diff --git a/bin/omarchy-channel-set b/bin/omarchy-channel-set
index 60200f97..93f05bc9 100755
--- a/bin/omarchy-channel-set
+++ b/bin/omarchy-channel-set
@@ -55,10 +55,15 @@ validate_dev_region() {
   [[ -f $region_file ]] && region=$(<"$region_file")
   [[ $region == "global" ]] && return 0
 
-  # The refresh after linking needs a runnable helper and the edge fragments
-  # dev uses, not just a directory with the region's name.
-  local profile="$checkout/default/regions/$region/pacman"
-  if [[ ! -x $checkout/bin/omarchy-apply-pacman || ! -r $profile/pacman.conf.append || ! -r $profile/mirrorlist-edge.prepend ]]; then
+  # The refresh after linking needs a runnable helper and every fragment, not
+  # just a directory with the region's name: dev refreshes edge, and leaving
+  # dev later refreshes stable or rc with this checkout's tools.
+  local profile="$checkout/default/regions/$region/pacman" fragment supported=true
+  [[ -x $checkout/bin/omarchy-apply-pacman ]] || supported=false
+  for fragment in pacman.conf.append mirrorlist-stable.prepend mirrorlist-rc.prepend mirrorlist-edge.prepend; do
+    [[ -r $profile/$fragment ]] || supported=false
+  done
+  if ! $supported; then
     fail "$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
 }
diff --git a/test/shell.d/channel-test.sh b/test/shell.d/channel-test.sh
index fb670e3e..791ff2e9 100644
--- a/test/shell.d/channel-test.sh
+++ b/test/shell.d/channel-test.sh
@@ -213,7 +213,23 @@ if grep -Eq $'^(link|refresh)\t' "$log_file"; then
   fail "dev refuses an empty region profile before linking or refreshing pacman" "$(cat "$log_file")"
 fi
 mkdir -p "$checkout/default/regions/cn/pacman"
-touch "$checkout/default/regions/cn/pacman/pacman.conf.append" "$checkout/default/regions/cn/pacman/mirrorlist-edge.prepend"
+cn_fragments=(pacman.conf.append mirrorlist-stable.prepend mirrorlist-rc.prepend mirrorlist-edge.prepend)
+for missing in "${cn_fragments[@]}"; do
+  for fragment in "${cn_fragments[@]}"; do
+    if [[ $fragment == "$missing" ]]; then
+      rm -f "$checkout/default/regions/cn/pacman/$fragment"
+    else
+      touch "$checkout/default/regions/cn/pacman/$fragment"
+    fi
+  done
+  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 region profile without $missing"
+  fi
+  if grep -Eq $'^(link|refresh)\t' "$log_file"; then
+    fail "dev refuses a profile without $missing before linking or refreshing pacman" "$(cat "$log_file")"
+  fi
+done
+touch "${cn_fragments[@]/#/$checkout/default/regions/cn/pacman/}"
 chmod -x "$checkout/bin/omarchy-apply-pacman"
 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 whose pacman helper cannot run"
@@ -221,7 +237,7 @@ fi
 if grep -Eq $'^(link|refresh)\t' "$log_file"; then
   fail "dev refuses incomplete region support before linking or refreshing pacman" "$(cat "$log_file")"
 fi
-pass "dev refuses an empty region profile or a helper that cannot run"
+pass "dev refuses a region profile missing any fragment or a helper that cannot run"
 
 chmod +x "$checkout/bin/omarchy-apply-pacman"
 OMARCHY_TEST_REGION_FILE="$test_tmp/region" run_channel dev