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Prerequisites

What you need to build and run the kernel. Publishing this docs site is optional. GitHub Pages is not required for kernel work.

Kernel (required)

NeedWhy
Nightly Rust + rust-src + llvm-tools-previewFreestanding build-std for the custom aarch64-ctos.json target. Pin is rust-toolchain.toml.
qemu-system-aarch64Primary guest is QEMU -machine virt (ADR-003). Debian/Ubuntu package is often qemu-system-arm.
A host that can run those toolsWindows, macOS, or Linux. The kernel target stays AArch64.
 
rustup toolchain install nightly
rustup component add rust-src llvm-tools-preview
# Debian/Ubuntu: sudo apt-get install qemu-system-arm

cargo build          # ELF at target/aarch64-ctos/debug/ctos
cargo run            # qemu-system-aarch64 -machine virt
./scripts/qemu-smoke.sh

flowchart LR
  R["rustup nightly + rust-src"] --> B["cargo build"]
  B --> Q["qemu-smoke / cargo run"]

That rebuilds the kernel, including any in-tree no_std code you add. It is not a port of a Linux app. See Building or porting.

Commands and honesty notes: GitHub README. A successful cargo build on your machine is not a copied Verified boot from another host.

Optional

ExtraWhen
Docker linux/arm64cts-ai (Windows ARM64) path: ./scripts/docker-smoke.sh. Do not pass --platform linux/amd64.
mdBook 0.5.4 + mdbook-mermaid 0.17.1Local docs site only: ./scripts/docs-build.sh. See Docs website + DNS.

Not required

  • GitHub Pages, a custom domain, or ctos.artof.link (the site is live; you still do not need it to hack the kernel)
  • Raspberry Pi hardware, an x86_64 boot path, or VGA
  • Obsidian (.obsidian/ is gitignored)
  • AWS / Route 53 credentials (DNS is a publish concern, not a kernel build concern)