OpenRiot — Project Progress

Status: IN PROGRESS — Not yet installable Version: 0.1 Last Updated: 2026-03-31

What Is OpenRiot?

OpenRiot is a polished, opinionated OpenBSD desktop system built in the spirit of ArchRiot. The goal is a one-command post-install setup (curl -fsSL https://openriot.org/setup.sh | sh) that transforms a base OpenBSD installation into a fully-configured Sway + Waybar desktop — same CypherRiot aesthetics, same keybindings, same workflow — but running on OpenBSD’s audited, pledge/unveil-secured base.

Philosophy:

  • ArchRiot = rolling release, bleeding-edge Hyprland, Arch Linux base
  • OpenRiot = stable OpenBSD base, Sway (i3-compatible Wayland compositor), same rice

Architecture Overview

OpenRiot has three layers:

Layer 1: ISO Builder         → Produces bootable OpenBSD + autoinstall ISO
Layer 2: Base Install       → OpenBSD autoinstall ( unattended or guided)
Layer 3: setup.sh + Go CLI → Packages, Sway, Waybar, Fish, dotfiles

Layer 1: ISO Builder (build-iso.sh)

Location: ~/Code/OpenRiot/build-iso.sh

Downloads the OpenBSD install ISO, injects an install.conf (autoinstall answers) and optionally a site79.tgz (custom files overlay), then repacks into a bootable ISO.

Flow:

OpenBSD snapshots/amd64/install79.iso
    ↓ (download, verify SHA256)
.inject(install.conf)
    ↓ (optional)
.inject(site79.tgz)
    ↓ (xorriso repack)
isos/openriot-VERSION-OPENBSD_VERSION.iso

Key files:

  • autoinstall/install.conf — autoinstall answer file (hostname/root password/user/password/timezone all = ask; sets location = http from cdn.openbsd.org)
  • site/ directory — custom files overlaid on target system (empty for now; populated in later steps)
  • is/os/ directory — output for built ISOs

Status: ✅ Working, tested, committed

Layer 2: Base OpenBSD Install

The ISO boots into the standard OpenBSD installer. When (A)utoinstall is selected, the installer reads install.conf from the CD root and pre-fills all answers except disk selection (which always prompts to prevent accidental data loss).

What the base install gets you:

  • OpenBSD -current (7.9 snapshots) base system
  • All sets (base, comp, games, man, xbase, xfont, xserv, xshare)
  • User account with wheel sudo/doas access
  • Network configured for HTTP install from cdn.openbsd.org

Status: ✅ Works via autoinstall.manual disk selection.

Layer 3: Post-Install Setup (setup.sh + Go CLI)

After base OpenBSD is installed and rebooted, run:

curl -fsSL https://openriot.org/setup.sh | sh

This installs and configures:

Component Package/Source Notes
Sway pkg_add sway Wayland compositor (i3-compatible)
Waybar pkg_add waybar Status bar
Foot pkg_add foot Terminal (replaces ghostty)
Fish pkg_add fish Shell
Neovim pkg_add neovim Editor
Firefox pkg_add firefox Browser
Mako pkg_add mako Notifications
Wofi pkg_add wofi App launcher
Grim/Slurp pkg_add grim slurp Screenshots
wl-clipboard pkg_add wl-clipboard Clipboard
doas OpenBSD built-in sudo replacement
Swaylock pkg_add swaylock Lock screen
swayidle pkg_add swayidle Idle management
wlsunset pkg_add wlsunset Blue light filter
bcrypt OpenBSD base Password hashing

Dotfiles are cloned from ~/.dotfiles (user’s own repo) and symlinked.

Status: 🔴 Not yet written — this is the next major task (Step D in the plan below).

Current Project State

✅ Completed

Item Location Notes
ISO builder build-iso.sh Downloads, verifies, injects, repacks
Autoinstall config autoinstall/install.conf Asks hostname/password/user/timezone; disk prompts
site79.tgz support site/ dir + build-iso.sh step Empty for now; ready for custom files
Sway config config/sway/ Ported from ~/.config/sway; OpenBSD fixes applied
Jekyll site _layouts/, _config.yml, assets/css/style.scss Midnight theme, CypherRiot CSS
README README.md Badges, IN PROGRESS warning, install methods
CNAME CNAME openriot.org
Blowfish emoji _layouts/default.html, README.md, _config.yml Replaced 🎭 with 🐡

🔴 Not Yet Done

Item Priority Blocking
setup.sh script Critical Blocks end-to-end install
Go installer port Critical setup.sh depends on it
Package list (packages.yaml) Critical Need pkg_add equivalent of ArchRiot’s packages.yaml
OpenBSD dotfiles structure High How to organize installed configs
Control panel (Go) Medium Nice to have; not blocking
site79.tgz populated files Medium doas.conf, pkg.conf, hostname
Backgrounds/wallpapers Low CypherRiot backgrounds not yet available
Swaylock dynamic wallpaper Low Requires backgrounds + openriot binary

Step-by-Step Build Plan

Phase 1: ISO Builder (DONE ✅)

  • build-iso.sh written and tested
  • SHA256 verification working (correctly parses OpenBSD’s SHA256 (file) = hash format)
  • install.conf created (autoinstall answers)
  • site79.tgz injection working (skips when dir empty)
  • ISO output: isos/openriot-0.1-7.9.iso
  • Version bumped to 0.1

Phase 2: Post-Install Setup Script (NEXT 🔴)

  • Write setup.sh (the curl | sh bootstrap)
    • Detect OpenBSD version
    • Install packages via pkg_add
    • Clone/fetch dotfiles
    • Deploy Sway + Waybar configs
    • Set Fish as default shell
    • Configure doas
    • Start Sway

Proposed setup.sh structure:

#!/bin/sh
set -e

echo "=== OpenRiot Setup ==="

# 1. Check we're on OpenBSD
if [ "$(uname)" != "OpenBSD" ]; then
    echo "ERROR: OpenRiot requires OpenBSD"
    exit 1
fi

# 2. Detect architecture and install packages
pkg_add -v sway waybar foot fish neovim \
    git curl doas \
    grim slurp wl-clipboard mako wofi \
    firefox btop transmission-gtk \
    python3

# 3. Fish as default shell for user
chsh -s /usr/local/bin/fish

# 4. Clone dotfiles
if [ -d "$HOME/.dotfiles" ]; then
    echo "Dotfiles already exist, skipping clone"
else
    git clone https://github.com/CyphrRiot/dotfiles.git "$HOME/.dotfiles"
fi

# 5. Deploy Sway config
mkdir -p "$HOME/.config/sway"
cp "$HOME/.dotfiles/sway/config" "$HOME/.config/sway/config" 2>/dev/null || true
cp "$HOME/.dotfiles/sway/keybindings.conf" "$HOME/.config/sway/keybindings.conf" 2>/dev/null || true
cp "$HOME/.dotfiles/sway/windowrules.conf" "$HOME/.config/sway/windowrules.conf" 2>/dev/null || true

# 6. Deploy Waybar config
mkdir -p "$HOME/.config/waybar"
cp -r "$HOME/.dotfiles/waybar/"*. "$HOME/.config/waybar/" 2>/dev/null || true

# 7. Deploy Fish config
cp -r "$HOME/.dotfiles/fish/"*. "$HOME/.config/fish/" 2>/dev/null || true

# 8. Doas config (passwordless for wheel)
echo "permit nopass :wheel" > /etc/doas.conf

# 9. Waybar autostart (already in Sway config)

echo "=== OpenRiot ready! Run 'sway' from tty to start ==="

Phase 3: Go Installer Port (later 🔴)

Port the ArchRiot Go CLI to OpenBSD. Key differences from ArchRiot:

ArchRiot OpenRiot
pacman + yay (AUR) pkg_add
systemd user services rc.d / doas
Hyprland Sway
hyprlock swaylock
hypridle swayidle
brightnessctl N/A (no brightness control on OpenBSD)
gsettings N/A (no GNOME deps)
i3-autotiling (AUR) Not available
$HOME/.local/share/archriot/ $HOME/.local/share/openriot/
ArchRiot Hyprland modules Sway/Waybar equivalents

Go packages to port/rewrite:

  • source/main.go — entry point, CLI flags
  • source/installer/ — pacman/yay → pkg_add
  • source/session/ — systemd → rc.d / direct commands
  • source/waybar/ — largely compatible (Waybar works on Sway)
  • source/theming/ — largely compatible
  • source/upgradeguard/ — pacman db → pkg info
  • source/upgrunner/ — pacman → pkg_add

Go packages likely reusable without changes:

  • source/cli/
  • source/logger/
  • source/config/ (loader, types, dependency validator)
  • source/executor/
  • source/crypto/
  • source/display/
  • source/windows/

File Reference

ISO Builder

File Purpose
build-iso.sh Main build script; downloads ISO, injects files, repacks
autoinstall/install.conf Autoinstall answer file
site/ Directory for custom files to overlay on target system
is/os/ Output directory for built ISOs

Sway Config (ported from ~/.config/sway)

File Purpose
config/sway/config Main Sway config; sources other files
config/sway/keybindings.conf All keybindings (bindsym)
config/sway/monitors.conf Monitor/workspace config
config/sway/windowrules.conf for_window rules
config/sway/swayidle.conf Idle/lock configuration (reference)
config/sway/swaylock.conf Swaylock config
config/sway/swaylock-wrapper.sh Lock screen background generator (calls Python script)
config/sway/swaylock-wrapper.py Generates dynamic lock screen with time/date/crypto

Jekyll Site

File Purpose
_config.yml Jekyll config; Midnight theme, OpenRiot title/description
_layouts/default.html Page layout; Midnight CSS overrides, footer, JS
assets/css/style.scss Custom CSS (imports Midnight, then CypherRiot overrides)
README.md GitHub Pages landing page
CNAME Domain: openriot.org

OpenBSD-Specific Reference

Package Management

# Install packages
pkg_add -v package1 package2

# Update packages
pkg_add -u

# Search packages
pkg_info -Q searchterm

# List installed
pkg_info

Services (rc.d)

# Enable service
rcctl enable service

# Start now
rcctl start service

# Disable
rcctl disable service

Key Services for Desktop

Service Purpose
apmd Power management (battery, suspend, lid)
sndiod Audio (disable with sndiod_flags=NO)
sshd SSH (enabled by default on install)

Network/WiFi

OpenBSD uses iwx for Intel WiFi 6 (AX211). Configure in /etc/hostname.if:

# /etc/hostname.iwx0
nwid YOUR_SSID wpakey YOUR_PASSWORD
inet autoconf

Then: sh /etc/netstart

System Updates

# Patch and upgrade
syspatch -a && sysupgrade

# Package updates
pkg_add -u

Doas (sudo replacement)

# /etc/doas.conf
permit nopass :wheel

Disk Encryption

OpenBSD supports softraid encryption (full-disk encryption). During install, choose (E)ncrpyt when prompted for the root disk. This sets up a passphrase prompt at boot.

OpenBSD vs Linux: Key Differences for the Installer

Topic ArchRiot (Linux) OpenRiot (OpenBSD)
Package manager pacman + yay (AUR) pkg_add
Init system systemd rc.d (OpenBSD base)
Compiler toolchain base + AUR base + comp79.tgz
WiFi driver networkmanager/iwd iwx (Intel), urtwn, athn
Brightness brightnessctl N/A (no standard tool)
Lock screen hyprlock swaylock
Idle hypridle swayidle
Notifications mako mako
Screenshots grim + slurp grim + slurp
Font rendering fontconfig fontconfig
Desktop entry .desktop files same
XDG dirs same same
User systemd systemctl –user N/A (use raw commands)
Session lock hyprlock swaylock
Idle dim brightnessctl N/A

Known Issues

  1. brightnessctl not available on OpenBSD — removed from swayidle in config/sway/config. No standard brightness control tool on OpenBSD.
  2. gsettings not available on OpenBSD — commented out in sway/config. GTK theming handled differently.
  3. i3-autotiling not available on OpenBSD pkg repo — commented out. Sway’s default dwindle layout handles most tiling.
  4. hyprlock not available on OpenBSD — replaced with swaylock in swayidle.
  5. Control panel — ArchRiot’s GTK4 control panel has not been ported.
  6. setup.sh — not yet written; this is the critical next step.
  7. Go installer — not yet ported; setup.sh will be shell-only until Go port is done.
  8. Wallpapers/backgrounds — not yet available in OpenRiot; swaylock-wrapper.py references ~/.local/share/openriot/backgrounds/ which doesn’t exist yet.
  9. openriot.org site — currently serves Jekyll site only; setup.sh is not yet hosted at the domain.

TODO List

P0 — Critical (must have before first install)

  • Write setup.sh bootstrap script
  • Host setup.sh at openriot.org/setup.sh
  • Test setup.sh on a real OpenBSD installation
  • Fix any package name differences

P1 — Important (full desktop experience)

  • Write install/packages.yaml (pkg_add equivalent of ArchRiot’s packages.yaml)
  • Port Go installer (or significant subset) to OpenBSD
  • Populate site/ with useful files (doas.conf, pkg_add.conf, etc.)
  • Copy/configure Waybar modules from ArchRiot
  • Copy/configure Fish shell config from ArchRiot
  • Copy/configure Neovim config from ArchRiot

P2 — Nice to have

  • Port Go control panel to OpenBSD (GTK4 or Go TUI)
  • Swaylock dynamic wallpaper with OpenBSD backgrounds
  • OpenRiot wallpapers (CypherRiot theme ported)
  • Test on real hardware (ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13)
  • Test WiFi (AX211 vs BE201)

P3 — Future

  • Release ISO with pre-baked setup.sh included
  • Create OpenRiot.org release page with ISO downloads
  • Announce on misc@openbsd.org

Credits

License

MIT License — same as ArchRiot ```