diff --git a/boot.sh b/boot.sh
index 302236dc..d56f49ce 100755
--- a/boot.sh
+++ b/boot.sh
@@ -45,7 +45,9 @@ echo "Refreshing pacman databases..."
 sudo pacman -Sy --noconfirm
 
 echo "Installing omarchy-installer..."
-sudo pacman -S --noconfirm --needed omarchy-installer
+# Only install the runner here — install.sh pulls the full omarchy runtime
+# itself once it knows the mode and has logged in.
+sudo pacman -S --noconfirm --needed omarchy-keyring omarchy-installer
 
 echo -e "\nInstallation starting..."
 exec omarchy-install
diff --git a/install.sh b/install.sh
index 40e9c59f..1802d82d 100644
--- a/install.sh
+++ b/install.sh
@@ -17,6 +17,21 @@ detect_install_mode
 export_legacy_mode_flags
 
 source "$OMARCHY_INSTALL/helpers/all.sh"
+
+# The install scripts assume the full omarchy runtime is installed (preflight
+# guards check for limine; config scripts call omarchy-* commands; etc.).
+# Online: install it now via pacman. Offline: the ISO was supposed to pacstrap
+# it before user creation, so just assert it's present.
+_omarchy_runtime_pkg="${OMARCHY_RUNTIME_PACKAGE:-omarchy}"
+if install_mode_is offline; then
+  pacman -Q "$_omarchy_runtime_pkg" >/dev/null 2>&1 || {
+    echo "Error: $_omarchy_runtime_pkg must be pacstrapped before omarchy-install runs in offline mode" >&2
+    exit 1
+  }
+else
+  sudo pacman -Syu --noconfirm --needed "$_omarchy_runtime_pkg"
+fi
+
 source "$OMARCHY_INSTALL/preflight/all.sh"
 source "$OMARCHY_INSTALL/packaging/all.sh"
 source "$OMARCHY_INSTALL/config/all.sh"