diff --git a/builder/build-iso.sh b/builder/build-iso.sh
index 1e69e41..e39f89a 100755
--- a/builder/build-iso.sh
+++ b/builder/build-iso.sh
@@ -60,7 +60,14 @@ mkdir -p "$build_cache_dir/airootfs/opt/packages/"
 cp "/tmp/$NODE_FILENAME" "$build_cache_dir/airootfs/opt/packages/"
 
 # Packages installed into the live ISO environment itself (NOT the target system).
-arch_packages=(linux-t2 git gum jq openssl plymouth tzupdate omarchy-keyring lvm2 cryptsetup parted)
+# omarchy-installer + omarchy-settings need to be HERE so:
+#   1. /usr/share/omarchy/{install,default,bin} is available to the configurator
+#      and .automated_script.sh natively (no .pkg.tar.zst extraction hack)
+#   2. omarchy-settings's post_install hook drops omarchy's plymouthd.conf into
+#      /etc/plymouth so mkinitcpio's plymouth hook picks up the Omarchy theme
+#      when mkarchiso builds the live initramfs (otherwise plymouth shows
+#      the default theme on boot).
+arch_packages=(linux-t2 git gum jq openssl plymouth tzupdate omarchy-keyring omarchy-settings omarchy-installer lvm2 cryptsetup parted)
 printf '%s\n' "${arch_packages[@]}" >> "$build_cache_dir/packages.x86_64"
 
 # Build the offline mirror: everything pacstrap might want during the target
diff --git a/configs/airootfs/root/.automated_script.sh b/configs/airootfs/root/.automated_script.sh
index 5f5e5c9..78215fe 100644
--- a/configs/airootfs/root/.automated_script.sh
+++ b/configs/airootfs/root/.automated_script.sh
@@ -2,25 +2,10 @@
 set -euo pipefail
 
 use_omarchy_helpers() {
-  # Neither omarchy-installer nor omarchy-settings is installed in the live
-  # ISO; we just have the .pkg.tar.zst files in the offline mirror. Extract
-  # the bits we need (install/ from the installer; logo.txt/icon.txt and
-  # default/ from settings) to /tmp/omarchy-iso so OMARCHY_PATH resolves to
-  # a tree that looks like a real install.
+  # omarchy-installer + omarchy-settings are installed into the live ISO (see
+  # build-iso.sh arch_packages), so /usr/share/omarchy is the real tree.
   export OMARCHY_MIRROR="$(cat /root/omarchy_mirror)"
-  if [[ ! -d /tmp/omarchy-iso ]]; then
-    local installer_pkg settings_pkg
-    installer_pkg=$(ls /var/cache/omarchy/mirror/offline/omarchy-installer-*.pkg.tar.zst 2>/dev/null | head -1)
-    settings_pkg=$(ls /var/cache/omarchy/mirror/offline/omarchy-settings-*.pkg.tar.zst 2>/dev/null | head -1)
-    [[ -n $installer_pkg && -n $settings_pkg ]] || {
-      echo "ERROR: omarchy-installer or omarchy-settings missing from offline mirror" >&2
-      exit 1
-    }
-    mkdir -p /tmp/omarchy-iso
-    bsdtar -xf "$installer_pkg" -C /tmp/omarchy-iso usr/share/omarchy
-    bsdtar -xf "$settings_pkg"  -C /tmp/omarchy-iso usr/share/omarchy
-  fi
-  export OMARCHY_PATH=/tmp/omarchy-iso/usr/share/omarchy
+  export OMARCHY_PATH=/usr/share/omarchy
   export OMARCHY_INSTALL=$OMARCHY_PATH/install
   export OMARCHY_INSTALL_LOG_FILE=/var/log/omarchy-install.log
   source "$OMARCHY_INSTALL/helpers/all.sh"