feat(archiso): support fully bare Arch installs and fix greetd/DM conflicts

Decouple the base installer's "run dotfiles TUI" choice from cloning the
dotfiles repo into /etc/skel and from the new user's default shell, so
declining both actually yields a bare system: no dotfiles, plain bash,
no DE, no display manager, and a working agetty login on tty1. Also add
an explicit toggle in the TUI for syncing the configured user's ~/.config
back into /etc/skel, previously unconditional.

Separately, core.sh's "svc" component unconditionally staged a greetd
config that launches Hyprland and enabled greetd.service — even when no
DE was selected, and even for DEs (GNOME, KDE Plasma, COSMIC, XFCE,
LXQt, Sway) that install their own display manager. That left greetd
racing the DE's native DM (or agetty, in the no-DE case) for tty1, and
Sway additionally got a greeter pointed at the wrong compositor. Gate
greetd on the DE selection and have every DE module disown getty/greetd
before enabling its own DM, matching the pattern hyprland.sh/niri.sh
already used; add a Sway-specific tuigreet config.

desktopenvs/sway/greetd-tuigreet/config.toml

@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+[terminal]
+# The VT to run the greeter on. Can be "next", "current" or a number
+# designating the VT.
+vt = 1
+
+# The default session, also known as the greeter.
+[default_session]
+
+# `agreety` is the bundled agetty/login-lookalike. You can replace `/bin/sh`
+# with whatever you want started, such as `sway`.
+command = "tuigreet --cmd sway"
+
+# The user to run the command as. The privileges this user must have depends
+# on the greeter. A graphical greeter may for example require the user to be
+# in the `video` group.
+user = "greeter"

setup/arch-autoinstall.sh

@@ -5,7 +5,12 @@
 # all prompts are answered from it. Missing fields fall back to interactive prompts.
 #
 # Answerfile fields: drive, kernel, keymap, hostname, username, encrypt, fido2_root,
-#                    fido2_user, run_tui, password, luks_password
+#                    fido2_user, run_tui, clone_skel_dotfiles, password, luks_password
+# "clone_skel_dotfiles" is independent of "run_tui": it controls only whether the
+# dotfiles repo is cloned into /etc/skel. When omitted it defaults to run_tui's
+# value, preserving the old coupled behaviour. Set both false for a fully bare
+# install: no encryption (encrypt:false), no dotfiles, no DE, no modules, plain
+# bash + agetty login.
 # The user "password" (and "luks_password" for encrypted installs) may be supplied
 # in the answerfile for fully unattended deployment; when omitted they are prompted
 # interactively. Storing secrets in the answerfile is a convenience/secret-handling
@@ -261,6 +266,15 @@ if $AF_MODE; then
     FIDO_ROOT=$(af_bool '.fido2_root')
     FIDO_USER=$(af_bool '.fido2_user')
     RUN_TUI=$(af_bool '.run_tui')
+    # Independent of run_tui: whether to clone the raw dotfiles repo into
+    # /etc/skel for future users. Falls back to RUN_TUI when the answerfile
+    # omits the field, preserving the old coupled behaviour for existing files.
+    CLONE_SKEL_DOTFILES=$(jq -r '.clone_skel_dotfiles // empty' "$ANSWERFILE" 2>/dev/null || true)
+    case "$CLONE_SKEL_DOTFILES" in
+        true)  CLONE_SKEL_DOTFILES="YES" ;;
+        false) CLONE_SKEL_DOTFILES="NO" ;;
+        *)     CLONE_SKEL_DOTFILES="$RUN_TUI" ;;
+    esac
     echo "Kernel:   $KERNEL"
     echo "Hostname: $HOSTNAME"
     echo "Username: $USERNAME"
@@ -294,10 +308,21 @@ fi
 # In interactive mode, decide now whether to run the dotfiles TUI inside chroot.
 # AF_MODE already has RUN_TUI set from the answerfile.
 if ! $AF_MODE; then
-    read -rp "Run dotfiles TUI setup inside chroot now? [YES/no]: " _RUN_TUI_IN
+    # Answering "no" also skips cloning dotfiles into /etc/skel and leaves the new
+    # user's shell as /bin/bash, producing a bare Arch install with no DE, no
+    # modules, and plain agetty login (a display manager only gets installed as a
+    # module inside the TUI, so skipping the TUI means none is ever installed).
+    read -rp "Run dotfiles TUI setup inside chroot now? (NO = bare Arch install: no dotfiles, no DE, plain bash + agetty) [YES/no]: " _RUN_TUI_IN
     # Default to YES if the user presses Enter without typing anything.
     _RUN_TUI_IN="${_RUN_TUI_IN:-YES}"
     [[ "${_RUN_TUI_IN^^}" == "YES" ]] && RUN_TUI="YES" || RUN_TUI="NO"
+
+    # Independent toggle: cloning the raw dotfiles repo into /etc/skel doesn't
+    # require running the TUI, and declining it keeps a fully bare install even
+    # if the TUI does run.
+    read -rp "Clone dotfiles repo into /etc/skel for future users? [YES/no]: " _CLONE_IN
+    _CLONE_IN="${_CLONE_IN:-YES}"
+    [[ "${_CLONE_IN^^}" == "YES" ]] && CLONE_SKEL_DOTFILES="YES" || CLONE_SKEL_DOTFILES="NO"
 fi
 
 ############################################
@@ -505,7 +530,7 @@ fi
 # Variables must be exported so the arch-chroot heredoc inherits them.
 # The heredoc uses single-quote delimiter ('CHROOT_EOF') which prevents expansion
 # outside the chroot, so env vars must be in the environment, not inline.
-export HOSTNAME USERNAME USERPASS ROOT_PART KERNEL FIDO_ROOT FIDO_USER ENCRYPT_DISK KEYMAP
+export HOSTNAME USERNAME USERPASS ROOT_PART KERNEL FIDO_ROOT FIDO_USER ENCRYPT_DISK KEYMAP RUN_TUI CLONE_SKEL_DOTFILES
 
 ############################################
 # CHROOT CONFIGURATION
@@ -541,15 +566,29 @@ systemctl enable sshd
 sed -i 's/^#\?PermitRootLogin.*/PermitRootLogin yes/' /etc/ssh/sshd_config
 echo "root:${USERPASS}" | chpasswd
 
-# Populate /etc/skel before user creation so useradd -m copies everything
+# Populate /etc/skel before user creation so useradd -m copies everything.
-echo "Cloning dotfiles into /etc/skel..."
+# Gated by its own toggle, independent of RUN_TUI: declining it means the new
-git clone https://git.abdelbaki.eu/The_miro/Dotfiles.git /etc/skel/Dotfiles \
+# user gets a bare /etc/skel (system defaults) instead of a clone of the
+# dotfiles repo sitting in their home directory.
+if [[ "${CLONE_SKEL_DOTFILES^^}" == "YES" ]]; then
+    echo "Cloning dotfiles into /etc/skel..."
+    git clone https://git.abdelbaki.eu/The_miro/Dotfiles.git /etc/skel/Dotfiles \
         || echo "Warning: dotfiles clone failed — clone manually after first boot."
-mkdir -p /etc/skel/{Desktop,Documents,Downloads,Music,Pictures,Public,Templates,Videos}
+    mkdir -p /etc/skel/{Desktop,Documents,Downloads,Music,Pictures,Public,Templates,Videos}
+else
+    echo "Skipping dotfiles clone — clone_skel_dotfiles=NO."
+fi
 
 # User
-# -m: create home dir; -G wheel: add to sudoers group; -s /bin/zsh: default shell.
+# -m: create home dir (from /etc/skel above); -G wheel: add to sudoers group.
-useradd -m -G wheel -s /bin/zsh "$USERNAME"
+# Default shell follows the same bare/configured choice as the skel clone: zsh
+# only when the dotfiles TUI will run to set it up, plain bash otherwise.
+if [[ "${RUN_TUI^^}" == "YES" ]]; then
+    NEW_USER_SHELL="/bin/zsh"
+else
+    NEW_USER_SHELL="/bin/bash"
+fi
+useradd -m -G wheel -s "$NEW_USER_SHELL" "$USERNAME"
 # chpasswd reads "user:pass" from stdin to set the password non-interactively.
 echo "$USERNAME:$USERPASS" | chpasswd
 # Grant wheel group full sudo access (ALL:ALL covers any user/group runas context).
@@ -710,6 +749,9 @@ echo "FIDO2 root unlock: $FIDO_ROOT"
 echo "FIDO2 user login:  $FIDO_USER"
 [[ "$ENCRYPT_DISK" == "YES" ]] && echo "LUKS backup key:   /_LUKS_BACKUP_KEY (in new system)"
 echo
+echo "Run TUI:           $RUN_TUI"
+echo "Clone to skel:     $CLONE_SKEL_DOTFILES"
+echo
 echo "Boot size:         $BOOT_SIZE"
 echo "Root size:         ${ROOT_GIB}GiB"
 echo "Swap size:         $SWAP_SIZE"
@@ -726,6 +768,11 @@ echo "Installation complete! Unmount and reboot:"
 echo "  umount -R /mnt && reboot"
 if [[ "${RUN_TUI^^}" != "YES" ]]; then
     echo
+    if [[ "${CLONE_SKEL_DOTFILES^^}" == "YES" ]]; then
         echo "After first boot, login as $USERNAME and run:"
         echo "  ~/Dotfiles/setup/tui-install.sh"
+    else
+        echo "Bare install — no dotfiles were cloned. To set up dotfiles/DE later, run:"
+        echo "  git clone https://git.abdelbaki.eu/The_miro/Dotfiles.git ~/Dotfiles && ~/Dotfiles/setup/tui-install.sh"
+    fi
 fi

setup/archbaseos-guided-install.sh

@@ -202,6 +202,15 @@ if $AF_MODE; then
     ENABLE_FIDO_ROOT=$(af_bool '.fido2_root')
     ENABLE_FIDO_USER=$(af_bool '.fido2_user')
     RUN_TUI=$(af_bool '.run_tui')
+    # Independent of run_tui: whether to clone the raw dotfiles repo into
+    # /etc/skel for future users. Falls back to RUN_TUI when the answerfile
+    # omits the field, preserving the old coupled behaviour for existing files.
+    CLONE_SKEL_DOTFILES=$(jq -r '.clone_skel_dotfiles // empty' "$ANSWERFILE" 2>/dev/null || true)
+    case "$CLONE_SKEL_DOTFILES" in
+        true)  CLONE_SKEL_DOTFILES="YES" ;;
+        false) CLONE_SKEL_DOTFILES="NO" ;;
+        *)     CLONE_SKEL_DOTFILES="$RUN_TUI" ;;
+    esac
     KEYMAP=$(af_get '.keymap' 'us')
     echo "Kernel:   $KERNEL / Hostname: $HOSTNAME / Username: $USERNAME"
     echo "Encrypt:  $ENCRYPT_DISK / FIDO2 root: $ENABLE_FIDO_ROOT / FIDO2 user: $ENABLE_FIDO_USER"
@@ -240,9 +249,20 @@ else
 
     # Whether to run the dotfiles TUI inside the chroot — asked now so the whole
     # back half of the install can proceed without further interaction.
-    read -rp "Run dotfiles TUI setup inside chroot after base install? [YES/no]: " _TUI_IN
+    # Answering "no" also skips cloning dotfiles into /etc/skel and leaves the
+    # new user's shell as /bin/bash, producing a bare Arch install with no DE,
+    # no modules, and plain agetty login (no display manager gets installed
+    # since that only happens as a module inside the TUI).
+    read -rp "Run dotfiles TUI setup inside chroot after base install? (NO = bare Arch install: no dotfiles, no DE, plain bash + agetty) [YES/no]: " _TUI_IN
     _TUI_IN="${_TUI_IN:-YES}"
     [[ "${_TUI_IN^^}" == "YES" ]] && RUN_TUI="YES" || RUN_TUI="NO"
+
+    # Independent toggle: cloning the raw dotfiles repo into /etc/skel doesn't
+    # require running the TUI (e.g. staging it for later manual use), and
+    # declining it keeps a fully bare install even if the TUI does run.
+    read -rp "Clone dotfiles repo into /etc/skel for future users? [YES/no]: " _CLONE_IN
+    _CLONE_IN="${_CLONE_IN:-YES}"
+    [[ "${_CLONE_IN^^}" == "YES" ]] && CLONE_SKEL_DOTFILES="YES" || CLONE_SKEL_DOTFILES="NO"
 fi
 
 # ── Target drive ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -292,6 +312,7 @@ echo "    Encrypt disk:  $ENCRYPT_DISK"
 echo "    FIDO2 root:    $ENABLE_FIDO_ROOT"
 echo "    FIDO2 user:    $ENABLE_FIDO_USER"
 echo "    Run TUI:       $RUN_TUI"
+echo "    Clone to skel: $CLONE_SKEL_DOTFILES"
 echo "    Target drive:  $DRIVE"
 echo "──────────────────────────────────────────────"
 echo "  WARNING: ALL DATA on $DRIVE will be PERMANENTLY ERASED."
@@ -491,14 +512,18 @@ if $AF_MODE; then
 fi
 
 ############################################
-# DOTFILES CLONE TO SKEL (with retry)
+# DOTFILES CLONE TO SKEL (with retry, gated by its own toggle)
 ############################################
+# Independent of RUN_TUI: declining this means the new user gets a bare
+# /etc/skel (system defaults) rather than a clone of the dotfiles repo sitting
+# in their home directory.
 # Clone before entering the chroot so useradd -m inside will copy Dotfiles to
 # the new user's home.  Interactive retry is available so a transient network
 # failure doesn't silently leave the system without dotfiles.
-echo "Cloning dotfiles into /mnt/etc/skel..."
+if [[ "${CLONE_SKEL_DOTFILES^^}" == "YES" ]]; then
-_clone_ok=false
+    echo "Cloning dotfiles into /mnt/etc/skel..."
-while ! $_clone_ok; do
+    _clone_ok=false
+    while ! $_clone_ok; do
         if git clone https://git.abdelbaki.eu/The_miro/Dotfiles.git /mnt/etc/skel/Dotfiles; then
             mkdir -p /mnt/etc/skel/{Desktop,Documents,Downloads,Music,Pictures,Public,Templates,Videos}
             _clone_ok=true
@@ -511,7 +536,10 @@ while ! $_clone_ok; do
                 [[ "${_retry,,}" == "y" ]] || { echo "Skipping dotfiles — clone manually after first boot."; _clone_ok=true; }
             fi
         fi
-done
+    done
+else
+    echo "Skipping dotfiles clone — clone_skel_dotfiles=NO."
+fi
 
 ############################################
 # CHROOT Configuration
@@ -534,6 +562,7 @@ arch-chroot /mnt /usr/bin/env \
   ROOT_UUID="$ROOT_UUID" \
   ROOT_PART="$ROOT_PART" \
   KEYMAP="$KEYMAP" \
+  RUN_TUI="$RUN_TUI" \
   /bin/bash <<'CHROOT_EOF'
 
 set -euo pipefail
@@ -554,8 +583,15 @@ echo "$HOSTNAME" > /etc/hostname
 # Enable NetworkManager at boot so the installed system has networking on first login.
 systemctl enable NetworkManager
 
-# -m: create home from /etc/skel (dotfiles cloned before chroot); -G wheel: allow sudo; -s /bin/zsh: default shell.
+# -m: create home from /etc/skel (dotfiles cloned before chroot, gated by its own toggle above); -G wheel: allow sudo.
-useradd -m -G wheel -s /bin/zsh "$USERNAME"
+# Default shell follows RUN_TUI, not the skel toggle: zsh only when the dotfiles
+# TUI will actually run to set it up, plain bash (Arch's stock shell) otherwise.
+if [[ "${RUN_TUI^^}" == "YES" ]]; then
+    NEW_USER_SHELL="/bin/zsh"
+else
+    NEW_USER_SHELL="/bin/bash"
+fi
+useradd -m -G wheel -s "$NEW_USER_SHELL" "$USERNAME"
 # chpasswd reads "user:pass" from stdin to set the password non-interactively.
 echo "$USERNAME:$USERPASS" | chpasswd
 # Ensure all files under the new home dir are owned by the user (skel copy may be root-owned).
@@ -696,8 +732,13 @@ echo "Installation complete! Log saved to /mnt/boot/$(basename "$LOGFILE")"
 echo "  umount -R /mnt && reboot"
 if [[ "${_DO_TUI^^}" != "YES" ]]; then
     echo
+    if [[ "${CLONE_SKEL_DOTFILES^^}" == "YES" ]]; then
         echo "After first boot, login as ${USERNAME} and run:"
         echo "  ~/Dotfiles/setup/tui-install.sh"
+    else
+        echo "Bare install — no dotfiles were cloned. To set up dotfiles/DE later, run:"
+        echo "  git clone https://git.abdelbaki.eu/The_miro/Dotfiles.git ~/Dotfiles && ~/Dotfiles/setup/tui-install.sh"
+    fi
 fi
 if [[ "$ENCRYPT_DISK" == "YES" ]]; then
     echo

setup/modules/Desktop-Environments/cosmic.sh

@@ -59,6 +59,16 @@ sudo pacman -S --noconfirm --needed \
 
 log "Enabling services..."
 
+# getty@tty1 is the default text-mode login prompt; COSMIC's own greeter (or
+# the SDDM fallback below) replaces it. '|| true' prevents abort if the unit
+# is already disabled or doesn't exist.
+sudo systemctl disable getty@tty1.service || true
+
+# Disable greetd, which core.sh enables by default for every install. This DE
+# uses its own display manager below, so leaving greetd enabled means two
+# display managers both race to claim tty1.
+disable_service greetd.service
+
 # COSMIC ships its own display manager (cosmic-greeter) built with iced.
 # Prefer it over SDDM for a cohesive look-and-feel; fall back to SDDM when
 # the package is not present (e.g. on systems where cosmic-greeter is still

setup/modules/Desktop-Environments/gnome.sh

@@ -61,6 +61,15 @@ sudo pacman -S --noconfirm --needed \
 
 log "Enabling services..."
 
+# getty@tty1 is the default text-mode login prompt; GDM replaces it.
+# '|| true' prevents abort if the unit is already disabled or doesn't exist.
+sudo systemctl disable getty@tty1.service || true
+
+# Disable greetd, which core.sh enables by default for every install. GDM is
+# this DE's own display manager, so leaving greetd enabled means two display
+# managers both race to claim tty1.
+disable_service greetd.service
+
 # GDM (GNOME Display Manager) handles the login screen and session startup.
 # It is bundled with the 'gnome' group and is the canonical choice for GNOME.
 sudo systemctl enable gdm.service

setup/modules/Desktop-Environments/kde-plasma.sh

@@ -28,6 +28,15 @@ sudo pacman -S --noconfirm --needed \
     flatpak
 
 log "Enabling services..."
+# getty@tty1 is the default text-mode login prompt; SDDM replaces it.
+# '|| true' prevents abort if the unit is already disabled or doesn't exist.
+sudo systemctl disable getty@tty1.service || true
+
+# Disable greetd, which core.sh enables by default for every install. SDDM is
+# this DE's own display manager, so leaving greetd enabled means two display
+# managers both race to claim tty1.
+disable_service greetd.service
+
 # sddm provides the graphical login screen; must be enabled before rebooting.
 sudo systemctl enable sddm.service
 sudo systemctl enable NetworkManager.service

setup/modules/Desktop-Environments/lxqt.sh

@@ -17,6 +17,15 @@ sudo pacman -S --noconfirm --needed \
     flatpak
 
 log "Enabling services..."
+# getty@tty1 is the default text-mode login prompt; SDDM replaces it.
+# '|| true' prevents abort if the unit is already disabled or doesn't exist.
+sudo systemctl disable getty@tty1.service || true
+
+# Disable greetd, which core.sh enables by default for every install. SDDM is
+# this DE's own display manager, so leaving greetd enabled means two display
+# managers both race to claim tty1.
+disable_service greetd.service
+
 sudo systemctl enable sddm.service
 sudo systemctl enable NetworkManager.service
 sudo systemctl enable bluetooth.service

setup/modules/Desktop-Environments/sway.sh

@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ log "Installing required packages..."
 sudo pacman -Syu --noconfirm --needed \
     brightnessctl btop dmenu foot glfw grim \
     greetd-tuigreet gst-plugin-pipewire imagemagick iwd libpulse \
-    libva-intel-driver libva-mesa-driver lightdm lightdm-gtk-greeter \
+    libva-intel-driver libva-mesa-driver \
     networkmanager pavucontrol pipewire pipewire-alsa pipewire-jack pipewire-pulse \
     slurp sway swaybg swayidle swaylock alacritty \
     ttf-jetbrains-mono vulkan-intel vulkan-radeon waybar wget \
@@ -22,9 +22,16 @@ sudo pacman -Syu --noconfirm --needed \
 log "Enabling services..."
 sudo systemctl enable NetworkManager.service
 
+# getty@tty1 is the default text-mode login prompt; greetd replaces it.
+# '|| true' prevents abort if the unit is already disabled or doesn't exist.
+sudo systemctl disable getty@tty1.service || true
+
 # 3. greetd config
+# Use the sway-specific tuigreet config (`--cmd sway`), not the Hyprland one —
+# core.sh's default greeter launches Hyprland, which was never installed here.
 log "Deploying greetd config..."
-sudo cp -f ~/Dotfiles/desktopenvs/hyprland/greetd-tuigreet/config.toml /etc/greetd/config.toml
+sudo mkdir -p /etc/greetd
+sudo cp -f ~/Dotfiles/desktopenvs/sway/greetd-tuigreet/config.toml /etc/greetd/config.toml
 sudo systemctl enable greetd.service
 
 # 4. Copy DE configs

setup/modules/Desktop-Environments/xfce.sh

@@ -15,6 +15,15 @@ sudo pacman -S --noconfirm --needed \
     flatpak
 
 log "Enabling services..."
+# getty@tty1 is the default text-mode login prompt; LightDM replaces it.
+# '|| true' prevents abort if the unit is already disabled or doesn't exist.
+sudo systemctl disable getty@tty1.service || true
+
+# Disable greetd, which core.sh enables by default for every install. LightDM
+# is this DE's own display manager, so leaving greetd enabled means two
+# display managers both race to claim tty1.
+disable_service greetd.service
+
 sudo systemctl enable lightdm.service
 sudo systemctl enable NetworkManager.service
 sudo systemctl enable bluetooth.service

setup/modules/core.sh

@@ -48,15 +48,25 @@ enable_service cronie.service
 #      then enable the service. The config.toml specifies which greeter to run
 #      and optionally auto-login settings.
 #      -f flag forces overwrite of any existing config.
-log "Deploying greetd config..."
+#
-# greetd may not be installed yet at this point (the DE module pulls in
+# MARCHY_DE is exported by tui-install.sh once the DE menu is answered. When no
-# greetd-tuigreet later), so /etc/greetd does not exist and the cp would fail —
+# DE was selected ("none"), staging a greeter that launches Hyprland — which
-# aborting the module under `set -e` before fail2ban/udisks2 get enabled. Create
+# was never installed — leaves a broken login screen racing tty1's own agetty
-# the directory first so the config is staged regardless; greetd reads it once
+# instead of a working plain-console login. Every DE module that actually wants
-# installed. enable_service is already non-fatal if the unit is absent.
+# this greeter also re-enables it itself, so it's safe to skip here entirely.
-sudo mkdir -p /etc/greetd
+if [[ "${MARCHY_DE:-none}" != "none" ]]; then
-sudo cp -f ~/Dotfiles/desktopenvs/hyprland/greetd-tuigreet/config.toml /etc/greetd/config.toml
+    log "Deploying greetd config..."
-enable_service greetd.service
+    # greetd may not be installed yet at this point (the DE module pulls in
+    # greetd-tuigreet later), so /etc/greetd does not exist and the cp would fail —
+    # aborting the module under `set -e` before fail2ban/udisks2 get enabled. Create
+    # the directory first so the config is staged regardless; greetd reads it once
+    # installed. enable_service is already non-fatal if the unit is absent.
+    sudo mkdir -p /etc/greetd
+    sudo cp -f ~/Dotfiles/desktopenvs/hyprland/greetd-tuigreet/config.toml /etc/greetd/config.toml
+    enable_service greetd.service
+else
+    skip "No desktop environment selected — leaving greetd disabled (plain agetty login)."
+fi
 
 # ── fail2ban ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 # WHY: Protects against brute-force attacks by monitoring log files and

setup/tools/generate-answerfile.sh

@@ -191,8 +191,16 @@ dialog --backtitle "$BACKTITLE" \
 # ── Run TUI installer after base install ──────────────────────────────────────
 dialog --backtitle "$BACKTITLE" \
     --title " Dotfiles Setup " \
-    --yesno "\n  Automatically run the dotfiles TUI installer\n  inside the chroot after base install completes?\n" \
+    --yesno "\n  Automatically run the dotfiles TUI installer\n  inside the chroot after base install completes?\n\n  No = no DE, no modules, no shell setup — installed\n  user's default shell is plain bash + agetty login.\n" \
-    9 58 && AF_RUN_TUI="true" || AF_RUN_TUI="false"
+    12 60 && AF_RUN_TUI="true" || AF_RUN_TUI="false"
+
+# ── Clone dotfiles repo into /etc/skel ──────────────────────────────────────────
+# Independent of run_tui: staging the raw repo doesn't require running the TUI,
+# and declining it keeps a fully bare install even if the TUI does run.
+dialog --backtitle "$BACKTITLE" \
+    --title " Skel Dotfiles Clone " \
+    --yesno "\n  Clone the dotfiles repo into /etc/skel so every\n  user created on this machine gets a ~/Dotfiles\n  checkout automatically?\n\n  No = fully bare install, nothing dotfiles-related\n  staged anywhere on disk.\n" \
+    12 60 && AF_CLONE_SKEL_DOTFILES="true" || AF_CLONE_SKEL_DOTFILES="false"
 
 # ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
 # PART 2 — Dotfiles / TUI installer options
@@ -201,6 +209,7 @@ dialog --backtitle "$BACKTITLE" \
 AF_COMPONENTS=""
 AF_DE="none"
 AF_APPS=""
+AF_SYNC_SKEL_CONFIG="true"
 AF_COLOR_TEXT=""
 AF_COLOR_BG=""
 AF_COLOR_HIGHLIGHT=""
@@ -326,6 +335,12 @@ if [[ "$AF_RUN_TUI" == "true" ]]; then
         3>&1 1>&2 2>&3) || AF_APPS=""
 # END GENERATED MODULES: module-checklist
 
+    # ── Skel template sync ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+    dialog --backtitle "$BACKTITLE" \
+        --title " Skel Template " \
+        --yesno "\n  Copy this user's configured ~/.config (and shell\n  rc's, if selected) into /etc/skel once setup\n  finishes, so users created later on this machine\n  inherit the same setup automatically?\n" \
+        11 62 && AF_SYNC_SKEL_CONFIG="true" || AF_SYNC_SKEL_CONFIG="false"
+
     # ── Colorway ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
     # Read defaults from repo colors.conf
     declare -A _cdef
@@ -386,7 +401,9 @@ SUMMARY=""
 SUMMARY+="  Encrypt:    $AF_ENCRYPT\n"
 SUMMARY+="  FIDO2 root: $AF_FIDO2_ROOT  /  FIDO2 user: $AF_FIDO2_USER\n"
 SUMMARY+="  Run TUI:    $AF_RUN_TUI\n"
+SUMMARY+="  Clone skel: $AF_CLONE_SKEL_DOTFILES\n"
 [[ -n "$AF_DE" && "$AF_DE" != "none" ]] && SUMMARY+="  DE:         $AF_DE\n"
+[[ "$AF_RUN_TUI" == "true" ]] && SUMMARY+="  Sync skel:  $AF_SYNC_SKEL_CONFIG\n"
 [[ -n "$AF_COLOR_TEXT" ]] && SUMMARY+="  Colors:     custom\n"
 
 dialog --backtitle "$BACKTITLE" \
@@ -426,9 +443,11 @@ mkdir -p "$(dirname "$OUTPUT")"
     printf '  "fido2_root": %s,\n'   "$AF_FIDO2_ROOT"
     printf '  "fido2_user": %s,\n'   "$AF_FIDO2_USER"
     printf '  "run_tui": %s,\n'      "$AF_RUN_TUI"
+    printf '  "clone_skel_dotfiles": %s,\n' "$AF_CLONE_SKEL_DOTFILES"
     printf '  "components": %s,\n'   "$(_words_to_json_array "$AF_COMPONENTS")"
     printf '  "desktop_environment": %s,\n' "$(json_str "$AF_DE")"
-    printf '  "apps": %s'             "$(_words_to_json_array "$AF_APPS")"
+    printf '  "apps": %s,\n'          "$(_words_to_json_array "$AF_APPS")"
+    printf '  "sync_skel_config": %s' "$AF_SYNC_SKEL_CONFIG"
 
     if [[ -n "$AF_COLOR_TEXT" ]]; then
         printf ',\n  "colors": {\n'

setup/tui-install.sh

@@ -426,6 +426,7 @@ count_steps() {
 AF_COMPONENTS=""
 AF_DE="none"
 AF_APPS=""
+AF_SYNC_SKEL_CONFIG="true"
 AF_COLOR_TEXT=""
 AF_COLOR_BG=""
 AF_COLOR_HIGHLIGHT=""
@@ -442,6 +443,9 @@ load_answerfile() {
     AF_COMPONENTS=$(jq -r '(.components // []) | join(" ")' "$ANSWERFILE")
     AF_DE=$(jq -r '.desktop_environment // "none"' "$ANSWERFILE")
     AF_APPS=$(jq -r '(.apps // []) | join(" ")' "$ANSWERFILE")
+    # Default true: preserves the historical behaviour (always synced) for
+    # answerfiles written before this toggle existed.
+    AF_SYNC_SKEL_CONFIG=$(jq -r '.sync_skel_config // true' "$ANSWERFILE")
     # Color values are optional; an empty string means "keep the repo default".
     AF_COLOR_TEXT=$(jq -r '.colors.COLOR_TEXT // ""' "$ANSWERFILE")
     AF_COLOR_BG=$(jq -r '.colors.COLOR_BG // ""' "$ANSWERFILE")
@@ -551,6 +555,10 @@ else
         "lxqt"       "LXQt       — lightweight Qt X11 DE" \
         "none"       "Skip DE installation") || DE="none"
 fi
+# Exported so modules launched via `bash "$script"` in run_module() (namely
+# core.sh, which stages a default greeter) can see the DE choice — a plain
+# subshell does not inherit unexported shell variables.
+export MARCHY_DE="$DE"
 
 # ── Apps selection ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 if $ANSWERFILE_MODE; then
@@ -655,6 +663,23 @@ else
     SHELL_RC="defaults"
 fi
 
+# ── Skel template preference ──────────────────────────────────────────────────
+# Whether to copy this user's fully-configured ~/.config (and shell rc's, if
+# SHELL_RC is "dotfiles") into /etc/skel once setup finishes, so any user
+# created later on this machine inherits the same setup automatically. Asked
+# separately from the dotfiles-clone/component choices above since it's a
+# post-install propagation step, not a package/config decision for THIS user.
+if $ANSWERFILE_MODE; then
+    SYNC_SKEL_CONFIG="$AF_SYNC_SKEL_CONFIG"
+else
+    ui_yesno " Skel Template " "\
+  Copy this user's configured ~/.config (and shell rc's,\n\
+  if selected above) into /etc/skel once setup finishes?\n\n\
+  Any user created later on this machine will then inherit\n\
+  the same setup automatically." yes \
+        && SYNC_SKEL_CONFIG="true" || SYNC_SKEL_CONFIG="false"
+fi
+
 # ── Confirmation (interactive mode only) ──────────────────────────────────────
 if ! $ANSWERFILE_MODE; then
     # Build a human-readable summary of everything that will be installed so the
@@ -666,8 +691,12 @@ if ! $ANSWERFILE_MODE; then
     [[ " $COMPONENTS " == *" shell "*    ]] && SUMMARY+="  ✦ Shell setup (plugins & programs)\n"
     [[ "$SHELL_RC" == "dotfiles" ]] && SUMMARY+="  ✦ Personal shell rc's (.bashrc/.zshrc/.vimrc)\n"
     [[ "$DE" != "none" && "$DE" != "" ]] && SUMMARY+="  ✦ Desktop environment: $DE\n"
-    [[ "$SHELL_RC" == "dotfiles" ]] && SUMMARY+="  ✦ Shell rc's → /etc/skel for new users (dotfiles)\n" \
+    if [[ "$SYNC_SKEL_CONFIG" == "true" ]]; then
-        || SUMMARY+="  ✦ Shell rc's → /etc/skel for new users (system defaults)\n"
+        [[ "$SHELL_RC" == "dotfiles" ]] && SUMMARY+="  ✦ ~/.config + shell rc's → /etc/skel for new users (dotfiles)\n" \
+            || SUMMARY+="  ✦ ~/.config → /etc/skel for new users (shell rc's stay system defaults)\n"
+    else
+        SUMMARY+="  ✦ /etc/skel left untouched — new users get system defaults\n"
+    fi
 
     if [[ -n "$SELECTED_APPS" ]]; then
         SUMMARY+="\n  Applications:\n"
@@ -1035,23 +1064,27 @@ else
     fi
 fi
 
-# ── Sync user config to /etc/skel ─────────────────────────────────────────────
+# ── Sync user config to /etc/skel (gated by SYNC_SKEL_CONFIG) ─────────────────
 # /etc/skel is the skeleton directory Linux copies to new user home dirs on creation.
 # Propagating the post-install config here means any new user added to this machine
 # automatically gets the full dotfiles environment without a manual copy step.
-if [[ -d "$HOME/.config" ]]; then
+if [[ "$SYNC_SKEL_CONFIG" == "true" ]]; then
+    if [[ -d "$HOME/.config" ]]; then
         printf "\n  Syncing ~/.config to /etc/skel...\n"
         sudo mkdir -p /etc/skel/.config
         # '.' suffix on the source copies directory contents rather than the directory
         # itself, making the merge non-destructive if /etc/skel/.config already exists.
         sudo cp -r "$HOME/.config/." /etc/skel/.config/
-fi
+    fi
-[[ -d "$HOME/.themes" ]] && { sudo mkdir -p /etc/skel/.themes; sudo cp -r "$HOME/.themes/." /etc/skel/.themes/; }
+    [[ -d "$HOME/.themes" ]] && { sudo mkdir -p /etc/skel/.themes; sudo cp -r "$HOME/.themes/." /etc/skel/.themes/; }
-# Copy shell rc files to skel only if the user opted in to the dotfiles configs.
+    # Copy shell rc files to skel only if the user opted in to the dotfiles configs.
-if [[ "$SHELL_RC" == "dotfiles" ]]; then
+    if [[ "$SHELL_RC" == "dotfiles" ]]; then
         [[ -f "$HOME/.zshrc"  ]] && sudo cp "$HOME/.zshrc"  /etc/skel/.zshrc
         [[ -f "$HOME/.bashrc" ]] && sudo cp "$HOME/.bashrc" /etc/skel/.bashrc
         [[ -f "$HOME/.vimrc"  ]] && sudo cp "$HOME/.vimrc"  /etc/skel/.vimrc
+    fi
+else
+    printf "\n  Skipping /etc/skel config sync (declined).\n"
 fi
 
 # ── Done ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────