artixinstall 1.0.3

An interactive TUI installer for Artix Linux with support for OpenRC, runit, s6, and dinit

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)

Category	Options
Full DEs	GNOME, KDE Plasma, XFCE, Cinnamon, MATE, Budgie, LXQt, Deepin, Enlightenment
Tiling WMs	Hyprland, Sway, i3, bspwm, dwm, Qtile, awesome, River
Stacking WMs	Openbox

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 — multilib 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

Init System	Base Packages	Service Enable Method
OpenRC	base base-devel openrc elogind-openrc	rc-update add <service> default
runit	base base-devel runit elogind-runit	ln -s /etc/runit/sv/<svc> /etc/runit/runsvdir/default/
s6	base base-devel s6-base elogind-s6	s6-rc-bundle-update add default <service>
dinit	base base-devel dinit elogind-dinit	dinitctl enable <service>

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

Problem	Solution
"must be run as root"	Use sudo python -m artixinstall
Terminal too small	Resize to at least 60×20
basestrap fails	Check internet connection and mirror availability
LUKS passphrase prompt at boot	Enter the passphrase you set during installation
No WiFi after install	Verify NetworkManager is enabled for your init system
Black screen after install	Try a different GPU driver option

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

License

GPL-3.0 — see LICENSE for details.