diff --git a/local/scripts/build-redbear.sh b/local/scripts/build-redbear.sh
index 183bf0a5e6..9e435e11ee 100755
--- a/local/scripts/build-redbear.sh
+++ b/local/scripts/build-redbear.sh
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ PROJECT_ROOT="$(cd "$SCRIPT_DIR/../.." && pwd)"
 # REDBEAR_VERSION (which tracks the OS release derived from the git branch).
 # Starts at 1.0 and is bumped AUTOMATICALLY on every change by the pre-commit
 # git hook (local/scripts/bump-build-version.sh); do not edit the minor by hand.
-BUILD_REDBEAR_VERSION="1.4"
+BUILD_REDBEAR_VERSION="1.5"
 
 # ── Colorized output ──────────────────────────────────
 # Enabled only on a TTY with NO_COLOR unset, so redirected build logs and CI
@@ -1060,10 +1060,20 @@ if [ "$CONFIG" = "redbear-full" ]; then
     # configure fails ("Could not find a package configuration file provided by
     # Qt6Qml"), aborting the whole build. Pre-cook the Qt stack IN ORDER, before
     # sddm/kwin, so every Qt6 CMake package is cached in the sysroot first.
-    PRECOOK_PKGS="relibc icu llvm21 libclc mesa libdrm libepoxy redox-drm lcms2 libdisplay-info libxcvt qtbase qtshadertools qtdeclarative qtsvg qtwayland sddm redbear-compositor redbear-greeter"
+    PRECOOK_PKGS="relibc base redoxfs userutils icu llvm21 libclc mesa libdrm libepoxy redox-drm lcms2 libdisplay-info libxcvt qtbase qtshadertools qtdeclarative qtsvg qtwayland sddm redbear-compositor redbear-greeter"
 else
-    PRECOOK_PKGS="relibc icu"
+    PRECOOK_PKGS="relibc base redoxfs userutils icu"
 fi
+# NB: base/redoxfs/userutils are added to the pre-cook set so the boot-ABI
+# "relink ONLY the static initfs-critical binaries" invalidation above
+# (which rm's their repo pkgar + target) reliably re-publishes them via the
+# single-recipe `repo cook` path — the same recovery relibc already relies on.
+# Without this they cook "successful" inside `make live`'s nonstop graph but
+# lose their stage.toml before publish (repo marks them outdated -> installer
+# fails with `Package "base" not found`). The `[ ! -f repo/$pkg.pkgar ]` guard
+# below makes this zero-cost on builds where they were not invalidated.
+# bootstrap is intentionally omitted: it is part of the base recipe, not a
+# standalone cookable package.
 for pkg in $PRECOOK_PKGS; do
     if [ ! -f "$PROJECT_ROOT/repo/x86_64-unknown-redox/$pkg.pkgar" ]; then
         echo "    cooking $pkg..."