diff --git a/data/hooks/conf_regen/34-mysql b/data/hooks/conf_regen/34-mysql
index ac2395f34..d9374bbf5 100755
--- a/data/hooks/conf_regen/34-mysql
+++ b/data/hooks/conf_regen/34-mysql
@@ -15,6 +15,31 @@ do_pre_regen() {
 do_post_regen() {
   regen_conf_files=$1
 
+  if [[ ! -d /var/lib/mysql/mysql ]]
+  then
+      # dpkg-reconfigure will initialize mysql (if it ain't already)
+      # It enabled auth_socket for root, so no need to define any root password...
+      # c.f. : cat /var/lib/dpkg/info/mariadb-server-10.3.postinst | grep install_db -C3
+      dpkg-reconfigure -freadline -u "$MYSQL_PKG" 2>&1
+
+      systemctl -q is-active mariadb.service \
+        || systemctl start mariadb
+
+      sleep 5
+
+      echo "" | mysql && echo "Can't connect to mysql using unix_socket auth ... something went wrong during initial configuration of mysql !?"
+  fi
+
+  if [ ! -e /etc/yunohost/mysql ]
+  then
+      # Dummy password that's not actually used nor meaningful ...
+      # (because mysql is supposed to be configured to use unix_socket on new setups)
+      # but keeping it for legacy
+      # until we merge https://github.com/YunoHost/yunohost/pull/912 ...
+      ynh_string_random 10 > /etc/yunohost/mysql
+      chmod 400 /etc/yunohost/mysql
+  fi
+
   # mysql is supposed to be an alias to mariadb... but in some weird case is not
   # c.f. https://forum.yunohost.org/t/mysql-ne-fonctionne-pas/11661
   # Playing with enable/disable allows to recreate the proper symlinks.
@@ -27,44 +52,6 @@ do_post_regen() {
       systemctl is-active mariadb -q || systemctl start mariadb
   fi
 
-  if [ ! -f /etc/yunohost/mysql ]; then
-
-      # ensure that mysql is running
-      systemctl -q is-active mysql.service \
-        || service mysql start
-
-      # generate and set new root password
-      mysql_password=$(ynh_string_random 10)
-      mysqladmin -s -u root -pyunohost password "$mysql_password" || {
-        if [ $FORCE -eq 1 ]; then
-            echo "It seems that you have already configured MySQL." \
-              "YunoHost needs to have a root access to MySQL to runs its" \
-              "applications, and is going to reset the MySQL root password." \
-              "You can find this new password in /etc/yunohost/mysql." >&2
-
-            # set new password with debconf
-            debconf-set-selections << EOF
-$MYSQL_PKG mysql-server/root_password password $mysql_password
-$MYSQL_PKG mysql-server/root_password_again password $mysql_password
-EOF
-
-            # reconfigure Debian package
-            dpkg-reconfigure -freadline -u "$MYSQL_PKG" 2>&1
-        else
-            echo "It seems that you have already configured MySQL." \
-              "YunoHost needs to have a root access to MySQL to runs its" \
-              "applications, but the MySQL root password is unknown." \
-              "You must either pass --force to reset the password or" \
-              "put the current one into the file /etc/yunohost/mysql." >&2
-            exit 1
-        fi
-      }
-
-      # store new root password
-      echo "$mysql_password" | tee /etc/yunohost/mysql
-      chmod 400 /etc/yunohost/mysql
-  fi
-
   [[ -z "$regen_conf_files" ]] \
     || service mysql restart
 }