diff --git a/bin/omarchy-channel-set b/bin/omarchy-channel-set
index 039d3292..f347317b 100755
--- a/bin/omarchy-channel-set
+++ b/bin/omarchy-channel-set
@@ -47,9 +47,23 @@ validate_dev_checkout() {
   fi
 }
 
+# The dev channel refreshes pacman with the checkout's own tools. A checkout
+# without this machine's region profile would silently drop its repositories.
+validate_dev_region() {
+  local checkout="$1" region_file="${OMARCHY_REGION_FILE:-/etc/omarchy/region}" region=global
+
+  [[ -f $region_file ]] && region=$(<"$region_file")
+  [[ $region == "global" ]] && return 0
+
+  if [[ ! -f $checkout/bin/omarchy-apply-pacman || ! -d $checkout/default/regions/$region ]]; then
+    fail "$checkout does not support the '$region' region, so switching would drop its package repositories. Check out a branch with default/regions/$region, or remove $region_file to use global defaults."
+  fi
+}
+
 link_dev_checkout() {
   local checkout="$1" required
   [[ -d $checkout/.git ]] || git clone https://github.com/omacom/omarchy.git "$checkout"
+  validate_dev_region "$checkout"
 
   # Check the destination before changing /etc/omarchy.conf or sudo's path.
   # An existing checkout is not pulled automatically and may predate this policy.
diff --git a/test/shell.d/channel-test.sh b/test/shell.d/channel-test.sh
index cbbfc6e8..7872c6f7 100644
--- a/test/shell.d/channel-test.sh
+++ b/test/shell.d/channel-test.sh
@@ -113,6 +113,7 @@ run_channel() {
   : >"$log_file"
   OMARCHY_CHANNEL_TEST_LOG="$log_file" \
     OMARCHY_PATH="${OMARCHY_TEST_PATH:-$package_root}" \
+    OMARCHY_REGION_FILE="${OMARCHY_TEST_REGION_FILE:-$test_tmp/no-region}" \
     HOME="$test_tmp/home" \
     PATH="$stub_bin:$ROOT/bin:$PATH" \
     "${OMARCHY_TEST_PATH:-$package_root}/bin/omarchy-channel-set" "$@"
@@ -190,6 +191,21 @@ fi
 assert_log_line $'link\t'"$checkout"$'\t--no-reboot' "switching back to dev links ~/omarchy"
 pass "switching back to dev reuses the existing ~/omarchy checkout"
 
+printf 'cn\n' >"$test_tmp/region"
+if OMARCHY_TEST_REGION_FILE="$test_tmp/region" run_channel dev >"$test_tmp/region.out" 2>"$test_tmp/region.err"; then
+  fail "dev refuses a checkout without this machine's region"
+fi
+grep -q "does not support the 'cn' region" "$test_tmp/region.err" || fail "dev explains the missing region" "$(cat "$test_tmp/region.err")"
+if grep -Eq $'^(link|refresh)\t' "$log_file"; then
+  fail "dev refuses before linking or refreshing pacman" "$(cat "$log_file")"
+fi
+pass "dev refuses a checkout without the region before touching pacman"
+
+mkdir -p "$checkout/default/regions/cn"
+touch "$checkout/bin/omarchy-apply-pacman"
+OMARCHY_TEST_REGION_FILE="$test_tmp/region" run_channel dev
+assert_log_line $'refresh\tedge' "dev proceeds with a checkout that supports the region"
+
 current_channel() {
   OMARCHY_TEST_VERSION_CHANNEL="$1" \
     OMARCHY_TEST_PACKAGES="$2" \