Install manual

Install QuantumUnix on Omarchy / Arch Linux

QuantumUnix is a privacy and post-quantum hardening layer on top of Omarchy (Arch Linux + Hyprland). You can either layer it onto an existing Omarchy install, or build it from a clean Arch ISO. Both paths are scripted and reproducible.

Pre-release. This documents the planned PoC install flow. ISOs and signed scripts are published as GitHub Releases — verify checksums and signatures before running anything against your hardware.

Prerequisites

Hardware: x86_64 CPU with UEFI, 4 GB RAM minimum (8 GB recommended), 30 GB free disk.
Network: wired or Wi-Fi. The bootstrap pulls signed packages over HTTPS only.
Backups: a recent backup of any data on the target disk. Disk encryption will erase existing partitions when you choose a full-disk install.
Skills: comfortable with a terminal, pacman, and basic disk partitioning.

Two install paths

Layer onto Omarchy

You already run Omarchy. Add the QuantumUnix privacy + PQC profile on top, keep your config, opt out per module if needed.

From a clean Arch ISO

You want a deterministic build. Boot the official Arch ISO, run the QuantumUnix bootstrap, and end up with Omarchy + QuantumUnix in one pass.

Path A — Layer onto an existing Omarchy install

From a working Omarchy desktop, open a terminal and run:

# 1. Fetch the bootstrap script and its signature
curl -fsSLO https://quantumunix.com/scripts/quantumunix-bootstrap.sh
curl -fsSLO https://quantumunix.com/scripts/quantumunix-bootstrap.sh.sha256

# 2. Verify the SHA-256 checksum before doing anything else
sha256sum -c quantumunix-bootstrap.sh.sha256

# 3. Read the script. Always read scripts you are about to run as root.
less quantumunix-bootstrap.sh

# 4. Run the bootstrap with the "layer" profile
chmod +x quantumunix-bootstrap.sh
sudo ./quantumunix-bootstrap.sh --profile layer

The layer profile only installs and enables the QuantumUnix privacy/PQC modules and writes config under /etc/quantumunix/. It will not repartition your disk or touch your Hyprland theme.

Path B — From a clean Arch ISO

Download the Arch ISO from archlinux.org/download and write it to a USB stick (e.g. dd or cp on Linux, BalenaEtcher on macOS/Windows).
Boot the USB in UEFI mode. Connect to the network with iwctl (Wi-Fi) or DHCP (Ethernet) and check it with ping -c 2 archlinux.org.

Fetch the QuantumUnix bootstrap directly into the live environment:

curl -fsSLO https://quantumunix.com/scripts/quantumunix-bootstrap.sh
curl -fsSLO https://quantumunix.com/scripts/quantumunix-bootstrap.sh.sha256
sha256sum -c quantumunix-bootstrap.sh.sha256
chmod +x quantumunix-bootstrap.sh

Run the full install. This partitions the target disk, sets up LUKS2 full-disk encryption, installs Omarchy and applies the QuantumUnix profile:

./quantumunix-bootstrap.sh \
  --profile full \
  --disk /dev/nvme0n1 \
  --hostname quantumunix \
  --user "$YOUR_USERNAME" \
  --crypto pq-hybrid

Reboot, remove the USB, log in, and Hyprland starts under the QuantumUnix theme.

Disk argument. Replace /dev/nvme0n1 with the correct device for your machine. Run lsblk first. The script asks for a final confirmation before it writes any partition table.

Post-install checklist

1. Verify hardening

quantumunix-status --check
quantumunix-status --crypto

Reports SELinux/AppArmor state, firewall rules, browser hardening, and TLS/SSH crypto policy.

2. Set crypto profile

# Default (recommended): hybrid PQ
sudo quantumunix-crypto --profile hybrid

# Strict PQ (pilots only)
sudo quantumunix-crypto --profile pq-strict

3. Enable backups

sudo quantumunix-backup --init
sudo systemctl enable --now quantumunix-backup.timer

Local-first encrypted backups; remote targets are opt-in.

4. Generate keys

quantumunix-keys --generate \
  --algo hybrid:ed25519+ml-kem-768

Hybrid SSH/age keys. The classical half stays valid even on hosts without PQ support.

Updates & rollback

QuantumUnix layers cleanly on Arch's pacman. System updates use the upstream Arch and Omarchy repositories; QuantumUnix policy updates come from a separate signed channel.

# Routine update
sudo pacman -Syu
sudo quantumunix-update

# Roll back to the previous snapshot if something breaks
sudo quantumunix-rollback --list
sudo quantumunix-rollback --to <snapshot-id>

Troubleshooting

No network in the live ISO — run iwctl and pair to your AP, or plug in Ethernet. The bootstrap refuses to continue offline.
SHA-256 mismatch — never run a script that fails verification. Re-download from a different network and report the issue on GitHub.
Hyprland fails to start — log in on TTY and run quantumunix-status --check. Most desktop issues come from missing GPU firmware, listed in the report.
SSH host won't connect after PQ-strict — that host probably doesn't speak ML-KEM yet. Switch back to hybrid until the remote side catches up.

Looking for the bigger picture? See the Specification for what each module does, or jump to Proof of Concept for the build/release pipeline.