diff --git a/core/systemd/.SRCINFO b/core/systemd/.SRCINFO
index e44add1a6..0de2e0a16 100644
--- a/core/systemd/.SRCINFO
+++ b/core/systemd/.SRCINFO
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 pkgbase = systemd
-	pkgver = 256.7
+	pkgver = 256.8
 	pkgrel = 1
 	url = https://www.github.com/systemd/systemd
 	arch = x86_64
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ pkgbase = systemd
 	makedepends = lib32-gcc-libs
 	makedepends = linux-headers
 	conflicts = mkinitcpio<38-1
-	source = git+https://github.com/systemd/systemd#tag=v256.7?signed
+	source = git+https://github.com/systemd/systemd#tag=v256.8?signed
 	source = 0001-Use-Arch-Linux-device-access-groups.patch
 	source = arch.conf
 	source = loader.conf
@@ -75,13 +75,13 @@ pkgbase = systemd
 	validpgpkeys = A9EA9081724FFAE0484C35A1A81CEA22BC8C7E2E
 	validpgpkeys = 9A774DB5DB996C154EBBFBFDA0099A18E29326E1
 	validpgpkeys = 5C251B5FC54EB2F80F407AAAC54CA336CFEB557E
-	sha512sums = 468f772b3dfa83483da75516499c50159206dc5f8e26d7a62fc08437c93a4e536c0b27ee7fa5ac11fb1bc27a9c0e41315261751e5cc7428629a30849aeb23386
+	sha512sums = 4ffda9aee045ac793e87a86cdee1d089960542e21b44993381095399baacdf79c1867d36cdc242767acee725603ea70f942f8fd61e0a69fe0c888b0e4dd17a37
 	sha512sums = 3ccf783c28f7a1c857120abac4002ca91ae1f92205dcd5a84aff515d57e706a3f9240d75a0a67cff5085716885e06e62597baa86897f298662ec36a940cf410e
 	sha512sums = 61032d29241b74a0f28446f8cf1be0e8ec46d0847a61dadb2a4f096e8686d5f57fe5c72bcf386003f6520bc4b5856c32d63bf3efe7eb0bc0deefc9f68159e648
 	sha512sums = c416e2121df83067376bcaacb58c05b01990f4614ad9de657d74b6da3efa441af251d13bf21e3f0f71ddcb4c9ea658b81da3d915667dc5c309c87ec32a1cb5a5
 	sha512sums = 5a1d78b5170da5abe3d18fdf9f2c3a4d78f15ba7d1ee9ec2708c4c9c2e28973469bc19386f70b3cf32ffafbe4fcc4303e5ebbd6d5187a1df3314ae0965b25e75
 	sha512sums = b90c99d768dc2a4f020ba854edf45ccf1b86a09d2f66e475de21fe589ff7e32c33ef4aa0876d7f1864491488fd7edb2682fc0d68e83a6d4890a0778dc2d6fe19
-	sha512sums = 2f12d7d00cf46334024db0382608a29e066f28eefe492438ab29fda505e80ad32d46f87a00ca41ae6567ff9b7835cf80c604baec0ee92b59ec6510b8508177a8
+	sha512sums = 9835dbb46a3942e89774dd26f295af30ed9eb2cf7ba574e3016b0b4357536a102eb58d72b3add0ea7fd2a56d46b097f273dd02f68840b7a0211c9dbd2b0b7c29
 	sha512sums = 299dcc7094ce53474521356647bdd2fb069731c08d14a872a425412fcd72da840727a23664b12d95465bf313e8e8297da31259508d1c62cc2dcea596160e21c5
 	sha512sums = 0d6bc3d928cfafe4e4e0bc04dbb95c5d2b078573e4f9e0576e7f53a8fab08a7077202f575d74a3960248c4904b5f7f0661bf17dbe163c524ab51dd30e3cb80f7
 	sha512sums = 2b50b25e8680878f7974fa9d519df7e141ca11c4bfe84a92a5d01bb193f034b1726ea05b3c0030bad1fbda8dbb78bf1dc7b73859053581b55ba813c39b27d9dc
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ pkgname = systemd
 	license = CC0-1.0
 	license = GPL-2.0-or-later
 	license = MIT-0
-	depends = systemd-libs=256.7
+	depends = systemd-libs=256.8
 	depends = acl
 	depends = libacl.so
 	depends = bash
@@ -148,8 +148,8 @@ pkgname = systemd
 	optdepends = libp11-kit: support PKCS#11
 	optdepends = tpm2-tss: unlocking LUKS2 volumes with TPM2
 	provides = nss-myhostname
-	provides = systemd-tools=256.7
-	provides = udev=256.7
+	provides = systemd-tools=256.8
+	provides = udev=256.8
 	conflicts = nss-myhostname
 	conflicts = systemd-tools
 	conflicts = udev
@@ -194,19 +194,19 @@ pkgname = systemd-libs
 
 pkgname = systemd-resolvconf
 	pkgdesc = systemd resolvconf replacement (for use with systemd-resolved)
-	depends = systemd=256.7
+	depends = systemd=256.8
 	provides = openresolv
 	provides = resolvconf
 	conflicts = resolvconf
 
 pkgname = systemd-sysvcompat
 	pkgdesc = sysvinit compat for systemd
-	depends = systemd=256.7
+	depends = systemd=256.8
 	conflicts = sysvinit
 
 pkgname = systemd-ukify
 	pkgdesc = Combine kernel and initrd into a signed Unified Kernel Image
-	depends = systemd=256.7
+	depends = systemd=256.8
 	depends = binutils
 	depends = python-cryptography
 	depends = python-pefile
diff --git a/core/systemd/PKGBUILD b/core/systemd/PKGBUILD
index f5659cf31..ec78fa479 100644
--- a/core/systemd/PKGBUILD
+++ b/core/systemd/PKGBUILD
@@ -7,13 +7,21 @@
 #  - !distcc - systemd is finding distcc's clang symlink without clang
 #  - don't move ukify files for v7, ukify build requires gnu-efi
 
+# ➡️ Pushing pre-releases to [core-testing] can cause havoc, especially
+#   as all [core] packages are built there, and may be moved before.
+#   Anyway, pre-release packages may be available in my personal testing
+#   repository. Brave souls add it with:
+#     [eworm-testing]
+#     SigLevel = Required
+#     Server = https://pkgbuild.com/~eworm/$repo/$arch/
+
 pkgbase=systemd
 pkgname=('systemd'
          'systemd-libs'
          'systemd-resolvconf'
          'systemd-sysvcompat'
          'systemd-ukify')
-_tag='256.7'
+_tag='256.8'
 # Upstream versioning is incompatible with pacman's version comparisons, one
 # way or another. So we replace dashes and tildes with the empty string to
 # make sure pacman's version comparing does the right thing for rc versions:
@@ -56,13 +64,13 @@ source=("git+https://github.com/systemd/systemd#tag=v${_tag}?signed"
         '30-systemd-tmpfiles.hook'
         '30-systemd-udev-reload.hook'
         '30-systemd-update.hook')
-sha512sums=('468f772b3dfa83483da75516499c50159206dc5f8e26d7a62fc08437c93a4e536c0b27ee7fa5ac11fb1bc27a9c0e41315261751e5cc7428629a30849aeb23386'
+sha512sums=('4ffda9aee045ac793e87a86cdee1d089960542e21b44993381095399baacdf79c1867d36cdc242767acee725603ea70f942f8fd61e0a69fe0c888b0e4dd17a37'
             '3ccf783c28f7a1c857120abac4002ca91ae1f92205dcd5a84aff515d57e706a3f9240d75a0a67cff5085716885e06e62597baa86897f298662ec36a940cf410e'
             '61032d29241b74a0f28446f8cf1be0e8ec46d0847a61dadb2a4f096e8686d5f57fe5c72bcf386003f6520bc4b5856c32d63bf3efe7eb0bc0deefc9f68159e648'
             'c416e2121df83067376bcaacb58c05b01990f4614ad9de657d74b6da3efa441af251d13bf21e3f0f71ddcb4c9ea658b81da3d915667dc5c309c87ec32a1cb5a5'
             '5a1d78b5170da5abe3d18fdf9f2c3a4d78f15ba7d1ee9ec2708c4c9c2e28973469bc19386f70b3cf32ffafbe4fcc4303e5ebbd6d5187a1df3314ae0965b25e75'
             'b90c99d768dc2a4f020ba854edf45ccf1b86a09d2f66e475de21fe589ff7e32c33ef4aa0876d7f1864491488fd7edb2682fc0d68e83a6d4890a0778dc2d6fe19'
-            '2f12d7d00cf46334024db0382608a29e066f28eefe492438ab29fda505e80ad32d46f87a00ca41ae6567ff9b7835cf80c604baec0ee92b59ec6510b8508177a8'
+            '9835dbb46a3942e89774dd26f295af30ed9eb2cf7ba574e3016b0b4357536a102eb58d72b3add0ea7fd2a56d46b097f273dd02f68840b7a0211c9dbd2b0b7c29'
             '299dcc7094ce53474521356647bdd2fb069731c08d14a872a425412fcd72da840727a23664b12d95465bf313e8e8297da31259508d1c62cc2dcea596160e21c5'
             '0d6bc3d928cfafe4e4e0bc04dbb95c5d2b078573e4f9e0576e7f53a8fab08a7077202f575d74a3960248c4904b5f7f0661bf17dbe163c524ab51dd30e3cb80f7'
             '2b50b25e8680878f7974fa9d519df7e141ca11c4bfe84a92a5d01bb193f034b1726ea05b3c0030bad1fbda8dbb78bf1dc7b73859053581b55ba813c39b27d9dc'
@@ -239,7 +247,7 @@ package_systemd() {
           etc/udev/udev.conf)
   install=systemd.install
 
-  meson install -C build --destdir "$pkgdir" "${_meson_install[@]}"
+  meson install -C build --no-rebuild --destdir "$pkgdir" "${_meson_install[@]}"
 
   # we'll create this on installation
   rmdir "$pkgdir"/var/log/journal/remote
diff --git a/core/systemd/systemd-hook b/core/systemd/systemd-hook
index 64012bde8..d73b0f8a8 100644
--- a/core/systemd/systemd-hook
+++ b/core/systemd/systemd-hook
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ skip_chrooted() {
 systemd_live() {
   skip_chrooted
 
-  if ! systemd-notify --booted &>/dev/null; then
+  if ! systemd-notify --booted >/dev/null 2>&1; then
     echo >&2 "  Skipped: Current root is not booted."
     exit 0
   fi