v1.0 Iron · ARM64

Linux built for
developers

Minimal, fast, and ARM-native. Install only what you need. Powered by an offline AI assistant and a custom CLI that makes development effortless.

⬇ Download ISO Installation guide →
ARM64
architecture
8
dev bundles
100%
offline AI
1.0
iron release

WHAT YOU GET

Everything a developer needs.
Nothing they don't.

Rune OS ships with a curated set of tools. You choose what to install at setup time.

ARM64 native

Built on Ubuntu 24.04 Noble. Runs natively on ARM laptops, Apple Silicon via UTM, and Raspberry Pi 5.

🎛

Custom installer

GTK4 graphical installer lets you pick your dev stack before anything is installed. Keep the ISO lean.

🤖

Offline AI assistant

Ollama + Llama 3.2 runs fully offline. Ask questions, explain errors, generate commit messages — no internet required.

🔧

rune CLI

A custom package manager wrapping apt. Install bundles, manage packages, and talk to AI — all in one tool.

🛡

Smart error explainer

When any terminal command fails, the AI automatically explains what went wrong and suggests the fix.

🎨

Dark, modern desktop

KDE Plasma with WhiteSur theme, Papirus icons, custom wallpaper, and Plymouth boot splash — all Rune branded.


DOWNLOAD

ᚱ Rune OS 1.0 Iron

The first stable release. ARM64 only. Based on Ubuntu 24.04 Noble LTS.

Architecture ARM64 (aarch64) Desktop KDE Plasma Release Iron
⬇ Download ISO View on GitHub →

INSTALLATION GUIDE

Get up and running

Rune OS takes about 10 minutes to install. You'll need a USB drive (8GB+) or a VM like UTM.

01

Download the ISO

Grab the latest Rune OS ARM64 ISO from the download section above. Verify the checksum to ensure integrity.

sha256sum rune-os-1.0-arm64.iso
02

Flash to USB or load in UTM

For physical hardware, flash the ISO to a USB drive using balenaEtcher or dd. For UTM on Apple Silicon, create a new Linux VM and select the ISO as the boot drive.

sudo dd if=rune-os-1.0-arm64.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress
03

Boot and launch the installer

Boot from the USB or ISO. The Rune OS graphical installer will launch automatically. If it doesn't, double-click "Install Rune OS" on the desktop.

04

Choose your stack

The installer shows 8 developer bundles. Check the ones you want — only selected packages will be installed. You can add more later with rune bundle install.

05

Create your account

Enter your username, password, and hostname. The installer will set everything up and reboot into your new Rune OS system.

06

You're in

Open a terminal. You'll see the Rune OS welcome message with system info and key shortcuts. Run rune help to get started.

ᚱ Rune OS 1.0 Iron ARM64
────────────────────────────────
kernel 6.8.0-51-generic
uptime up 1 minute
memory 0.8G / 8.0G
Super+Space launcher rune help packages
rune:~$ _

RUNE CLI

Your OS, one command at a time

The rune CLI is Rune OS's custom package manager and AI assistant. It wraps apt with a clean interface and adds AI superpowers.

rune help
ᚱ Rune OS v1.0.0
────────────────────────────
Packages
install <pkg> Install a package
remove <pkg> Remove a package
update Update all packages
bundle install <name> Install a dev bundle
bundles List all bundles
clean Free up disk space
AI (needs ai-tools bundle)
ai "question" Ask the AI anything
ai chat Interactive AI chat
explain <file/cmd> Explain code or commands
commit AI git commit message
why "error" Explain an error
Complete command reference
All available rune commands and what they do
Command Description Type
rune install <pkg>Install any apt packagepackage
rune remove <pkg>Remove an installed packagepackage
rune updateUpdate all installed packagespackage
rune search <query>Search available packagespackage
rune info <pkg>Show package detailspackage
rune cleanRemove unused packages and free spacepackage
rune bundlesList all available developer bundlesbundle
rune bundle install <name>Install a complete dev bundle (web, java, devops...)bundle
rune ai "question"Ask the offline AI assistant anythingAI
rune ai chatStart an interactive AI conversationAI
rune explain <file>Explain what a file or command doesAI
rune commitGenerate a git commit message from your diffAI
rune why "error"Explain a Linux error and suggest a fixAI

DEV BUNDLES

Install your entire stack
in one command

Each bundle installs a complete, curated set of tools for a development domain. No dependency hunting.

🌐
web
Node.js · npm · Python 3 · PHP 8 · Nginx · Composer · pnpm
🔧
systems
gcc · g++ · clang · cmake · make · gdb · valgrind · nasm
java
OpenJDK 21 · Maven · Gradle
🗄
databases
MySQL Server · MySQL Client · MongoDB 7.0
🧠
ai-ml
Python · pip · Jupyter · NumPy · Pandas · Matplotlib · scikit-learn
🐳
devops
Docker · docker-compose · Ansible · kubectl
🦀
rust-go
rustup · cargo · Go toolchain · golangci-lint
🤖
ai-tools
Ollama · Llama 3.2 1B · fully offline · no API key needed · ~2.5GB
# Install any bundle anytime after setup rune bundle install web rune bundle install ai-tools

TECH HELP

Common questions

Answers to the most common issues and questions about Rune OS.

Does Rune OS work on Intel/AMD x86 machines?
No. Rune OS 1.0 Iron is ARM64 only. It's built specifically for ARM architecture — Apple Silicon Macs (via UTM), Raspberry Pi 5, and ARM-based laptops. x86 support is planned for a future release.
How do I install more packages after setup?
Use the rune CLI: rune install <package-name> for individual packages, or rune bundle install <bundle-name> for full dev stacks. Run rune bundles to see all available bundles.
Does rune ai require internet?
No. The AI features use Ollama with Llama 3.2 running entirely on your machine. No API keys, no internet connection, no data leaving your device. You need to install the ai-tools bundle first: rune bundle install ai-tools
How do I update Rune OS?
Run rune update in the terminal. This updates all installed packages from Ubuntu's repos. Rune OS is based on Ubuntu 24.04 Noble LTS so you get 5 years of security updates.
How do I run Rune OS in UTM on Apple Silicon?
Create a new VM in UTM → Virtualize → Linux → Use Apple Virtualization → Boot from ISO image → select the Rune OS ISO. Set RAM to 4GB+ and storage to 40GB+. The installer will launch automatically on first boot.
The installer didn't launch automatically. What do I do?
Double-click "Install Rune OS" on the desktop, or open a terminal and run: python3 /opt/rune-installer/installer.py
How do I report a bug or get help?
Open an issue on the Rune OS GitHub repository. Include your hardware, what you were doing, and the error message. For quick help, use rune why "your error message" for instant AI-powered explanations.
Can I use apt directly instead of rune?
Yes, absolutely. rune is just a wrapper around apt. You can use apt, apt-get, or rune interchangeably. The rune CLI adds bundle management and AI features on top of standard apt.