diff --git a/airootfs/root/.live-pacman.conf b/airootfs/root/.live-pacman.conf
index 6b6b1da..c21f9dc 100644
--- a/airootfs/root/.live-pacman.conf
+++ b/airootfs/root/.live-pacman.conf
@@ -33,6 +33,14 @@ LocalFileSigLevel = Optional
 #   - URLs will have $arch replaced by the name of the architecture
 #
 
+# [cachyos] first, same as the build's pacman.conf: pacstrap installs the
+# target from this file, so with [core] ahead the target got Arch builds of
+# everything cachyos also ships (pacman -2 vs the live -4 -> libalpm
+# "unknown key '%INSTALLED_DB%'" warnings) and flipped them on the first -Syu.
+[cachyos]
+SigLevel = Required DatabaseOptional
+Include = /etc/pacman.d/cachyos-mirrorlist
+
 [core]
 Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist
 
@@ -42,10 +50,6 @@ Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist
 [multilib]
 Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist
 
-[cachyos]
-SigLevel = Required DatabaseOptional
-Include = /etc/pacman.d/cachyos-mirrorlist
-
 [chaotic-aur]
 SigLevel = Required DatabaseOptional
 Include = /etc/pacman.d/chaotic-mirrorlist