diff --git a/packages/devel/crossguid/package.mk b/packages/devel/crossguid/package.mk
index 45a0c78be3..a26feeaf50 100644
--- a/packages/devel/crossguid/package.mk
+++ b/packages/devel/crossguid/package.mk
@@ -13,3 +13,10 @@ PKG_LONGDESC="minimal, cross platform, C++ GUID library"
 
 PKG_CMAKE_OPTS_TARGET="-DCROSSGUID_TESTS=OFF \
                        -Wno-dev"
+
+post_makeinstall_target() {
+  # crossguid is a build-time-only dependency; its CMake config files
+  # embed the host's build-dir path and serve no runtime purpose. Drop
+  # the entire share tree to keep the rootfs free of host-paths.
+  rm -rf ${INSTALL}/usr/share/crossguid
+}
diff --git a/packages/sysutils/systemd/package.mk b/packages/sysutils/systemd/package.mk
index d04e2d1de8..e9b4d5bc0e 100644
--- a/packages/sysutils/systemd/package.mk
+++ b/packages/sysutils/systemd/package.mk
@@ -174,6 +174,12 @@ post_makeinstall_target() {
         ;;
     esac
   done
+  # systemd-sysroot-fstab-check is a symlink into systemd-fstab-generator
+  # (deleted above), so it always dangles on the target. Remove the
+  # dangling link from both /usr/lib and /usr/lib32 to keep the rootfs
+  # symlink-clean.
+  safe_remove ${INSTALL}/usr/lib/systemd/systemd-sysroot-fstab-check
+  safe_remove ${INSTALL}/usr/lib32/systemd/systemd-sysroot-fstab-check
 
   # remove catalog
   safe_remove ${INSTALL}/usr/lib/systemd/catalog
@@ -277,6 +283,14 @@ post_makeinstall_target() {
 
   # journald
   ln -sf /storage/.cache/journald.conf.d ${INSTALL}/usr/lib/systemd/journald.conf.d
+
+  # legacy.conf seeds /var/log/README as a symlink to
+  # /usr/share/doc/systemd/README.logs, but ArchR doesn't ship the
+  # /usr/share/doc tree, so the README ends up dangling on every boot.
+  # Strip the line, keep the rest of the legacy rules.
+  if [ -f ${INSTALL}/usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/legacy.conf ]; then
+    sed -i '/\/var\/log\/README/d' ${INSTALL}/usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/legacy.conf
+  fi
 }
 
 post_install() {
diff --git a/packages/sysutils/udevil/package.mk b/packages/sysutils/udevil/package.mk
index b489817583..deef14f495 100644
--- a/packages/sysutils/udevil/package.mk
+++ b/packages/sysutils/udevil/package.mk
@@ -26,6 +26,11 @@ post_makeinstall_target() {
     cp ${PKG_DIR}/config/udevil.conf ${INSTALL}/etc/udevil
     ln -sf /storage/.config/udevil.conf ${INSTALL}/etc/udevil/udevil-user-root.conf
 
+  # Seed /storage/.config/udevil.conf via the userconfig rsync. Without
+  # this copy the user-root symlink above dangles until first manual edit.
+  mkdir -p ${INSTALL}/usr/config
+    cp ${PKG_DIR}/config/udevil.conf ${INSTALL}/usr/config/
+
   mkdir -p ${INSTALL}/usr/bin
     cp -PR src/udevil ${INSTALL}/usr/bin
 
diff --git a/projects/ArchR/packages/archr/package.mk b/projects/ArchR/packages/archr/package.mk
index f241aefe3e..07e8883453 100644
--- a/projects/ArchR/packages/archr/package.mk
+++ b/projects/ArchR/packages/archr/package.mk
@@ -153,6 +153,11 @@ EOF
   ### Take a backup of the system configuration on shutdown
   enable_service save-sysconfig.service
 
+  ### System locale. glibc/package.mk only generates en_US.UTF-8; without
+  ### this file LANG stays empty and every shell falls back to POSIX,
+  ### which breaks UTF-8 input, pacman messages and emulator menus.
+  echo "LANG=en_US.UTF-8" > ${INSTALL}/etc/locale.conf
+
   sed -i "s#@DEVICENAME@#${DEVICE}#g" ${INSTALL}/usr/config/system/configs/system.cfg
 
   ### Defaults for non-main builds.
diff --git a/projects/ArchR/packages/archr/profile.d/005-locale b/projects/ArchR/packages/archr/profile.d/005-locale
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c656b7669b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/projects/ArchR/packages/archr/profile.d/005-locale
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+# Copyright (C) 2026-present ArchR
+
+# systemd already publishes LANG into its session environment, but ssh
+# logins and busybox shells do not inherit that, so they end up under
+# POSIX with empty LANG. Source the canonical /etc/locale.conf at shell
+# startup so every interactive session sees the same locale.
+
+if [ -r /etc/locale.conf ]; then
+    # shellcheck disable=SC1091
+    . /etc/locale.conf
+    export LANG
+    [ -n "${LANGUAGE}" ] && export LANGUAGE
+    [ -n "${LC_ALL}" ] && export LC_ALL
+fi
diff --git a/projects/ArchR/packages/archr/system.d/timers.target.wants/archr-report-stats.timer b/projects/ArchR/packages/archr/system.d/timers.target.wants/archr-report-stats.timer
new file mode 120000
index 0000000000..15095ecbf1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/projects/ArchR/packages/archr/system.d/timers.target.wants/archr-report-stats.timer
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+../archr-report-stats.timer
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/projects/ArchR/packages/archr/system.d/timers.target.wants/rocknix-report-stats.timer b/projects/ArchR/packages/archr/system.d/timers.target.wants/rocknix-report-stats.timer
deleted file mode 120000
index 4ae66d6f74..0000000000
--- a/projects/ArchR/packages/archr/system.d/timers.target.wants/rocknix-report-stats.timer
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-../rocknix-report-stats.timer
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/projects/ArchR/packages/archr/tmpfiles.d/z_02_archr-fhs-bridges.conf b/projects/ArchR/packages/archr/tmpfiles.d/z_02_archr-fhs-bridges.conf
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ab8e0cdfa2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/projects/ArchR/packages/archr/tmpfiles.d/z_02_archr-fhs-bridges.conf
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+# Copyright (C) 2026-present ArchR
+
+# /var is a tmpfs (see busybox/system.d/var.mount), so symlinks staged
+# at install time into the read-only rootfs are hidden by the mount and
+# never reach userspace. This file republishes the FHS bridge surface
+# into the tmpfs after var.mount has run. Substrate paths stay on the
+# rw /storage overlay.
+
+d    /var/cache/archr            0755 root root - -
+d    /var/cache/pacman           0755 root root - -
+d    /var/lib/archr              0755 root root - -
+d    /var/lib/samba              0755 root root - -
+d    /var/spool                  0755 root root - -
+
+L+   /var/cache/mesa                 - - - - /storage/.cache/mesa_shader_cache
+L+   /var/cache/archr/kernel-overlays - - - - /storage/.cache/kernel-overlays
+L+   /var/cache/archr/locpath         - - - - /storage/.cache/locpath
+L+   /var/cache/archr/fstrim.run      - - - - /storage/.cache/fstrim.run
+L+   /var/cache/archr/update          - - - - /storage/.update
+L+   /var/cache/pacman/pkg            - - - - /storage/.pacman/cache
+
+L+   /var/lib/archr/services          - - - - /storage/.cache/services
+L+   /var/lib/archr/config            - - - - /storage/.config
+L+   /var/lib/archr/data              - - - - /storage/.local/share
+L+   /var/lib/archr/games             - - - - /storage/roms
+L+   /var/lib/archr/backup            - - - - /storage/backup
+L+   /var/lib/samba/private           - - - - /storage/.cache/samba
+L+   /var/lib/tailscale               - - - - /storage/.cache/tailscale
+L+   /var/lib/pacman                  - - - - /storage/.pacman/db
+L+   /var/lib/bluetooth               - - - - /storage/.cache/bluetooth
+
+L+   /var/spool/cron                  - - - - /storage/.cache/cron
+
+# Storage-backed targets for symlinks staged at install time. Without
+# these dirs the symlinks dangle and the consumer code treats the path
+# as missing. f for the lone-file bridges (fstrim.run is a stamp), d
+# for the directory bridges.
+d    /storage/.config/request-key.d   0755 root root - -
+d    /storage/.cache/journald.conf.d  0755 root root - -
+d    /storage/.cache/cron             0755 root root - -
+d    /storage/.cache/locpath          0755 root root - -
+d    /storage/.cache/tailscale        0755 root root - -
+d    /storage/.cache/samba            0700 root root - -
+d    /storage/.local                  0755 root root - -
+d    /storage/.local/share            0755 root root - -
+f    /storage/.cache/fstrim.run       0644 root root - -
diff --git a/projects/ArchR/packages/emulators/libretro/freej2me-lr/freej2me.sh b/projects/ArchR/packages/emulators/libretro/freej2me-lr/freej2me.sh
index 33c1668e14..bdd7c4b170 100644
--- a/projects/ArchR/packages/emulators/libretro/freej2me-lr/freej2me.sh
+++ b/projects/ArchR/packages/emulators/libretro/freej2me-lr/freej2me.sh
@@ -15,6 +15,15 @@ fi
 JDKDEST="/opt/jdk"
 JDKNAME="zulu11.48.21-ca-jdk11.0.11"
 
+# /opt/jdk -> /storage/jdk; if anything left a non-directory there the
+# mkdir/tar steps below would fail with "Not a directory".
+if [ -L /opt/jdk ]; then
+  jdk_target=$(readlink /opt/jdk)
+  if [ -e "${jdk_target}" ] && [ ! -d "${jdk_target}" ]; then
+    rm -f "${jdk_target}"
+  fi
+fi
+
 mkdir -p ${JDKDEST}
 
 # Check if the jdk does not already exists
diff --git a/projects/ArchR/packages/emulators/libretro/retroarch/retroarch-joypads/gamepads/ROCKNIX Gamepad.cfg b/projects/ArchR/packages/emulators/libretro/retroarch/retroarch-joypads/gamepads/ArchR Gamepad.cfg
similarity index 100%
rename from projects/ArchR/packages/emulators/libretro/retroarch/retroarch-joypads/gamepads/ROCKNIX Gamepad.cfg
rename to projects/ArchR/packages/emulators/libretro/retroarch/retroarch-joypads/gamepads/ArchR Gamepad.cfg
diff --git a/projects/ArchR/packages/emulators/standalone/hypseus-singe/package.mk b/projects/ArchR/packages/emulators/standalone/hypseus-singe/package.mk
index f3f4284f9c..a20e717c2b 100644
--- a/projects/ArchR/packages/emulators/standalone/hypseus-singe/package.mk
+++ b/projects/ArchR/packages/emulators/standalone/hypseus-singe/package.mk
@@ -26,4 +26,10 @@ post_makeinstall_target() {
   cp -rf ${PKG_BUILD}/doc/hypinput.ini ${INSTALL}/usr/config/game/configs/hypseus/
   ln -fs /storage/.config/game/configs/hypseus/hypinput.ini ${INSTALL}/usr/share/daphne/hypinput.ini
   cp ${PKG_BUILD}/start_hypseus.sh ${INSTALL}/usr/bin
+  # CMake leaves cmake_install.cmake / CMakeCache.txt sprinkled across
+  # the install tree; they embed the host build path and are useless at
+  # runtime, so strip them.
+  find ${INSTALL}/usr/share/daphne -name 'cmake_install.cmake' -delete 2>/dev/null || true
+  find ${INSTALL}/usr/share/daphne -name 'CMakeCache.txt' -delete 2>/dev/null || true
+  find ${INSTALL}/usr/share/daphne -name 'CMakeFiles' -type d -exec rm -rf {} + 2>/dev/null || true
 }
diff --git a/projects/ArchR/packages/misc/modules/sources/images/install-rocknix.svg b/projects/ArchR/packages/misc/modules/sources/images/install-archr.svg
similarity index 100%
rename from projects/ArchR/packages/misc/modules/sources/images/install-rocknix.svg
rename to projects/ArchR/packages/misc/modules/sources/images/install-archr.svg
diff --git a/projects/ArchR/packages/network/samba/package.mk b/projects/ArchR/packages/network/samba/package.mk
index a1454a6831..4dca4a57e8 100644
--- a/projects/ArchR/packages/network/samba/package.mk
+++ b/projects/ArchR/packages/network/samba/package.mk
@@ -187,5 +187,17 @@ post_makeinstall_target() {
       cp -PR bin/default/source3/utils/smbpasswd ${INSTALL}/usr/bin
 
   fi
+
+  # waf install writes Python scripts whose shebang points at the build
+  # host's python3 (TOOLCHAIN/bin/python3). Rewrite to /usr/bin/python3
+  # so they actually run on the target. samba-gpupdate is the survivor
+  # of the broad rm -rf above; protect against future ones too.
+  if [ -d ${INSTALL}/usr/sbin ]; then
+    find ${INSTALL}/usr/sbin -maxdepth 1 -type f | while read -r script; do
+      if head -c 200 "$script" 2>/dev/null | head -1 | grep -q '^#!.*python'; then
+        sed -i '1s|^#!.*python.*|#!/usr/bin/python3|' "$script"
+      fi
+    done
+  fi
 }
 
diff --git a/projects/ArchR/packages/sysutils/systemd/scripts/userconfig-setup b/projects/ArchR/packages/sysutils/systemd/scripts/userconfig-setup
index 99e7479012..3493e4e149 100755
--- a/projects/ArchR/packages/sysutils/systemd/scripts/userconfig-setup
+++ b/projects/ArchR/packages/sysutils/systemd/scripts/userconfig-setup
@@ -77,3 +77,11 @@ then
     ln -sf /usr/share/locale /storage/.config/emulationstation/locale
   fi
 fi
+
+### /opt/jdk is a symlink to /storage/jdk that freej2me-lr fills on first
+### launch. Older builds left a stray /storage/jdk file (0 bytes) that
+### turns the symlink into a non-directory and breaks every JDK consumer.
+### Run this saneamento every boot, not just under the .configured guard.
+if [ -e "/storage/jdk" ] && [ ! -d "/storage/jdk" ]; then
+  rm -f /storage/jdk
+fi
diff --git a/projects/ArchR/packages/tools/pyFDT/package.mk b/projects/ArchR/packages/tools/pyFDT/package.mk
index 28ee7e17f5..d8b0943c2e 100644
--- a/projects/ArchR/packages/tools/pyFDT/package.mk
+++ b/projects/ArchR/packages/tools/pyFDT/package.mk
@@ -23,3 +23,14 @@ make_target() {
 makeinstall_target() {
   python3 setup.py install --root=${INSTALL} --prefix=/usr
 }
+
+post_makeinstall_target() {
+  # setuptools writes the build-host python3 path into entry-point
+  # shebangs, which then point at /media/.../toolchain/bin/python3 on
+  # the target and refuse to run. Rewrite to /usr/bin/python3 (the
+  # target's interpreter).
+  for s in ${INSTALL}/usr/bin/pydtc; do
+    [ -f "$s" ] || continue
+    sed -i '1s|^#!.*python.*|#!/usr/bin/python3|' "$s"
+  done
+}
diff --git a/projects/ArchR/packages/ui/emulationstation/package.mk b/projects/ArchR/packages/ui/emulationstation/package.mk
index 174c540a38..0657d1032a 100644
--- a/projects/ArchR/packages/ui/emulationstation/package.mk
+++ b/projects/ArchR/packages/ui/emulationstation/package.mk
@@ -107,7 +107,10 @@ makeinstall_target() {
 EOF
   fi
 
-  ln -sf ${INSTALL}/usr/config/emulationstation/es_systems.cfg ${INSTALL}/etc/emulationstation/es_systems.cfg
+  # Symlink target must be an in-target path (/usr/config/...), not the
+  # host's ${INSTALL} build dir, otherwise the staged symlink points to
+  # the builder's filesystem and breaks on the device.
+  ln -sf /usr/config/emulationstation/es_systems.cfg ${INSTALL}/etc/emulationstation/es_systems.cfg
 
   ln -sf /storage/.cache/system_timezone ${INSTALL}/etc/timezone