diff --git a/image-recipe/_archived/build-auto-installer-iso.sh b/image-recipe/_archived/build-auto-installer-iso.sh
index 9e88e2bf..abe90baa 100755
--- a/image-recipe/_archived/build-auto-installer-iso.sh
+++ b/image-recipe/_archived/build-auto-installer-iso.sh
@@ -1064,6 +1064,14 @@ echo "   netavark + aardvark-dns: included in rootfs (Debian 13 packages)"
 echo "   Including root filesystem..."
 cp "$ROOTFS_TAR" "$ARCH_DIR/rootfs.tar"
 
+# Ship the canonical systemd unit on the ISO. The rootfs tar is a cached
+# artifact that can predate unit fixes (B17: RequiresMountsFor on the data
+# volume — without it fresh installs boot-loop "[FAILED]" until the LUKS
+# mount lands), so the installer overwrites the rootfs copy with this one.
+mkdir -p "$ARCH_DIR/configs"
+cp "$SCRIPT_DIR/../configs/archipelago.service" "$ARCH_DIR/configs/archipelago.service"
+echo "   Using archipelago.service from configs/ (installer overrides rootfs copy)"
+
 # Capture backend binary from live server
 if [ "$BUILD_FROM_SOURCE" = "1" ]; then
     echo "   Building backend binary from source..."
@@ -2662,11 +2670,16 @@ alias poweroff='sudo systemctl poweroff'
 ALIASES
 fi
 
-# Systemd service: use the production version from rootfs (configs/archipelago.service)
-# Do NOT overwrite — the rootfs already has the correct User=archipelago, no DEV_MODE version
-if [ ! -f /mnt/target/etc/systemd/system/archipelago.service ]; then
-    echo "   WARNING: archipelago.service missing from rootfs — copying from ISO"
-    cp "$BOOT_MEDIA/archipelago/../configs/archipelago.service" /mnt/target/etc/systemd/system/archipelago.service 2>/dev/null || true
+# Systemd service: the canonical unit shipped on the ISO (archipelago/configs/)
+# ALWAYS wins over the rootfs copy — the rootfs tar is a cached build artifact
+# that can predate unit fixes (B17: without RequiresMountsFor=/var/lib/archipelago
+# the service races the LUKS data mount on cold boot and "[FAILED]"-loops for
+# minutes on every fresh install).
+if [ -f "$BOOT_MEDIA/archipelago/configs/archipelago.service" ]; then
+    cp "$BOOT_MEDIA/archipelago/configs/archipelago.service" /mnt/target/etc/systemd/system/archipelago.service
+    echo "   Installed archipelago.service from ISO configs (overrides rootfs copy)"
+elif [ ! -f /mnt/target/etc/systemd/system/archipelago.service ]; then
+    echo "   WARNING: archipelago.service missing from rootfs and ISO configs"
 fi
 
 # Claude API proxy — middleware that injects max_tokens, strips invalid fields
diff --git a/image-recipe/archipelago-scripts/install-to-disk.sh b/image-recipe/archipelago-scripts/install-to-disk.sh
index 25b13901..073f5eb4 100755
--- a/image-recipe/archipelago-scripts/install-to-disk.sh
+++ b/image-recipe/archipelago-scripts/install-to-disk.sh
@@ -325,6 +325,9 @@ PROFILE_EOF
 Description=Archipelago Backend Server
 After=network-online.target
 Wants=network-online.target
+# Never start before the data volume (if one exists) is mounted — without this
+# the service races the mount on cold boot and "[FAILED]"-loops until it lands (B17)
+RequiresMountsFor=/var/lib/archipelago
 
 [Service]
 Type=simple