diff --git a/meta-forgefirm/recipes-forgefirm/images/forgefirm-image-dev.bb b/meta-forgefirm/recipes-forgefirm/images/forgefirm-image-dev.bb
index 7ca509f..69f7e87 100644
--- a/meta-forgefirm/recipes-forgefirm/images/forgefirm-image-dev.bb
+++ b/meta-forgefirm/recipes-forgefirm/images/forgefirm-image-dev.bb
@@ -12,9 +12,14 @@ IMAGE_INSTALL += " \
   forgetest \
   python3-gfutilities-emulator \
   htop \
-  nano \
 "
 
+# The release recipe removes nano from the shared base list (bench
+# convenience, 8.7 MB with libmagic). A removal applies after every append,
+# so the dev image re-sets the removal list to keep nano instead of adding
+# it back.
+IMAGE_INSTALL:remove = "gfui-client"
+
 # debug-tweaks (passwordless root, root SSH login) belongs ONLY to the dev
 # image - never the release image. It lives here, not in the shared kas
 # local.conf, so the release forgefirm-image cannot inherit it.