diff --git a/mermaids.sh b/mermaids.sh
index 3d4b441..b2897bd 100644
--- a/mermaids.sh
+++ b/mermaids.sh
@@ -130,7 +130,13 @@ PORT="${1:-80}"
 
 # 1. Update & install Caddy + deps
 log "Updating system..."
-apt-get update -qq
+apt-get clean -y
+rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
+apt-get update -o Acquire::Retries=3 || {
+  warn "First apt-get update failed. Checking network..."
+  cat /etc/resolv.conf
+  exit 1
+}
 apt-get install -y -qq wget ufw
 
 # 2. Download Mermaid (offline bundled)