diff --git a/dev-utils/_windows/msys/msys.py b/dev-utils/_windows/msys/msys.py
index 7dcffe2a..13882d35 100644
--- a/dev-utils/_windows/msys/msys.py
+++ b/dev-utils/_windows/msys/msys.py
@@ -1,105 +1,109 @@
 import io
 
 import info
 import shells
 
 from CraftOS.osutils import OsUtils
 
 from Package.MaybeVirtualPackageBase import *
 
 
 class subinfo(info.infoclass):
     def setTargets(self):
         ver = "20180531"
         arch = "i686"
         if CraftCore.compiler.isX64():
             arch = "x86_64"
         # don't set an actual version  instead of base. Msys must be manually updated so doing a craft update of msys wil break things.
         self.targets["base"] = f"http://repo.msys2.org/distrib/{arch}/msys2-base-{arch}-{ver}.tar.xz"
         self.targetDigests["base"] = (['8ef5b18c4c91f3f2394823f1981babdee78a945836b2625f091ec934b1a37d32'], CraftHash.HashAlgorithm.SHA256)
         self.targetDigestsX64["base"] = (['4e799b5c3efcf9efcb84923656b7bcff16f75a666911abd6620ea8e5e1e9870c'], CraftHash.HashAlgorithm.SHA256)
 
         self.defaultTarget = "base"
 
     def setDependencies(self):
         self.runtimeDependencies["virtual/bin-base"] = "default"
         self.runtimeDependencies["dev-utils/python3"] = "default"
 
     def msysInstallShim(self, installDir):
         return utils.createShim(os.path.join(installDir, "dev-utils", "bin", "msys.exe"),
                                 os.path.join(installDir, "dev-utils", "bin", "python3.exe"),
                                 args=os.path.join(CraftStandardDirs.craftBin(), "shells.py"))
 
 
 from Package.BinaryPackageBase import *
 
 
 class MsysPackage(BinaryPackageBase):
     def __init__(self):
         BinaryPackageBase.__init__(self)
         self.shell = shells.BashShell()
 
     def install(self):
         if CraftCore.compiler.isX64():
             utils.copyDir(os.path.join(self.sourceDir(), "msys64"), os.path.join(self.installDir(), "msys"))
         else:
             utils.copyDir(os.path.join(self.sourceDir(), "msys32"), os.path.join(self.installDir(), "msys"))
         return True
 
     def qmerge(self):
         if not self.subinfo.msysInstallShim(self.installDir()):
             return False
-        if not BinaryPackageBase.qmerge(self):
-            return False
+        return BinaryPackageBase.qmerge(self)
+
+    def postQmerge(self):
         msysDir = os.path.join(CraftStandardDirs.craftRoot(), "msys")
-        # start and restart msys before first use
-        if not (self.shell.execute(".", "echo", "Firstrun") and
-                utils.system("autorebase.bat", cwd=msysDir) and
-                self.shell.execute(".", "pacman-key", "--init") and
-                self.shell.execute(".", "pacman-key", "--populate")):
-            return False
+
+        def autorebase():
+            return (OsUtils.killProcess("*", msysDir) and
+                    utils.system("autorebase.bat", cwd=msysDir))
 
         def queryForUpdate():
             out = io.BytesIO()
             if not self.shell.execute(".", "pacman", "-Sy --noconfirm --force"):
                 raise Exception()
             self.shell.execute(".", "pacman", "-Qu --noconfirm", out=out, err=subprocess.PIPE)
             out = out.getvalue()
             return out != b""
 
+        # start and restart msys before first use
+        if not (self.shell.execute(".", "echo", "Firstrun") and
+                autorebase() and
+                self.shell.execute(".", "pacman-key", "--init") and
+                self.shell.execute(".", "pacman-key", "--populate")):
+            return False
+
         try:
             while queryForUpdate():
                 if not (self.shell.execute(".", "pacman", "-Su --noconfirm --force --ask 20") and
-                        OsUtils.killProcess("*", CraftCore.standardDirs.msysDir()) and
-                        utils.system("autorebase.bat", cwd=msysDir)):
+                        autorebase()):
                     return False
         except Exception as e:
             print(e)
             return False
         return (self.shell.execute(".", "pacman", "-S base-devel --noconfirm --force --needed") and
-                OsUtils.killProcess("*", CraftCore.standardDirs.msysDir()) and
-                utils.system("autorebase.bat", cwd=msysDir))
+                autorebase())
 
 
 class VirtualPackage(VirtualPackageBase):
     def __init__(self):
         VirtualPackageBase.__init__(self)
 
     def install(self):
         if not VirtualPackageBase.install(self):
             return False
         return self.subinfo.msysInstallShim(self.installDir())
 
 
 class Package(MaybeVirtualPackageBase):
     def __init__(self):
         self.skipCondition = ("Paths", "Msys") not in CraftCore.settings
         MaybeVirtualPackageBase.__init__(self, condition=self.skipCondition, classA=MsysPackage, classB=VirtualPackage)
 
         if not self.skipCondition:
             # override the install method
             def install():
                 CraftCore.log.info(f"Using manually installed msys {CraftStandardDirs.msysDir()}")
                 return self.baseClass.install(self)
 
             setattr(self, "install", install)