ChromeOS VM Kernel Builder

A Nix-based toolkit to build custom kernels for ChromeOS Crostini and Baguette containers, enabling support for Waydroid (Binder/Ashmem).

Prerequisites

• Share Downloads: Open the ChromeOS "Files" app, right-click Downloads, and select "Share with Linux". This allows you to easily copy the final kernel to ChromeOS.

Quick Start

1. Enter the Environment:

   nix develop

2. Build Everything (Automated): This single command clones the repo, configures it (copying your running system config), enables Waydroid drivers, and builds the kernel.

   just build

   • Artifact location: ./out/bzImage

Advanced Usage

If you need to debug or change specific settings, you can run steps individually:

• Prepare Configuration Only: Runs the setup and applies Waydroid flags without starting the long compile process.

  just config

• Interactive Menu: Opens the text-based kernel configuration menu (ncurses) to manually toggle drivers.

  just menuconfig

• Clean Artifacts: Removes compiled objects to force a rebuild of changed files.

  just clean

• Factory Reset (Nuke): Completely deletes the kernel/ and out/ directories to start fresh.

  just nuke

Installation (How to Boot)

Once the build finishes:

1. Copy the kernel to Windows/ChromeOS:

   cp out/bzImage /mnt/chromeos/MyFiles/Downloads/bzImage-waydroid

2. Boot (On ChromeOS Host): Open Crosh (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run:

   vmc stop baguette
   vmc start --vm-type BAGUETTE --kernel /home/chronos/user/MyFiles/Downloads/bzImage-waydroid baguette