diff --git a/iso/airootfs/etc/calamares/modules/shellprocess.conf b/iso/airootfs/etc/calamares/modules/shellprocess.conf
index 3aef052..3f5366c 100644
--- a/iso/airootfs/etc/calamares/modules/shellprocess.conf
+++ b/iso/airootfs/etc/calamares/modules/shellprocess.conf
@@ -1,3 +1,9 @@
 ---
+# Calamares defaults shellprocess to a 10-second timeout. post-install.sh runs
+# mkinitcpio, grub-install, grub-mkconfig, snapper setup and a networked bakery
+# install — minutes of work — so without a generous timeout it gets killed
+# partway (leaving /boot and the ESP half-populated → unbootable system). The
+# leading "-" keeps a non-zero exit non-fatal to the install.
+timeout: 1800
 script:
   - "-/usr/bin/bash /etc/calamares/post-install.sh"
diff --git a/iso/airootfs/etc/calamares/post-install.sh b/iso/airootfs/etc/calamares/post-install.sh
index e126a22..6e9a7d8 100644
--- a/iso/airootfs/etc/calamares/post-install.sh
+++ b/iso/airootfs/etc/calamares/post-install.sh
@@ -81,14 +81,9 @@ fi
 systemctl enable NetworkManager bluetooth snapper-cleanup.timer grub-btrfs.path \
     || echo "WARN: enabling some services failed"
 
-# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-# Bread ecosystem via bakery (needs network — non-fatal so an offline install
-# still completes; the user can run it after first boot).
-# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-if [[ -n "$MAIN_USER" ]] && command -v bakery &>/dev/null; then
-    sudo -u "$MAIN_USER" bakery install bread breadbar breadbox breadcrumbs breadpad bos-settings \
-        || echo "WARN: bakery install failed (no network during install?); run it after first boot"
-fi
+# The bread ecosystem (bread, breadbar, breadbox, breadcrumbs, breadpad,
+# bos-settings) is baked into the squashfs and already copied onto the target by
+# unpackfs — no install step needed here, and the install works fully offline.
 
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Deploy dotfiles into the user's home (don't clobber existing files).
diff --git a/iso/airootfs/usr/local/bin/bos-live-setup b/iso/airootfs/usr/local/bin/bos-live-setup
index d642a17..d90f199 100644
--- a/iso/airootfs/usr/local/bin/bos-live-setup
+++ b/iso/airootfs/usr/local/bin/bos-live-setup
@@ -7,6 +7,9 @@
 # bos-launch-calamares). Runs once at boot, before the tty1 autologin getty.
 set -e
 
+# useradd -m copies /etc/skel, so the live user gets the real BOS desktop
+# (breadd + breadbar + breadbox + keybinds) — proper live-media functionality,
+# not an installer kiosk.
 if ! id liveuser &>/dev/null; then
     useradd -m -s /bin/bash liveuser
     for g in wheel video input audio storage power; do
@@ -15,29 +18,19 @@ if ! id liveuser &>/dev/null; then
     passwd -d liveuser >/dev/null
 fi
 
-install -d -m 0700 -o liveuser -g liveuser /home/liveuser/.config/hypr
-
-# Minimal live compositor config: auto-launch the installer.
-cat >/home/liveuser/.config/hypr/hyprland.conf <<'EOF'
-monitor=,preferred,auto,1
+# Layer the installer onto the live desktop: auto-launch it, and bind Super+I to
+# relaunch it after it's been closed. Appended to (not replacing) the skel
+# Hyprland config so the full desktop stays intact.
+HYPR=/home/liveuser/.config/hypr/hyprland.conf
+install -d -m 0755 -o liveuser -g liveuser /home/liveuser/.config/hypr
+if ! grep -q bos-launch-calamares "$HYPR" 2>/dev/null; then
+    cat >>"$HYPR" <<'EOF'
 
+# --- live-media installer (added by bos-live-setup; absent on installed system) ---
 exec-once = bos-launch-calamares
-
-general {
-    border_size = 2
-    col.active_border = rgba(88c0d0ff)
-    col.inactive_border = rgba(4c566aff)
-}
-decoration { rounding = 4 }
-input {
-    kb_layout = us
-    follow_mouse = 1
-}
-misc {
-    disable_hyprland_logo = true
-    disable_splash_rendering = true
-}
+bind = SUPER, I, exec, bos-launch-calamares
 EOF
+fi
 
 # Start Hyprland on tty1 login; capture output and fall back to a shell so a
 # failed compositor start is visible rather than a blank looping cursor.
diff --git a/iso/packages.x86_64 b/iso/packages.x86_64
index f49eeb8..37c757c 100644
--- a/iso/packages.x86_64
+++ b/iso/packages.x86_64
@@ -82,8 +82,15 @@ nautilus
 # (calamares 3.4.x is already Qt6; there is no separate calamares-qt6 package)
 calamares
 
-# Bread ecosystem — sourced from [breadway] repo
+# Bread ecosystem — sourced from [breadway] repo. Baked into the squashfs so a
+# fresh install (and the live session) has the full desktop with no network.
 bakery
+bread
+breadbar
+breadbox
+breadcrumbs
+breadpad
+bos-settings
 
 # Input / screen utilities
 brightnessctl