diff --git a/pmb/build/init.py b/pmb/build/init.py
index 5d71d980..89e304fe 100644
--- a/pmb/build/init.py
+++ b/pmb/build/init.py
@@ -43,9 +43,11 @@ def init(args: PmbArgs, chroot: Chroot=Chroot.native()):
     if marker.exists():
         return
 
+    # Initialize chroot, install packages
+    pmb.chroot.init(args, Chroot.native())
+    pmb.chroot.init(args, chroot)
     init_abuild_minimal(args, chroot)
 
-    # Initialize chroot, install packages
     pmb.chroot.apk.install(args, pmb.config.build_packages, chroot,
                            build=False)
 
diff --git a/pmb/build/newapkbuild.py b/pmb/build/newapkbuild.py
index 051b58ec..04037bcd 100644
--- a/pmb/build/newapkbuild.py
+++ b/pmb/build/newapkbuild.py
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import pmb.chroot.user
 from pmb.core.types import PmbArgs
 import pmb.helpers.cli
 import pmb.parse
+import pmb.build
 
 from pmb.core import Chroot
 
diff --git a/pmb/chroot/apk.py b/pmb/chroot/apk.py
index 298132f7..7674091f 100644
--- a/pmb/chroot/apk.py
+++ b/pmb/chroot/apk.py
@@ -241,7 +241,6 @@ def install(args: PmbArgs, packages, chroot: Chroot, build=True):
 
     # Initialize chroot
     check_min_version(args, chroot)
-    pmb.chroot.init(args, chroot)
 
     installed_pkgs = pmb.chroot.user(["apk", "info", "-e"] + packages, chroot, output_return=True, check=False)
     if installed_pkgs is not None and installed_pkgs.strip().split("\n") == packages:
diff --git a/pmb/chroot/binfmt.py b/pmb/chroot/binfmt.py
index 8a0155ab..20868352 100644
--- a/pmb/chroot/binfmt.py
+++ b/pmb/chroot/binfmt.py
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 # Copyright 2023 Oliver Smith
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0-or-later
 import os
+from pmb.core.chroot import Chroot
 from pmb.helpers import logging
 
 from pmb.core.types import PmbArgs
diff --git a/pmb/chroot/init.py b/pmb/chroot/init.py
index 47aea3f5..2793fcc2 100644
--- a/pmb/chroot/init.py
+++ b/pmb/chroot/init.py
@@ -127,8 +127,7 @@ def init(args: PmbArgs, chroot: Chroot=Chroot.native(), usr_merge=UsrMerge.AUTO,
 
     already_setup = str(chroot) in pmb.helpers.other.cache["pmb.chroot.init"]
     if already_setup:
-        # FIXME: drop to debug/verbose later
-        logging.debug(f"({chroot}) already initialised")
+        logging.warning(f"({chroot}) FIXME! init() called multiple times!")
         return
 
     pmb.chroot.mount(args, chroot)
@@ -176,7 +175,7 @@ def init(args: PmbArgs, chroot: Chroot=Chroot.native(), usr_merge=UsrMerge.AUTO,
     if not chroot.type == ChrootType.ROOTFS:
         pmb.chroot.root(args, ["adduser", "-D", "pmos", "-u",
                                pmb.config.chroot_uid_user],
-                        chroot, auto_init=False)
+                        chroot)
 
         # Create the links (with subfolders if necessary)
         for target, link_name in pmb.config.chroot_home_symlinks.items():
diff --git a/pmb/chroot/root.py b/pmb/chroot/root.py
index b783b074..65d91ecf 100644
--- a/pmb/chroot/root.py
+++ b/pmb/chroot/root.py
@@ -30,14 +30,13 @@ def executables_absolute_path():
 
 
 def root(args: PmbArgs, cmd: Sequence[PathString], chroot: Chroot=Chroot.native(), working_dir: PurePath=PurePath("/"), output="log",
-         output_return=False, check=None, env={}, auto_init=True,
+         output_return=False, check=None, env={},
          disable_timeout=False, add_proxy_env_vars=True):
     """
     Run a command inside a chroot as root.
 
     :param env: dict of environment variables to be passed to the command, e.g.
                 {"JOBS": "5"}
-    :param auto_init: automatically initialize the chroot
     :param working_dir: chroot-relative working directory
     :param add_proxy_env_vars: if True, preserve HTTP_PROXY etc. vars from host
                                environment. pmb.chroot.user sets this to False
@@ -47,11 +46,6 @@ def root(args: PmbArgs, cmd: Sequence[PathString], chroot: Chroot=Chroot.native(
     See pmb.helpers.run_core.core() for a detailed description of all other
     arguments and the return value.
     """
-    # Initialize chroot
-    if not auto_init and not (chroot / "bin/sh").is_symlink():
-        raise RuntimeError(f"Chroot does not exist: {chroot}")
-    if auto_init:
-        pmb.chroot.init(args, chroot)
 
     # Convert any Path objects to their string representation
     cmd_str = [os.fspath(x) for x in cmd]
diff --git a/pmb/chroot/shutdown.py b/pmb/chroot/shutdown.py
index 2268c3d2..1c6e9789 100644
--- a/pmb/chroot/shutdown.py
+++ b/pmb/chroot/shutdown.py
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ def shutdown(args: PmbArgs, only_install_related=False):
     if pmb.helpers.mount.ismount(chroot / "dev/loop-control"):
         for path_outside in (chroot / "/home/pmos/rootfs").glob("*.img"):
             path = path_outside.relative_to(chroot.path)
-            pmb.install.losetup.umount(args, path, auto_init=False)
+            pmb.install.losetup.umount(args, path)
 
     # Umount device rootfs and installer chroots
     for chroot_type in [ChrootType.ROOTFS, ChrootType.INSTALLER]:
diff --git a/pmb/chroot/user.py b/pmb/chroot/user.py
index 03579bf3..a3c780cc 100644
--- a/pmb/chroot/user.py
+++ b/pmb/chroot/user.py
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ from pmb.core.types import PathString, PmbArgs
 
 
 def user(args: PmbArgs, cmd, chroot: Chroot=Chroot.native(), working_dir: Path = Path("/"), output="log",
-         output_return=False, check=None, env={}, auto_init=True):
+         output_return=False, check=None, env={}):
     """
     Run a command inside a chroot as "user". We always use the BusyBox
     implementation of 'su', because other implementations may override the PATH
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@ def user(args: PmbArgs, cmd, chroot: Chroot=Chroot.native(), working_dir: Path =
 
     :param env: dict of environment variables to be passed to the command, e.g.
                 {"JOBS": "5"}
-    :param auto_init: automatically initialize the chroot
 
     See pmb.helpers.run_core.core() for a detailed description of all other
     arguments and the return value.
@@ -31,7 +30,7 @@ def user(args: PmbArgs, cmd, chroot: Chroot=Chroot.native(), working_dir: Path =
     flat_cmd = pmb.helpers.run_core.flat_cmd(cmd, env=env)
     cmd = ["busybox", "su", "pmos", "-c", flat_cmd]
     return pmb.chroot.root(args, cmd, chroot, working_dir, output,
-                           output_return, check, {}, auto_init,
+                           output_return, check, {},
                            add_proxy_env_vars=False)
 
 
diff --git a/pmb/helpers/frontend.py b/pmb/helpers/frontend.py
index 9002a553..ce051ec2 100644
--- a/pmb/helpers/frontend.py
+++ b/pmb/helpers/frontend.py
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import pmb.aportgen
 import pmb.build
 import pmb.build.autodetect
 import pmb.chroot
+import pmb.chroot.apk
 import pmb.chroot.initfs
 import pmb.chroot.other
 import pmb.ci
@@ -172,6 +173,8 @@ def chroot(args: PmbArgs):
     if args.add:
         pmb.chroot.apk.install(args, args.add.split(","), suffix)
 
+    pmb.chroot.init(args, suffix)
+
     # Xauthority
     env = {}
     if args.xauth:
diff --git a/pmb/install/_install.py b/pmb/install/_install.py
index a9791f01..7730a6e4 100644
--- a/pmb/install/_install.py
+++ b/pmb/install/_install.py
@@ -1182,6 +1182,7 @@ def create_device_rootfs(args: PmbArgs, step, steps):
                  ' ***')
 
     suffix = Chroot(ChrootType.ROOTFS, args.device)
+    pmb.chroot.init(args, suffix)
     # Create user before installing packages, so post-install scripts of
     # pmaports can figure out the username (legacy reasons: pmaports#820)
     set_user(args)
@@ -1302,6 +1303,7 @@ def install(args: PmbArgs):
     # Install required programs in native chroot
     step = 1
     logging.info(f"*** ({step}/{steps}) PREPARE NATIVE CHROOT ***")
+    pmb.chroot.init(args, Chroot.native())
     pmb.chroot.apk.install(args, pmb.config.install_native_packages, Chroot.native(),
                            build=False)
     step += 1
diff --git a/pmb/install/losetup.py b/pmb/install/losetup.py
index a3e2945e..2e0c8ee2 100644
--- a/pmb/install/losetup.py
+++ b/pmb/install/losetup.py
@@ -57,14 +57,14 @@ def mount(args: PmbArgs, img_path: Path):
     raise RuntimeError(f"Failed to mount loop device: {img_path}")
 
 
-def device_by_back_file(args: PmbArgs, back_file: Path, auto_init=True) -> Path:
+def device_by_back_file(args: PmbArgs, back_file: Path) -> Path:
     """
     Get the /dev/loopX device that points to a specific image file.
     """
 
     # Get list from losetup
     losetup_output = pmb.chroot.root(args, ["losetup", "--json", "--list"],
-                                     output_return=True, auto_init=auto_init)
+                                     output_return=True)
     if not losetup_output:
         raise RuntimeError("losetup failed")
 
@@ -76,14 +76,14 @@ def device_by_back_file(args: PmbArgs, back_file: Path, auto_init=True) -> Path:
     raise RuntimeError(f"Failed to find loop device for {back_file}")
 
 
-def umount(args: PmbArgs, img_path: Path, auto_init=True):
+def umount(args: PmbArgs, img_path: Path):
     """
     :param img_path: Path to the img file inside native chroot.
     """
     device: Path
     try:
-        device = device_by_back_file(args, img_path, auto_init)
+        device = device_by_back_file(args, img_path)
     except RuntimeError:
         return
     logging.debug(f"(native) umount {device}")
-    pmb.chroot.root(args, ["losetup", "-d", device], auto_init=auto_init)
+    pmb.chroot.root(args, ["losetup", "-d", device])