diff --git a/core/core-packages.el b/core/core-packages.el
index 61c796575..78c050d0b 100644
--- a/core/core-packages.el
+++ b/core/core-packages.el
@@ -148,15 +148,11 @@ and `auto-mode-alist'.")
   "Refresh `doom-packages-file', which caches `load-path',
 `Info-directory-list', `doom-disabled-packages', `auto-mode-alist' and
 `package-activated-list'."
-  (doom-initialize-packages 'internal)
   (let ((coding-system-for-write 'emacs-internal))
     (with-temp-file doom-packages-file
       (insert ";;; -*- lexical-binding:t -*-\n"
               ";; This file was autogenerated by `doom|refresh-cache', DO NOT EDIT!\n")
-      (prin1 `(setq load-path ',load-path
-                    Info-directory-list ',Info-directory-list
-                    auto-mode-alist ',auto-mode-alist
-                    interpreter-mode-alist ',interpreter-mode-alist
+      (prin1 `(setq Info-directory-list ',Info-directory-list
                     doom-disabled-packages ',doom-disabled-packages
                     package-activated-list ',package-activated-list)
              (current-buffer)))))
@@ -198,6 +194,7 @@ FORCE-P is non-nil, do it anyway.
     (require 'subr-x)
     (require 'cl-lib)
     (require 'map))
+  (cl-pushnew doom-core-dir load-path :test #'string=)
   (when (or force-p (not doom-init-p))
     ;; autoloads file
     (unless (load doom-autoload-file 'noerror 'nomessage 'nosuffix)
@@ -234,9 +231,8 @@ FORCE-P is non-nil, do it anyway.
                 (message "✓ Installed %s" package)
               (error "✕ Couldn't install %s" package)))
           (message "Installing core packages...done")))
-      (cl-pushnew doom-core-dir load-path :test #'string=)
-      (add-hook 'doom-internal-init-hook #'doom|refresh-cache))
-    (when doom-debug-mode
+      ;; Cache important packages.el state
+      (doom|refresh-cache)
       (message "Doom initialized"))
     (setq doom-init-p t))
   ;; initialize Doom core
@@ -439,7 +435,6 @@ MODULES is an malformed plist of modules to load."
        (setq doom-modules ',doom-modules)
        ,@(nreverse init-forms)
        (unless noninteractive
-         (run-hooks 'doom-internal-init-hook)
          (let ((doom--stage 'config))
            ,@(nreverse config-forms)
            (when doom-private-dir
@@ -770,44 +765,41 @@ This should be run whenever init.el or an autoload file is modified. Running
             (load-path (append (list doom-emacs-dir)
                                doom-psuedo-module-dirs
                                doom-modules-dirs
-                               load-path))
-            current-sexp)
+                               load-path)))
         (unwind-protect
             (condition-case-unless-debug ex
                 (with-current-buffer buf
+                  (delay-mode-hooks (emacs-lisp-mode))
                   (goto-char (point-min))
-                  (while (re-search-forward "^\\s-*(" nil t)
-                    (unless (or (nth 4 (syntax-ppss))
-                                (nth 3 (syntax-ppss)))
-                      ;; Replace autoload paths with absolute paths for faster
-                      ;; resolution during load and simpler `load-path'
-                      (when (memq (sexp-at-point) '(autoload custom-autoload))
-                        (save-excursion
-                          (forward-sexp 2)
-                          (let ((pt (point)))
-                            (forward-sexp 1)
-                            (when-let* ((sexp (thing-at-point 'sexp t))
-                                        (path (eval (read sexp) t)))
-                              (when (and (stringp path) (not (file-name-absolute-p path)))
-                                (delete-region pt (point))
-                                (if-let* ((lib (locate-library path)))
-                                    (insert " \"" (file-name-sans-extension lib) "\"")
-                                  (warn "Couldn't find absolute path for: %s" path)))))))
-                      ;; Run each form in autoloads to see if there are any
-                      ;; errors. We do it piecemeal because that will tell us
-                      ;; more about where the issue originated.
-                      (save-excursion
-                        (backward-char)
-                        (setq current-sexp (read (thing-at-point 'sexp t)))
-                        (eval current-sexp t))
-                      (forward-char)))
+                  (insert ";;; -*- lexical-binding:t -*-\n"
+                          ";; This file is autogenerated by `doom//reload-autoloads', DO NOT EDIT !!\n\n")
+                  ;; insert package autoloads
+                  (dolist (file (doom-packages--files doom-packages-dir "-autoloads\\.el$"))
+                    (when doom-debug-mode
+                      (message "⚠ Including %s" (file-relative-name file package-user-dir)))
+                    (let ((pfile (prin1-to-string file)))
+                      (insert "\n(let ((load-file-name " pfile "))")
+                      (insert-file-contents file)
+                      (while (re-search-forward "#\\$\\|^;\\(.*\n\\)" nil 'move)
+                        (unless (nth 8 (syntax-ppss))
+                          (replace-match (if (match-end 1) "" pfile) t t)))
+                      (unless (bolp) (insert "\n"))
+                      (insert ")\n")))
+                  (message "✓ Package autoloads included")
+
+                  (goto-char (point-max))
+                  (insert "
+;; Local\sVariables:
+;; version-control: never
+;; no-byte-compile: t
+;; no-update-autoloads: t
+;; End:\n")
+                  (eval-buffer buf)
                   (save-buffer)
                   (message "Done!"))
               ('error
                (delete-file doom-autoload-file)
-               (error "Error in autoloads.el: (%s %s ...) %s -- %s"
-                      (nth 0 current-sexp)
-                      (nth 1 current-sexp)
+               (error "Error in autoloads.el: %s -- %s"
                       (car ex) (error-message-string ex))))
           (kill-buffer buf))))))
 
diff --git a/core/core.el b/core/core.el
index 3037bf2c7..1c80302ca 100644
--- a/core/core.el
+++ b/core/core.el
@@ -107,10 +107,6 @@ XDG directory conventions if ~/.config/doom exists.")
 (defvar doom-init-hook nil
   "A list of hooks run when DOOM is initialized.")
 
-(defvar doom-internal-init-hook nil
-  "Hooks run after Doom has loaded all init.el files, and is ready to load
-modules.")
-
 
 ;;
 ;; Emacs fixes/hacks