diff --git a/init.sh b/init.sh
index e9bde21..10249b6 100755
--- a/init.sh
+++ b/init.sh
@@ -169,8 +169,11 @@ if [ "$init_local_install" = true ]; then
     param7="local"
 fi
 
-# Auto-detect installation mode based on provided parameters
-if [[ -z "$param7" ]]; then
+# Auto-detect installation mode based on provided parameters. Only when init.sh
+# is EXECUTED directly (install time) — start.sh sources init.sh for its function
+# definitions at runtime (Model A, as the manager), and this block must not run
+# then (it would print a spurious "Auto-detected ..." and rewrite the config).
+if [[ "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" == "$0" && -z "$param7" ]]; then
     # A reinstall that doesn't re-pass the git args must not silently
     # downgrade an existing git install to local (that disables the updater
     # and blanks the saved creds). Honor a git URL already saved from a
@@ -208,9 +211,9 @@ initUpdateConfigOption() {
                         local comment_part=$(echo "$original_line" | sed -n "s|^$config_option=[^#]*\(#.*\)|\1|p")
 
                         if [[ -n "$comment_part" ]]; then
-                            sudo sed -i "s|^$config_option=.*|$config_option=$escaped_value                     $comment_part|" "$config_file"
+                            sed -i "s|^$config_option=.*|$config_option=$escaped_value                     $comment_part|" "$config_file"
                         else
-                            sudo sed -i "s|^$config_option=.*|$config_option=$escaped_value|" "$config_file"
+                            sed -i "s|^$config_option=.*|$config_option=$escaped_value|" "$config_file"
                         fi
                         source "$config_file"
                         return 0
@@ -223,7 +226,7 @@ initUpdateConfigOption() {
     return 1
 }
 
-if [[ -n "$param7" && -f "${configs_dir}general/general_install" ]]; then
+if [[ "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" == "$0" && -n "$param7" && -f "${configs_dir}general/general_install" ]]; then
     initUpdateConfigOption "CFG_INSTALL_MODE" "$param7"
 fi