diff --git a/salt/salt/minion/boot_highstate.sls b/salt/salt/minion/boot_highstate.sls
index eb2596dad..b97972c9f 100644
--- a/salt/salt/minion/boot_highstate.sls
+++ b/salt/salt/minion/boot_highstate.sls
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@
 # https://securityonion.net/license; you may not use this file except in compliance with the
 # Elastic License 2.0.
 
+{% from 'vars/globals.map.jinja' import GLOBALS %}
+
 # Manages /etc/systemd/system/so-boot-highstate.service, a Type=oneshot
 # RemainAfterExit=yes unit that runs `salt-call state.highstate` exactly once
 # per system boot. Replaces the legacy `startup_states: highstate` minion
@@ -19,9 +21,25 @@ so_boot_highstate_unit_file:
     - onchanges_in:
       - module: systemd_reload
 
+# Non-managers never apply salt.minion during setup, so reaching this state means
+# setup is finished and the marker is safe to write unconditionally. This also
+# heals nodes installed before this fix, which have no marker and no legacy
+# startup_states line to grep for. Managers do highstate mid-setup, so they only
+# get the marker from the legacy upgrade signal; fresh installs get it from
+# mark_setup_complete in setup/so-functions.
+mark_setup_complete:
+  file.managed:
+    - name: /opt/so/state/setup-complete
+    - replace: false
+    - makedirs: True
+{% if GLOBALS.is_manager %}
+    - onlyif: "grep -qx 'startup_states: highstate' /etc/salt/minion"
+{% endif %}
+    - require_in:
+      - service: so_boot_highstate_service
+
 # Only enable once setup is complete. Until then the gate file is missing and
-# the unit's own ConditionPathExists would no-op it anyway -- this just keeps
-# `systemctl is-enabled` honest for the sync_es_users gate.
+# the unit's own ConditionPathExists would no-op it anyway.
 so_boot_highstate_service:
   service.enabled:
     - name: so-boot-highstate.service
diff --git a/salt/salt/minion/init.sls b/salt/salt/minion/init.sls
index fa94ec7be..a608788c2 100644
--- a/salt/salt/minion/init.sls
+++ b/salt/salt/minion/init.sls
@@ -87,27 +87,15 @@ set_log_levels:
 # so-boot-highstate.service (managed in salt.minion.boot_highstate), which
 # runs once per system boot only. Strip the line from /etc/salt/minion on
 # upgrade; both the commented and uncommented forms historically existed.
+# Ordered after mark_setup_complete (salt.minion.boot_highstate); the manager
+# gate there greps for this line, so it must run before we delete it.
 remove_startup_states:
   file.line:
     - name: /etc/salt/minion
     - match: 'startup_states: highstate'
     - mode: delete
-
-# Upgrade-path bridge: systems that already passed setup under the old gate
-# (`grep -x 'startup_states: highstate' /etc/salt/minion`) get a /opt/so/state/setup-complete
-# marker so so-boot-highstate.service can be enabled and the so-user_sync cron
-# in sync_es_users.sls keeps installing. Setup-in-progress systems instead get
-# the marker from `mark_setup_complete` in setup/so-functions at the right
-# moment. `replace: false` means we never overwrite a marker once written.
-mark_setup_complete_for_upgrades:
-  file.managed:
-    - name: /opt/so/state/setup-complete
-    - replace: false
-    - makedirs: True
-    - onlyif: "grep -qx 'startup_states: highstate' /etc/salt/minion"
-    - require_in:
-      - file: remove_startup_states
-      - service: so_boot_highstate_service
+    - require:
+      - file: mark_setup_complete
 
 {% endif %}
 
diff --git a/salt/setup/virt/setSalt.sls b/salt/setup/virt/setSalt.sls
index 59ab9e1e3..41496fea5 100644
--- a/salt/setup/virt/setSalt.sls
+++ b/salt/setup/virt/setSalt.sls
@@ -8,6 +8,15 @@ set_role_grain:
     - name: role
     - value: so-{{ grains.id.split("_") | last }}
 
+# salt-cloud guests never run so-setup, so nothing else marks them setup-complete.
+# Replaces the 'startup_states: highstate' line this state used to append. No
+# GLOBALS import -- this runs before the guest's pillars exist.
+mark_setup_complete_vm_guest:
+  file.managed:
+    - name: /opt/so/state/setup-complete
+    - replace: false
+    - makedirs: True
+
 enable_salt_minion:
   service.enabled:
     - name: salt-minion
diff --git a/setup/so-setup b/setup/so-setup
index 896505ba5..79fcabfeb 100755
--- a/setup/so-setup
+++ b/setup/so-setup
@@ -833,6 +833,7 @@ if ! [[ -f $install_opt_file ]]; then
 		check_sos_appliance
 		drop_install_options
 		hypervisor_local_states
+		mark_setup_complete
 		verify_setup
 	fi