artixinstall

An interactive, menu-driven TUI installer for Artix Linux — the systemd-free Arch-based distribution. Inspired by archinstall, built specifically for Artix with full support for all four init systems and comprehensive hardware detection.

Features

Core

• No external dependencies — built entirely with Python's standard library (curses)
• Four init systems — full support for OpenRC, runit, s6, and dinit
• Guided flow — pre-filled defaults, clear value indicators, and archinstall-style organization
• Comprehensive logging — all commands and output logged to /tmp/artixinstall.log

Disk & Boot

• Automatic partitioning — wipes and partitions entire disk (EFI/BIOS aware)
• Manual partitioning — drops into cfdisk for advanced users
• LUKS encryption — full-disk encryption with automatic mkinitcpio hook setup
• Filesystem selection — ext4, btrfs, xfs, or f2fs
• Configurable swap — 4 GB, 8 GB, or none
• GRUB & systemd-boot — both supported with LUKS and microcode awareness

Desktop Environments (18 options)

Hardware Detection

• GPU auto-detection — Intel, AMD, NVIDIA (proprietary/open/nouveau), VMware/VirtualBox
• WiFi detection — automatic chipset detection via lspci and rfkill
• Bluetooth detection — USB and PCI adapter scanning
• Laptop detection — battery/chassis/touchpad heuristics for TLP and ACPI
• CPU microcode — auto-selects Intel or AMD microcode package
• Printing support — optional CUPS installation

System Configuration

• 4 kernels — linux, linux-lts, linux-zen, linux-hardened
• Audio servers — PipeWire (recommended) or PulseAudio
• Installation profiles — Minimal, Desktop, Server, Development
• Network managers — NetworkManager, dhcpcd, wpa_supplicant, or none

Package Management

• Categorized package browser — 40+ packages across 8 categories
  (browsers, multimedia, office, dev tools, system tools, networking, fonts, gaming)
• Custom package entry — type any package name to add it
• Optional repositories — lib32 and universe toggles

Safety

• Destructive operations require explicit "yes" — not just Enter
• Retry/Abort/Skip on failures — never leaves you stranded
• Passwords never logged — automatic masking in all log output
• Input validation — injection-safe username/hostname/locale handling

Requirements

• Python 3.10+ (included on the Artix live ISO)
• Must be run as root on a live Artix Linux ISO
• A storage device to install to
• Active internet connection for package downloads

Usage

Boot into a live Artix Linux ISO, connect to the internet, then:

• Ethernet should usually work automatically via DHCP.
• If you are using Wi-Fi, connect before starting the installer.
• artixinstall is meant to be run on the Artix live ISO, not on Windows.
• Artix documentation links: https://wiki.artixlinux.org/Main/Installation https://wiki.artixlinux.org/Main/InstallationOnZFS

pacman -Sy python python-pipx expat --overwrite '*'
pipx install artixinstall
pipx ensurepath
exec $SHELL
artixinstall

If you prefer running from source instead of PyPI:

pacman -Sy git python --overwrite '*'
git clone https://github.com/1ypi/artixinstall.git
cd artixinstall
python -m artixinstall

Notes

• This project is currently maintained by one person, and I have not tested every possible combination yet.
• If you try it, please test it and send feedback if something breaks or feels rough. It would be genuinely appreciated.
• NVIDIA systems are supported, but NVIDIA plus Wayland compositors such as Hyprland can still need manual post-install tuning depending on driver choice and GPU generation.
• The installer now adds basic NVIDIA-specific Hyprland environment variables automatically when Hyprland and an NVIDIA driver are selected together.

Supported Init Systems

Project Structure

artixinstall/
├── __main__.py               # Entry point & main menu orchestration
├── tui/
│   ├── menu.py               # Reusable curses menu component
│   ├── screen.py             # Screen/window management, colors
│   └── prompts.py            # Text input, password, yes/no prompts
├── installer/
│   ├── disk.py               # Partition, format, mount, LUKS encryption
│   ├── base.py               # basestrap, fstab generation, mirrorlist
│   ├── init.py               # Init system selection & service mapping
│   ├── locale.py             # Locale, timezone, keyboard layout
│   ├── network.py            # Hostname, network manager setup
│   ├── users.py              # Root password, user creation, sudo
│   ├── bootloader.py         # GRUB / systemd-boot (LUKS-aware)
│   ├── desktop.py            # 18 DE/WM options with package lists
│   ├── hardware.py           # GPU, WiFi, Bluetooth, laptop detection
│   └── packages.py           # Kernel, audio, profiles, package browser
├── data/
│   ├── services.json         # Service-to-init mapping (13 services × 4 inits)
│   ├── mirrors.txt           # Default Artix mirror list
│   └── locales.txt           # 30 common locales
├── utils/
│   ├── shell.py              # Safe subprocess wrapper
│   ├── log.py                # File-based logging with password masking
│   └── validate.py           # Input validation & sanitization
├── pyproject.toml
├── README.md
└── LICENSE

How It Works

1. Configure — Navigate the grouped main menu and set each option
2. Review — Select "Install" to see a full summary of your choices
3. Install — Confirm to begin the automated installation:
   • Partitions and formats the disk (with optional LUKS)
   • Installs base system + all selected packages via basestrap
   • Configures locale, timezone, hostname, users
   • Sets up encryption hooks (if LUKS enabled)
   • Installs bootloader with microcode and encryption support
   • Enables all init-specific services
   • Configures hardware drivers and power management
4. Reboot — Unmount and reboot into your new Artix system

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Some areas where help is appreciated:

• Testing on different hardware configurations and init systems
• Adding more DEs/WMs — the desktop module is designed to be extended easily
• LVM support — adding LVM partition layouts
• Btrfs subvolumes — automatic subvolume creation for snapshots
• Translations — locale and TUI text internationalization
• Accessibility — screen reader support

Development

# Zero dependencies — just Python 3.10+ and curses
# Test individual modules:
python -c "from artixinstall.installer.init import load_services; print(load_services())"
python -c "from artixinstall.installer.hardware import detect_gpu; print(detect_gpu())"
python -c "from artixinstall.installer.desktop import DESKTOP_ENVIRONMENTS; print(list(DESKTOP_ENVIRONMENTS.keys()))"

# Run on a live ISO:
sudo python -m artixinstall

Troubleshooting

All commands are logged to /tmp/artixinstall.log.

License

GPL-3.0 — see LICENSE for details.