkg_lists=(/tmp/omarchy-pkglists/usr/share/omarchy/install/omarchy-base.packages /tmp/omarchy-pkglists/usr/share/omarchy/install/omarchy-other.packages)
+fi
+
 declare -a all_packages
 mapfile -t all_packages < <(
   {
     cat "$build_cache_dir/packages.x86_64"
-    grep -hv '^#\|^$' /omarchy-installer/install/omarchy-base.packages /omarchy-installer/install/omarchy-other.packages
+    grep -hv '^#\|^$' "${base_pkg_lists[@]}"
     grep -hv '^#\|^$' /builder/archinstall.packages
+    # Always include the omarchy meta-package set so the target install can
+    # find omarchy-installer in the offline mirror.
+    printf 'omarchy\nomarchy-settings\nomarchy-installer\nomarchy-limine\n'
   } |
-  # Filter out our locally-built packages (they're already in the mirror).
-  grep -vE '^(omarchy|omarchy-settings|omarchy-installer|omarchy-limine)$' |
+  $([[ -n ${LOCAL_OMARCHY_BUILD:-} ]] && echo "grep -vE ^(omarchy|omarchy-settings|omarchy-installer|omarchy-limine)$" || echo cat) |
   sort -u
 )