A modular operating system deployment framework for Artix Linux
No flags. No confusion. Just a terminal interface that works.
This is the official branch for v9.
Find a bug? Make an issue.
ArtixForge is a modular operating system deployment framework for Artix Linux (OpenRC, runit, dinit, s6, and BusyBox init).
It walks you through partitioning, filesystem creation, base system installation, bootloader setup, desktop environment, drivers, and extra tools – all from a single interface.
- Two interfaces: Terminal UI (keyboard‑only, works in any TTY) and Graphical UI (GTK, mouse‑friendly, launches automatically in desktop environments).
- Built with
gumfor the TUI andGTK3+Pythonfor the GUI. - Custom colour themes (ArtixForge, Artix Blue, Jet Black, Mono, Retro) that persist to the installed system.
- Resilience hardened: automatic pacman lock recovery, exponential backoff retries, mid‑build resume, disk space checks at every stage.
- Build custom live ISOs from any Quick Profile or full configuration – includes offline package bundles.
- System Migration: convert between init systems (openrc, runit, dinit, s6, systemd), desktop environments, or Arch Linux → Artix without reinstalling.
- Over 9 trillion system configurations in a standard install, over 1 quintillion with Power User mode.
| Category | Options |
|---|---|
| Init system | OpenRC, runit, dinit, s6, BusyBox init |
| Filesystem | ext4, btrfs, xfs, f2fs |
| Storage | Standard partitions, LVM, LUKS, LVM-on-LUKS |
| Boot method | UKI, GRUB, rEFInd, EFIStub, Limine |
| Kernel | linux, zen, lts, hardened, libre, cachyos-*, bazzite, xanmod, tkg |
| Desktop | XFCE, LXQt, KDE Plasma, LXDE, Hyprland, MangoWM, Niri, Sway, i3, dwm, vxwm, IceWM, SonicDE, Cinnamon, Budgie, Moksha, COSMIC, none |
| Network | NetworkManager, dhcpcd+iwd, ConnMan, none |
| Audio | PipeWire, PulseAudio, none |
| Shell | bash, zsh, fish |
| Display stack | X.Org, xLibre |
| Coreutils | GNU, BusyBox, uutils, ArtixForge minimal, Custom |
| Privilege escalation | sudo, doas |
| Encryption | LUKS full-disk encryption, LUKS-on-LVM |
| Recovery | Smart issue detection, surgical repair, filesystem repair (safe/destructive), untrusted recovery (rootkit/malware scan) |
| Power User | Source compilation, custom kernel config, community recipes, recipe self-healing |
| Quick Profiles | Desktop, Server, Minimal, Embedded, Gaming, Development, Media, Volk's Personal |
| Theme | ArtixForge, Artix, Jet Black, Mono, Retro |
Click to expand — 14 screenshots
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| Mode Selection | Kernel Selection | Extras Search |
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| Installation Summary | Filesystem Creation | Package List |
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| Build Hooks | Success | LUKS + Migration |
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| Cold Reboot | DE Extras | DE Install |
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| Recovery Detection | GRUB Repair |
sudo pacman -S artixforge
sudo artixforgeFor the latest development version or if the package is not yet available in your mirrors:
git clone --recursive https://github.com/realvolk/ArtixForge.git
cd ArtixForge
chmod +x install
sudo ./installYou'll be greeted by a main menu where you choose your installation mode.
If you booted a desktop environment (KDE, XFCE, etc.), you will be asked whether you want to use the Graphical UI (GTK4) instead of the terminal interface. Answer Yes to launch a persistent configuration window with mouse support.
FAIR WARNING: THE GUI IS EXPERIMENTAL.
If the installer fails, check the logs before reporting:
cat /tmp/artix-installer/install.logWhen debug mode is enabled (prompted after mode selection):
cat ~/ArtixForge/artix-debug.logWhen migration fails:
cat /tmp/artix-migration-debug.logThese will tell you exactly what went wrong. Include them in any GitHub issue.
| Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| 🟢 Automatic | Guided installation with full configuration flow. |
| 🔵 Manual | Detect existing setup progress and continue manually. |
| 🟡 Resume | Continue from the last saved installation, migration, or ISO build stage. |
| 🟠 Recovery | Auto-detect full system config, smart issue detection, surgical repair, filesystem repair (safe/destructive), rootkit/malware scanning. |
| 🔴 Power User | Gentoo-style source builds, BusyBox init, custom coreutils, advanced system control. |
| ⚡ Quick Profiles | Desktop, Server, Minimal, Embedded, Gaming, Development, Media, Volk's Personal, and custom profile loading. |
| 🧩 Build ISO | Create a custom Artix live ISO from any Quick Profile or full configuration – includes offline package bundles and resumable builds. |
| 🔄 System Migration | Convert init system (openrc ↔ runit ↔ dinit ↔ s6 ↔ systemd), desktop environment, or Arch Linux → Artix without reinstalling. Resumable on failure. |
A debug toggle is available for every mode from the same menu. If you encounter errors, it's a great way to see what actually went wrong (e.g. Debug mode + Resume for automatic installations) if the error itself is not descriptive enough.
- Two UIs: Terminal (TUI) with
gumor Graphical (GUI) with GTK4 + libadwaita – same backend, different frontend. - Tabbed full-screen TUI – navigate steps with keyboard, jump between tabs, see completed steps with checkmarks
- Persistent GUI configuration window with 5 colour themes, progress bar, and conditional page visibility
- Modular architecture – separate scripts for storage, install, post, stages, recovery, and TUI sub-menus
- Universal logger – writes to
/tmp/artix-installer/install.logand/mnt/var/log/artix-installer.log - Safe passwords – GUI hashes before saving to state, backend hashes before writing to target
- Quick install profiles (see table above)
- Network pre-configuration – WiFi, DHCP, or static IP before installation
- Optional mirror ranking with
rankmirrors - Full-disk encryption (LUKS) with passphrase confirmation
- LVM support – PV/VG/LV creation with optional LUKS integration
- Multiple boot methods – UKI, EFIStub, GRUB, rEFInd, Limine
- Optional Secure Boot signing for UKI images using
sbsign - Privilege escalation choice –
sudoordoas - Custom colour themes with live preview (both TUI and GUI)
- Resilience features – disk space checks, pacman lock recovery, download retry with exponential backoff, mid‑build resume
- Offline mode with cached packages (and offline ISO generation)
- State persistence for full resume/recovery
- Privacy-respecting – collects nothing, removes itself after installation
- Build custom Artix live ISOs from any Quick Profile or full custom configuration.
- Live Desktop mode – includes a full desktop environment (KDE, XFCE, etc.) with the ArtixForge installer icon on the desktop.
- Installer mode – boots directly into the ArtixForge TUI (no desktop, minimal size).
- Offline ISO – bundle all packages into the ISO; installation works without an internet connection.
- Add extra packages beyond the profile selection.
- Build logs saved alongside the ISO.
- Init migration: convert between openrc, runit, dinit, s6, and systemd (if Arch repos enabled) without reinstalling.
- Automatic service mapping; custom services are backed up and listed.
- Desktop migration: convert between any of the 17 supported desktop environments/window managers.
- Migrates display manager, display stack, audio stack, and network stack alongside the desktop.
- User configurations (
~/.config,~/.local,~/.cache) are backed up before migration. - ATA (Arch to Artix): experimental full-system conversion from Arch Linux to Artix.
- Preserves user data, credentials, configurations, packages, and AUR packages.
- Converts systemd services, timers, PAM, hooks, network configs, and bootloader automatically.
- Source-based package compilation
- BusyBox init support
- Swappable coreutils (GNU, BusyBox, uutils, ArtixForge minimal, custom recipes)
- Hardware auto-detection with
localmodconfigsupport - Manual kernel configuration
- Compilation profiles (default, hardened, performance, safe)
- Per-package feature flags
- Recipe system with community repository support
- Offline source bootstrap
- Build queue with resume, error recovery, and live log viewer
- Post-build validation
anvilpackage manager (CLI + TUI) with recipe editor, offline bootstrap, and recipe self‑healing
Categorized package selection across System Tools, Editors, Browsers, File Managers, Terminals, Shell & Prompt, Monitoring, and Media. Includes:
flatpak,firewalld,bluez,zramfzf,zoxide,starship,eza,btop,tmux,rsvc- and many more
- TUI:
gum(installed automatically if missing). - GUI:
gtk4,libadwaita,python-gobject,jsonschema(installed automatically when GUI mode is selected).
Everything else is handled by the installer.
Contributions are welcome and appreciated.
🫱 Looking for: Testers • Contributors • Distro Packagers
Please read CONTRIBUTING for guidelines on testing, submissions, and code of conduct.
Licensed under the Forge Attribution License 1.0 © Volk 2026.