Build Pipeline SmechDeploy

SmechDeploy is the build and deployment toolkit for the entire Smech Labs OS stack. It is a collection of shell and Python scripts that compile upstream sources and write the results into raw disk images — no package manager, no container, no external build system abstraction.

What it builds

Repository layout

SmechDeploy/
├── bin/                      # build scripts (shell + Python)
├── build_order.txt           # SmechOS script execution order
├── build_order_smechvisor.txt # SmechVisor script execution order
├── images/                   # raw disk images (not in git)
├── essentials/               # vendored upstream sources (not in git)
├── deps/                     # third-party deps (libnl, meson, etc.)
├── repo-packs/               # spk Rust source
├── repo-packs-installer/     # smech-installer Rust source (SmechOS TUI installer)
├── repo-packs-installer-visor/ # smechvisor-installer Rust source
├── repo-packs-spkvisor/      # spk-visor Rust source
├── config/                   # OpenRC service configs, SDDM config
└── .venv/                    # Python venv for the orchestrator

Prerequisites

• x86_64 Linux host (Debian or Ubuntu recommended)
• Root access (required for debugfs, mount, chroot, and make install)
• Packages: build-essential python3 python3-venv cargo rustc xorriso grub-efi-amd64-bin grub-pc-bin libnewt-dev
• ~50 GB free disk space for build artifacts
• Internet access for downloading upstream source tarballs (Phase 2 only)

Build Profiles

SmechOS profile

Run the full SmechOS build:

cd SmechDeploy
sudo bash bin/build_smechos.sh

The orchestrator reads build_order.txt, activates the Python venv, and runs each script in order. See Script Reference for individual phase descriptions.

SmechVisor profile

Run the full SmechVisor build:

cd SmechDeploy
export SMECH_TARGET=/mnt/smechos_build_root
sudo bash bin/build_smechos.sh --profile smechvisor

Uses build_order_smechvisor.txt. Bootstraps a musl userland, compiles the kernel, installs the smechvisord daemon, and produces both the install ISO and the deploy shim ISO.

Running a single phase

Every script auto-detects its own SCRIPT_DIR and DEPLOY_ROOT, so individual phase scripts can be run standalone:

sudo SMECH_TARGET=/mnt/smechos bash bin/04_compile_kde_stack.py
sudo bash bin/15_build_smechvisor_install_iso.sh

Script Reference

SmechOS — Phase 1: Base system restoration

Phase 1 operates directly on images/part2.img via debugfs -w, without mounting. It pulls files from a reference host at /mnt/kaymium_sovereign.

SmechOS — Phase 2: Compilation and configuration

Phase 2 requires the image mounted at /mnt/smechos (set via SMECH_TARGET). Sources are compiled from essentials/sources/ with CFLAGS, LDFLAGS, and PKG_CONFIG_PATH pointing at $SMECH_TARGET/usr.

SmechVisor — Full build sequence

The spk build

spk is a separate Rust crate in repo-packs/. It is not built by the orchestrator — build it manually and copy it into the target:

cd repo-packs
cargo build --release
cp target/release/spk /mnt/smechos/usr/bin/spk

Adding a new build script

1. Create the script in bin/ with a numbered prefix matching its intended position (e.g. bin/17_my_step.sh).
2. Add the path to the appropriate build_order*.txt on a new line at the right position.
3. Export SMECH_TARGET at the top of the script and use it as the install prefix for any make install or meson install calls.
4. Call sudo for privileged operations — do not embed passwords or hardcode credentials.