madOS Kernel

Linux kernel packages for madOS with one generic zen-based flavor:

• linux-mados: broad x86_64 compatibility (Intel Atom 64-bit and newer)

Both flavors are configured to support Plymouth reliably during early boot.

Goals

• Boot across a wide range of x86_64 hardware
• Keep desktop responsiveness (1000Hz + preemptive scheduling)
• Ensure early graphics stack is available for Plymouth splash

Packages

• linux-mados
• linux-mados-headers

Build From Source

sudo pacman -Syu --needed base-devel bc cpio gettext libelf pahole perl python tar xz zstd git ccache ncurses clang lld llvm binutils
git clone https://github.com/madoslinux/mados-kernel.git
cd mados-kernel
makepkg -s

Install

sudo pacman -U ./linux-mados-*.pkg.tar.* ./linux-mados-headers-*.pkg.tar.*

Plymouth Requirements

Plymouth needs both kernel-side and initramfs-side support.

1. Ensure your initramfs hooks include plymouth and kms.
2. Regenerate initramfs after installing a new kernel:

sudo mkinitcpio -P

3. Use a bootloader command line with splash (and typically quiet).

Example (/etc/mkinitcpio.conf) hooks with systemd initramfs:

HOOKS=(base systemd autodetect microcode modconf kms keyboard sd-vconsole block filesystems plymouth fsck)

Kernel Config Strategy

Configuration is generated from x86_64_defconfig and then layered with fragments:

• config.base: compatibility-oriented baseline
• config.plymouth: early graphics and splash-related options

This keeps the config reproducible and avoids long, stale monolithic configs.

CI Validation

GitHub Actions now validates:

• Package build via makepkg
• Key kernel symbols for Atom x86_64+ compatibility and Plymouth
• QEMU smoke boot for linux-mados in BIOS and UEFI mode using a tiny initramfs

The smoke test confirms early boot execution path (SMOKE_OK) and catches hard boot regressions quickly.

Local Pre-Push Validation

To avoid spending GitHub Actions minutes on preventable failures, this repository includes local checks:

• .git/hooks/pre-push runs scripts/precommit-build-check.sh before any push.
• The script runs makepkg -s --noconfirm and then validates key config symbols.
• If required build dependencies are missing, it fails and shows the exact pacman command to install them.

This check is strict by design and must pass before pushing.

Validated symbol policy covers:

• Generic CPU baseline for broad x86_64 support (no X86_NATIVE_CPU)
• Boot-critical storage and filesystem symbols as built-in (AHCI, NVMe, ext4, vfat, iso9660, squashfs)
• Early graphics/console path needed by installer and Plymouth (simpledrm, framebuffer console)
• UEFI boot symbols (EFI, EFI_STUB)

Troubleshooting

• No splash shown:
  • Verify HOOKS contain kms and plymouth
  • Verify kernel cmdline includes splash
  • Rebuild initramfs with mkinitcpio -P
• Hardware-specific issues:
  • Verify firmware, initramfs hooks, and bootloader configuration first

Credits

• zen-kernel team
• Arch Linux kernel tooling

License

GPL-2.0-or-later