diff --git a/docs/stack-reference.md b/docs/stack-reference.md
index b784a6ba..9f121071 100644
--- a/docs/stack-reference.md
+++ b/docs/stack-reference.md
@@ -742,6 +742,12 @@ The context object (`ctx`) provides:
 | `ctx["http_post"]` | `callable` | `http_post(url, body, content_type=..., headers=...)` → parsed JSON. Form-encoded by default. |
 | `ctx["http_get"]` | `callable` | `http_get(url, headers=...)` → parsed JSON. Pass auth explicitly: `headers={"Authorization": "Bearer ..."}`. |
 
+A Python hook or CLI plugin may put its stacklet's directory on `sys.path`
+and import helpers from it by bare name (`from oauth import sync`). The
+framework forgets those modules and restores `sys.path` when the hook or
+command returns, so two stacklets can each have a helper of the same name
+even when one process runs both, as `stack restart all` does.
+
 A hook that raises stops the command and is reported as a failure. A
 hook that asked the admin and got a no raises `stack.hooks.Cancelled`
 instead: `stack up` stops with `{"cancelled": <message>}`, prints the
diff --git a/lib/stack/cli.py b/lib/stack/cli.py
index 7fc1082c..d6f36767 100644
--- a/lib/stack/cli.py
+++ b/lib/stack/cli.py
@@ -245,12 +245,15 @@ def up(self, stacklet_id: str) -> dict:
                 "STACK_DOMAIN": self.stack._cfg("core", "domain"),
             }
 
+            # On every up, not only the first: a release that moves a
+            # service to a new image tag leaves that image missing here,
+            # and `compose up` would download it with its output captured,
+            # a silent wait of minutes behind the start spinner.
+            with self.stack.output.spinner("Pulling images"):
+                docker.compose_pull(compose_file, env=compose_env)
             if manifest.get("build"):
                 with self.stack.output.spinner("Building service"):
                     docker.compose_build(compose_file, env=compose_env)
-            elif first_run:
-                with self.stack.output.spinner("Pulling images"):
-                    docker.compose_pull(compose_file, env=compose_env)
 
             with self.stack.output.spinner("Starting containers"):
                 code, err = docker.compose_up(compose_file, env=compose_env)
diff --git a/lib/stack/docker.py b/lib/stack/docker.py
index f1d34045..ff7199b6 100644
--- a/lib/stack/docker.py
+++ b/lib/stack/docker.py
@@ -92,10 +92,17 @@ def compose_down(compose_file: str | Path) -> tuple[int, str]:
 
 
 def compose_pull(compose_file: str | Path, env: dict | None = None) -> None:
-    """Pull images for a compose file. Streams output."""
+    """Pull the images a compose file names that are not here yet. Streams output.
+
+    Only missing images: when every image is present this asks no
+    registry, so it costs nothing on a restart and works offline. Newer
+    versions of present images are Watchtower's job. Services built from
+    a Dockerfile are left to `compose_build`.
+    """
     full_env = {**__import__("os").environ, **(env or {})}
     _docker(
         "compose", "-f", str(compose_file), "pull",
+        "--policy", "missing", "--ignore-buildable",
         timeout=600, env=full_env,
     )
 
diff --git a/lib/stack/hooks.py b/lib/stack/hooks.py
index 64cc42aa..a5dab3ec 100644
--- a/lib/stack/hooks.py
+++ b/lib/stack/hooks.py
@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@
 import importlib.util
 import os
 import subprocess
+import sys
+from contextlib import contextmanager
 from pathlib import Path
 
 
@@ -206,6 +208,30 @@ def build_hook_ctx(stacklet_id: str, env=None, step_fn=None, **kwargs):
     )
 
 
+@contextmanager
+def stacklet_imports(stacklet_dir: Path):
+    """Keep the modules a stacklet's code imports from its own directory
+    to that stacklet.
+
+    Hooks and CLI plugins put their stacklet's directory on `sys.path` and
+    import its helpers by bare name (`from oauth import sync`). One
+    process runs the hooks of many stacklets, as in `stack restart all`,
+    and Python caches a module by name: the second stacklet with an
+    `oauth.py` got the first one's. On the way out this forgets every
+    module loaded from `stacklet_dir` and puts `sys.path` back.
+    """
+    root = Path(stacklet_dir).resolve()
+    path_before = list(sys.path)
+    try:
+        yield
+    finally:
+        sys.path[:] = path_before
+        for name, module in list(sys.modules.items()):
+            origin = getattr(module, "__file__", None)
+            if origin and Path(origin).resolve().is_relative_to(root):
+                del sys.modules[name]
+
+
 class HookResolver:
     """Finds and runs lifecycle hooks for a stacklet.
 
@@ -256,12 +282,13 @@ def run(self, name: str, ctx) -> bool:
     def _run_python(self, path: Path, ctx) -> bool:
         """Load and run a Python hook."""
         try:
-            spec = importlib.util.spec_from_file_location(
-                f"hook.{path.stem}", path)
-            mod = importlib.util.module_from_spec(spec)
-            spec.loader.exec_module(mod)
-            if hasattr(mod, "run"):
-                mod.run(ctx)
+            with stacklet_imports(self._stacklet_dir):
+                spec = importlib.util.spec_from_file_location(
+                    f"hook.{path.stem}", path)
+                mod = importlib.util.module_from_spec(spec)
+                spec.loader.exec_module(mod)
+                if hasattr(mod, "run"):
+                    mod.run(ctx)
             return True
         except Cancelled:
             raise
diff --git a/lib/stack/stack.py b/lib/stack/stack.py
index 70726a14..bf1b3d8a 100644
--- a/lib/stack/stack.py
+++ b/lib/stack/stack.py
@@ -1387,39 +1387,41 @@ def run_cli_command(self, stacklet_id: str, command: str, args: list | None = No
             return {"error": f"Command '{command}' not found for {stacklet_id}"}
 
         try:
-            spec = importlib.util.spec_from_file_location(
-                f"{stacklet_id}.cli.{command}", module_path)
-            mod = importlib.util.module_from_spec(spec)
-            spec.loader.exec_module(mod)
-            if hasattr(mod, "run"):
-                # TODO: secrets.all() exposes every secret to every plugin.
-                # Fine for trusted stacklets, but if we ever support community
-                # plugins, scope this to the stacklet's own secrets only.
-                from .users import load_users
-                config = {
-                    "domain": self._cfg("core", "domain"),
-                    # Same base the containers get as LINK_BASE_URL, for
-                    # plugins that print a `/go` link. Derived here rather
-                    # than from `domain` above, because port mode has no
-                    # domain and the LAN fallback lives in _home_url.
-                    "home_url": self._home_url(),
-                    "data_dir": str(self.data),
-                    "repo_root": str(self.root),
-                    "instance_dir": str(self.instance_dir),
-                    "manifest": stacklet.get("manifest", {}),
-                    "stack": self.config,
-                    "secrets": self.secrets.all(),
-                    "users": load_users(self.instance_dir),
-                    # Lazy health probe — plugins call config["is_healthy"]()
-                    # when they need to gate work on the stacklet actually
-                    # responding. Zero-arg closure so we don't pay the HTTP
-                    # round-trip on every plugin invocation.
-                    "is_healthy": lambda: self.is_healthy(stacklet_id),
-                    # Save a setting to stack.toml, the plugin-side twin of
-                    # a hook's ctx.cfg(key, value), for any section.
-                    "set_cfg": self._set_cfg,
-                }
-                return mod.run(args or [], stacklet, config)
+            from .hooks import stacklet_imports
+            with stacklet_imports(Path(stacklet["path"])):
+                spec = importlib.util.spec_from_file_location(
+                    f"{stacklet_id}.cli.{command}", module_path)
+                mod = importlib.util.module_from_spec(spec)
+                spec.loader.exec_module(mod)
+                if hasattr(mod, "run"):
+                    # TODO: secrets.all() exposes every secret to every plugin.
+                    # Fine for trusted stacklets, but if we ever support community
+                    # plugins, scope this to the stacklet's own secrets only.
+                    from .users import load_users
+                    config = {
+                        "domain": self._cfg("core", "domain"),
+                        # Same base the containers get as LINK_BASE_URL, for
+                        # plugins that print a `/go` link. Derived here rather
+                        # than from `domain` above, because port mode has no
+                        # domain and the LAN fallback lives in _home_url.
+                        "home_url": self._home_url(),
+                        "data_dir": str(self.data),
+                        "repo_root": str(self.root),
+                        "instance_dir": str(self.instance_dir),
+                        "manifest": stacklet.get("manifest", {}),
+                        "stack": self.config,
+                        "secrets": self.secrets.all(),
+                        "users": load_users(self.instance_dir),
+                        # Lazy health probe — plugins call config["is_healthy"]()
+                        # when they need to gate work on the stacklet actually
+                        # responding. Zero-arg closure so we don't pay the HTTP
+                        # round-trip on every plugin invocation.
+                        "is_healthy": lambda: self.is_healthy(stacklet_id),
+                        # Save a setting to stack.toml, the plugin-side twin of
+                        # a hook's ctx.cfg(key, value), for any section.
+                        "set_cfg": self._set_cfg,
+                    }
+                    return mod.run(args or [], stacklet, config)
         except Exception as e:
             return {"error": str(e)}
 
diff --git a/tests/unit/framework/test_cli_class.py b/tests/unit/framework/test_cli_class.py
index a4ac4d12..88bc7f6b 100644
--- a/tests/unit/framework/test_cli_class.py
+++ b/tests/unit/framework/test_cli_class.py
@@ -370,6 +370,30 @@ def test_destroy_with_an_unknown_id_destroys_nothing(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch
         assert cli.stack.is_installed("a")
 
 
+class TestEveryUpPullsWhatIsMissing:
+    """After `stack update`, a release can name new image tags for a
+    stacklet that is already set up. `compose up` fetches a missing image
+    itself, with its output captured, so `stack restart` sat at "Starting
+    containers" for minutes with nothing on screen. The visible pull step
+    runs on every up, not only the first."""
+
+    def test_a_second_up_pulls_before_it_starts(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+        cli, _ = _make_cli(tmp_path, {"myapp": {}})
+        (tmp_path / "stacklets" / "myapp" / "docker-compose.yml").write_text(
+            "name: stack-myapp\nservices: {}\n")
+        steps = []
+        monkeypatch.setattr("stack.docker.compose_pull",
+                            lambda *a, **kw: steps.append("pull"))
+        monkeypatch.setattr("stack.docker.compose_up",
+                            lambda *a, **kw: (steps.append("up"), (0, ""))[1])
+        cli.up("myapp")
+        steps.clear()
+
+        cli.up("myapp")
+
+        assert steps == ["pull", "up"]
+
+
 class TestUpFailureNamesTheCause:
     """When compose cannot start a container, the reason is in its output
     (a port another process holds, a missing mount), and the admin
diff --git a/tests/unit/framework/test_docker_runtime.py b/tests/unit/framework/test_docker_runtime.py
index e0dbb5d2..fe990191 100644
--- a/tests/unit/framework/test_docker_runtime.py
+++ b/tests/unit/framework/test_docker_runtime.py
@@ -211,3 +211,18 @@ def test_offline_it_builds_from_the_cached_base(self):
         pulled, cached = self._build(1, 0)
         assert "--pull" in pulled
         assert cached[cached.index("build"):] == ["build"]
+
+
+class TestComposePullFetchesOnlyWhatIsMissing:
+    """The pull runs on every `stack up`, so a release that moves a service
+    to a new image tag downloads it with its progress on screen. It must
+    cost nothing when every image is here, and leave built images to the
+    build."""
+
+    def test_only_missing_images_are_pulled(self):
+        from stack import docker
+        docker._context = None
+        with patch("subprocess.run") as run:
+            docker.compose_pull("/tmp/compose.yml")
+        cmd = run.call_args[0][0]
+        assert cmd[cmd.index("pull"):] == ["pull", "--policy", "missing", "--ignore-buildable"]
diff --git a/tests/unit/framework/test_hook_resolver.py b/tests/unit/framework/test_hook_resolver.py
index 77d2b711..ca5930af 100644
--- a/tests/unit/framework/test_hook_resolver.py
+++ b/tests/unit/framework/test_hook_resolver.py
@@ -252,3 +252,45 @@ def _make_ctx(env=None, step_fn=None):
     """Build a minimal StackContext for testing."""
     from stack.hooks import StackContext
     return StackContext(stack=None, stacklet_id="test", env=env or {}, step_fn=step_fn)
+
+
+class TestEachStackletImportsItsOwnHelpers:
+    """Hooks import their stacklet's helper modules by bare name. One
+    process runs many stacklets' hooks (`stack restart all`), and code and
+    photos both ship an `oauth.py`: photos was handed code's, and its
+    start failed with `sync() takes 4 positional arguments but 5 were
+    given`."""
+
+    HOOK = textwrap.dedent("""\
+        import sys
+        from pathlib import Path
+        sys.path.insert(0, str(Path(__file__).parent.parent))
+        from helper import WHO
+
+        def run(ctx):
+            ctx["seen"].append(WHO)
+        """)
+
+    def _stacklet(self, tmp_path, name):
+        from stack.hooks import HookResolver
+        root = tmp_path / "stacklets" / name
+        (root / "hooks").mkdir(parents=True)
+        (root / "helper.py").write_text(f"WHO = {name!r}\n")
+        (root / "hooks" / "on_start.py").write_text(self.HOOK)
+        return HookResolver(root)
+
+    def test_two_stacklets_with_a_helper_of_the_same_name(self, tmp_path):
+        seen = []
+        code, photos = self._stacklet(tmp_path, "code"), self._stacklet(tmp_path, "photos")
+
+        assert code.run("on_start", {"seen": seen})
+        assert photos.run("on_start", {"seen": seen})
+
+        assert seen == ["code", "photos"]
+
+    def test_the_search_path_is_left_as_it_was(self, tmp_path):
+        before = list(sys.path)
+
+        self._stacklet(tmp_path, "code").run("on_start", {"seen": []})
+
+        assert sys.path == before