diff --git a/image-recipe/_archived/build-auto-installer-iso.sh b/image-recipe/_archived/build-auto-installer-iso.sh
index d3078656..a85e8880 100755
--- a/image-recipe/_archived/build-auto-installer-iso.sh
+++ b/image-recipe/_archived/build-auto-installer-iso.sh
@@ -1349,21 +1349,29 @@ if [ "$UNBUNDLED" = "1" ]; then
     # Clean stale images from previous builds (e.g. bundled build tars leaking into unbundled)
     rm -rf "$IMAGES_DIR"
     mkdir -p "$IMAGES_DIR"
-    # FileBrowser is a core dependency (powers the Cloud file manager) — always bundle it
-    CORE_IMAGE="${FILEBROWSER_IMAGE}"
-    CORE_FILE="filebrowser.tar"
-    if [ -f "$IMAGES_DIR/$CORE_FILE" ]; then
-        echo "   ✅ Using cached: $CORE_FILE"
-    else
-        echo "   Pulling $CORE_IMAGE ($CONTAINER_PLATFORM)..."
-        if container_pull "$CORE_IMAGE"; then
-            $CONTAINER_CMD save "$CORE_IMAGE" -o "$IMAGES_DIR/$CORE_FILE" 2>/dev/null && \
-                echo "   ✅ Saved core: $CORE_FILE ($(du -h "$IMAGES_DIR/$CORE_FILE" | cut -f1))" || \
-                echo "   ⚠️  Failed to save $CORE_IMAGE"
+    # Core baseline apps created by first-boot-containers.sh even in
+    # unbundled mode — their images must ride on the ISO so a fresh install
+    # works with no internet: FileBrowser (Cloud file manager) and fmcd
+    # (fedimint-clientd, ecash/sats out of the box).
+    CORE_BUNDLE="
+${FILEBROWSER_IMAGE} filebrowser.tar
+${FMCD_IMAGE} fmcd.tar
+"
+    echo "$CORE_BUNDLE" | while read -r CORE_IMAGE CORE_FILE; do
+        [ -n "$CORE_IMAGE" ] || continue
+        if [ -f "$IMAGES_DIR/$CORE_FILE" ]; then
+            echo "   ✅ Using cached: $CORE_FILE"
         else
-            echo "   ⚠️  Failed to pull $CORE_IMAGE — Cloud will not work until installed"
+            echo "   Pulling $CORE_IMAGE ($CONTAINER_PLATFORM)..."
+            if container_pull "$CORE_IMAGE"; then
+                $CONTAINER_CMD save "$CORE_IMAGE" -o "$IMAGES_DIR/$CORE_FILE" 2>/dev/null && \
+                    echo "   ✅ Saved core: $CORE_FILE ($(du -h "$IMAGES_DIR/$CORE_FILE" | cut -f1))" || \
+                    echo "   ⚠️  Failed to save $CORE_IMAGE"
+            else
+                echo "   ⚠️  Failed to pull $CORE_IMAGE — baseline app won't work offline"
+            fi
         fi
-    fi
+    done
 else
 echo "📦 Step 3b: Bundling container images for offline use..."
 
@@ -1472,6 +1480,13 @@ LOADSERVICE
 cat > "$WORK_DIR/load-container-images.sh" <<'LOADSCRIPT'
 #!/bin/bash
 # Load pre-bundled container images into Podman
+#
+# CRITICAL: all Archipelago containers run ROOTLESS as the archipelago user.
+# This script runs as root (systemd oneshot), so a plain `podman load` here
+# puts the images into root's storage where the rootless runtime can never
+# see them — containers then silently depend on registry pulls, and a fresh
+# install without internet gets no apps at all. Always load into the
+# archipelago user's storage.
 
 IMAGES_DIR="/opt/archipelago/container-images"
 LOG_FILE="/var/log/archipelago-images.log"
@@ -1483,21 +1498,32 @@ if [ ! -d "$IMAGES_DIR" ]; then
     exit 0
 fi
 
+ARCH_UID=$(id -u archipelago)
+# Linger gives the archipelago user a runtime dir (/run/user/UID) at boot,
+# before any login — required for rootless podman.
+loginctl enable-linger archipelago 2>/dev/null || true
+for _ in $(seq 1 30); do
+    [ -d "/run/user/$ARCH_UID" ] && break
+    sleep 1
+done
+PODMAN="runuser -u archipelago -- env XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=/run/user/$ARCH_UID podman"
+$PODMAN system migrate >> "$LOG_FILE" 2>&1 || true
+
 for tarfile in "$IMAGES_DIR"/*.tar; do
     if [ -f "$tarfile" ]; then
         echo "$(date): Loading $(basename "$tarfile")..." >> "$LOG_FILE"
-        podman load -i "$tarfile" >> "$LOG_FILE" 2>&1 && \
+        $PODMAN load -i "$tarfile" >> "$LOG_FILE" 2>&1 && \
             echo "$(date): Successfully loaded $(basename "$tarfile")" >> "$LOG_FILE" || \
             echo "$(date): Failed to load $(basename "$tarfile")" >> "$LOG_FILE"
     fi
 done
 
 # Ensure archy-net exists for mempool stack (db, api, frontend)
-podman network create archy-net 2>/dev/null || true
+$PODMAN network create archy-net 2>/dev/null || true
 
 echo "$(date): Container image load complete" >> "$LOG_FILE"
 echo "$(date): Available images:" >> "$LOG_FILE"
-podman images >> "$LOG_FILE" 2>&1
+$PODMAN images >> "$LOG_FILE" 2>&1
 LOADSCRIPT
 
 chmod +x "$WORK_DIR/load-container-images.sh"
diff --git a/neode-ui/src/views/discover/curatedApps.ts b/neode-ui/src/views/discover/curatedApps.ts
index ce038e53..3e0c6a5e 100644
--- a/neode-ui/src/views/discover/curatedApps.ts
+++ b/neode-ui/src/views/discover/curatedApps.ts
@@ -105,6 +105,7 @@ export function getCuratedAppList(): MarketplaceApp[] {
     { id: 'netbird', title: 'NetBird', version: '0.71.2', description: 'Self-hosted WireGuard mesh VPN control plane with dashboard, embedded identity provider, management API, signal, relay, and STUN.', icon: '/assets/img/app-icons/netbird.svg', author: 'NetBird', dockerImage: 'docker.io/netbirdio/dashboard:v2.38.0', repoUrl: 'https://github.com/netbirdio/netbird' },
     { id: 'electrumx', title: 'ElectrumX', version: '1.18.0', description: 'Electrum protocol server. Index the blockchain for fast wallet lookups, privately.', icon: '/assets/img/app-icons/electrumx.png', author: 'Luke Childs', dockerImage: `${R}/electrumx:v1.18.0`, repoUrl: 'https://github.com/spesmilo/electrumx' },
     { id: 'fedimint', title: 'Fedimint Guardian', version: '0.10.0', description: 'Federated Bitcoin mint. Private, scalable Bitcoin through federated guardians.', icon: '/assets/img/app-icons/fedimint.png', author: 'Fedimint', dockerImage: `${R}/fedimintd:v0.10.0`, repoUrl: 'https://github.com/fedimint/fedimint' },
+    { id: 'fedimint-clientd', title: 'Fedimint Client', version: '0.8.0', description: 'Fedimint ecash client daemon (fmcd). Lets the node hold Fedimint ecash and join federations; the wallet talks to it over a local REST API.', icon: '/assets/img/app-icons/fedimint.png', author: 'Fedimint', dockerImage: `${R}/fmcd:0.8.1`, repoUrl: 'https://github.com/minmoto/fmcd' },
     { id: 'indeedhub', title: 'Indeehub', version: '1.0.0', description: 'Bitcoin documentary streaming with Nostr identity. Stream sovereignty content.', icon: '/assets/img/app-icons/indeedhub.png', author: 'Indeehub Team', dockerImage: `${R}/indeedhub:1.0.0`, repoUrl: 'https://github.com/indeedhub/indeedhub' },
     { id: 'nostrudel', title: 'noStrudel', version: '0.40.0', category: 'nostr', description: 'Feature-rich Nostr web client. Browse feeds, post notes, manage relays with NIP-07.', icon: '/assets/img/app-icons/nostrudel.svg', author: 'hzrd149', dockerImage: '', repoUrl: 'https://github.com/hzrd149/nostrudel', webUrl: 'https://nostrudel.ninja' },
     { id: 'botfights', title: 'BotFights', version: '1.0.0', category: 'community', description: 'Bot arena + 2-player arcade fighter with controller support. AI bots battle in trivia, humans duke it out with controllers.', icon: '/assets/img/app-icons/botfights.svg', author: 'BotFights', dockerImage: `${R}/botfights:1.1.0`, repoUrl: 'https://botfights.net' },
@@ -122,6 +123,7 @@ export const INSTALLED_ALIASES: Record<string, string[]> = {
   immich: ['immich-server', 'immich-app', 'immich_server'],
   nextcloud: ['nextcloud-aio', 'nextcloud-server'],
   fedimint: ['fedimint-gateway'],
+  'fedimint-clientd': ['fedimint-clientd'],
   electrumx: ['electrumx'],
   grafana: ['grafana'],
   jellyfin: ['jellyfin'],
diff --git a/scripts/first-boot-containers.sh b/scripts/first-boot-containers.sh
index 3d51c005..9ea047e9 100755
--- a/scripts/first-boot-containers.sh
+++ b/scripts/first-boot-containers.sh
@@ -112,6 +112,13 @@ if [ -f "$UNBUNDLED_MARKER" ]; then
     # Helper: pull image with fallback registry
     pull_with_fallback() {
         local img="$1"
+        # Pre-bundled ISO images are already loaded into the rootless
+        # storage by archipelago-load-images.service — use them and skip
+        # the network entirely (fresh installs must work offline).
+        if $DOCKER image exists "$img" 2>/dev/null; then
+            log "  Image already present locally: $img"
+            return 0
+        fi
         log "  Pulling $img..."
         if $DOCKER pull "$img" 2>>"$LOG"; then
             return 0
diff --git a/scripts/image-versions.sh b/scripts/image-versions.sh
index d8f25951..3b6640cf 100644
--- a/scripts/image-versions.sh
+++ b/scripts/image-versions.sh
@@ -59,9 +59,10 @@ ADGUARDHOME_IMAGE="$ARCHY_REGISTRY/adguardhome:v0.107.55"
 FEDIMINT_IMAGE="$ARCHY_REGISTRY/fedimintd:v0.10.0"
 FEDIMINT_GATEWAY_IMAGE="$ARCHY_REGISTRY/gatewayd:v0.10.0"
 # fmcd = Fedimint client daemon (iroh-capable, fedimint-client 0.8.2). Built
-# from minmoto/fmcd. NOT yet added to the bundled CONTAINER_IMAGES list / first-
-# boot auto-create: bundling fleet-wide needs a fleet-reachable default
-# federation first (the interim default is node-local). See docs/dual-ecash-design.md.
+# from minmoto/fmcd. Bundled on the ISO in BOTH modes (full CONTAINER_IMAGES
+# list and the unbundled core bundle) and auto-created by first-boot as a
+# baseline app so ecash works offline out of the box.
+# See docs/dual-ecash-design.md.
 FMCD_IMAGE="$ARCHY_REGISTRY/fmcd:0.8.1"
 
 # Ark (bark)