diff --git a/incus/backend.func b/incus/backend.func
index 6c3bcba..939cfad 100644
--- a/incus/backend.func
+++ b/incus/backend.func
@@ -142,6 +142,16 @@ _incus_resolve_launch_image() {
     fi
   done
 
+  # Not on the image server under any name we know: take its newest version.
+  local newest
+  newest=$(incus image alias list images: "${os}/" -f csv 2>/dev/null | cut -d, -f1 |
+    awk -F/ 'NF == 2 && $2 ~ /^[0-9][0-9.]*$/ {print $2}' | sort -uV | tail -n1 || true)
+  if [[ -n "$newest" ]] && incus image info "images:${os}/${newest}" &>/dev/null; then
+    msg_warn "${os} ${ver} is not on the image server; using ${os} ${newest}"
+    INCUS_LAUNCH_IMAGE="images:${os}/${newest}"
+    return 0
+  fi
+
   # Last resort: try remote launch of primary (incus may pull on demand)
   INCUS_LAUNCH_IMAGE="images:${os}/${ver}"
   return 1
diff --git a/incus/core.func b/incus/core.func
index eb0421a..35c362b 100644
--- a/incus/core.func
+++ b/incus/core.func
@@ -1041,6 +1041,26 @@ incus_get_image_alias() {
     *) echo "3.21" ;;
     esac
     ;;
+  # The ct scripts carry Proxmox template versions; these are the image names.
+  archlinux) echo "current" ;;
+  centos)
+    case "$version" in
+    9 | 9-Stream) echo "9-Stream" ;;
+    *) echo "10-Stream" ;;
+    esac
+    ;;
+  devuan)
+    case "$version" in
+    5 | 5.0 | daedalus) echo "daedalus" ;;
+    *) echo "excalibur" ;;
+    esac
+    ;;
+  gentoo)
+    case "$version" in
+    systemd) echo "systemd" ;;
+    *) echo "openrc" ;;
+    esac
+    ;;
   *)
     echo "${version}"
     ;;