diff --git a/conf.d/tricks.fish b/conf.d/tricks.fish
index a3a5474..6c82fb1 100644
--- a/conf.d/tricks.fish
+++ b/conf.d/tricks.fish
@@ -18,20 +18,32 @@ if test -f ~/.fish_profile
     source ~/.fish_profile
 end
 
-# Append unique directories to $PATH (fish_add_path handles duplicates automatically)
-fish_add_path ~/.local/bin
-fish_add_path ~/Applications/depot_tools
+# This file is sourced twice per shell on CachyOS (once by the conf.d
+# autoload, once forced by config.fish to re-win over the distro's own
+# tricks.fish). The PATH/MANPAGER setup below doesn't need to repeat on
+# the second pass -- only the functions/aliases further down do, since
+# those are what re-assert over the distro config. Gate the expensive
+# calls (fish_add_path, type -q bat) behind a once-per-session guard.
+# ponytail: per-session guard, not per-value; if this file grows more
+# expensive one-time setup, extend the same guard rather than adding more.
+if not set -q __fish_config_tricks_env_applied
+    set -g __fish_config_tricks_env_applied 1
 
-# Expose user-local man pages
-if not contains ~/.local/share/man $MANPATH
-    set -gx MANPATH ~/.local/share/man $MANPATH
-end
+    # Append unique directories to $PATH (fish_add_path handles duplicates automatically)
+    fish_add_path ~/.local/bin
+    fish_add_path ~/Applications/depot_tools
 
-# Format man pages using bat (only if bat is installed)
-# Overriding $MANPAGER is opinionated (C3 overrides)
-if type -q bat; and __fish_config_op_enabled (status basename) tricks-manpager
-    set -gx MANROFFOPT -c
-    set -gx MANPAGER "sh -c 'col -bx | bat -l man -p'"
+    # Expose user-local man pages
+    if not contains ~/.local/share/man $MANPATH
+        set -gx MANPATH ~/.local/share/man $MANPATH
+    end
+
+    # Format man pages using bat (only if bat is installed)
+    # Overriding $MANPAGER is opinionated (C3 overrides)
+    if type -q bat; and __fish_config_op_enabled (status basename) tricks-manpager
+        set -gx MANROFFOPT -c
+        set -gx MANPAGER "sh -c 'col -bx | bat -l man -p'"
+    end
 end
 
 # Set settings for https://github.com/franciscolourenco/done
diff --git a/functions/__fish_config_sync_logging.fish b/functions/__fish_config_sync_logging.fish
index 2d61e86..493a383 100644
--- a/functions/__fish_config_sync_logging.fish
+++ b/functions/__fish_config_sync_logging.fish
@@ -28,84 +28,38 @@ function __fish_config_sync_logging --description 'Sync C5 logging state: sentin
         set config_home "$HOME/.config"
     end
     set -l sentinel "$config_home/fish/.logging_disabled"
-    set -l paru_wrapper "$HOME/.local/bin/paru"
-    set -l yay_wrapper "$HOME/.local/bin/yay"
-    set -l wrapper_version 1
 
     if __fish_config_op_enabled (status current-function)
-        # Logging enabled: remove sentinel and regenerate wrappers if binaries exist
+        # Logging enabled: remove sentinel
         rm -f $sentinel
 
         # Restart tmux pipe-pane for the current pane if inside tmux
         _tmux_pipe_log
-
-        if test -x /usr/bin/paru
-            mkdir -p (dirname $paru_wrapper)
-            printf '%s\n' \
-                '#!/usr/bin/env bash' \
-                "# paru-wrapper-version: $wrapper_version" \
-                '# Auto-generated by conf.d/paru-wrapper.fish — do not edit by hand.' \
-                '# Tees paru output to a timestamped log file and prunes old ones.' \
-                'set -o pipefail' \
-                '' \
-                'log_dir="${SCROLLBACK_HISTORY_DIR:-$HOME/.terminal_history}"' \
-                'mkdir -p "$log_dir"' \
-                'log_file="$log_dir/paru_$(date +%Y-%m-%d_%H-%M-%S).log"' \
-                '' \
-                '/usr/bin/paru "$@" 2>&1 | tee "$log_file"' \
-                '' \
-                'max_files="${SCROLLBACK_HISTORY_MAX_FILES:-100}"' \
-                'mapfile -t logs < <(ls -1t "$log_dir"/paru_*.log 2>/dev/null)' \
-                'excess=$(( ${#logs[@]} - max_files ))' \
-                'for (( i = ${#logs[@]} - 1; i >= ${#logs[@]} - excess && i >= 0; i-- )); do' \
-                '    rm -f "${logs[$i]}"' \
-                'done' \
-                >$paru_wrapper
-            chmod +x $paru_wrapper
-        end
-
-        if test -x /usr/bin/yay
-            mkdir -p (dirname $yay_wrapper)
-            printf '%s\n' \
-                '#!/usr/bin/env bash' \
-                "# yay-wrapper-version: $wrapper_version" \
-                '# Auto-generated by conf.d/yay-wrapper.fish — do not edit by hand.' \
-                '# Tees yay output to a timestamped log file and prunes old ones.' \
-                'set -o pipefail' \
-                '' \
-                'log_dir="${SCROLLBACK_HISTORY_DIR:-$HOME/.terminal_history}"' \
-                'mkdir -p "$log_dir"' \
-                'log_file="$log_dir/yay_$(date +%Y-%m-%d_%H-%M-%S).log"' \
-                '' \
-                '/usr/bin/yay "$@" 2>&1 | tee "$log_file"' \
-                '' \
-                'max_files="${SCROLLBACK_HISTORY_MAX_FILES:-100}"' \
-                'mapfile -t logs < <(ls -1t "$log_dir"/yay_*.log 2>/dev/null)' \
-                'excess=$(( ${#logs[@]} - max_files ))' \
-                'for (( i = ${#logs[@]} - 1; i >= ${#logs[@]} - excess && i >= 0; i-- )); do' \
-                '    rm -f "${logs[$i]}"' \
-                'done' \
-                >$yay_wrapper
-            chmod +x $yay_wrapper
-        end
     else
-        # Logging disabled: create sentinel and remove any generated wrappers
+        # Logging disabled: create sentinel
         mkdir -p (dirname $sentinel)
         touch $sentinel
 
-        if test -f $paru_wrapper
-            and grep -q "# paru-wrapper-version:" $paru_wrapper 2>/dev/null
-            rm -f $paru_wrapper
-        end
-
-        if test -f $yay_wrapper
-            and grep -q "# yay-wrapper-version:" $yay_wrapper 2>/dev/null
-            rm -f $yay_wrapper
-        end
-
         # Stop tmux pipe-pane for the current pane if inside tmux
         if set -q TMUX
             tmux pipe-pane 2>/dev/null
         end
     end
+
+    # Delegate paru/yay wrapper (re)generation and removal to the canonical
+    # generators. They resolve the real binary via __fish_real_command
+    # (never /usr/bin-assumed) and independently gate on their own C2/C5
+    # keys, so sourcing them here covers both the enabled-regenerate and
+    # disabled-remove cases without duplicating that logic. Previously this
+    # function carried its own inferior copy (tee instead of a PTY, no
+    # progress-bar rendering, hard-coded /usr/bin/paru|yay), which fought
+    # the canonical generator for the wrapper file on every version-marker
+    # mismatch. See startup-latency-JOB-BRIEF-FINDINGS.md §2.
+    #
+    # Routed through _fish_source_scoped: both files `return` early on
+    # several guard checks, and a sourced `return` exits the *calling*
+    # function, which would otherwise abort this function and skip
+    # whichever of paru/yay hadn't run yet.
+    _fish_source_scoped "$__fish_config_dir/conf.d/paru-wrapper.fish"
+    _fish_source_scoped "$__fish_config_dir/conf.d/yay-wrapper.fish"
 end
diff --git a/functions/_fish_source_scoped.fish b/functions/_fish_source_scoped.fish
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..41446a8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/functions/_fish_source_scoped.fish
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+# Copyright (C) 2026 Rootiest
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
+
+# SYNOPSIS
+#   _fish_source_scoped <file>
+#
+# DESCRIPTION
+#   Sources <file> inside its own function-call boundary. `source` runs
+#   in the caller's own scope, so a bare `return` in a sourced file --
+#   used by several conf.d guards as an early exit -- would otherwise
+#   unwind whatever function called `source` directly, not just the
+#   sourced file. Calling through this helper contains it to here.
+#
+# ARGUMENTS
+#   file  Path to the fish script to source
+#
+# EXIT STATUS
+#   0  File does not exist (nothing to do)
+#   Exit status of the sourced file otherwise
+#
+# EXAMPLE
+#   _fish_source_scoped $__fish_config_dir/conf.d/paru-wrapper.fish
+function _fish_source_scoped --argument-names file
+    test -f $file; or return 0
+    source $file
+end