diff --git a/.github/dependabot.yml b/.github/dependabot.yml
index af9b74db..7a5d2064 100644
--- a/.github/dependabot.yml
+++ b/.github/dependabot.yml
@@ -8,6 +8,10 @@ updates:
     time: "10:00"
   open-pull-requests-limit: 10
   target-branch: development
+  groups:
+    github-actions-dependencies:
+      patterns:
+        - "*"
 - package-ecosystem: pip
   directory: "/test"
   schedule:
@@ -16,3 +20,7 @@ updates:
     time: "10:00"
   open-pull-requests-limit: 10
   target-branch: development
+  groups:
+    python-dependencies:
+      patterns:
+        - "*"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/stale.yml b/.github/workflows/stale.yml
index a0dd9a31..34ffb64e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/stale.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/stale.yml
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ jobs:
           days-before-close: 5
           stale-issue-message: 'This issue is stale because it has been open 30 days with no activity. Please comment or update this issue or it will be closed in 5 days.'
           stale-issue-label: '${{ env.stale_label }}'
-          exempt-issue-labels: 'Internal, Fixed in next release, Bug: Confirmed, Documentation Needed'
+          exempt-issue-labels: 'Internal, Fixed in next release, Bug: Confirmed, Documentation Needed, never-stale'
           exempt-all-issue-assignees: true
           operations-per-run: 300
           close-issue-reason: 'not_planned'
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test.yml b/.github/workflows/test.yml
index ac496406..c2e8f951 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test.yml
@@ -80,10 +80,10 @@ jobs:
       - name: Checkout repository
         uses: actions/checkout@v4.2.2
 
-      - name: Set up Python 3.10
+      - name: Set up Python
         uses: actions/setup-python@v5.6.0
         with:
-          python-version: "3.10"
+          python-version: "3.13"
 
       - name: Install wheel
         run:  pip install wheel
diff --git a/advanced/Scripts/COL_TABLE b/advanced/Scripts/COL_TABLE
index f9a014fc..7d339c0e 100644
--- a/advanced/Scripts/COL_TABLE
+++ b/advanced/Scripts/COL_TABLE
@@ -1,11 +1,12 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env sh
+# shellcheck disable=SC2034  # Disable warning about unused variables
+
 # Determine if terminal is capable of showing colors
-if [ -t 1 ] && [ "$(tput colors)" -ge 8 ]; then
+# When COL_TABLE is sourced via gravity invoked by FTL, FORCE_COLOR is set to true
+if { [ -t 1 ] && [ "$(tput colors)" -ge 8 ]; } || [ "${FORCE_COLOR}" ]; then
   # Bold and underline may not show up on all clients
   # If something MUST be emphasized, use both
   COL_BOLD=''
-  COL_ULINE=''
-
   COL_NC=''
   COL_GRAY=''
   COL_RED=''
@@ -17,8 +18,6 @@ if [ -t 1 ] && [ "$(tput colors)" -ge 8 ]; then
 else
   # Provide empty variables for `set -u`
   COL_BOLD=""
-  COL_ULINE=""
-
   COL_NC=""
   COL_GRAY=""
   COL_RED=""
@@ -29,22 +28,8 @@ else
   COL_CYAN=""
 fi
 
-# Deprecated variables
-COL_WHITE="${COL_BOLD}"
-COL_BLACK="${COL_NC}"
-COL_LIGHT_BLUE="${COL_BLUE}"
-COL_LIGHT_GREEN="${COL_GREEN}"
-COL_LIGHT_CYAN="${COL_CYAN}"
-COL_LIGHT_RED="${COL_RED}"
-COL_URG_RED="${COL_RED}${COL_BOLD}${COL_ULINE}"
-COL_LIGHT_PURPLE="${COL_PURPLE}"
-COL_BROWN="${COL_YELLOW}"
-COL_LIGHT_GRAY="${COL_GRAY}"
-COL_DARK_GRAY="${COL_GRAY}"
-
 TICK="[${COL_GREEN}✓${COL_NC}]"
 CROSS="[${COL_RED}✗${COL_NC}]"
 INFO="[i]"
 QST="[?]"
-DONE="${COL_GREEN} done!${COL_NC}"
 OVER="\\r"
diff --git a/advanced/Scripts/api.sh b/advanced/Scripts/api.sh
index 613a8d86..e5eacd41 100755
--- a/advanced/Scripts/api.sh
+++ b/advanced/Scripts/api.sh
@@ -22,7 +22,8 @@ TestAPIAvailability() {
     local chaos_api_list authResponse authStatus authData apiAvailable DNSport
 
     # as we are running locally, we can get the port value from FTL directly
-    readonly utilsfile="${PI_HOLE_SCRIPT_DIR}/utils.sh"
+    PI_HOLE_SCRIPT_DIR="/opt/pihole"
+    utilsfile="${PI_HOLE_SCRIPT_DIR}/utils.sh"
     # shellcheck source=./advanced/Scripts/utils.sh
     . "${utilsfile}"
 
diff --git a/advanced/Scripts/piholeCheckout.sh b/advanced/Scripts/piholeCheckout.sh
index beaac5f1..a6df46f2 100755
--- a/advanced/Scripts/piholeCheckout.sh
+++ b/advanced/Scripts/piholeCheckout.sh
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ source "${PI_HOLE_FILES_DIR}/automated install/basic-install.sh"
 warning1() {
     echo "  Please note that changing branches severely alters your Pi-hole subsystems"
     echo "  Features that work on the master branch, may not on a development branch"
-    echo -e "  ${COL_LIGHT_RED}This feature is NOT supported unless a Pi-hole developer explicitly asks!${COL_NC}"
+    echo -e "  ${COL_RED}This feature is NOT supported unless a Pi-hole developer explicitly asks!${COL_NC}"
     read -r -p "  Have you read and understood this? [y/N] " response
     case "${response}" in
         [yY][eE][sS]|[yY])
@@ -55,19 +55,19 @@ checkout() {
 
     # This is unlikely
     if ! is_repo "${PI_HOLE_FILES_DIR}" ; then
-        echo -e "  ${COL_LIGHT_RED}Error: Core Pi-hole repo is missing from system!"
+        echo -e "  ${COL_RED}Error: Core Pi-hole repo is missing from system!"
         echo -e "  Please re-run install script from https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole${COL_NC}"
         exit 1;
     fi
 
     if ! is_repo "${webInterfaceDir}" ; then
-        echo -e "  ${COL_LIGHT_RED}Error: Web Admin repo is missing from system!"
+        echo -e "  ${COL_RED}Error: Web Admin repo is missing from system!"
         echo -e "  Please re-run install script from https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole${COL_NC}"
         exit 1;
     fi
 
     if [[ -z "${1}" ]]; then
-        echo -e "  ${COL_LIGHT_RED}Invalid option${COL_NC}"
+        echo -e "  ${COL_RED}Invalid option${COL_NC}"
         echo -e "  Try 'pihole checkout --help' for more information."
         exit 1
     fi
@@ -238,7 +238,7 @@ checkout() {
         if "${PI_HOLE_FILES_DIR}/automated install/basic-install.sh" --unattended; then
             exit 0
         else
-            echo -e "  ${COL_LIGHT_RED} Error: Unable to complete update, please contact support${COL_NC}"
+            echo -e "  ${COL_RED} Error: Unable to complete update, please contact support${COL_NC}"
             exit 1
         fi
     fi
diff --git a/advanced/Scripts/piholeDebug.sh b/advanced/Scripts/piholeDebug.sh
index 741ff2f4..2b903e50 100755
--- a/advanced/Scripts/piholeDebug.sh
+++ b/advanced/Scripts/piholeDebug.sh
@@ -367,7 +367,7 @@ check_firewalld() {
             # test common required service ports
             local firewalld_enabled_services
             firewalld_enabled_services=$(firewall-cmd --list-services)
-            local firewalld_expected_services=("http" "dns" "dhcp" "dhcpv6")
+            local firewalld_expected_services=("http" "https" "dns" "dhcp" "dhcpv6" "ntp")
             for i in "${firewalld_expected_services[@]}"; do
                 if [[ "${firewalld_enabled_services}" =~ ${i} ]]; then
                     log_write "${TICK} ${COL_GREEN}  Allow Service: ${i}${COL_NC}";
@@ -388,14 +388,6 @@ check_firewalld() {
                 else
                     log_write "${CROSS} ${COL_RED}  Local Interface Not Detected${COL_NC} (${FAQ_HARDWARE_REQUIREMENTS_FIREWALLD})"
                 fi
-                # check FTL custom zone port: 4711
-                local firewalld_ftl_zone_ports
-                firewalld_ftl_zone_ports=$(firewall-cmd --zone=ftl --list-ports)
-                if [[ "${firewalld_ftl_zone_ports}" =~ "4711/tcp" ]]; then
-                    log_write "${TICK} ${COL_GREEN}  FTL Port 4711/tcp Detected${COL_NC}";
-                else
-                    log_write "${CROSS} ${COL_RED}  FTL Port 4711/tcp Not Detected${COL_NC} (${FAQ_HARDWARE_REQUIREMENTS_FIREWALLD})"
-                fi
             else
                 log_write "${CROSS} ${COL_RED}FTL Custom Zone Not Detected${COL_NC} (${FAQ_HARDWARE_REQUIREMENTS_FIREWALLD})"
             fi
@@ -497,16 +489,25 @@ ping_gateway() {
     ping_ipv4_or_ipv6 "${protocol}"
     # Check if we are using IPv4 or IPv6
     # Find the default gateways using IPv4 or IPv6
-    local gateway gateway_addr gateway_iface
+    local gateway gateway_addr gateway_iface default_route
 
     log_write "${INFO} Default IPv${protocol} gateway(s):"
 
-    while IFS= read -r gateway; do
-        log_write "     $(cut -d ' ' -f 3 <<< "${gateway}")%$(cut -d ' ' -f 5 <<< "${gateway}")"
-    done < <(ip -"${protocol}" route | grep default)
+    while IFS= read -r default_route; do
+        gateway_addr=$(jq -r '.gateway' <<< "${default_route}")
+        gateway_iface=$(jq -r '.dev' <<< "${default_route}")
+        log_write "     ${gateway_addr}%${gateway_iface}"
+    done < <(ip -j -"${protocol}" route | jq -c '.[] | select(.dst == "default")')
+
+    # Find the first default route
+    default_route=$(ip -j -"${protocol}" route show default)
+    if echo "$default_route" | grep 'gateway' | grep -q 'dev'; then
+        gateway_addr=$(echo "$default_route" | jq -r -c '.[0].gateway')
+        gateway_iface=$(echo "$default_route" | jq -r -c '.[0].dev')
+    else
+        log_write "     Unable to determine gateway address for IPv${protocol}"
+    fi
 
-    gateway_addr=$(ip -"${protocol}" route | grep default | cut -d ' ' -f 3 | head -n 1)
-    gateway_iface=$(ip -"${protocol}" route | grep default | cut -d ' ' -f 5 | head -n 1)
     # If there was at least one gateway
     if [ -n "${gateway_addr}" ]; then
         # Append the interface to the gateway address if it is a link-local address
diff --git a/advanced/Scripts/update.sh b/advanced/Scripts/update.sh
index 51c1b1a1..4e0d973e 100755
--- a/advanced/Scripts/update.sh
+++ b/advanced/Scripts/update.sh
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ GitCheckUpdateAvail() {
 
     # Fetch latest changes in this repo
     if ! git fetch --quiet origin ; then
-        echo -e "\\n  ${COL_LIGHT_RED}Error: Unable to update local repository. Contact Pi-hole Support.${COL_NC}"
+        echo -e "\\n  ${COL_RED}Error: Unable to update local repository. Contact Pi-hole Support.${COL_NC}"
         exit 1
     fi
 
@@ -76,13 +76,13 @@ GitCheckUpdateAvail() {
 
 
     if [[ "${#LOCAL}" == 0 ]]; then
-        echo -e "\\n  ${COL_LIGHT_RED}Error: Local revision could not be obtained, please contact Pi-hole Support"
+        echo -e "\\n  ${COL_RED}Error: Local revision could not be obtained, please contact Pi-hole Support"
         echo -e "  Additional debugging output:${COL_NC}"
         git status
         exit 1
     fi
     if [[ "${#REMOTE}" == 0 ]]; then
-        echo -e "\\n  ${COL_LIGHT_RED}Error: Remote revision could not be obtained, please contact Pi-hole Support"
+        echo -e "\\n  ${COL_RED}Error: Remote revision could not be obtained, please contact Pi-hole Support"
         echo -e "  Additional debugging output:${COL_NC}"
         git status
         exit 1
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ GitCheckUpdateAvail() {
 }
 
 main() {
-    local basicError="\\n  ${COL_LIGHT_RED}Unable to complete update, please contact Pi-hole Support${COL_NC}"
+    local basicError="\\n  ${COL_RED}Unable to complete update, please contact Pi-hole Support${COL_NC}"
     local core_update
     local web_update
     local FTL_update
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ main() {
 
     # This is unlikely
     if ! is_repo "${PI_HOLE_FILES_DIR}" ; then
-        echo -e "\\n  ${COL_LIGHT_RED}Error: Core Pi-hole repo is missing from system!"
+        echo -e "\\n  ${COL_RED}Error: Core Pi-hole repo is missing from system!"
         echo -e "  Please re-run install script from https://pi-hole.net${COL_NC}"
         exit 1;
     fi
@@ -132,11 +132,11 @@ main() {
         echo -e "  ${INFO} Pi-hole Core:\\t${COL_YELLOW}update available${COL_NC}"
     else
         core_update=false
-        echo -e "  ${INFO} Pi-hole Core:\\t${COL_LIGHT_GREEN}up to date${COL_NC}"
+        echo -e "  ${INFO} Pi-hole Core:\\t${COL_GREEN}up to date${COL_NC}"
     fi
 
     if ! is_repo "${ADMIN_INTERFACE_DIR}" ; then
-        echo -e "\\n  ${COL_LIGHT_RED}Error: Web Admin repo is missing from system!"
+        echo -e "\\n  ${COL_RED}Error: Web Admin repo is missing from system!"
         echo -e "  Please re-run install script from https://pi-hole.net${COL_NC}"
         exit 1;
     fi
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ main() {
         echo -e "  ${INFO} Web Interface:\\t${COL_YELLOW}update available${COL_NC}"
     else
         web_update=false
-        echo -e "  ${INFO} Web Interface:\\t${COL_LIGHT_GREEN}up to date${COL_NC}"
+        echo -e "  ${INFO} Web Interface:\\t${COL_GREEN}up to date${COL_NC}"
     fi
 
     local funcOutput
@@ -160,17 +160,18 @@ main() {
     else
         case $? in
             1)
-                echo -e "  ${INFO} FTL:\\t\\t${COL_LIGHT_GREEN}up to date${COL_NC}"
+                echo -e "  ${INFO} FTL:\\t\\t${COL_GREEN}up to date${COL_NC}"
                 ;;
             2)
-                echo -e "  ${INFO} FTL:\\t\\t${COL_LIGHT_RED}Branch is not available.${COL_NC}\\n\\t\\t\\tUse ${COL_LIGHT_GREEN}pihole checkout ftl [branchname]${COL_NC} to switch to a valid branch."
+                echo -e "  ${INFO} FTL:\\t\\t${COL_RED}Branch is not available.${COL_NC}\\n\\t\\t\\tUse ${COL_GREEN}pihole checkout ftl [branchname]${COL_NC} to switch to a valid branch."
+                exit 1
                 ;;
             3)
-                echo -e "  ${INFO} FTL:\\t\\t${COL_LIGHT_RED}Something has gone wrong, cannot reach download server${COL_NC}"
+                echo -e "  ${INFO} FTL:\\t\\t${COL_RED}Something has gone wrong, cannot reach download server${COL_NC}"
                 exit 1
                 ;;
             *)
-                echo -e "  ${INFO} FTL:\\t\\t${COL_LIGHT_RED}Something has gone wrong, contact support${COL_NC}"
+                echo -e "  ${INFO} FTL:\\t\\t${COL_RED}Something has gone wrong, contact support${COL_NC}"
                 exit 1
         esac
         FTL_update=false
@@ -187,7 +188,7 @@ main() {
     if [[ ! "${ftlBranch}" == "master" && ! "${ftlBranch}" == "development" ]]; then
         # Notify user that they are on a custom branch which might mean they they are lost
         # behind if a branch was merged to development and got abandoned
-        printf "  %b %bWarning:%b You are using FTL from a custom branch (%s) and might be missing future releases.\\n" "${INFO}" "${COL_LIGHT_RED}" "${COL_NC}" "${ftlBranch}"
+        printf "  %b %bWarning:%b You are using FTL from a custom branch (%s) and might be missing future releases.\\n" "${INFO}" "${COL_RED}" "${COL_NC}" "${ftlBranch}"
     fi
 
     if [[ "${core_update}" == false && "${web_update}" == false && "${FTL_update}" == false ]]; then
diff --git a/automated install/basic-install.sh b/automated install/basic-install.sh
index 279dc1d1..ac467dda 100755
--- a/automated install/basic-install.sh	
+++ b/automated install/basic-install.sh	
@@ -173,13 +173,11 @@ if [[ -f "${coltable}" ]]; then
 else
     # Set these values so the installer can still run in color
     COL_NC='\e[0m' # No Color
-    COL_LIGHT_GREEN='\e[1;32m'
-    COL_LIGHT_RED='\e[1;31m'
-    TICK="[${COL_LIGHT_GREEN}✓${COL_NC}]"
-    CROSS="[${COL_LIGHT_RED}✗${COL_NC}]"
+    COL_GREEN='\e[1;32m'
+    COL_RED='\e[1;31m'
+    TICK="[${COL_GREEN}✓${COL_NC}]"
+    CROSS="[${COL_RED}✗${COL_NC}]"
     INFO="[i]"
-    # shellcheck disable=SC2034
-    DONE="${COL_LIGHT_GREEN} done!${COL_NC}"
     OVER="\\r\\033[K"
 fi
 
@@ -187,13 +185,13 @@ fi
 # This lets users know that it is a Pi-hole, LLC product
 show_ascii_berry() {
     echo -e "
-        ${COL_LIGHT_GREEN}.;;,.
+        ${COL_GREEN}.;;,.
         .ccccc:,.
          :cccclll:.      ..,,
           :ccccclll.   ;ooodc
            'ccll:;ll .oooodc
              .;cll.;;looo:.
-                 ${COL_LIGHT_RED}.. ','.
+                 ${COL_RED}.. ','.
                 .',,,,,,'.
               .',,,,,,,,,,.
             .',,,,,,,,,,,,....
@@ -215,7 +213,7 @@ abort() {
     # remove any leftover build directory that may exist
     rm -rf /tmp/pihole-meta_*
 
-    echo -e "\\n\\n  ${COL_LIGHT_RED}Installation was interrupted${COL_NC}\\n"
+    echo -e "\\n\\n  ${COL_RED}Installation was interrupted${COL_NC}\\n"
     echo -e "Pi-hole's dependencies might be already installed. If you want to remove them you can try to\\n"
     echo -e "a) run 'pihole uninstall' \\n"
     echo -e "b) Remove the meta-package 'pihole-meta' manually \\n"
@@ -231,6 +229,13 @@ is_command() {
     command -v "${check_command}" >/dev/null 2>&1
 }
 
+check_fresh_install() {
+    # in case of an update (can be a v5 -> v6 or v6 -> v6 update) or repair
+    if [[ -f "${PI_HOLE_V6_CONFIG}" ]] || [[ -f "/etc/pihole/setupVars.conf" ]]; then
+        fresh_install=false
+    fi
+}
+
 # Compatibility
 package_manager_detect() {
 
@@ -247,8 +252,6 @@ package_manager_detect() {
         PKG_COUNT="${PKG_MANAGER} -s -o Debug::NoLocking=true upgrade | grep -c ^Inst || true"
         # The command we will use to remove packages (used in the uninstaller)
         PKG_REMOVE="${PKG_MANAGER} -y remove --purge"
-        # Update package cache
-        update_package_cache || exit 1
 
     # If apt-get is not found, check for rpm.
     elif is_command rpm; then
@@ -308,7 +311,7 @@ build_dependency_package(){
             printf "%b  %b %s\\n" "${OVER}" "${TICK}" "${str}"
         else
             printf "%b  %b %s\\n" "${OVER}" "${CROSS}" "${str}"
-            printf "%b Error: Building pihole-meta.deb failed. %b\\n" "${COL_LIGHT_RED}" "${COL_NC}"
+            printf "%b Error: Building pihole-meta.deb failed. %b\\n" "${COL_RED}" "${COL_NC}"
             return 1
         fi
 
@@ -341,7 +344,7 @@ build_dependency_package(){
             printf "%b  %b %s\\n" "${OVER}" "${TICK}" "${str}"
         else
             printf "%b  %b %s\\n" "${OVER}" "${CROSS}" "${str}"
-            printf "%b Error: Building pihole-meta.rpm failed. %b\\n" "${COL_LIGHT_RED}" "${COL_NC}"
+            printf "%b Error: Building pihole-meta.rpm failed. %b\\n" "${COL_RED}" "${COL_NC}"
             return 1
         fi
 
@@ -483,7 +486,7 @@ getGitFiles() {
         printf "%b  %b %s\\n" "${OVER}" "${TICK}" "${str}"
         # Update the repo, returning an error message on failure
         update_repo "${directory}" || {
-            printf "\\n  %b: Could not update local repository. Contact support.%b\\n" "${COL_LIGHT_RED}" "${COL_NC}"
+            printf "\\n  %b: Could not update local repository. Contact support.%b\\n" "${COL_RED}" "${COL_NC}"
             exit 1
         }
     # If it's not a .git repo,
@@ -492,7 +495,7 @@ getGitFiles() {
         printf "%b  %b %s\\n" "${OVER}" "${CROSS}" "${str}"
         # Attempt to make the repository, showing an error on failure
         make_repo "${directory}" "${remoteRepo}" || {
-            printf "\\n  %bError: Could not update local repository. Contact support.%b\\n" "${COL_LIGHT_RED}" "${COL_NC}"
+            printf "\\n  %bError: Could not update local repository. Contact support.%b\\n" "${COL_RED}" "${COL_NC}"
             exit 1
         }
     fi
@@ -577,7 +580,10 @@ Do you wish to continue with an IPv6-only installation?\\n\\n" \
 # Get available interfaces that are UP
 get_available_interfaces() {
     # There may be more than one so it's all stored in a variable
-    availableInterfaces=$(ip --oneline link show up | awk '{print $2}' |  grep -v "^lo" | cut -d':' -f1 | cut -d'@' -f1)
+    # The ip command list all interfaces that are in the up state
+    # The awk command filters out any interfaces that have the LOOPBACK flag set
+    # while using the characters ": " or "@" as a field separator for awk
+    availableInterfaces=$(ip --oneline link show up | awk -F ': |@' '!/<.*LOOPBACK.*>/ {print $2}')
 }
 
 # A function for displaying the dialogs the user sees when first running the installer
@@ -807,7 +813,7 @@ setDNS() {
     result=$?
     case ${result} in
     "${DIALOG_CANCEL}" | "${DIALOG_ESC}")
-        printf "  %b Cancel was selected, exiting installer%b\\n" "${COL_LIGHT_RED}" "${COL_NC}"
+        printf "  %b Cancel was selected, exiting installer%b\\n" "${COL_RED}" "${COL_NC}"
         exit 1
         ;;
     esac
@@ -844,7 +850,7 @@ If you want to specify a port other than 53, separate it with a hash.\
             result=$?
             case ${result} in
             "${DIALOG_CANCEL}" | "${DIALOG_ESC}")
-                printf "  %b Cancel was selected, exiting installer%b\\n" "${COL_LIGHT_RED}" "${COL_NC}"
+                printf "  %b Cancel was selected, exiting installer%b\\n" "${COL_RED}" "${COL_NC}"
                 exit 1
                 ;;
             esac
@@ -898,7 +904,7 @@ If you want to specify a port other than 53, separate it with a hash.\
                     DNSSettingsCorrect=False
                     ;;
                 "${DIALOG_ESC}")
-                    printf "  %b Escape pressed, exiting installer at DNS Settings%b\\n" "${COL_LIGHT_RED}" "${COL_NC}"
+                    printf "  %b Escape pressed, exiting installer at DNS Settings%b\\n" "${COL_RED}" "${COL_NC}"
                     exit 1
                     ;;
                 esac
@@ -949,7 +955,7 @@ setLogging() {
         ;;
     "${DIALOG_ESC}")
         # User pressed <ESC>
-        printf "  %b Escape pressed, exiting installer at Query Logging choice.%b\\n" "${COL_LIGHT_RED}" "${COL_NC}"
+        printf "  %b Escape pressed, exiting installer at Query Logging choice.%b\\n" "${COL_RED}" "${COL_NC}"
         exit 1
         ;;
     esac
@@ -974,7 +980,7 @@ setPrivacyLevel() {
         printf "  %b Using privacy level: %s\\n" "${INFO}" "${PRIVACY_LEVEL}"
         ;;
     "${DIALOG_CANCEL}" | "${DIALOG_ESC}")
-        printf "  %b Cancelled privacy level selection.%b\\n" "${COL_LIGHT_RED}" "${COL_NC}"
+        printf "  %b Cancelled privacy level selection.%b\\n" "${COL_RED}" "${COL_NC}"
         exit 1
         ;;
     esac
@@ -1008,7 +1014,7 @@ chooseBlocklists() {
         ;;
     "${DIALOG_ESC}")
         # User pressed <ESC>
-        printf "  %b Escape pressed, exiting installer at blocklist choice.%b\\n" "${COL_LIGHT_RED}" "${COL_NC}"
+        printf "  %b Escape pressed, exiting installer at blocklist choice.%b\\n" "${COL_RED}" "${COL_NC}"
         exit 1
         ;;
     esac
@@ -1134,7 +1140,7 @@ installScripts() {
     else
         # Otherwise, show an error and exit
         printf "%b  %b %s\\n" "${OVER}" "${CROSS}" "${str}"
-        printf "\\t\\t%bError: Local repo %s not found, exiting installer%b\\n" "${COL_LIGHT_RED}" "${PI_HOLE_LOCAL_REPO}" "${COL_NC}"
+        printf "\\t\\t%bError: Local repo %s not found, exiting installer%b\\n" "${COL_RED}" "${PI_HOLE_LOCAL_REPO}" "${COL_NC}"
         return 1
     fi
 }
@@ -1149,7 +1155,7 @@ installConfigs() {
     # Install empty custom.list file if it does not exist
     if [[ ! -r "${PI_HOLE_CONFIG_DIR}/hosts/custom.list" ]]; then
         if ! install -D -T -o pihole -g pihole -m 660 /dev/null "${PI_HOLE_CONFIG_DIR}/hosts/custom.list" &>/dev/null; then
-            printf "  %b Error: Unable to initialize configuration file %s/custom.list\\n" "${COL_LIGHT_RED}" "${PI_HOLE_CONFIG_DIR}/hosts"
+            printf "  %b Error: Unable to initialize configuration file %s/custom.list\\n" "${COL_RED}" "${PI_HOLE_CONFIG_DIR}/hosts"
             return 1
         fi
     fi
@@ -1328,7 +1334,7 @@ update_package_cache() {
             UPDATE_PKG_CACHE="apt update"
         fi
         printf "%b  %b %s\\n" "${OVER}" "${CROSS}" "${str}"
-        printf "  %b Error: Unable to update package cache. Please try \"%s\"%b\\n" "${COL_LIGHT_RED}" "sudo ${UPDATE_PKG_CACHE}" "${COL_NC}"
+        printf "  %b Error: Unable to update package cache. Please try \"%s\"%b\\n" "${COL_RED}" "sudo ${UPDATE_PKG_CACHE}" "${COL_NC}"
         return 1
     fi
 }
@@ -1346,7 +1352,7 @@ notify_package_updates_available() {
         printf "%b  %b %s... up to date!\\n\\n" "${OVER}" "${TICK}" "${str}"
     else
         printf "%b  %b %s... %s updates available\\n" "${OVER}" "${TICK}" "${str}" "${updatesToInstall}"
-        printf "  %b %bIt is recommended to update your OS after installing the Pi-hole!%b\\n\\n" "${INFO}" "${COL_LIGHT_GREEN}" "${COL_NC}"
+        printf "  %b %bIt is recommended to update your OS after installing the Pi-hole!%b\\n\\n" "${INFO}" "${COL_GREEN}" "${COL_NC}"
     fi
 }
 
@@ -1363,11 +1369,11 @@ install_dependent_packages() {
                 rm /tmp/pihole-meta.deb
             else
                 printf "%b  %b %s\\n" "${OVER}" "${CROSS}" "${str}"
-                printf "  %b Error: Unable to install Pi-hole dependency package.\\n" "${COL_LIGHT_RED}"
+                printf "  %b Error: Unable to install Pi-hole dependency package.\\n" "${COL_RED}"
                 return 1
             fi
         else
-            printf "  %b Error: Unable to find Pi-hole dependency package.\\n" "${COL_LIGHT_RED}"
+            printf "  %b Error: Unable to find Pi-hole dependency package.\\n" "${COL_RED}"
             return 1
         fi
     # Install Fedora/CentOS packages
@@ -1378,11 +1384,11 @@ install_dependent_packages() {
                 rm /tmp/pihole-meta.rpm
             else
                 printf "%b  %b %s\\n" "${OVER}" "${CROSS}" "${str}"
-                printf "  %b Error: Unable to install Pi-hole dependency package.\\n" "${COL_LIGHT_RED}"
+                printf "  %b Error: Unable to install Pi-hole dependency package.\\n" "${COL_RED}"
                 return 1
             fi
         else
-            printf "  %b Error: Unable to find Pi-hole dependency package.\\n" "${COL_LIGHT_RED}"
+            printf "  %b Error: Unable to find Pi-hole dependency package.\\n" "${COL_RED}"
             return 1
         fi
 
@@ -1611,13 +1617,13 @@ checkSelinux() {
     if [[ "${SELINUX_ENFORCING}" -eq 1 ]] && [[ -z "${PIHOLE_SELINUX}" ]]; then
         printf "  Pi-hole does not provide an SELinux policy as the required changes modify the security of your system.\\n"
         printf "  Please refer to https://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/SELinux if SELinux is required for your deployment.\\n"
-        printf "      This check can be skipped by setting the environment variable %bPIHOLE_SELINUX%b to %btrue%b\\n" "${COL_LIGHT_RED}" "${COL_NC}" "${COL_LIGHT_RED}" "${COL_NC}"
+        printf "      This check can be skipped by setting the environment variable %bPIHOLE_SELINUX%b to %btrue%b\\n" "${COL_RED}" "${COL_NC}" "${COL_RED}" "${COL_NC}"
         printf "      e.g: export PIHOLE_SELINUX=true\\n"
         printf "      By setting this variable to true you acknowledge there may be issues with Pi-hole during or after the install\\n"
-        printf "\\n  %bSELinux Enforcing detected, exiting installer%b\\n" "${COL_LIGHT_RED}" "${COL_NC}"
+        printf "\\n  %bSELinux Enforcing detected, exiting installer%b\\n" "${COL_RED}" "${COL_NC}"
         exit 1
     elif [[ "${SELINUX_ENFORCING}" -eq 1 ]] && [[ -n "${PIHOLE_SELINUX}" ]]; then
-        printf "  %b %bSELinux Enforcing detected%b. PIHOLE_SELINUX env variable set - installer will continue\\n" "${INFO}" "${COL_LIGHT_RED}" "${COL_NC}"
+        printf "  %b %bSELinux Enforcing detected%b. PIHOLE_SELINUX env variable set - installer will continue\\n" "${INFO}" "${COL_RED}" "${COL_NC}"
     fi
 }
 
@@ -1715,13 +1721,13 @@ clone_or_reset_repos() {
         # Reset the Core repo
         resetRepo ${PI_HOLE_LOCAL_REPO} ||
             {
-                printf "  %b Unable to reset %s, exiting installer%b\\n" "${COL_LIGHT_RED}" "${PI_HOLE_LOCAL_REPO}" "${COL_NC}"
+                printf "  %b Unable to reset %s, exiting installer%b\\n" "${COL_RED}" "${PI_HOLE_LOCAL_REPO}" "${COL_NC}"
                 exit 1
             }
         # Reset the Web repo
         resetRepo ${webInterfaceDir} ||
             {
-                printf "  %b Unable to reset %s, exiting installer%b\\n" "${COL_LIGHT_RED}" "${webInterfaceDir}" "${COL_NC}"
+                printf "  %b Unable to reset %s, exiting installer%b\\n" "${COL_RED}" "${webInterfaceDir}" "${COL_NC}"
                 exit 1
             }
     # Otherwise, a fresh installation is happening
@@ -1729,13 +1735,13 @@ clone_or_reset_repos() {
         # so get git files for Core
         getGitFiles ${PI_HOLE_LOCAL_REPO} ${piholeGitUrl} ||
             {
-                printf "  %b Unable to clone %s into %s, unable to continue%b\\n" "${COL_LIGHT_RED}" "${piholeGitUrl}" "${PI_HOLE_LOCAL_REPO}" "${COL_NC}"
+                printf "  %b Unable to clone %s into %s, unable to continue%b\\n" "${COL_RED}" "${piholeGitUrl}" "${PI_HOLE_LOCAL_REPO}" "${COL_NC}"
                 exit 1
             }
         # get the Web git files
         getGitFiles ${webInterfaceDir} ${webInterfaceGitUrl} ||
             {
-                printf "  %b Unable to clone %s into ${webInterfaceDir}, exiting installer%b\\n" "${COL_LIGHT_RED}" "${webInterfaceGitUrl}" "${COL_NC}"
+                printf "  %b Unable to clone %s into ${webInterfaceDir}, exiting installer%b\\n" "${COL_RED}" "${webInterfaceGitUrl}" "${COL_NC}"
                 exit 1
             }
     fi
@@ -1811,7 +1817,7 @@ FTLinstall() {
                 return 1
             }
             printf "%b  %b %s\\n" "${OVER}" "${CROSS}" "${str}"
-            printf "  %b Error: Download of %s/%s failed (checksum error)%b\\n" "${COL_LIGHT_RED}" "${url}" "${binary}" "${COL_NC}"
+            printf "  %b Error: Download of %s/%s failed (checksum error)%b\\n" "${COL_RED}" "${url}" "${binary}" "${COL_NC}"
 
             # Remove temp dir
             remove_dir "${tempdir}"
@@ -1825,7 +1831,7 @@ FTLinstall() {
         }
         printf "%b  %b %s\\n" "${OVER}" "${CROSS}" "${str}"
         # The URL could not be found
-        printf "  %b Error: URL %s/%s not found%b\\n" "${COL_LIGHT_RED}" "${url}" "${binary}" "${COL_NC}"
+        printf "  %b Error: URL %s/%s not found%b\\n" "${COL_RED}" "${url}" "${binary}" "${COL_NC}"
 
         # Remove temp dir
         remove_dir "${tempdir}"
@@ -1902,7 +1908,7 @@ get_binary_name() {
         # Something else - we try to use 32bit executable and warn the user
         if [[ ! "${machine}" == "i686" ]]; then
             printf "%b  %b %s...\\n" "${OVER}" "${CROSS}" "${str}"
-            printf "  %b %bNot able to detect architecture (unknown: %s), trying x86 (32bit) executable%b\\n" "${INFO}" "${COL_LIGHT_RED}" "${machine}" "${COL_NC}"
+            printf "  %b %bNot able to detect architecture (unknown: %s), trying x86 (32bit) executable%b\\n" "${INFO}" "${COL_RED}" "${machine}" "${COL_NC}"
             printf "  %b Contact Pi-hole Support if you experience issues (e.g: FTL not running)\\n" "${INFO}"
         else
             printf "%b  %b Detected 32bit (i686) architecture\\n" "${OVER}" "${TICK}"
@@ -1940,12 +1946,12 @@ FTLcheckUpdate() {
         path="${ftlBranch}/${binary}"
 
         # Check whether or not the binary for this FTL branch actually exists. If not, then there is no update!
+        local status
         if ! check_download_exists "$path"; then
-            local status
             status=$?
             if [ "${status}" -eq 1 ]; then
                 printf "  %b Branch \"%s\" is not available.\\n" "${INFO}" "${ftlBranch}"
-                printf "  %b Use %bpihole checkout ftl [branchname]%b to switch to a valid branch.\\n" "${INFO}" "${COL_LIGHT_GREEN}" "${COL_NC}"
+                printf "  %b Use %bpihole checkout ftl [branchname]%b to switch to a valid branch.\\n" "${INFO}" "${COL_GREEN}" "${COL_NC}"
             elif [ "${status}" -eq 2 ]; then
                 printf "  %b Unable to download from ftl.pi-hole.net. Please check your Internet connection and try again later.\\n" "${CROSS}"
                 return 3
@@ -2031,6 +2037,11 @@ FTLdetect() {
 
     if FTLcheckUpdate "${1}"; then
         FTLinstall "${1}" || return 1
+    else
+        case $? in
+            1) :;; # FTL is up-to-date
+            *) exit 1;; # 404 (2), other HTTP or curl error (3), unknown (4)
+        esac
     fi
 }
 
@@ -2158,7 +2169,7 @@ main() {
     else
         # Otherwise, they do not have enough privileges, so let the user know
         printf "  %b %s\\n" "${INFO}" "${str}"
-        printf "  %b %bScript called with non-root privileges%b\\n" "${INFO}" "${COL_LIGHT_RED}" "${COL_NC}"
+        printf "  %b %bScript called with non-root privileges%b\\n" "${INFO}" "${COL_RED}" "${COL_NC}"
         printf "      The Pi-hole requires elevated privileges to install and run\\n"
         printf "      Please check the installer for any concerns regarding this requirement\\n"
         printf "      Make sure to download this script from a trusted source\\n\\n"
@@ -2182,7 +2193,7 @@ main() {
             # Otherwise, tell the user they need to run the script as root, and bail
             printf "%b  %b Sudo utility check\\n" "${OVER}" "${CROSS}"
             printf "  %b Sudo is needed for the Web Interface to run pihole commands\\n\\n" "${INFO}"
-            printf "  %b %bPlease re-run this installer as root${COL_NC}\\n" "${INFO}" "${COL_LIGHT_RED}"
+            printf "  %b %bPlease re-run this installer as root${COL_NC}\\n" "${INFO}" "${COL_RED}"
             exit 1
         fi
     fi
@@ -2193,9 +2204,17 @@ main() {
     # Check for availability of either the "service" or "systemctl" commands
     check_service_command
 
+    # Check if this is a fresh install or an update/repair
+    check_fresh_install
+
     # Check for supported package managers so that we may install dependencies
     package_manager_detect
 
+    # Update package cache only on apt based systems
+    if is_command apt-get; then
+            update_package_cache || exit 1
+    fi
+
     # Notify user of package availability
     notify_package_updates_available
 
@@ -2216,10 +2235,7 @@ main() {
         exit 1
     fi
 
-    # in case of an update (can be a v5 -> v6 or v6 -> v6 update) or repair
-    if [[ -f "${PI_HOLE_V6_CONFIG}" ]] || [[ -f "/etc/pihole/setupVars.conf" ]]; then
-        # retain settings
-        fresh_install=false
+    if [[ "${fresh_install}" == false ]]; then
         # if it's running unattended,
         if [[ "${runUnattended}" == true ]]; then
             printf "  %b Performing unattended setup, no dialogs will be displayed\\n" "${INFO}"
@@ -2367,8 +2383,10 @@ main() {
         printf "  %b If you have not done so already, the above IP should be set to static.\\n" "${INFO}"
 
         printf "  %b View the web interface at http://pi.hole:${WEBPORT}/admin or http://%s/admin\\n\\n" "${INFO}" "${IPV4_ADDRESS%/*}:${WEBPORT}"
-        printf "  %b Web Interface password: %b%s%b\\n" "${INFO}" "${COL_LIGHT_GREEN}" "${pw}" "${COL_NC}"
+        printf "  %b Web Interface password: %b%s%b\\n" "${INFO}" "${COL_GREEN}" "${pw}" "${COL_NC}"
         printf "  %b This can be changed using 'pihole setpassword'\\n\\n" "${INFO}"
+        printf "  %b To allow your user to use all CLI functions without authentication, refer to\\n" "${INFO}"
+        printf "    our documentation at: https://docs.pi-hole.net/main/post-install/\\n\\n"
 
         # Final dialog message to the user
         dialog --no-shadow --keep-tite \
@@ -2377,7 +2395,11 @@ main() {
 \\n\\nIPv4:	${IPV4_ADDRESS%/*}\
 \\nIPv6:	${IPV6_ADDRESS:-"Not Configured"}\
 \\nIf you have not done so already, the above IP should be set to static.\
-\\nView the web interface at http://pi.hole/admin:${WEBPORT} or http://${IPV4_ADDRESS%/*}:${WEBPORT}/admin\\n\\nYour Admin Webpage login password is ${pw}" "${r}" "${c}"
+\\nView the web interface at http://pi.hole/admin:${WEBPORT} or http://${IPV4_ADDRESS%/*}:${WEBPORT}/admin\\n\\nYour Admin Webpage login password is ${pw}\
+\\n
+\\n
+\\nTo allow your user to use all CLI functions without authentication,\
+\\nrefer to https://docs.pi-hole.net/main/post-install/" "${r}" "${c}"
 
         INSTALL_TYPE="Installation"
     else
@@ -2386,7 +2408,7 @@ main() {
 
     # Display where the log file is
     printf "\\n  %b The install log is located at: %s\\n" "${INFO}" "${installLogLoc}"
-    printf "  %b %b%s complete! %b\\n" "${TICK}" "${COL_LIGHT_GREEN}" "${INSTALL_TYPE}" "${COL_NC}"
+    printf "  %b %b%s complete! %b\\n" "${TICK}" "${COL_GREEN}" "${INSTALL_TYPE}" "${COL_NC}"
 
     if [[ "${INSTALL_TYPE}" == "Update" ]]; then
         printf "\\n"
diff --git a/automated install/uninstall.sh b/automated install/uninstall.sh
index a158e595..e8dec36a 100755
--- a/automated install/uninstall.sh	
+++ b/automated install/uninstall.sh	
@@ -17,10 +17,10 @@ ADMIN_INTERFACE_DIR=$(getFTLConfigValue "webserver.paths.webroot")$(getFTLConfig
 readonly ADMIN_INTERFACE_DIR
 
 while true; do
-    read -rp "  ${QST} Are you sure you would like to remove ${COL_WHITE}Pi-hole${COL_NC}? [y/N] " answer
+    read -rp "  ${QST} Are you sure you would like to remove ${COL_BOLD}Pi-hole${COL_NC}? [y/N] " answer
     case ${answer} in
         [Yy]* ) break;;
-        * ) echo -e "${OVER}  ${COL_LIGHT_GREEN}Uninstall has been canceled${COL_NC}"; exit 0;;
+        * ) echo -e "${OVER}  ${COL_GREEN}Uninstall has been canceled${COL_NC}"; exit 0;;
     esac
 done
 
@@ -150,11 +150,11 @@ removePiholeFiles() {
 
     echo -e "\\n   We're sorry to see you go, but thanks for checking out Pi-hole!
        If you need help, reach out to us on GitHub, Discourse, Reddit or Twitter
-       Reinstall at any time: ${COL_WHITE}curl -sSL https://install.pi-hole.net | bash${COL_NC}
+       Reinstall at any time: ${COL_BOLD}curl -sSL https://install.pi-hole.net | bash${COL_NC}
 
-      ${COL_LIGHT_RED}Please reset the DNS on your router/clients to restore internet connectivity${COL_NC}
+      ${COL_RED}Please reset the DNS on your router/clients to restore internet connectivity${COL_NC}
       ${INFO} Pi-hole's meta package has been removed, use the 'autoremove' function from your package manager to remove unused dependencies${COL_NC}
-      ${COL_LIGHT_GREEN}Uninstallation Complete! ${COL_NC}"
+      ${COL_GREEN}Uninstallation Complete! ${COL_NC}"
 }
 
 ######### SCRIPT ###########
diff --git a/gravity.sh b/gravity.sh
index 16e459c6..fd5d45de 100755
--- a/gravity.sh
+++ b/gravity.sh
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ etag_support=false
 
 # Check gravity temp directory
 if [ ! -d "${GRAVITY_TMPDIR}" ] || [ ! -w "${GRAVITY_TMPDIR}" ]; then
-  echo -e "  ${COL_LIGHT_RED}Gravity temporary directory does not exist or is not a writeable directory, falling back to /tmp. ${COL_NC}"
+  echo -e "  ${COL_RED}Gravity temporary directory does not exist or is not a writeable directory, falling back to /tmp. ${COL_NC}"
   GRAVITY_TMPDIR="/tmp"
 fi
 
@@ -608,8 +608,10 @@ compareLists() {
 # Download specified URL and perform checks on HTTP status and file content
 gravity_DownloadBlocklistFromUrl() {
   local url="${1}" adlistID="${2}" saveLocation="${3}" compression="${4}" gravity_type="${5}" domain="${6}"
-  local modifiedOptions="" listCurlBuffer str httpCode success="" ip cmd_ext
+  local listCurlBuffer str httpCode success="" ip customUpstreamResolver=""
   local file_path permissions ip_addr port blocked=false download=true
+  # modifiedOptions is an array to store all the options used to check if the adlist has been changed upstream
+  local modifiedOptions=()
 
   # Create temp file to store content on disk instead of RAM
   # We don't use '--suffix' here because not all implementations of mktemp support it, e.g. on Alpine
@@ -626,14 +628,14 @@ gravity_DownloadBlocklistFromUrl() {
       # Save HTTP ETag to the specified file. An ETag is a caching related header,
       # usually returned in a response. If no ETag is sent by the server, an empty
       # file is created and can later be used consistently.
-      modifiedOptions="--etag-save ${saveLocation}.etag"
+      modifiedOptions=("${modifiedOptions[@]}" --etag-save "${saveLocation}".etag)
 
       if [[ -f "${saveLocation}.etag" ]]; then
         # This option makes a conditional HTTP request for the specific ETag read
         # from the given file by sending a custom If-None-Match header using the
         # stored ETag. This way, the server will only send the file if it has
         # changed since the last request.
-        modifiedOptions="${modifiedOptions} --etag-compare ${saveLocation}.etag"
+        modifiedOptions=("${modifiedOptions[@]}" --etag-compare "${saveLocation}".etag)
       fi
     fi
 
@@ -646,7 +648,7 @@ gravity_DownloadBlocklistFromUrl() {
       # Interstingly, this option is not supported by raw.githubusercontent.com
       # URLs, however, it is still supported by many older web servers which may
       # not support the HTTP ETag method so we keep it as a fallback.
-      modifiedOptions="${modifiedOptions} -z ${saveLocation}"
+      modifiedOptions=("${modifiedOptions[@]}" -z "${saveLocation}")
     fi
   fi
 
@@ -712,7 +714,7 @@ gravity_DownloadBlocklistFromUrl() {
       fi
       echo -e "${OVER}  ${CROSS} ${str} ${domain} is blocked by one of your lists. Using DNS server ${upstream} instead"
       echo -ne "  ${INFO} ${str} Pending..."
-      cmd_ext="--resolve $domain:$port:$ip"
+      customUpstreamResolver="--resolve $domain:$port:$ip"
     fi
   fi
 
@@ -750,9 +752,7 @@ gravity_DownloadBlocklistFromUrl() {
   fi
 
   if [[ "${download}" == true ]]; then
-    # See https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole/issues/6159 for justification of the below disable directive
-    # shellcheck disable=SC2086
-    httpCode=$(curl --connect-timeout ${curl_connect_timeout} -s -L ${compression} ${cmd_ext} ${modifiedOptions} -w "%{http_code}" "${url}" -o "${listCurlBuffer}" 2>/dev/null)
+    httpCode=$(curl --connect-timeout ${curl_connect_timeout} -s -L ${compression:+${compression}} ${customUpstreamResolver:+${customUpstreamResolver}} "${modifiedOptions[@]}" -w "%{http_code}" "${url}" -o "${listCurlBuffer}" 2>/dev/null)
   fi
 
   case $url in
@@ -821,13 +821,13 @@ gravity_DownloadBlocklistFromUrl() {
   if [[ "${done}" != "true" ]]; then
     # Determine if cached list has read permission
     if [[ -r "${saveLocation}" ]]; then
-      echo -e "  ${CROSS} List download failed: ${COL_LIGHT_GREEN}using previously cached list${COL_NC}"
+      echo -e "  ${CROSS} List download failed: ${COL_GREEN}using previously cached list${COL_NC}"
       # Set list status to "download-failed/cached"
       database_adlist_status "${adlistID}" "3"
       # Add domains to database table file
       pihole-FTL "${gravity_type}" parseList "${saveLocation}" "${gravityTEMPfile}" "${adlistID}"
     else
-      echo -e "  ${CROSS} List download failed: ${COL_LIGHT_RED}no cached list available${COL_NC}"
+      echo -e "  ${CROSS} List download failed: ${COL_RED}no cached list available${COL_NC}"
       # Manually reset these two numbers because we do not call parseList here
       database_adlist_number "${adlistID}" 0 0
       database_adlist_status "${adlistID}" "4"
@@ -864,7 +864,7 @@ gravity_ShowCount() {
 
 # Trap Ctrl-C
 gravity_Trap() {
-  trap '{ echo -e "\\n\\n  ${INFO} ${COL_LIGHT_RED}User-abort detected${COL_NC}"; gravity_Cleanup "error"; }' INT
+  trap '{ echo -e "\\n\\n  ${INFO} ${COL_RED}User-abort detected${COL_NC}"; gravity_Cleanup "error"; }' INT
 }
 
 # Clean up after Gravity upon exit or cancellation
diff --git a/pihole b/pihole
index 1dfab754..c1566ed7 100755
--- a/pihole
+++ b/pihole
@@ -238,7 +238,7 @@ Time:
     fi
 
     if [[ ${error} == true ]];then
-      echo -e "  ${COL_LIGHT_RED}Unknown format for blocking timer!${COL_NC}"
+      echo -e "  ${COL_RED}Unknown format for blocking timer!${COL_NC}"
       echo -e "  Try 'pihole disable --help' for more information."
       exit 1
     fi
@@ -293,7 +293,7 @@ Options:
     echo -e "  ${INFO} Enabling logging..."
     local str="Logging has been enabled!"
   else
-    echo -e "  ${COL_LIGHT_RED}Invalid option${COL_NC}
+    echo -e "  ${COL_RED}Invalid option${COL_NC}
   Try 'pihole logging --help' for more information."
     exit 1
   fi
@@ -396,7 +396,7 @@ tailFunc() {
   # Color blocklist/denylist/wildcard entries as red
   # Color A/AAAA/DHCP strings as white
   # Color everything else as gray
-  tail -f $LOGFILE | grep --line-buffered "${1}" | sed -E \
+  tail -f $LOGFILE | grep --line-buffered -- "${1}" | sed -E \
     -e "s,($(date +'%b %d ')| dnsmasq\[[0-9]*\]),,g" \
     -e "s,(.*(denied |gravity blocked ).*),${COL_RED}&${COL_NC}," \
     -e "s,.*(query\\[A|DHCP).*,${COL_NC}&${COL_NC}," \
@@ -570,9 +570,9 @@ if [[ -z ${USER} ]]; then
   USER=$(whoami)
 fi
 
-# Check if the current user is neither root nor pihole and if the command
+# Check if the current user is not root and if the command
 # requires root. If so, exit with an error message.
-if [[ $EUID -ne 0 && ${USER} != "pihole" && need_root -eq 1 ]];then
+if [[ $EUID -ne 0 && need_root -eq 1 ]];then
   echo -e "  ${CROSS} The Pi-hole command requires root privileges, try:"
   echo -e "      ${COL_GREEN}sudo pihole $*${COL_NC}"
   exit 1
diff --git a/test/requirements.txt b/test/requirements.txt
index b273c351..92f78840 100644
--- a/test/requirements.txt
+++ b/test/requirements.txt
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 pyyaml == 6.0.2
-pytest == 8.3.5
-pytest-xdist == 3.6.1
+pytest == 8.4.1
+pytest-xdist == 3.8.0
 pytest-testinfra == 10.2.2
-tox == 4.26.0
+tox == 4.27.0
 pytest-clarity == 1.0.1
diff --git a/test/test_any_automated_install.py b/test/test_any_automated_install.py
index 0fa0453a..cf4b454d 100644
--- a/test/test_any_automated_install.py
+++ b/test/test_any_automated_install.py
@@ -89,10 +89,8 @@ def test_installPihole_fresh_install_readableFiles(host):
     export DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive
     umask 0027
     runUnattended=true
-    fresh_install=false
     source /opt/pihole/basic-install.sh > /dev/null
     runUnattended=true
-    fresh_install=false
     main
     /opt/pihole/pihole-FTL-prestart.sh
     """
@@ -473,6 +471,7 @@ def test_package_manager_has_pihole_deps(host):
         """
     source /opt/pihole/basic-install.sh
     package_manager_detect
+    update_package_cache
     build_dependency_package
     install_dependent_packages
     """
@@ -489,6 +488,7 @@ def test_meta_package_uninstall(host):
         """
     source /opt/pihole/basic-install.sh
     package_manager_detect
+    update_package_cache
     build_dependency_package
     install_dependent_packages
     """