Phase 2 of the build-system assessment:
Tier 1 (user-facing message fixes):
- mk/podman.mk: 'mk/config.mk' -> '.config' (the actual config location)
- mk/prefix.mk: vague 're-run the build' -> specific 'make prefix' guidance
- mk/virtualbox.mk: 'RedBearOS directory' -> 'Red Bear OS VM directory'
- src/bin/repo.rs: '{:?}' -> '{:#}' anyhow chain format + 'repo: ' prefix
Tier 2 (doc consolidation):
- Archive BUILD-SYSTEM-IMPROVEMENTS.md to local/docs/archived/ (self-labeled
'HISTORICAL POST-MORTEM', no longer current).
- Add local/docs/BUILD-SYSTEM-ASSESSMENT-2026-07-18.md (459-line
comprehensive assessment: architecture, quality, robustness, gaps).
- docs/README.md: refresh status note (2026-05-01 -> 2026-07-18, v4.0 ->
v6.0); fix 'as an full fork' grammar.
- docs/07-RED-BEAR-OS-IMPLEMENTATION-PLAN.md: add status header noting
canonical/secondary split vs CONSOLE-TO-KDE-DESKTOP-PLAN.md; fix grammar.
- HARDWARE.md: remove nonexistent PROFILE-MATRIX.md reference; repoint to
README.md and the canonical desktop plan.
- local/docs/LOCAL-FORK-SUPREMACY-POLICY.md: 'currently 0.1.0' -> 'currently
branch 0.3.1; legacy release archive at sources/redbear-0.1.0/'.
- local/docs/GRUB-INTEGRATION-PLAN.md: 'make all CONFIG_NAME=redbear-grub'
-> canonical './local/scripts/build-redbear.sh redbear-grub'.
- recipes/AGENTS.md, recipes/core/AGENTS.md: replace upstream-Redox-pattern
content with proper redirects to root AGENTS.md reflecting the local
fork / path-fork model actually used by Red Bear.
- CONTRIBUTING.md: full rewrite for local fork workflow (Gitea, single-repo
rule, path-fork model, patch governance, build-redbear.sh as canonical
entry point, no AI attribution policy).
- README.md: add BUILD-SYSTEM-ASSESSMENT-2026-07-18.md to Documentation list.
Verified: cargo check (0 errors), cargo test --lib (35/35 passed),
cargo clippy (0 new warnings vs baseline).
4.3 KiB
RECIPES/CORE — ESSENTIAL SYSTEM COMPONENTS
Authority: This file is a quick orientation pointer for the core-component recipes. Canonical policy lives in root
AGENTS.md. For the local fork model, single-repo rule, branch/submodule policy, and durability rules, readlocal/AGENTS.mdfirst.
Path-fork model (CURRENT — supersedes legacy patch model)
The following core components are maintained as local forks in
local/sources/<component>/ and consumed via path = in the recipe TOML.
The legacy redox.patch symlinks in this directory are no longer consumed by
build-redbear.sh and remain only as orphan artifacts pending cleanup.
| Component | Local fork path | Notes |
|---|---|---|
kernel |
local/sources/kernel/ |
Microkernel; syscall ABI unstable by design — use libredox/relibc |
relibc |
local/sources/relibc/ |
POSIX C library in Rust; local/patches/relibc/ holds reference + archived patches only |
base |
local/sources/base/ |
Drivers + system components; recipe uses path = "..." |
bootloader |
local/sources/bootloader/ |
UEFI bootloader (x86_64-uefi, aarch64-uefi) |
installer |
local/sources/installer/ |
redox_installer — creates filesystem images |
redoxfs |
local/sources/redoxfs/ |
Default filesystem |
userutils |
local/sources/userutils/ |
Core user management |
syscall |
(Cargo path dep via redbear-rt consumers) |
NOT wired via recipe.toml path = |
libredox |
(Cargo path dep via redbear-rt consumers) |
NOT wired via recipe.toml path = |
To rehydrate a fork source tree after make distclean:
rm -rf recipes/core/<component>/source
./local/scripts/build-redbear.sh redbear-mini # repo cook recopies from local/sources/
For fork development with online fetch:
export REDBEAR_ALLOW_PROTECTED_FETCH=1
./local/scripts/build-redbear.sh --upstream redbear-mini
Driver model (unchanged from upstream Redox)
- ALL drivers are userspace daemons (except
seriofor PS/2). - Hardware access:
scheme:memory(MMIO),scheme:irq(interrupts),ioplsyscall (port I/O). - PCI devices discovered by
pciddaemon → spawns drivers perpcid/config.toml. - Driver registers as scheme: daemon name becomes
/scheme/<name>.
Stale prefix detection (CRITICAL)
The prefix toolchain (prefix/x86_64-unknown-redox/) provides the cross-compiler and relibc
sysroot (libc.a, system headers) used by ALL recipe builds. When a local fork (relibc, kernel,
base) gains new commits:
touch relibc && make prefix # Rebuild relibc in the cross-toolchain
touch kernel && make prefix # Rebuild kernel-related toolchain parts
build-redbear.sh auto-detects stale prefix and rebuilds before any recipe build. A stale
prefix is the #1 cause of "undefined reference" link errors after fork changes.
Historical POSIX gaps in relibc (now mostly PATCHED-VIA-PATH-FORK)
The current relibc work is no longer "add the missing Wayland APIs" — those are largely in the
fork now. The higher-value remaining work is completeness depth, downstream cleanup, and runtime
validation. See local/sources/relibc/ for the actual current state.
For evidence-qualified support language, refer to local/docs/CONSOLE-TO-KDE-DESKTOP-PLAN.md
rather than per-API tables here, which can drift from the fork HEAD.
Anti-patterns (see root AGENTS.md for full list)
- DO NOT add drivers to kernel — all drivers must be userspace
- DO NOT modify syscall ABI — use
libredox/relibcwrappers - DO NOT use
unwrap()/expect()in drivers — handle errors withResult - DO NOT hardcode
/dev/paths — use scheme paths (/scheme/drm/card0) - DO NOT remove patches to fix build failures — rebase them
- DO NOT remove BINS entries — fix the source or use
EXISTING_BINS
Further reading
local/docs/CONSOLE-TO-KDE-DESKTOP-PLAN.md— canonical desktop path planlocal/docs/KERNEL-IPC-CREDENTIAL-PLAN.md— kernel credential syscalls + IPC (implemented)local/docs/ACPI-IMPROVEMENT-PLAN.md— ACPI ownership, robustness, validationlocal/docs/PATCH-GOVERNANCE.md— patch lifecycle and orphan-patch decision treelocal/docs/LOCAL-FORK-SUPREMACY-POLICY.md— fork-version coherence requirements