Gentoo roots. More room to build.
Build a system you understand.
BaldEagleOS is an independent Gentoo-based Linux project with a Wayfire desktop, OpenRC-first defaults, and support for booting from ZFS. We're embracing AI to help people understand their systems and build useful tools together.
Why Gentoo
Your choices belong in the build.
Gentoo makes source builds part of everyday package management. With Portage and emerge, you choose package features through USE flags, maintain local patches, and rebuild software around your needs. A rolling system gives you room to keep learning and changing it.
Our direction is a complete, working installable system, followed by Gentoo's source-based package workflow. The installer should make the first step easier; source builds remain part of the experience.
Let's build the tools we've been missing.
We welcome AI-assisted development. We see an opportunity for a small community to tackle useful software that once demanded more development time than it could spare: clearer help, better diagnostics, desktop utilities, and tools that explain what the system is doing.
Bring a useful idea, a reproducible problem, or a contribution you've checked. Use AI if it helps. Understand and test what you submit, explain substantial AI assistance, respect licenses, and follow the contribution rules of each upstream project.
What we're planning
These experiences are planned. Help us design, build, and test them.
An easier first install.
A straightforward path to a complete working BaldEagleOS system, with useful defaults, clear progress, and help for the next step.
ZFS recovery you can understand.
Build on ZFS boot support with guided snapshots and recovery. Our proposed layout separates the system from root's and your regular user's home, with the goal of preserving personal files during system recovery.
Portage tools for your AI client.
We're exploring an MCP interface that lets compatible AI clients inspect package choices, investigate build failures, and prepare changes you can review. Client compatibility and account requirements will be documented as the integration develops.
A web stack you can learn from.
We plan to include Apache HTTP Server, PostgreSQL, and PHP with a working example application. Follow a request from browser to application to database, read its logs, and make it your own.
An OS webapp that explains the system.
A local home for service status, logs, printing through CUPS, help, and agent tools. The aim is to put useful controls beside the commands, configuration, and explanations that make them understandable.
Help shape BaldEagleOS.
Join #baldeagleos on Libera.Chat. Tell us what you'd like to build, where the instructions could be clearer, or which desktop and package workflows you'd like to help test. Documentation, design, testing, and code all move the project forward.
Interested in trying BaldEagleOS?
Join #baldeagleos to discuss current builds and getting-started information. This page will link installation instructions and downloads when they are available here.
Project work
Historical screenshots of repository and image-generation work. These show past output, not verification of a current image.
Foundations
BaldEagleOS builds on work from Gentoo, Wayfire, OpenRC, OpenZFS, and their contributors. Explore the foundations, learn how they work, and respect each project's contribution guidelines.