# RED BEAR OS BUILD SYSTEM — PROJECT KNOWLEDGE BASE

**Generated:** 2026-04-11 (AMD-first reassessment)
**Toolchain:** Rust nightly-2025-10-03 (edition 2024)
**Architecture:** Microkernel OS in Rust, ~38k files, ~294k LoC Rust
**Target Hardware**: AMD64 bare metal, AMD GPU (RDNA2/RDNA3), then Intel

## OVERVIEW

Red Bear OS build system orchestrator — fetches, builds, and packages ~100+ Git repositories
into a bootable Redox image. Uses a Makefile + Rust "cookbook" tool + TOML configs.
Languages: Rust (core), C (ported packages), TOML (config), Make (build orchestration).

## STRUCTURE

```
redox-master/
├── config/          # Build configs (TOML): desktop, server, wayland, x11, minimal
├── mk/              # Makefile fragments: config.mk, repo.mk, prefix.mk, disk.mk, qemu.mk
├── recipes/         # Package recipes (TOML + source). 26 categories. See recipes/AGENTS.md
│   ├── core/        # kernel, bootloader, relibc, base drivers — See recipes/core/AGENTS.md
│   ├── wip/         # Wayland, KDE, driver WIP ports — See recipes/wip/AGENTS.md
│   ├── libs/        # Libraries: mesa, cairo, SDL, zlib, openssl, etc.
│   ├── gui/         # Orbital, orbterm, orbutils
│   └── ...          # 21 other categories (net, dev, games, shells, etc.)
├── src/             # Cookbook Rust tooling (repo binary, cook logic)
├── docs/            # Architecture docs (6 detailed integration guides) — See docs/AGENTS.md
├── local/           # OUR CUSTOM WORK — survives mainline updates — See local/AGENTS.md
│   ├── config/      # Custom configs (my-amd-desktop.toml)
│   ├── recipes/     # Custom recipes (AMD drivers, GPU stack, Wayland)
│   ├── patches/     # Patches against mainline sources (kernel, relibc, base)
│   ├── Assets/      # Branding assets (icon, loading background)
│   ├── firmware/    # AMD GPU firmware blobs (fetched, not committed)
│   ├── scripts/     # Build/deploy scripts (fetch-firmware.sh, build-amd.sh)
│   └── docs/        # AMD-first integration docs (AMD-FIRST-INTEGRATION.md)
├── prefix/          # Cross-compiler toolchain (Clang/LLVM for x86_64-unknown-redox)
├── build/           # Build outputs, logs, fstools, per-arch directories
├── repo/            # Package manifests and PKGAR artifacts per architecture
├── bin/             # Cross-tool wrappers (pkg-config, llvm-config per target)
├── scripts/         # Helper scripts (backtrace, category, changelog, etc.)
├── podman/          # Podman container build support
├── .cargo/          # Cargo config: linker per target (aarch64, x86_64, i586, i686, riscv64gc)
├── Makefile         # Root orchestrator (all, live, image, rebuild, clean, qemu, gdb)
├── Cargo.toml       # Cookbook crate: binaries (repo, repo_builder), lib (cookbook)
├── rust-toolchain.toml  # nightly-2025-10-03 + rust-src + rustfmt + clippy
└── .config          # PODMAN_BUILD=0 (set to 1 for container builds)
```

## WHERE TO LOOK

| Task | Location | Notes |
|------|----------|-------|
| Add a package | `recipes/<category>/<name>/recipe.toml` | Use `template = "cargo\|cmake\|meson\|custom"` |
| Change build config | `config/<name>.toml` | Include chain: wayland→desktop→desktop-minimal→minimal→base |
| Fix kernel | `recipes/core/kernel/source/` | Kernel is a recipe, not top-level |
| Fix a driver | `recipes/core/base/source/drivers/` | All drivers are userspace daemons |
| Fix relibc (POSIX) | `recipes/core/relibc/source/` | C library written in Rust |
| Wayland integration | `recipes/wip/wayland/` + `docs/03-WAYLAND-ON-REDOX.md` | 21 WIP recipes |
| KDE Plasma path | `recipes/wip/kde/` + `docs/05-KDE-PLASMA-ON-REDOX.md` | 9 WIP KDE app recipes |
| Linux driver compat | `docs/04-LINUX-DRIVER-COMPAT.md` | linux-kpi + redox-driver-sys architecture |
| Build system internals | `src/bin/repo.rs`, `src/lib.rs`, `mk/repo.mk` | Cookbook tool in Rust |
| Cross-toolchain setup | `mk/prefix.mk`, `prefix/x86_64-unknown-redox/` | Downloads Clang/LLVM toolchain |
| Display server | Orbital: `recipes/gui/orbital/` | Userspace scheme-based display server |
| GPU/graphics stack | `recipes/libs/mesa/` | OSMesa + LLVMpipe (software only) |
| Boot config | `config/*.toml` | TOML hierarchy, include-based |

## BUILD COMMANDS

```bash
# Prerequisites (Linux x86_64 host)
#   rustup + nightly-2025-10-03, cargo install just cbedgen, nasm, qemu-system-x86
#   See docs/06-BUILD-SYSTEM-SETUP.md for distro-specific packages

# Configuration
echo 'PODMAN_BUILD?=0' > .config          # Native build (no container)
echo 'PODMAN_BUILD?=1' > .config          # Podman container build

# Build Red Bear OS
make all                                  # Build desktop config → harddrive.img
make all CONFIG_NAME=redbear-full         # Full Red Bear OS desktop + custom drivers
make all CONFIG_NAME=redbear-minimal      # Minimal Red Bear OS server
CI=1 make all CONFIG_NAME=redbear-minimal # CI mode (disables TUI, for non-interactive)

# Run
make qemu                                 # Boot in QEMU
make qemu QEMUFLAGS="-m 4G"              # With more RAM
make live                                 # Build live ISO → redbear-live.iso

# Single recipe
./target/release/repo cook recipes/libs/mesa     # Build one recipe
./target/release/repo fetch recipes/core/kernel   # Fetch source only
make r.mesa                                      # Make shorthand for cook
make cr.mesa                                     # Clean + rebuild

# Clean
make clean                                # Remove build artifacts
make distclean                            # Remove sources + artifacts
```

## BUILD FLOW

```
make all
  → mk/config.mk (ARCH, CONFIG_NAME, FILESYSTEM_CONFIG)
  → mk/depends.mk (check host tools: rustup, cbedgen, nasm, just)
  → mk/prefix.mk (download/setup cross-toolchain if needed)
  → mk/fstools.mk (build cookbook repo binary + fstools)
  → mk/repo.mk (repo cook --filesystem=config/*.toml)
    → For each recipe: fetch source → apply patches → build → stage into sysroot
  → mk/disk.mk (create filesystem.img, harddrive.img, redbear-live.iso)
    → redoxfs-mkfs → redox_installer → bootloader embedding
```

## CONVENTIONS

- **Rust edition 2024**, nightly channel
- **rustfmt.toml**: max_width=100, brace_style=SameLineWhere
- **clippy.toml**: cognitive-complexity-threshold=100, type-complexity-threshold=1000
- **Recipe format**: TOML with `[source]` + `[build]` + optional `[package]`
- **Build templates**: `cargo`, `meson`, `cmake`, `make`, `configure`, `custom`
- **WIP recipes**: Must start with `#TODO` comment explaining what's missing
- **Custom configs**: Name with `my-` prefix (git-ignored by convention)
- **CI**: GitLab CI (`.gitlab-ci.yml`) at root + per-recipe; some have GitHub Actions
- **Syscall ABI**: Unstable intentionally. Stability via `libredox` and `relibc`
- **Drivers**: ALL userspace daemons via scheme system. No kernel-space drivers (except serio)

## ANTI-PATTERNS (THIS PROJECT)

- **DO NOT** suppress errors with `as any` / `@ts-ignore` — use proper `Result` handling
- **DO NOT** use `unwrap()` / `expect()` in library/driver code — pervasive anti-pattern (~14k instances)
- **DO NOT** modify kernel syscall ABI directly — use `libredox` or `relibc`
- **DO NOT** put drivers in kernel space — all drivers are userspace daemons
- **DO NOT** hardcode `/dev/` paths — use scheme paths (`/scheme/drm/card0`)
- **DO NOT** skip patches in WIP recipes — document what's missing with `#TODO`

## PATCH MANAGEMENT

All Red Bear OS modifications to upstream files are kept separately in `local/patches/`.

### Structure

```
local/patches/
├── kernel/redox.patch              # Applied to kernel source during build (symlinked from recipe)
├── kernel/P0-*.patch               # Individual logical patches (for reference/merge)
├── base/redox.patch                # Applied to base source during build (symlinked from recipe)
├── base/P0-*.patch                 # Individual logical patches
├── relibc/P3-*.patch               # POSIX gap patches (eventfd, signalfd, timerfd, etc.)
├── installer/redox.patch           # Installer ext4 support
└── build-system/
    ├── 001-rebrand-and-build.patch # Makefile, mk/*, scripts, build.sh rebranding
    ├── 002-cookbook-fixes.patch    # src/ Rust fixes (fetch.rs, staged_pkg.rs, repo.rs, html.rs)
    ├── 003-config.patch            # config/*.toml changes (os-release, hostname, redbear-full)
    └── 004-docs-and-cleanup.patch  # README, CONTRIBUTING, LICENSE, deleted upstream files
```

### Protection Mechanism

1. **Recipe patches** (`kernel/redox.patch`, `base/redox.patch`): Canonical copy lives in
   `local/patches/`. The recipe directory contains a **symlink** to it:
   ```
   recipes/core/kernel/redox.patch → ../../../local/patches/kernel/redox.patch
   recipes/core/base/redox.patch   → ../../../local/patches/base/redox.patch
   ```
   The build system follows symlinks transparently. Patches are never touched by `make clean`
   or `make distclean`. Only `local/` modifications affect them.

2. **Build-system patches**: Generated via `git diff` against the upstream base commit.
   These serve as a backup — the working tree already has patches applied (via git commits).
   If upstream update via rebase fails, these can be applied from scratch.

3. **Custom recipes**: Live entirely in `local/recipes/` with symlinks into `recipes/`:
   ```
   recipes/drivers/linux-kpi       → ../../local/recipes/drivers/linux-kpi
   recipes/gpu/amdgpu              → ../../local/recipes/gpu/amdgpu
   recipes/system/firmware-loader  → ../../local/recipes/system/firmware-loader
   ... etc
   ```

### Scripts

| Script | Purpose |
|--------|---------|
| `local/scripts/apply-patches.sh` | Apply all build-system patches + create recipe symlinks |
| `local/scripts/sync-upstream.sh` | Fetch upstream + rebase Red Bear OS commits + verify symlinks |

### Updating from Upstream

```bash
# Automated (preferred):
./local/scripts/sync-upstream.sh              # Rebase Red Bear OS onto latest upstream
./local/scripts/sync-upstream.sh --dry-run    # Preview conflicts first

# Manual:
git remote add upstream-redox https://github.com/redox-os/redox.git  # once
git fetch upstream-redox master
git rebase upstream-redox/master             # replays Red Bear OS commits on new upstream

# Nuclear option (if rebase fails badly):
git rebase --abort
git reset --hard upstream-redox/master
./local/scripts/apply-patches.sh --force     # apply from scratch via patch files
```

## AMD-FIRST INTEGRATION PATH

See `local/docs/AMD-FIRST-INTEGRATION.md` for the full plan.

**Target**: AMD64 bare metal, AMD GPU (RDNA2/RDNA3). Intel second.

**amdgpu is 6M+ lines — 18x larger than Intel i915. LinuxKPI compat approach mandatory.**

### Bare Metal Boot Status

| Component | Status | Detail |
|-----------|--------|--------|
| UEFI boot | ✅ | x86_64 bootloader functional |
| AMD CPUs | ✅ | Ryzen Threadripper 128-thread verified |
| ACPI | ✅ Complete | RSDP/SDT checksums, MADT types 0x4/0x5/0x9/0xA, LVT NMI, FADT shutdown/reboot |
| ACPI shutdown | ✅ | PM1a/PM1b S5 via `\_S5` AML |
| ACPI reboot | ✅ | Reset register + keyboard controller fallback |
| ACPI power | ✅ | `\_PS0`/`\_PS3`/`\_PPC` AML methods available |
| x2APIC/SMP | ✅ | Multi-core works |
| IOMMU | ❌ | No AMD-Vi support |
| AMD GPU | ❌ | Only VESA/GOP, no acceleration |

### Phased Roadmap

| Phase | Duration | Delivers |
|-------|----------|----------|
| ~~P0: Fix ACPI for AMD~~ | ~~4-6 weeks~~ | ✅ Complete — boots on modern AMD bare metal |
| P1: Driver infrastructure | 8-12 weeks | redox-driver-sys + linux-kpi + firmware-loader |
| P2: AMD GPU display | 12-16 weeks | redox-drm + AMD DC modesetting → scheme:drm |
| P3: POSIX + input | 4-8 weeks | relibc gaps + evdevd (parallel with P1/P2) |
| P4: Wayland compositor | 4-6 weeks | Smithay Redox backends |
| P5: Full amdgpu | 16-24 weeks | Complete GPU driver via LinuxKPI (parallel) |
| P6: KDE Plasma | 12-16 weeks | Qt6 → KDE Frameworks → KWin → Plasma Shell |

**Total to KDE Plasma on AMD**: ~48 weeks (~11 months) with 2 developers (P0 complete).

### Critical Path
```
P0 (ACPI boot) ✅ DONE → P1 (driver infra) → P2 (AMD display) → P4 (Wayland) → P6 (KDE)
                                              P3 (POSIX+input) ──┘
                                              P5 (full amdgpu, parallel)
```

### New Crates Needed
1. `redox-driver-sys` — Safe Rust wrappers for scheme:memory, scheme:irq, scheme:pci
2. `linux-kpi` — C headers translating Linux kernel APIs → redox-driver-sys
3. `redox-drm` — DRM scheme daemon (AMD DC port)
4. Firmware loader daemon — scheme:firmware for AMD GPU blobs

All custom work goes in `local/` — see `local/AGENTS.md` for overlay usage.

## NOTES

- Build requires Linux x86_64 host, 8GB+ RAM, 20GB+ disk
- QEMU used for testing (make qemu). VirtualBox also supported
- The `repo` binary (cookbook CLI) may crash with TUI in non-interactive environments — use `CI=1`
- No git submodules — external repos managed via recipe source URLs and repo manifests
- File `INTEGRATION_REPORT.md` contains detailed integration status from a previous analysis