diff --git a/init.d/00_pcid-spawner.service b/init.d/00_pcid-spawner.service
index 8ba6fc6cec..1eb911c186 100644
--- a/init.d/00_pcid-spawner.service
+++ b/init.d/00_pcid-spawner.service
@@ -3,4 +3,14 @@ description = "PCI driver spawner"
 
 [service]
 cmd = "pcid-spawner"
-type = "oneshot"
+# oneshot_async, NOT oneshot: this is the post-switchroot /usr driver-manager.
+# As a blocking oneshot, init waits for pcid-spawner to enumerate PCI and bring
+# every matched driver to readiness (daemon::Daemon::spawn blocks on each
+# driver's ready signal) before continuing — so a single slow/hanging driver,
+# or an unavailable /scheme/pci after switchroot, wedges the whole boot right
+# here, before the console/login stack. The login path renders on the initfs
+# framebuffer (vesad+fbcond) and does not need the /usr PCI drivers to be ready
+# first, so bring them up asynchronously. NOTE: the initfs driver spawner
+# (40_pcid-spawner-initfs) stays a blocking oneshot — disk (ahcid) must be
+# ready before redoxfs mounts.
+type = "oneshot_async"
diff --git a/init.d/10_smolnetd.service b/init.d/10_smolnetd.service
index b0e88ae357..8d0f9aaf4e 100644
--- a/init.d/10_smolnetd.service
+++ b/init.d/10_smolnetd.service
@@ -8,4 +8,10 @@ requires_weak = [
 
 [service]
 cmd = "smolnetd"
-type = "notify"
+# oneshot_async, NOT notify: smolnetd only signals readiness once it binds a
+# network adapter, so on a machine with no NIC (or before the NIC driver
+# attaches) a notify unit blocks init forever right here — before the console
+# stack — and there is no login. The network scheme is not on the critical
+# path to login, so start it non-blocking (this matches the redbear-mini
+# netstack unit). Boot must never hang on absent/late network hardware.
+type = "oneshot_async"