diff --git a/bin/omarchy-dev-status b/bin/omarchy-dev-status
index 495c7582..8cf621a9 100755
--- a/bin/omarchy-dev-status
+++ b/bin/omarchy-dev-status
@@ -3,26 +3,44 @@
 # omarchy:summary=Show the current Omarchy dev-link state
 # omarchy:group=dev
 
+default_target="/usr/share/omarchy"
+configured="$default_target"
+conf_present=0
+linked=0
+
 if [[ -f /etc/omarchy.conf ]]; then
+  conf_present=1
   configured=$(
     OMARCHY_PATH=
     # shellcheck disable=SC1091
     . /etc/omarchy.conf
     printf '%s' "${OMARCHY_PATH:-<empty>}"
   )
+  if [[ $configured != "$default_target" ]]; then
+    linked=1
+  fi
+fi
+
+if (( linked )); then
   echo "dev-link: ACTIVE"
   echo "  /etc/omarchy.conf -> OMARCHY_PATH=$configured"
 else
-  configured="/usr/share/omarchy (default)"
   echo "dev-link: inactive"
+  if (( conf_present )); then
+    echo "  /etc/omarchy.conf -> OMARCHY_PATH=$configured (default guard)"
+  fi
 fi
 
 echo "  current shell:       OMARCHY_PATH=${OMARCHY_PATH:-<unset>}"
 
-if [[ -f /etc/omarchy.conf && "${OMARCHY_PATH:-}" != "$configured" ]]; then
+if (( linked )) && [[ ${OMARCHY_PATH:-} != "$configured" ]]; then
   echo
   echo "Note: this shell predates dev-link. Open a new shell to pick up the change,"
   echo "or 'export OMARCHY_PATH=$configured' to update just this shell."
+elif (( ! linked )) && [[ ${OMARCHY_PATH:-$default_target} != "$default_target" ]]; then
+  echo
+  echo "Note: no dev-link is configured, but this shell still has a stale OMARCHY_PATH."
+  echo "Open a new shell or run 'export OMARCHY_PATH=$default_target'."
 fi
 
 if command -v hyprctl >/dev/null 2>&1 && hyprctl version &>/dev/null; then
diff --git a/bin/omarchy-dev-unlink b/bin/omarchy-dev-unlink
index cbd9f828..15f5783a 100755
--- a/bin/omarchy-dev-unlink
+++ b/bin/omarchy-dev-unlink
@@ -14,38 +14,56 @@ if [[ ${1:-} == "-h" || ${1:-} == "--help" ]]; then
   cat <<USAGE
 Usage: omarchy dev unlink
 
-Removes /etc/omarchy.conf so OMARCHY_PATH falls back to /usr/share/omarchy
-(the package install). Updates Hyprland/systemd session env and restarts
-omarchy-shell so live state matches.
+Writes /etc/omarchy.conf defensively so OMARCHY_PATH resolves to
+/usr/share/omarchy (the package install), even from stale session env.
+Updates Hyprland/systemd session env and restarts omarchy-shell so live
+state matches.
 USAGE
   exit 0
 fi
 
-if [[ ! -f /etc/omarchy.conf ]]; then
-  echo "Not currently linked. OMARCHY_PATH already resolves to /usr/share/omarchy."
-  exit 0
+default_target="/usr/share/omarchy"
+linked=0
+prior_target=""
+
+if [[ -f /etc/omarchy.conf ]]; then
+  # Capture the path dev-link wrote BEFORE we reset the conf, so we know
+  # which bin/ to strip from PATH.
+  prior_target=$(sed -n 's/^[[:space:]]*export[[:space:]]\+OMARCHY_PATH="\?\([^"]*\)"\?/\1/p' /etc/omarchy.conf | tail -1)
+  if [[ $prior_target != "$default_target" ]]; then
+    linked=1
+    echo "Unlinking Omarchy from ${prior_target:-<empty>}"
+  else
+    echo "/etc/omarchy.conf already points at $default_target."
+  fi
+elif [[ ${OMARCHY_PATH:-$default_target} != "$default_target" ]]; then
+  prior_target="$OMARCHY_PATH"
+  echo "Not currently linked: /etc/omarchy.conf is absent."
+  echo "This shell still has OMARCHY_PATH=$OMARCHY_PATH; writing the default guard."
+else
+  echo "Not currently linked. Writing the default OMARCHY_PATH guard."
 fi
 
-# Capture the path dev-link wrote BEFORE we delete the conf, so we know
-# which bin/ to strip from PATH.
-prior_target=$(sed -n 's/^[[:space:]]*export[[:space:]]\+OMARCHY_PATH="\?\([^"]*\)"\?/\1/p' /etc/omarchy.conf | tail -1)
-sudo rm -f /etc/omarchy.conf
-echo "Removed /etc/omarchy.conf"
+printf 'export OMARCHY_PATH="%s"\n' "$default_target" | sudo tee /etc/omarchy.conf >/dev/null
+echo "Set /etc/omarchy.conf -> OMARCHY_PATH=$default_target"
 
-export OMARCHY_PATH=/usr/share/omarchy
-if [[ -n $prior_target ]]; then
-  PATH=$(printf '%s' "$PATH" | tr ':' '\n' | grep -vFx "$prior_target/bin" | paste -sd:)
+export OMARCHY_PATH="$default_target"
+if [[ -n $prior_target && $prior_target != "$default_target" ]]; then
+  PATH=$(printf '%s' "$PATH" | tr ':' '\n' | awk -v drop="$prior_target/bin" '$0 != drop' | paste -sd:)
   export PATH
 fi
 
+if command -v systemctl >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  if systemctl --user import-environment OMARCHY_PATH PATH 2>/dev/null; then
+    echo "  Updated systemd --user env."
+  fi
+fi
+
 if command -v hyprctl >/dev/null 2>&1 && hyprctl version &>/dev/null; then
-  hyprctl setenv OMARCHY_PATH /usr/share/omarchy >/dev/null
+  hyprctl setenv OMARCHY_PATH "$default_target" >/dev/null
   hyprctl setenv PATH "$PATH" >/dev/null
   echo "  Updated Hyprland session env."
 
-  systemctl --user import-environment OMARCHY_PATH PATH 2>/dev/null || true
-  echo "  Updated systemd --user env."
-
   if pgrep -x quickshell >/dev/null 2>&1; then
     omarchy-restart-shell
     echo "  Restarted omarchy-shell."
@@ -56,4 +74,9 @@ if command -v hyprctl >/dev/null 2>&1 && hyprctl version &>/dev/null; then
 fi
 
 echo
-echo "Done. Existing shells still have the old OMARCHY_PATH until restarted."
+if (( linked )) || [[ -n $prior_target ]]; then
+  echo "Done. Existing shells still have the old OMARCHY_PATH until restarted."
+  echo "For this shell, run: export OMARCHY_PATH=$default_target"
+else
+  echo "Done."
+fi
diff --git a/default/bash/env-bootstrap b/default/bash/env-bootstrap
index 7f3a7756..c1d759de 100644
--- a/default/bash/env-bootstrap
+++ b/default/bash/env-bootstrap
@@ -4,8 +4,9 @@
 #   /usr/share/uwsm/env.d/10-omarchy          (Hyprland session via uwsm)
 #   /usr/share/omarchy/default/bash/envs      (bash rc chain; SSH/non-login)
 
-# /etc/omarchy.conf is written by omarchy-dev-link. When absent, force the
-# packaged default instead of preserving a stale inherited value.
+# /etc/omarchy.conf is written by omarchy-dev-link and reset by
+# omarchy-dev-unlink. When absent, force the packaged default instead of
+# preserving a stale inherited value.
 if [ -f /etc/omarchy.conf ]; then
   . /etc/omarchy.conf
   : "${OMARCHY_PATH:=/usr/share/omarchy}"
diff --git a/default/hypr/paths.lua b/default/hypr/paths.lua
index b3676d04..4990eb81 100644
--- a/default/hypr/paths.lua
+++ b/default/hypr/paths.lua
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 
 local home = os.getenv("HOME")
 
--- /etc/omarchy.conf wins over process env so dev-link survives stale sessions.
+-- /etc/omarchy.conf wins over process env so dev-link/unlink survives stale sessions.
 local function read_dev_link_omarchy_path()
   local f = io.open("/etc/omarchy.conf", "r")
   if not f then return nil end
diff --git a/docs/file-layout.md b/docs/file-layout.md
index fe1293e0..19814dec 100644
--- a/docs/file-layout.md
+++ b/docs/file-layout.md
@@ -129,9 +129,10 @@ upgrade. This is documented in the PKGBUILD.
 
 Single source of truth for `OMARCHY_PATH` and dev-link-aware `PATH`. It:
 
-- Sources `/etc/omarchy.conf` (written by `omarchy-dev-link`) if present;
-  otherwise forces `OMARCHY_PATH=/usr/share/omarchy` so a stale inherited
-  value can't survive an `omarchy-dev-unlink`.
+- Sources `/etc/omarchy.conf` (written by `omarchy-dev-link`, reset to the
+  package path by `omarchy-dev-unlink`) if present; otherwise forces
+  `OMARCHY_PATH=/usr/share/omarchy` so a stale inherited value can't survive
+  an `omarchy-dev-unlink`.
 - Prepends `$OMARCHY_PATH/bin` to `PATH` **only when** `OMARCHY_PATH` is
   not `/usr/share/omarchy`. On a production install the binaries are
   already on `PATH` as `/usr/bin/omarchy-*` via the `omarchy` package.