The Spt/Ada-Gcn5 Acetyltransferase (SAGA) coactivator complex has multiple modules with different enzymatic and non-enzymatic functions. How each module contributes to gene activation in specific biological contexts is not well understood. Here we analyzed the role of the non-enzymatic core module during Drosophila oogenesis. We show that depletion of several SAGA-specific subunits belonging to the core module blocked egg chamber development during mid-oogenesis stages, resulting in stronger phenotypes than those obtained after depletion of SAGA’s histone acetyltransferase module or deubiquitination module. These results, as well as additional genetic analyses pointing to an interaction with TBP, suggested a differential role of SAGA modules at different promoter types. However, SAGA subunits co-occupied all promoter types of active genes in ChIP-seq and ChIP-nexus experiments. Thus, the SAGA complex appears to occupy promoters in its entirety, consistent with the strong biochemical integrity of the complex. The high-resolution genomic binding profiles are congruent with SAGA recruitment by activators upstream of the start site, and retention on chromatin by interactions with modified histones downstream of the start site. The stronger genetic requirement of the core module during oogenesis may therefore be explained through its interaction with TBP or its role in recruiting the enzymatic modules to the promoter. We propose the handyman principle, which posits that a distinct genetic requirement for specific components may conceal the fact that the entire complex is physically present.