diff --git a/boxd/internal/daemon/thermals.go b/boxd/internal/daemon/thermals.go
index fd1461e..4d2b300 100644
--- a/boxd/internal/daemon/thermals.go
+++ b/boxd/internal/daemon/thermals.go
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ import (
 // flags, sampled once a minute into the journal (one line per sample, so
 // `journalctl -u boxd` doubles as a temperature log) and reported through
 // /v1/info for the room's Screens list (stage 4). vcgencmd is the
-// Raspberry Pi firmware tool (libraspberrypi-bin); where it is missing —
+// Raspberry Pi firmware tool (raspi-utils-core); where it is missing —
 // a dev machine, a test — thermals simply go unreported and everything
 // downstream tolerates their absence.
 const thermalsEvery = time.Minute
diff --git a/docs/adr/0008-watchdogs-and-self-healing.md b/docs/adr/0008-watchdogs-and-self-healing.md
index c2236b7..3eaf1eb 100644
--- a/docs/adr/0008-watchdogs-and-self-healing.md
+++ b/docs/adr/0008-watchdogs-and-self-healing.md
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ procedure in docs/testing.md.
 ### 3. Thermals: sample, log, report
 
 boxd runs `vcgencmd measure_temp` and `vcgencmd get_throttled`
-(`libraspberrypi-bin`, installed with this stage) once a minute, logs
+(`raspi-utils-core`, installed with this stage) once a minute, logs
 one journal line per sample (`journalctl -u boxd` doubles as a
 temperature log, and journald is persistent on /data), and reports the
 latest values in `GET /v1/info` — `temperatureC`, `throttled`,
diff --git a/scripts/smoke-test.sh b/scripts/smoke-test.sh
index 80f6e42..759fcd4 100755
--- a/scripts/smoke-test.sh
+++ b/scripts/smoke-test.sh
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ fi
 # --- packages ---------------------------------------------------------------
 for pkg in cage chromium fonts-noto-color-emoji libgl1-mesa-dri cloud-init avahi-daemon \
 	pipewire pipewire-bin pipewire-alsa pipewire-pulse wireplumber pulseaudio-utils alsa-utils \
-	libraspberrypi-bin systemd-timesyncd v4l-utils; do
+	raspi-utils-core systemd-timesyncd v4l-utils; do
 	if sudo awk -v p="${pkg}" '
 		$0 == "Package: " p { inpkg = 1 }
 		inpkg && /^Status: / {
@@ -374,7 +374,9 @@ USER_UNITS="var/lib/syncphony-box/.config/systemd/user"
 for unit in default.target.wants/pipewire.service default.target.wants/wireplumber.service \
 	default.target.wants/pipewire-pulse.service sockets.target.wants/pipewire.socket \
 	sockets.target.wants/pipewire-pulse.socket; do
-	if sudo test -e "${WORK}/root/${USER_UNITS}/${unit}" &&
+	# -L, not -e: the links are absolute, so -e would follow them on the
+	# build host rather than inside the image. The target is checked below.
+	if sudo test -L "${WORK}/root/${USER_UNITS}/${unit}" &&
 		sudo test -e "${WORK}/root/usr/lib/systemd/user/${unit##*/}"; then
 		check "kiosk user unit ${unit##*/} enabled" ok
 	else
diff --git a/stage-syncphony/06-readonly-root/00-run.sh b/stage-syncphony/06-readonly-root/00-run.sh
old mode 100644
new mode 100755
diff --git a/stage-syncphony/07-watchdog/00-packages b/stage-syncphony/07-watchdog/00-packages
index a97c6e9..b129171 100644
--- a/stage-syncphony/07-watchdog/00-packages
+++ b/stage-syncphony/07-watchdog/00-packages
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
-# Watchdogs and self-healing (MAD-806): vcgencmd (libraspberrypi-bin) is
+# Watchdogs and self-healing (MAD-806): vcgencmd (raspi-utils-core) is
 # what boxd samples every minute for the temperature and throttling log,
 # and systemd-timesyncd gives the box a sane clock before the kiosk starts
 # (a Pi has no RTC battery by default).
-libraspberrypi-bin
+raspi-utils-core
 systemd-timesyncd
diff --git a/stage-syncphony/07-watchdog/00-run.sh b/stage-syncphony/07-watchdog/00-run.sh
old mode 100644
new mode 100755
diff --git a/stage-syncphony/08-cec/00-run.sh b/stage-syncphony/08-cec/00-run.sh
old mode 100644
new mode 100755