diff --git a/deploy/user/socialmag-dash.service.in b/deploy/user/socialmag-dash.service.in
index a2e7ba6..ac59e90 100644
--- a/deploy/user/socialmag-dash.service.in
+++ b/deploy/user/socialmag-dash.service.in
@@ -4,14 +4,20 @@ After=network.target
 
 [Service]
 Type=simple
-# Serves the repo directory itself, so the page is at
-# http://127.0.0.1:8321/dashboard.html — refresher writes dashboard.json in
-# here too, both resolved off the package's own __file__.
-WorkingDirectory=@REPO@
+# WorkingDirectory is deliberately NOT the repo. `-m http.server` puts the
+# working directory first on sys.path, and the repo ships selectors.py — so
+# serving the repo by sitting in it makes socketserver import ours instead of
+# the stdlib's and the unit crash-loops on
+# "module 'selectors' has no attribute 'SelectSelector'".
+# --directory serves the files without standing in them.
+WorkingDirectory=/
+# The page is at http://127.0.0.1:8321/dashboard.html — refresher writes
+# dashboard.json into the same directory, both resolved off the package's own
+# __file__.
 # No --bind: the page is reachable from the LAN, not only from this box.
 # openbridge stays loopback-only, so a LAN viewer just falls back to opening a
 # new tab — progressive enhancement, and the page is never worse than it was.
-ExecStart=@VENV@/bin/python -m http.server 8321
+ExecStart=@VENV@/bin/python -m http.server 8321 --directory @REPO@
 Restart=on-failure
 RestartSec=5
 
diff --git a/install.sh b/install.sh
index 4303570..df84a5a 100755
--- a/install.sh
+++ b/install.sh
@@ -120,10 +120,11 @@ if [[ -z "$USER_BUS" ]]; then
       warn "  systemctl status user@$(id -u).service   # start here"
     fi
   fi
-  warn "until then, run the three by hand from $REPO:"
+  warn "until then, run the three by hand (from anywhere EXCEPT $REPO):"
   warn "  $VENV/bin/socialmag-openbridge &"
-  warn "  $VENV/bin/python -m http.server 8321 &"
+  warn "  $VENV/bin/python -m http.server 8321 --directory $REPO &"
   warn "  $VENV/bin/socialmag-refresh           # one pass, whenever you want it"
+  warn "  (-m from inside the repo imports its selectors.py over the stdlib's)"
 else
   mkdir -p "$UNIT_DIR"
   for src in "$REPO"/deploy/user/*.in; do