Graphite OS

v0.1.0-alpha · Install guide

Install Graphite

Download it, check it, flash it, install it. Or try it in a VM first.

Read this first. This is an alpha and I've only tested it in QEMU. The installer erases the whole disk you pick. Try it in a VM or on a spare drive, and back up anything you care about.

1Download

Download alpha, Oct 24 build (2.9 GB)

It's one file. Also grab SHA256SUMS and keep both in the same folder:

  • graphite-2026.10.24b-x86_64.iso
  • SHA256SUMS

Release notes are on the GitHub release page.

2Check the download

Linux / macOS

sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS --ignore-missing

You want to see OK next to the file name. On macOS, use shasum -a 256 -c SHA256SUMS --ignore-missing if you don't have sha256sum.

Windows (cmd)
certutil -hashfile graphite-2026.10.24b-x86_64.iso SHA256

Compare the hash with the matching line in SHA256SUMS. If it doesn't match, download again.

Graphite's package signing key

Graphite's own repo is signed with this key. Starting with the next ISO, installs and graphite update check it for you. The fingerprint:

ABF3 C3CE 7BF9 1BD3 3A68 DF00 B636 FD2E E2B1 C39E

3Put it on a USB stick

This wipes the USB stick.

Linux: dd

Find the stick with lsblk first. Double-check the name. Writing to the wrong disk destroys it.

sudo dd if=graphite-2026.10.24b-x86_64.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress oflag=sync
balenaEtcher (Windows, macOS, Linux)

Pick the ISO, pick the stick, flash.

Rufus (Windows)

When Rufus asks, choose DD image mode.

Ventoy

Copy the ISO onto a Ventoy stick. It should work, but I haven't tested it yet. If it doesn't boot, use one of the options above.

orTry it in a VM

The safest way to try the alpha. It's what I test with.

  • UEFI is required. The installer refuses to run in BIOS mode. In VirtualBox turn on "Enable EFI". In virt-manager pick UEFI (OVMF) firmware.
  • I test with 4 GB of RAM and 4 CPUs.
  • Give it a blank virtual disk. 40 GB or more is a comfortable start.
  • Use a virtio GPU if you can. Hyprland runs fine on software rendering in the VM.

Plain QEMU looks roughly like this:

qemu-img create -f qcow2 graphite.qcow2 40G
qemu-system-x86_64 -enable-kvm -m 4096 -smp 4 \
  -drive if=pflash,format=raw,readonly=on,file=/usr/share/OVMF/OVMF_CODE_4M.fd \
  -drive if=pflash,format=raw,file=ovmf_vars.fd \
  -cdrom graphite-2026.10.24b-x86_64.iso -drive file=graphite.qcow2,if=virtio \
  -device virtio-vga -nic user,model=virtio-net-pci

Copy OVMF_VARS_4M.fd to ovmf_vars.fd first. The OVMF path depends on your distro.

4Run the installer

Boot the stick in UEFI mode. The live session logs you straight into Hyprland. Open a terminal with Super+Enter. On Wi-Fi, connect with iwctl first.

sudo graphite-iso-install

It asks for:

  1. The target disk (it lists your disks). Everything on it is erased.
  2. A username and password.
  3. A disk encryption passphrase. You need it at every boot, so write it down.
  4. Type yes to confirm.

Then it sets up a 1 GiB EFI partition, LUKS2 on the rest, Btrfs with its subvolumes, installs the system with both the normal and LTS kernels, and sets up GRUB with snapshot entries. When it says Graphite installed, remove the USB stick and reboot.

Already on Arch? You can skip the ISO and run sudo ./graphite/install.sh --user "$USER" from a checkout of the repo.

5First boot
  1. Pick Graphite in GRUB and type your disk passphrase.
  2. Log in. You land in Hyprland.
  3. Run graphite update. It takes a snapshot first.

Keys to know

  • Super+Enter terminal · Super+Space apps
  • Super+T themes · Super+K all keybinds
  • Super+G game mode · Super+L lock
If something breaks

Run graphite snapshots, then graphite rollback N and reboot. If it won't boot, open Graphite snapshots in the GRUB menu, or try the LTS kernel entry. Your home folder is never rolled back. The recovery guide has the rest.