diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index 6d9b12e..d84f5ea 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ The airootfs overlay ships it as `/usr/local/bin/alvin-install` (mode `0755` for
   locale, login manager, sshd, summary) then a fixed order of `install_*` steps
   (partition → LUKS → format/mount → pacstrap → fstab → repos → timezone → locale →
   hostname → network → sshd → user → git/SSH → end-4 dots → mkinitcpio → bootloader →
-  TPM/unl0kr → login manager (none if unl0kr succeeded; with unl0kr selected the login screen only asks for a fallback) → autologin → update (reflector + keyrings + `pacman -Syu`, warn-only) → cleanup). Screens and install steps are
+  TPM/unl0kr → login manager (none if unl0kr succeeded; with unl0kr selected the login screen only asks for a fallback) → autologin → update (reflector + keyrings + `pacman -Syu`, warn-only) → cleanup, which offers an optional `arch-chroot` shell into the target before unmounting; the `EXIT` trap offers the same shell when a step after pacstrap fails or the install is interrupted (INT/TERM re-exit with 128+N so signals count as failure). Screens and install steps are
   independent — edit one without
   touching the other. An `EXIT` trap unmounts `$TARGET` and closes `cryptroot` on any exit.
 - **Package list**: `install_pacstrap` builds the *installed* system's list from the medium's
diff --git a/airootfs/usr/local/bin/alvin-install b/airootfs/usr/local/bin/alvin-install
index 9988d1e..89c2a4a 100755
--- a/airootfs/usr/local/bin/alvin-install
+++ b/airootfs/usr/local/bin/alvin-install
@@ -43,20 +43,74 @@ SSHD_APPLIED="false"
 TPM_DISCLAIMER=""
 TARGET_DB_SYNCED="false"
 UPDATE_STATUS="not run"
+# Flipped once pacstrap succeeds: from then on a failed step still leaves a
+# chroot-able system, so the EXIT trap offers a repair shell into it.
+TARGET_INSTALLED="false"
+# Teardown state: a signal arriving while cleanup() runs must not skip the
+# unmount - the first one only aborts what is on screen, a second forces exit.
+CLEANUP_RUNNING="false"
+SIGNALS_SEEN="0"
 
 log() { echo "[$(date '+%H:%M:%S')] $*" >>"$LOG"; }
 
-cleanup() {
-  set +e
+# Temporary NOPASSWD drop-ins some install steps create; never leave them
+# behind (EXIT) or expose them to the user's post-install chroot shell.
+remove_temp_sudoers() {
   rm -f "${TARGET}/etc/sudoers.d/99-end4-install" \
     "${TARGET}/etc/sudoers.d/99-ssh-import-id" \
-    "${TARGET}/etc/sudoers.d/99-unl0kr-install" 2>/dev/null
-  umount -R "$TARGET" 2>/dev/null
-  cryptsetup close cryptroot 2>/dev/null
+    "${TARGET}/etc/sudoers.d/99-unl0kr-install" 2>/dev/null || true
+}
+
+cleanup() {
+  local rc=$?
+  CLEANUP_RUNNING="true"
+  set +e
+  trap - ERR
+  # A later step failed but the base system is on disk: let the user fix
+  # it from inside before everything is unmounted.
+  if ((rc != 0)) && [[ "$TARGET_INSTALLED" == "true" && -t 0 ]]; then
+    echo ""
+    warn "Installation failed after the base system was installed."
+    offer_chroot "The installed system is still mounted. Chroot into it to fix things?"
+  fi
+  remove_temp_sudoers
+  # A repair shell can leave mounts behind, and the LUKS mapping may still
+  # be open - report a failure instead of hiding it, so the user knows the
+  # target was not cleanly torn down before rebooting.
+  if mountpoint -q "$TARGET" 2>/dev/null; then
+    if ! umount -R "$TARGET"; then
+      log "Cleanup: umount -R $TARGET failed"
+      warn "Some mounts under ${TARGET} are busy - unmounting failed (released at reboot)."
+    fi
+  fi
+  if [[ -e /dev/mapper/cryptroot ]] && ! cryptsetup close cryptroot 2>/dev/null; then
+    log "Cleanup: cryptsetup close cryptroot failed"
+    warn "cryptroot is still open - it is released at reboot."
+  fi
   true
 }
 trap cleanup EXIT
 
+# Signal handler. Without one, bash runs the EXIT trap with $? = 0 when the
+# shell itself is killed (SIGINT between commands, SIGTERM from a shutdown),
+# and cleanup()'s rc != 0 test would read that as success and skip the repair
+# shell. Re-exit with the conventional 128+N status so an interrupted install
+# takes the same path as a failed step. Note: a SIGINT delivered while a
+# foreground command is running is consumed together with that command (bash
+# then suppresses both errexit and this handler) - that case is unchanged.
+on_signal() {
+  local status="$1"
+  if [[ "$CLEANUP_RUNNING" == "true" && "$SIGNALS_SEEN" == "0" ]]; then
+    SIGNALS_SEEN="1"
+    return 0
+  fi
+  echo "" >&2
+  echo "Interrupted." >&2
+  exit "$status"
+}
+trap 'on_signal 130' INT
+trap 'on_signal 143' TERM
+
 # ── error surfacing ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 # Step output normally ends up in $LOG only. These helpers make sure a failure
 # is ALSO shown on screen, paged through `gum pager` so long outputs stay
@@ -811,6 +865,7 @@ install_pacstrap() {
       >>"$LOG" 2>&1 || warn "cert-sync failed - mono apps may reject TLS certificates."
   fi
 
+  TARGET_INSTALLED="true"
   ok "Packages installed."
 }
 
@@ -2337,11 +2392,33 @@ install_cleanup() {
     gum pager <"$LOG" || true
   fi
   echo ""
+  offer_chroot
   # Last line on screen after the optional log view - the instruction to
   # reboot must be the final thing the user reads.
   echo "Run 'reboot' to boot into your new system."
 }
 
+# Optional shell inside the installed system. $TARGET (and cryptroot) are
+# still mounted here - cleanup() only tears them down afterwards.
+# Also called from the EXIT trap when a step after pacstrap failed ($1 then
+# carries the failure prompt).
+offer_chroot() {
+  gum confirm --affirmative "Open chroot" --negative "No thanks" \
+    "${1:-Chroot into the installed system to make changes before rebooting?}" ||
+    return 0
+  remove_temp_sudoers
+  # Copy first so the log is readable from inside (/var/log/alvin-install.log).
+  cp "$LOG" "${TARGET}/var/log/alvin-install.log" 2>/dev/null || true
+  info "Entering ${TARGET} - type 'exit' to leave and finish."
+  log "Chroot: interactive shell opened"
+  # The user's last command may fail; that must not trip errexit/ERR.
+  arch-chroot "$TARGET" /bin/bash || true
+  log "Chroot: shell closed"
+  # Keep the copy in the target current with the lines logged above.
+  cp "$LOG" "${TARGET}/var/log/alvin-install.log" 2>/dev/null || true
+  echo ""
+}
+
 # ── Main ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 main() {