Transform Your Arch Linux into CachyOS!

CachyOS is a performance-optimized Arch Linux derivative known for its custom kernels, aggressive compiler optimizations, and a focus on desktop performance. If you're an Arch user looking to squeeze more performance out of your system, converting to CachyOS is a great way to do it.

This guide will walk you through the process step-by-step.

Disclaimer: 

This process involves significant system changes. While this guide aims to be comprehensive, always back up your important data before proceeding. It's also recommended to have a live Arch ISO handy in case you need to chroot and fix any issues.

**Install Timeshift to backup or make a snapshot before making changes.

Bash

sudo pacman -S timeshift

Let's begin!

Step 1: How to Run the CachyOS Repo Script (Automated Setup):

Download and Extract the Installer: Open a terminal and run these commands:

Bash

curl -O https://mirror.cachyos.org/cachyos-repo.tar.xz && tar xvf cachyos-repo.tar.xz && cd cachyos-repo

Run the Automated Installer:

Bash

sudo ./cachyos-repo.sh

This script will:

• Auto-detect your CPU architecture support (e.g., x86-64-v3, x86-64-v4) for maximum optimization.

• Configure the appropriate repository tiers in your /etc/pacman.conf.

• Back up your existing /etc/pacman.conf.

• Set up the necessary GPG keys and mirrors.

*Important: Check pacman.conf for CachyOS repo entries

If there is no CachyOS entries above the default repos go to Section B

Bash

sudo nano /etc/pacman.conf

It should look like this

# CachyOS v3 Optimized Repositories
[cachyos-v3]
Include = /etc/pacman.d/cachyos-v3-mirrorlist
[cachyos-core-v3]
Include = /etc/pacman.d/cachyos-v3-mirrorlist
[cachyos-extra-v3]
Include = /etc/pacman.d/cachyos-v3-mirrorlist
[cachyos]
Include = /etc/pacman.d/cachyos-mirrorlist

[core]
...

Step 2: Perform a Full System Update: 

After running the script, you must run a full system update to transition to the newly configured CachyOS packages:

Bash

sudo pacman -Scc

sudo pacman -Sy

Reinstall all packages

Replace all packages that have a CachyOS optimized version

Bash

pacman -Qqn | sudo pacman -S -

Final Full System Update (Critical): This step ensures all dependencies are met and any remaining packages are properly updated to the CachyOS versions before a new kernel is installed or you reboot.

Bash

sudo pacman -Syu

Step 3: Install the CachyOS Kernel

Bash

sudo pacman -S linux-cachyos linux-cachyos-headers

After installing a new kernel, ensure your bootloader is updated to recognize it.

Step 4: Update Your Bootloader Configuration

Check your bootloader

Bash

bootctl status

For Grub

Bash

sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

If you use systemd-boot:

The system is generally configured to automatically create the boot entry when a new kernel is installed, so no manual command is usually needed. However, you should check for new files in /boot/loader/entries/ that contain cachyos.

Reboot:

Bash

reboot

Verify CachyOS Kernel

Bash

uname -r

Troubleshoot CachyOS kernel not booting.

If the CachyOS kernel did not boot run this command which will register newly installed kernels.

Bash

sudo kernel-install add $(pacman -Q linux-cachyos | awk '{print $2}') /boot/vmlinuz-linux-cachyos

If you want to see the CachyOS name in your systemd boot menu do this:

Find your specific pc and kernel, usaully has a long number .conf

Bash

ls /boot/loader/entries/

sudo nano /boot/loader/entries/4b794afdd2bb428f842dcee9cfed79f4-6.16.7-1.conf

Look for title and replace Arch with whatever you want to see

Optional: Remove the Old Arch Kernel

Once you are sure your system is stable with the CachyOS kernel, you can remove the old Arch kernel (linux) to free up space. Do this only after confirming the CachyOS kernel is working correctly.

Bash

sudo pacman -R linux linux-headers

Section B

**If the script didn't include the repositories in your pacman.conf file put them in manually by following the steps below.

Check Your CPU's Feature Level

The CachyOS repositories are built with specific CPU instruction sets enabled, corresponding to different x86-64 micro-architecture feature levels.

Bash

/lib/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2 --help | grep supported

Interpreting the Output:

Output Includes:	CPU Feature Level	General CPU Support	Repository Target
x86-64-v2 (supported, searched)	v2	Most CPUs from 2009 onwards (e.g., Nehalem, Bulldozer).	cachyos-v2
x86-64-v3 (supported, searched)	v3	CPUs from 2013 onwards (e.g., Haswell, Zen 1).	cachyos-v3
x86-64-v4 (supported, searched)	v4	Newer CPUs with AVX-512 support (e.g., Ice Lake, Zen 4).	cachyos-v4 or znver4

• You should use the highest level listed with (supported, searched) in the output.

• If your CPU is AMD Zen 4 or newer (Ryzen 7000 series / EPYC 9004 series), CachyOS has a specialized repository which will likely offer the best performance, even if v4 is supported. Use the znver4 repositories in this case.

Alternative Check for Zen 4/5

If you suspect you have an AMD Zen 4 or Zen 5 CPU, you can check the native compiler march target:

Bash

gcc -march=native -Q --help=target 2>&1 | grep -Po "^\s+-march=\s+\K(\w+)$"

If the output is znver4 or znver5, you should use the Zen 4 repository target.

Add CachyOS Repositories to pacman.conf

This is the most crucial step. You need to add the CachyOS repositories to your /etc/pacman.conf file. We will use the direct server for optimal performance.

Open pacman.conf with your favorite text editor (e.g., nano or vim):

Bash

sudo nano /etc/pacman.conf

Important: The target repository (e.g., cachyos-v3 or cachyos-v4) should be listed before the standard [core] and [extra] Arch repositories.

V2

[cachyos]
Include = /etc/pacman.d/cachyos-mirrorlist

V3

Option A: x86-64-v3 (Most Common Modern CPUs)
Code snippet

# CachyOS v3 Optimized Repositories
[cachyos-v3]
Include = /etc/pacman.d/cachyos-v3-mirrorlist
[cachyos-core-v3]
Include = /etc/pacman.d/cachyos-v3-mirrorlist
[cachyos-extra-v3]
Include = /etc/pacman.d/cachyos-v3-mirrorlist
[cachyos]
Include = /etc/pacman.d/cachyos-mirrorlist

V4

Option B: x86-64-v4 (CPUs with AVX-512 support)
Code snippet

# CachyOS v4 Optimized Repositories
[cachyos-v4]
Include = /etc/pacman.d/cachyos-v4-mirrorlist
[cachyos-core-v4]
Include = /etc/pacman.d/cachyos-v4-mirrorlist
[cachyos-extra-v4]
Include = /etc/pacman.d/cachyos-v4-mirrorlist
[cachyos]
Include = /etc/pacman.d/cachyos-mirrorlist

V4 AMD

Option C: AMD Zen 4/Zen 5 (Ryzen 7000+ series, EPYC 9004+ series)
Code snippet

# CachyOS Zen 4 Optimized Repositories
[cachyos-znver4]
Include = /etc/pacman.d/cachyos-v4-mirrorlist
[cachyos-core-znver4]
Include = /etc/pacman.d/cachyos-v4-mirrorlist
[cachyos-extra-znver4]
Include = /etc/pacman.d/cachyos-v4-mirrorlist
[cachyos]
Include = /etc/pacman.d/cachyos-mirrorlist

Save pacman.conf

Only create mirrorlist files if they don't exist. The script should create them.

Create CachyOS Mirrorlist Files

Now you need to create the mirrorlist files for the CachyOS repositories. These files will contain the direct server URLs.

Create /etc/pacman.d/cachyos-v3-mirrorlist: 2 files

Bash

sudo nano /etc/pacman.d/cachyos-v3-mirrorlist

Add the following line to the file:

Server = https://mirror.cachyos.org/repo/v3/$arch/$repo

Bash

sudo nano /etc/pacman.d/cachyos-mirrorlist

Add the following line to the file:

Server = https://mirror.cachyos.org/repo/v3/$arch/$repo

Save and exit.

Import CachyOS GPG Keys

CachyOS packages are signed, so you need to import their GPG keys to verify package authenticity.

Bash

sudo pacman-key --recv-keys 37C206A7
sudo pacman-key --lsign-key 37C206A7
sudo pacman-key --populate cachyos
sudo pacman-key --refresh-keys

• sudo pacman-key --recv-keys 37C206A7: Fetches the CachyOS signing key.

• sudo pacman-key --lsign-key 37C206A7: Locally signs the key, marking it as trusted.

• sudo pacman-key --populate cachyos: Populates the CachyOS keyring.

• sudo pacman-key --refresh-keys: Refreshes all keys, including the new CachyOS ones.

Perform a Full System Upgrade to CachyOS

Now that the repositories are configured and keys are imported, you can perform a full system upgrade. This will replace many of your existing Arch packages with their CachyOS optimized counterparts, including the kernel.

Bash

sudo pacman -Syu

Congratulations! You have successfully transformed your Arch Linux system into CachyOS.

Enjoy the performance improvements!

Upgrade to CachyOS