diff --git a/kickstart/veilor-os.ks b/kickstart/veilor-os.ks
index cf2ab18..c25ebf7 100644
--- a/kickstart/veilor-os.ks
+++ b/kickstart/veilor-os.ks
@@ -79,22 +79,21 @@ fontconfig
 freetype
 fira-code-fonts
 
-# remove fluff
+# remove fluff (only items not transitively required by KDE/samba)
+# Note: avahi-libs and pcsc-lite kept because libavahi-client.so.3 and PCSC libs
+# are broadly required (samba, libtinysparql, gtk3, ibus). The *daemons* are
+# disabled at runtime via 20-harden-kernel.sh.
 -cups
 -cups-browsed
 -abrt*
 -snapd
 -geoclue2
--avahi
--avahi-libs
 -kde-connect
 -open-vm-tools-desktop
 -PackageKit
 -PackageKit-command-not-found
 -mlocate
 -ModemManager
--pcsc-lite
--rsync-daemon
 
 %end