diff --git a/board/mentalnet/INSTALL-GUIDE.md b/board/mentalnet/INSTALL-GUIDE.md
index dea1d4e..ca8b731 100644
--- a/board/mentalnet/INSTALL-GUIDE.md
+++ b/board/mentalnet/INSTALL-GUIDE.md
@@ -275,7 +275,7 @@ Everything Mentalnet-specific lives here:
 | `board/mentalnet/overlay/etc/resolv.conf` | symlink so DHCP DNS works on the read-only CD |
 | `board/mentalnet/overlay/etc/lighttpd/` | web server configuration |
 | `fs/iso9660/grub.cfg` | live CD boot menu (`root=/dev/sr0 ro`) |
-| `board/mentalnet/post-build.sh` | stamps `BUILD_ID` into os-release and the login banner (wired via `BR2_ROOTFS_POST_BUILD_SCRIPT`) |
+| `board/mentalnet/post-build.sh` | writes the Mentalnet-branded os-release (`BUILD_ID` + `PRETTY_NAME` with the build stamp) and the login banner (wired via `BR2_ROOTFS_POST_BUILD_SCRIPT`) |
 | `board/mentalnet/post-image.sh` | publishes the ISO under a unique dated name + SHA256 (wired via `BR2_ROOTFS_POST_IMAGE_SCRIPT`) |
 | `localversion.config` | kernel version suffix (`-mentalnet-intel32`) |
 | `.config` | Buildroot configuration: GRUB2 embedded config path and module list, kernel fragment list, e2fsprogs/grub install tools |
diff --git a/board/mentalnet/post-build.sh b/board/mentalnet/post-build.sh
index a02fe2a..1585f0c 100755
--- a/board/mentalnet/post-build.sh
+++ b/board/mentalnet/post-build.sh
@@ -21,10 +21,17 @@ IMAGES_DIR="$(dirname "${TARGET_DIR}")/images"
 mkdir -p "${IMAGES_DIR}"
 echo "${STAMP}" > "${IMAGES_DIR}/.mn-build-stamp"
 
-# /etc/os-release (regular file lives at /usr/lib/os-release)
+# /etc/os-release (regular file lives at /usr/lib/os-release; /etc/os-release
+# is a symlink to it) - Mentalnet branding, Buildroot defaults dropped
 OS_RELEASE="${TARGET_DIR}/usr/lib/os-release"
-sed -i '/^BUILD_ID=/d' "${OS_RELEASE}"
-echo "BUILD_ID=\"${STAMP}\"" >> "${OS_RELEASE}"
+cat > "${OS_RELEASE}" <<EOF
+NAME="Mentalnet GNU/Linux"
+VERSION="0.1 (intel32, build ${STAMP})"
+ID=mentalnet
+VERSION_ID="0.1"
+PRETTY_NAME="Mentalnet GNU/Linux intel32 0.1 (build ${STAMP})"
+BUILD_ID="${STAMP}"
+EOF
 
 # login banner
 ISSUE="${TARGET_DIR}/etc/issue"