An independent, source-only Linux distribution built around one idea: you don't install a system, you craft one — ける・けいとうてき (keru keitō-teki): a system assembled the way you want it.

This repository is the operating system itself — the installer, the profile system, and the build pipeline. The two things Keru leans on live in their own homes:

kama — the package manager (a shell script)
kama-packages — the recipe repository

What is Keru

Every package on Keru is built from source by Kama, a deliberately small package manager that simply runs the commands in each recipe. No binary packages, no opaque package machinery. The whole system — toolchain included — is compiled from original source. What you run, you built.

Nothing is fixed. Nothing you didn't ask for is forced on you.

Read the full philosophy in docs/PHILOSOPHY.md.

The differentiator: everything is swappable

Keru's installer is a TUI that walks you through designing your exact machine before it ever boots. Every major component is selectable:

init system — Runit (default), s6, OpenRC, systemd, busybox init, and more
C library — glibc, musl, uClibc-ng, and more
filesystem — ext4, btrfs, xfs, zfs, f2fs, jfs, reiserfs, swap, and more
kernel — linux, linux-lts, linux-hardened, linux-cachyos, and more
privilege elevation — doas, sudo, opendoas, su
kernel parameters, locale, clock, keymap — all configurable

Every init, every libc, every filesystem, everything. The selections are made during install and fixed at first boot. The system that lands on your disk is precisely the one you chose.

Keru is stable on the combinations it offers you. If you push past what's proven — an untested libc/init pair, an unmaintained filesystem — the installer warns you the combination is unstable, then gets out of your way. You're never blocked, only told the truth.

How installation works

The ISO carries only the installer — nothing else. There is no prebuilt base image on the disk. Boot it and the live init (live/init) starts the installer immediately — no shell prompt, you just make your choices and it builds. The installer connects to the network, then fetches and builds whatever you selected (init system, kernel, libc, filesystem tooling, and tools) on the fly.

A working network connection is therefore a hard requirement for installing Keru. The installer checks connectivity and offers in-installer network setup (wireless via nmtui/wifi-menu, or Ethernet/DHCP) before the build begins.

Repository layout

installer/     TUI installer — auto-starts on boot, writes make.conf from your choices
profile/       make.conf template (the swappables + build flags)
scripts/       build pipeline: build-root, mkfs-root, common helpers
live/          live-ISO init — boots straight into the installer
docs/          philosophy + design docs + the recipe format spec

Release

Keru OS is currently in development. The first installable release, 0.1, will ship as a bootable ISO — no source builds, no manual tooling required. It will be made available here when it's ready.

License

AGPL-3.0

README.md

Keru OS ける