diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 0a4ebe468..d4a7bc750 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ All notable changes to Bambuddy will be documented in this file.
 ### Improved
 - **Spool Notes in Assign Spool Modal** ([#793](https://github.com/maziggy/bambuddy/issues/793)) — Spool cards in the Assign Spool modal now show the spool's note as a hover tooltip, making it easier to identify spools by tracking IDs or other metadata stored in notes. Works with both internal inventory and Spoolman-synced spools. Requested by @LegionCanadian.
 - **WiFi Safeguard for SpoolBuddy Pi** — The install script now drops an APT hook (`/etc/apt/apt.conf.d/80-preserve-wifi`) that backs up NetworkManager WiFi connections before every `apt upgrade` and restores them if they get wiped. Prevents headless SpoolBuddy Pis from losing WiFi connectivity after Raspberry Pi OS package upgrades (observed with Bookworm kernel/raspi-config updates that clear `/etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/`).
+- **SpoolBuddy Install Script Now Upgrades System Packages** — The install script now runs `apt-get upgrade -y` after installing required packages and the WiFi safeguard. This ensures the Pi is fully up to date before SpoolBuddy is deployed, and the WiFi safeguard protects connectivity during the upgrade.
 
 ### Fixed
 - **Database Connection Pool Exhaustion on Large Printer Farms** — Users with 100+ printers connected simultaneously experienced `QueuePool limit of size 10 overflow 20 reached, connection timed out` errors. Increased the SQLAlchemy connection pool from 30 total (10 base + 20 overflow) to 220 (20 base + 200 overflow), and raised the SQLite busy_timeout from 5 to 15 seconds to reduce write contention under heavy concurrent MQTT updates.
diff --git a/spoolbuddy/install/install.sh b/spoolbuddy/install/install.sh
index e329eb25d..40d0c8d85 100755
--- a/spoolbuddy/install/install.sh
+++ b/spoolbuddy/install/install.sh
@@ -462,6 +462,10 @@ APTEOF
     success "WiFi safeguard installed (${hook_file})"
 }
 
+upgrade_system_packages() {
+    run_with_progress "Upgrading system packages" apt-get upgrade -y
+}
+
 # ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 # SpoolBuddy Installation
 # ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -1335,6 +1339,7 @@ main() {
     # ── Step 2: System packages ───────────────────────────────────────────
     install_system_packages
     install_wifi_safeguard
+    upgrade_system_packages
     detect_python || error "Failed to install Python 3.10+"
     echo ""