diff --git a/src/bootstrap/migration.go b/src/bootstrap/migration.go
index 5432280..d3f3502 100644
--- a/src/bootstrap/migration.go
+++ b/src/bootstrap/migration.go
@@ -27,6 +27,13 @@ var (
 	deleteScheduledTask         = defaultScheduledTaskDelete
 )
 
+// RetireCommunityUserPayload removes the per-user community app payload and its
+// HKCU uninstall/App Paths/shell registrations. Node installs and runtime dirs stay.
+// No-op when this process is itself the LocalAppData community binary.
+func RetireCommunityUserPayload(dataRoot string) error {
+	return cleanupLegacyUserPayload(dataRoot)
+}
+
 func cleanupLegacyUserPayload(dataRoot string) error {
 	programRoot, err := ProgramRoot()
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/src/cmd/main.go b/src/cmd/main.go
index f872673..b8f8542 100644
--- a/src/cmd/main.go
+++ b/src/cmd/main.go
@@ -93,6 +93,24 @@ func main() {
 			os.Exit(1)
 		}
 		return
+	case "--retire-community-payload":
+		// Impersonated MSI CA: drop community nvm.exe/utils/.icons and the HKCU
+		// uninstall entry during install, not on first nvm launch.
+		settings.Load()
+		dataRoot, err := bootstrap.DataRoot()
+		if err != nil || dataRoot == "" {
+			local := os.Getenv("LOCALAPPDATA")
+			if local == "" {
+				fmt.Fprint(os.Stderr, "LOCALAPPDATA is empty; cannot retire community payload\n")
+				os.Exit(1)
+			}
+			dataRoot = filepath.Join(local, "Author Software", "nvm")
+		}
+		if err := bootstrap.RetireCommunityUserPayload(dataRoot); err != nil {
+			fmt.Fprint(os.Stderr, err.Error())
+			os.Exit(1)
+		}
+		return
 	case "--register-installed-versions":
 		// Invoked by the installer after migration to ensure all migrated
 		// versions are registered in Windows Apps the same way normal installs are.