diff --git a/roles/bootstrap/tasks/main.yml b/roles/bootstrap/tasks/main.yml
index a89565a..267881d 100644
--- a/roles/bootstrap/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/roles/bootstrap/tasks/main.yml
@@ -49,6 +49,15 @@
     bootstrap_var_key: "{{ 'bootstrap_' + (os | replace('-lts', '') | replace('-', '_')) }}"
   ansible.builtin.include_tasks: "{{ bootstrap_os_task_map[os] }}"
 
+# dnf --installroot never runs anaconda, so no authselect profile is selected and
+# /etc/pam.d/system-auth is missing, leaving the system unable to authenticate.
+# local is the right profile: local-auth only, no pam_sss.so, still CIS-capable.
+- name: Select default authselect profile for the PAM stack
+  when: is_authselect | bool
+  ansible.builtin.command: "{{ chroot_command }} authselect select local --force"
+  register: bootstrap_authselect_result
+  changed_when: bootstrap_authselect_result.rc == 0
+
 - name: Install hardware-matched firmware/microcode/GPU/peripheral packages
   when: >-
     (system_cfg.features.firmware.enabled | bool)
diff --git a/roles/bootstrap/vars/main.yml b/roles/bootstrap/vars/main.yml
index 3492c29..3eaa702 100644
--- a/roles/bootstrap/vars/main.yml
+++ b/roles/bootstrap/vars/main.yml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 ---
-# Feature-gated packages shared across all distros.
-# Arch has special nftables handling and composes this differently.
+# Feature-gated packages shared across all distros. Arch strips nftables from
+# this and composes it differently.
 bootstrap_common_conditional: >-
   {{
     (
@@ -15,12 +15,29 @@ bootstrap_common_conditional: >-
     )
   }}
 
-# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-# Per-OS package definitions: base (rootfs/group install), extra (post-base),
-# conditional (feature/version-gated, appended by task files).
-# DNF-based distros also carry repos (dnf --repo) and use base as group names.
-# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Native-installer parity backfill: anaconda and the d-i "standard" task leave
+# these, but install_weak_deps=False / Recommends-off minimal installs drop them.
+bootstrap_el_runtime:
+  - NetworkManager
+  - authselect
+  - authselect-libs
+  - chrony
+  - crypto-policies
+  - crypto-policies-scripts
+  - dbus
+  - polkit
 
+bootstrap_deb_runtime:
+  - apparmor-utils
+  - chrony
+  - libpam-pwquality
+  - needrestart
+  - network-manager
+  - sudo
+
+# Per-OS package definitions: base (rootfs/group install), extra (post-base),
+# conditional (feature/version-gated, appended by task files). DNF distros also
+# carry repos and use base as group names.
 bootstrap_rhel:
   repos:
     - "rhel{{ os_version_major }}-baseos"
@@ -53,6 +70,7 @@ bootstrap_rhel:
       + (['python39'] if os_version_major | default('') == '8' else ['python'])
       + (['kernel'] if os_version_major | default('') == '10' else [])
       + (['zram-generator'] if os_version_major | default('') in ['9', '10'] else [])
+      + bootstrap_el_runtime
       + bootstrap_common_conditional
     }}
 
@@ -87,8 +105,8 @@ bootstrap_almalinux:
     - zstd
   conditional: >-
     {{
-      (['dbus-daemon'] if (os_version_major | default('10') | int) >= 9 else [])
-      + (['dhcp-client'] if (os_version_major | default('10') | int) < 10 else [])
+      (['dhcp-client'] if (os_version_major | default('10') | int) < 10 else [])
+      + bootstrap_el_runtime
       + bootstrap_common_conditional
     }}
 
@@ -127,6 +145,7 @@ bootstrap_rocky:
   conditional: >-
     {{
       (['dhcp-client'] if (os_version_major | default('9') | int) < 10 else [])
+      + bootstrap_el_runtime
       + bootstrap_common_conditional
     }}
 
@@ -160,7 +179,6 @@ bootstrap_fedora:
     - nc
     - nfs-utils
     - nfsv4-client-utils
-    - polkit
     - ppp
     - python3
     - ripgrep
@@ -171,7 +189,7 @@ bootstrap_fedora:
     - zoxide
     - zram-generator
     - zstd
-  conditional: "{{ bootstrap_common_conditional }}"
+  conditional: "{{ bootstrap_el_runtime + bootstrap_common_conditional }}"
 
 bootstrap_debian:
   base:
@@ -189,28 +207,22 @@ bootstrap_debian:
     - python3
     - xfsprogs
   extra:
-    - apparmor-utils
     - bat
-    - chrony
     - curl
     - entr
     - fish
     - fzf
     - htop
     - jq
-    - libpam-pwquality
     - linux-image-amd64
     - lrzsz
     - mtr
     - ncdu
-    - needrestart
     - net-tools
-    - network-manager
     - python-is-python3
     - ripgrep
     - rsync
     - screen
-    - sudo
     - syslog-ng
     - tcpd
     - vim
@@ -225,6 +237,7 @@ bootstrap_debian:
       + (['systemd-zram-generator'] if (os_version | string) not in ['10', '11'] else [])
       + (['tldr'] if (os_version | string) not in ['13', 'unstable'] else [])
       + (['shim-signed'] if system_cfg.features.secure_boot.enabled | bool else [])
+      + bootstrap_deb_runtime
       + bootstrap_common_conditional
     }}
 
@@ -246,10 +259,8 @@ bootstrap_ubuntu:
     - python3
     - xfsprogs
   extra:
-    - apparmor-utils
     - bash-completion
     - bat
-    - chrony
     - curl
     - dnsutils
     - duf
@@ -261,20 +272,16 @@ bootstrap_ubuntu:
     - fzf
     - htop
     - jq
-    - libpam-pwquality
     - lrzsz
     - mtr
     - ncdu
     - ncurses-term
-    - needrestart
     - net-tools
-    - network-manager
     - python-is-python3
     - ripgrep
     - rsync
     - screen
     - software-properties-common
-    - sudo
     - syslog-ng
     - systemd-zram-generator
     - tcpd
@@ -288,6 +295,7 @@ bootstrap_ubuntu:
   conditional: >-
     {{
       (['shim-signed'] if system_cfg.features.secure_boot.enabled | bool else [])
+      + bootstrap_deb_runtime
       + bootstrap_common_conditional
     }}
 
diff --git a/roles/cis/tasks/auth.yml b/roles/cis/tasks/auth.yml
index ec47e59..a414df0 100644
--- a/roles/cis/tasks/auth.yml
+++ b/roles/cis/tasks/auth.yml
@@ -27,7 +27,9 @@
 
 # Non-RHEL/non-Debian distros: loop evaluates to [] (intentional skip)
 - name: Prevent Login to Accounts With Empty Password
-  when: cis_effective_rules.empty_password_login | default(false)
+  when:
+    - cis_effective_rules.empty_password_login | default(false)
+    - not is_authselect | bool
   ansible.builtin.replace:
     dest: "{{ item }}"
     regexp: "\\s*nullok"
diff --git a/roles/cis/tasks/crypto.yml b/roles/cis/tasks/crypto.yml
index 28bbdae..b622f68 100644
--- a/roles/cis/tasks/crypto.yml
+++ b/roles/cis/tasks/crypto.yml
@@ -1,11 +1,15 @@
 ---
 # Fedora ships its own crypto-policies preset and update-crypto-policies
 # behaves differently; applying DEFAULT:NO-SHA1 can break package signing.
+# EL10 dropped the NO-SHA1 subpolicy module (DEFAULT already disables SHA-1
+# signatures), so the modifier is set only on EL9 and below.
 - name: Configure System Cryptography Policy
+  vars:
+    _cis_crypto_policy: "{{ 'DEFAULT' if (os_version_major | int >= 10) else 'DEFAULT:NO-SHA1' }}"
   when:
     - cis_effective_rules.crypto_policy | default(false)
     - os in (os_family_rhel | difference(['fedora']))
-  ansible.builtin.command: "{{ chroot_command }} /usr/bin/update-crypto-policies --set DEFAULT:NO-SHA1"
+  ansible.builtin.command: "{{ chroot_command }} /usr/bin/update-crypto-policies --set {{ _cis_crypto_policy }}"
   register: cis_crypto_policy_result
   changed_when: "'Setting system-wide crypto-policies to' in cis_crypto_policy_result.stdout"
 
diff --git a/roles/cis/tasks/security_lines.yml b/roles/cis/tasks/security_lines.yml
index b140411..45e040b 100644
--- a/roles/cis/tasks/security_lines.yml
+++ b/roles/cis/tasks/security_lines.yml
@@ -126,32 +126,45 @@
     regexp: '^\s*#?\s*auth\s+required\s+pam_wheel\.so'
     line: auth required pam_wheel.so
 
+# authselect wires the pam_faillock stack via the feature; deny/unlock_time live
+# in faillock.conf, the supported place (pam_faillock(8) deprecates module args).
+- name: Configure account lockout (authselect)
+  when:
+    - cis_effective_rules.faillock | default(false)
+    - is_authselect | bool
+  block:
+    - name: Enable the authselect faillock feature
+      ansible.builtin.command: "{{ chroot_command }} authselect enable-feature with-faillock"
+      register: cis_faillock_result
+      changed_when: cis_faillock_result.rc == 0
+
+    - name: Set faillock thresholds
+      ansible.builtin.lineinfile:
+        path: /mnt/etc/security/faillock.conf
+        regexp: "{{ item.regexp }}"
+        line: "{{ item.line }}"
+        create: true
+        mode: "0644"
+      loop:
+        - {regexp: '^\s*#?\s*deny\s*=', line: "deny = {{ cis_cfg.faillock_deny }}"}
+        - {regexp: '^\s*#?\s*unlock_time\s*=', line: "unlock_time = {{ cis_cfg.faillock_unlock_time }}"}
+      loop_control:
+        label: "{{ item.line }}"
+
 - name: Configure account lockout
-  when: cis_effective_rules.faillock | default(false)
+  when:
+    - cis_effective_rules.faillock | default(false)
+    - not is_authselect | bool
   ansible.builtin.lineinfile:
     path: "{{ item.path }}"
     regexp: "{{ item.regexp }}"
     line: "{{ item.line }}"
   loop:
-    - path: >-
-        /mnt/etc/{{
-          "pam.d/common-auth"
-          if is_debian | bool
-          else "authselect/system-auth"
-          if os == "fedora"
-          else "pam.d/system-auth"
-        }}
+    - path: '/mnt/etc/{{ "pam.d/common-auth" if is_debian | bool else "pam.d/system-auth" }}'
       regexp: '^\s*auth\s+required\s+pam_faillock\.so'
       line: >-
         auth required pam_faillock.so onerr=fail audit silent deny={{ cis_cfg.faillock_deny }} unlock_time={{ cis_cfg.faillock_unlock_time }}
-    - path: >-
-        /mnt/etc/{{
-          "pam.d/common-account"
-          if is_debian | bool
-          else "authselect/system-auth"
-          if os == "fedora"
-          else "pam.d/system-auth"
-        }}
+    - path: '/mnt/etc/{{ "pam.d/common-account" if is_debian | bool else "pam.d/system-auth" }}'
       regexp: '^\s*account\s+required\s+pam_faillock\.so'
       line: account required pam_faillock.so
   loop_control:
diff --git a/roles/global_defaults/tasks/main.yml b/roles/global_defaults/tasks/main.yml
index 52ffee0..f14b10d 100644
--- a/roles/global_defaults/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/roles/global_defaults/tasks/main.yml
@@ -61,6 +61,12 @@
   ansible.builtin.set_fact:
     os_version_major: "{{ (os_version | string).split('.')[0] }}"
 
+# EL>=10 and Fedora dropped the static /etc/pam.d/system-auth shipped by pam;
+# the PAM stack is generated by authselect and absent until a profile is selected.
+- name: Flag authselect-managed PAM stacks
+  ansible.builtin.set_fact:
+    is_authselect: "{{ is_rhel | bool and (os_version_major | default('0') | int) >= 10 }}"
+
 - name: Set chroot command wrapper
   ansible.builtin.set_fact:
     chroot_command: >-