diff --git a/src/freedombone-app-gnusocial b/src/freedombone-app-gnusocial
index 7859ea5b..04ba854a 100755
--- a/src/freedombone-app-gnusocial
+++ b/src/freedombone-app-gnusocial
@@ -935,9 +935,12 @@ function install_gnusocial {
         sed -i 's|"theme":.*|"theme": "base16-apathy.css",|g' "/var/www/${GNUSOCIAL_DOMAIN_NAME}/htdocs/static/config.json"
     fi
 
-    # unleash the daemons!
+    # this has to be run as root initially, otherwise database tables
+    # don't get created
     cd "/var/www/$GNUSOCIAL_DOMAIN_NAME/htdocs" || exit 236482684
     php scripts/checkschema.php
+    sh scripts/startdaemons.sh
+
     /etc/cron.hourly/gnusocial-daemons
 
     systemctl restart nginx
diff --git a/src/freedombone-app-postactiv b/src/freedombone-app-postactiv
index dc98d3ce..2cb22d97 100755
--- a/src/freedombone-app-postactiv
+++ b/src/freedombone-app-postactiv
@@ -952,7 +952,12 @@ function install_postactiv {
 
     expire_gnusocial_posts "$POSTACTIV_DOMAIN_NAME" "postactiv" "$POSTACTIV_EXPIRE_MONTHS"
 
-    # unleash the daemons!
+    # this has to be run as root initially, otherwise database tables
+    # don't get created
+    cd "/var/www/$POSTACTIV_DOMAIN_NAME/htdocs" || exit 3658254254
+    sh scripts/startdaemons.sh
+    php scripts/checkschema.php
+
     /etc/cron.hourly/postactiv-daemons
 
     systemctl restart nginx