arch-restore

Disaster recovery script for Arch Linux. Boot from any Arch ISO, run this script, get a working system.

Intent

"So you want to be the captain?"

This is a bare-metal recovery system. If your laptop dies, gets stolen, or you just want to nuke and start fresh:

1. Boot any Arch ISO (USB, netboot, whatever)
2. Connect to WiFi
3. Run this script
4. Reboot into a working i3 desktop

What it does

• Formats boot (FAT32) and root (ext4) partitions
• Installs base system + i3 + sddm + essential packages
• Creates user ben with password changeme
• Sets up systemd-boot
• Enables NetworkManager and sddm

What it doesn't do (yet)

• Auto-detect disks/partitions
• Handle dual-boot scenarios
• Matrix screen animations

Full Bootstrap Flow

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  1. ARCH-RESTORE (~15 min)                                      │
│     Boot ISO → partition → ./install.sh → reboot                │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                              ↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  2. PERSONALIZATION (~45 min)                                   │
│     git clone https://github.com/benthayer/arch-personalization.git ~/.ben       │
│     ~/.ben/setup/configure.sh                                   │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                              ↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  3. AUTH DANCE (~10 min)                                        │
│     ssh-keygen, gh auth, gcloud auth, az login, doctl auth      │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                              ↓
                           DONE

Total recovery time: ~1 hour

What's Automated

Component	Handled by
Base Arch system	arch-restore/install.sh
i3 + sddm + NetworkManager	arch-restore/install.sh
All packages (pacman + AUR)	~/.ben/setup/configure.sh
Dotfiles + configs	~/.ben/setup/configure.sh
oh-my-zsh, nvm, node, bun	~/.ben/setup/configure.sh
toggl CLI	~/.ben/setup/configure.sh
Docker, CUPS, Bluetooth	~/.ben/setup/configure.sh
System configs (/etc)	~/.ben/setup/configure.sh

What's Manual (inherently interactive)

What	Why
SSH key generation	Passphrase decision
gh auth login	OAuth browser flow
gcloud auth login	OAuth browser flow
az login	OAuth browser flow
doctl auth init	Token input
.passwords file	Contains secrets

Usage

Phase 1: Base System

# Boot Arch ISO, connect to WiFi
iwctl station wlan0 connect "YourWiFi"

# Get the script
curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/benthayer/arch-restore/main/install.sh
chmod +x install.sh

# Partition your disk first (if needed)
# Example: fdisk /dev/nvme0n1
#   - Partition 1: 256MB, EFI System
#   - Partition 2: Rest, Linux filesystem

# Run it
./install.sh /dev/nvme0n1p1 /dev/nvme0n1p2

# Reboot
reboot

Phase 2: Personalization

# Login as ben (password: changeme)
# Connect to WiFi
nmcli device wifi connect "YourWiFi" password "YourPassword"

# Get the deploy key (from USB, this repo, wherever you stashed it)
# The encrypted key is in this repo at deploy_key
# Passphrase: memorized (10k rounds = ~2 min to decrypt = ~$30M to crack)

# Set up SSH agent with deploy key
eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"
ssh-add deploy_key  # enter passphrase

# Clone with deploy key
git clone git@github.com:benthayer/ben.git ~/.ben
~/.ben/setup/configure.sh

# Reboot
reboot

Phase 3: Auth

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "ben@benthayer.com"
gh auth login
gcloud auth login
az login
doctl auth init

Creating a Bootable USB from Windows

1. Download the Arch ISO: https://archlinux.org/download/
2. Download Rufus: https://rufus.ie/
3. Insert USB drive
4. Open Rufus:
   • Select your USB drive
   • Select the Arch ISO
   • Partition scheme: GPT
   • Target system: UEFI
   • Click Start
5. Boot from USB (usually F12 or F2 at startup)

Alternative tools:

• balenaEtcher — simpler, just select ISO and drive
• Ventoy — install once, then just drag ISOs onto the USB

Roadmap

• Phase 1: MVP base system install
• Phase 2: Personal config bootstrap (dotfiles, packages, tools)
• Phase 3: Auto-detect disks, handle different hardware
• Phase 4: Secrets via Keybase
• Phase 5: Custom ISO with script baked in
• Phase 6: Windows-to-Linux exe installer
• Phase 7: Matrix boot screens
• Phase 8: Voice activation ("Captain on deck")

The Philosophy

Your entire local computer is a cache. Everything that matters is:

• On GitHub
• In Keybase
• Re-downloadable

This script rebuilds the cache from nothing.

"What disaster?"