What is Omarchy Linux?

Omarchy is a free, MIT-licensed Linux distribution built on Arch Linux with the Hyprland tiling window manager and, since version 4 (Quattro, August 2026), a desktop shell written in Quickshell. It was created by David Heinemeier Hansson (DHH), the creator of Ruby on Rails, and incubated at 37signals. It ships pre-configured for developers, with coding agents such as Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode ready to launch, a skill file that lets those agents change system settings, and a bootable snapshot taken on every update.

What does the name Omarchy mean?

It comes from omakase, the Japanese dining style where you let the chef choose. Omarchy applies that idea to a Linux desktop: the tools, themes, shortcuts and defaults are chosen for you, so you get a finished workstation rather than a blank Arch install to configure yourself.

Is Omarchy based on Arch Linux?

Yes. Omarchy is a rolling-release respin of Arch Linux. It pulls standard Arch packages from a Cloudflare-hosted mirror plus its own Omarchy package repository, routes updates through the omarchy update command (pacman underneath), and gives access to the AUR. Since version 4, Omarchy's own files ship as proper Arch packages so the distribution's changes stay separate from yours.

Omarchy 4.0 shipped on 14 August 2026 with several security issues, including command injection through video titles and notification actions, and agents launched in full-bypass mode. Version 4.0.1 fixed eleven security items on 25 August and a security team with a responsible disclosure process now exists. Full-disk encryption (LUKS) is mandatory, the firewall is on by default, SSH is off until enabled, and packages are GPG-signed. Plugins still run unsandboxed inside the shell process, so treat third-party plugins with care.

What are Omarchy's system requirements?

A 64-bit x86 PC with UEFI firmware and Secure Boot switched off. The installer either wipes the chosen drive (with full-disk encryption) or installs into free space for dual boot alongside Windows. You need a wired or 2.4GHz keyboard to type the encryption passphrase at boot. The ISO is under 6GB and installation takes under a minute on fast hardware and no more than about five minutes on older machines. The manual does not publish a RAM minimum; we suggest 16GB or more if you plan to run local models. Dell's 2026 XPS 14 and 16 have day-one support and Framework laptops are supported.

Does Omarchy run on a Mac?

On Intel Macs, yes, natively: the installer detects Mac hardware and applies Wi-Fi, keyboard and NVMe fixes automatically, though it wipes macOS and the 2016 T1 MacBook Pro models lose sound and the Touch Bar. Apple Silicon (M-series) Macs are not directly supported; the only route is running Omarchy in a virtual machine.

Is Omarchy free, and what is the Omacom Foundation?

Omarchy is free and open source under the MIT licence. The Omacom Foundation launched on 23 August 2026 with $8m from eight founding patrons, including the founders of Shopify, Stripe, Dell, Block and Cloudflare, and reached $10m within days. It holds the Omarchy trademark, funds infrastructure and developers, promotes adoption, and supports the upstream open-source projects Omarchy depends on.

Should a business use Omarchy?

For a small pilot with engineers who understand the trade-offs, yes: it is fast, free, and well suited to hardware that Windows 10 or macOS has left behind. For a company-wide rollout, not yet: it is a rolling release, plugins are unsandboxed, and there is no ongoing device management equivalent to Intune or Jamf, although an unattended-install mode exists for provisioning VMs and fleets. Keep production credentials off the laptop and decide in writing which agent mode is allowed.

Where do I download Omarchy?

Only from the official site, omarchy.org, which serves the ISO from iso.omarchy.org on Cloudflare (for example omarchy-4.0.1.iso). Each GitHub release publishes the SHA256 checksum, so verify the file before writing it to a USB stick. Avoid third-party download sites and unofficial mirrors: the ISO installs with root privileges and full-disk encryption, so a tampered image would own the machine. The source code is at github.com/omacom/omarchy under the MIT licence.

Does Wi-Fi work on Omarchy, including corporate networks?

Yes. Omarchy 4 switched Wi-Fi management to NetworkManager, with a network panel (Super + Ctrl + W) that handles Wi-Fi bands, DNS providers, a speed test and Wi-Fi QR sharing. Enterprise 802.1X networks, the kind most offices run, can be joined from the panel. On Intel Macs the installer adds the Broadcom drivers and firmware automatically. If Wi-Fi is missing after install, it is nearly always a laptop that needs proprietary firmware; the networking page of the manual and the Discord cover the known models.

Omarchy Linux: The First OS That Treats an AI Agent as a User

Omarchy is DHH's opinionated Arch Linux distribution with Hyprland and a Quickshell desktop, backed by the $10m Omacom Foundation and downloaded 100,000 times a week in August 2026. Three decisions separate it from a generic distribution: every setting is a command with text configuration (Lua, JSONC, TOML), the OS ships a skill file symlinked into Claude Code, Codex and Pi so agents know how to operate it, and every update takes a bootable snapshot for rollback. Version 4.0.1 fixed eleven security issues in eleven days, including agents launched in full-bypass mode, and the article contrasts this malleability-first bet with Ubuntu 26.04's sandbox-first Workshop. For UK businesses: pilot on a few engineer laptops rather than a fleet, and borrow the five agent-readiness principles (CLI for every action, config as text, a skill file, rollback by default, a written auto-approve policy) for internal platforms.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Omarchy Linux?: Omarchy is a free, MIT-licensed Linux distribution built on Arch Linux with the Hyprland tiling window manager and, since version 4 (Quattro, August 2026), a desktop shell written in Quickshell. It was created by David Heinemeier Hansson (DHH), the creator of Ruby on Rails, and incubated at 37signals. It ships pre-configured for developers, with coding agents such as Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode ready to launch, a skill file that lets those agents change system settings, and a bootable snapshot taken on every update.
What does the name Omarchy mean?: It comes from omakase, the Japanese dining style where you let the chef choose. Omarchy applies that idea to a Linux desktop: the tools, themes, shortcuts and defaults are chosen for you, so you get a finished workstation rather than a blank Arch install to configure yourself.
Is Omarchy based on Arch Linux?: Yes. Omarchy is a rolling-release respin of Arch Linux. It pulls standard Arch packages from a Cloudflare-hosted mirror plus its own Omarchy package repository, routes updates through the omarchy update command (pacman underneath), and gives access to the AUR. Since version 4, Omarchy's own files ship as proper Arch packages so the distribution's changes stay separate from yours.
How is Omarchy different from Ubuntu or Fedora?: Generic distributions treat an AI agent as an application you install. Omarchy treats the agent as a second user of the machine: every setting is a command in the omarchy CLI, configuration is plain text (Lua, JSONC, TOML), the OS ships a skill file so agents know how to operate it, and every update takes a bootable snapshot so mistakes can be rolled back. Ubuntu 26.04 takes the opposite approach, sandboxing agents in a confined Workshop environment. Both are valid; they make different trade-offs between malleability and containment.
Is Omarchy secure?: Omarchy 4.0 shipped on 14 August 2026 with several security issues, including command injection through video titles and notification actions, and agents launched in full-bypass mode. Version 4.0.1 fixed eleven security items on 25 August and a security team with a responsible disclosure process now exists. Full-disk encryption (LUKS) is mandatory, the firewall is on by default, SSH is off until enabled, and packages are GPG-signed. Plugins still run unsandboxed inside the shell process, so treat third-party plugins with care.
What are Omarchy's system requirements?: A 64-bit x86 PC with UEFI firmware and Secure Boot switched off. The installer either wipes the chosen drive (with full-disk encryption) or installs into free space for dual boot alongside Windows. You need a wired or 2.4GHz keyboard to type the encryption passphrase at boot. The ISO is under 6GB and installation takes under a minute on fast hardware and no more than about five minutes on older machines. The manual does not publish a RAM minimum; we suggest 16GB or more if you plan to run local models. Dell's 2026 XPS 14 and 16 have day-one support and Framework laptops are supported.
Does Omarchy run on a Mac?: On Intel Macs, yes, natively: the installer detects Mac hardware and applies Wi-Fi, keyboard and NVMe fixes automatically, though it wipes macOS and the 2016 T1 MacBook Pro models lose sound and the Touch Bar. Apple Silicon (M-series) Macs are not directly supported; the only route is running Omarchy in a virtual machine.
Is Omarchy free, and what is the Omacom Foundation?: Omarchy is free and open source under the MIT licence. The Omacom Foundation launched on 23 August 2026 with $8m from eight founding patrons, including the founders of Shopify, Stripe, Dell, Block and Cloudflare, and reached $10m within days. It holds the Omarchy trademark, funds infrastructure and developers, promotes adoption, and supports the upstream open-source projects Omarchy depends on.
Should a business use Omarchy?: For a small pilot with engineers who understand the trade-offs, yes: it is fast, free, and well suited to hardware that Windows 10 or macOS has left behind. For a company-wide rollout, not yet: it is a rolling release, plugins are unsandboxed, and there is no ongoing device management equivalent to Intune or Jamf, although an unattended-install mode exists for provisioning VMs and fleets. Keep production credentials off the laptop and decide in writing which agent mode is allowed.
Where do I download Omarchy?: Only from the official site, omarchy.org, which serves the ISO from iso.omarchy.org on Cloudflare (for example omarchy-4.0.1.iso). Each GitHub release publishes the SHA256 checksum, so verify the file before writing it to a USB stick. Avoid third-party download sites and unofficial mirrors: the ISO installs with root privileges and full-disk encryption, so a tampered image would own the machine. The source code is at github.com/omacom/omarchy under the MIT licence.
Does Wi-Fi work on Omarchy, including corporate networks?: Yes. Omarchy 4 switched Wi-Fi management to NetworkManager, with a network panel (Super + Ctrl + W) that handles Wi-Fi bands, DNS providers, a speed test and Wi-Fi QR sharing. Enterprise 802.1X networks, the kind most offices run, can be joined from the panel. On Intel Macs the installer adds the Broadcom drivers and firmware automatically. If Wi-Fi is missing after install, it is nearly always a laptop that needs proprietary firmware; the networking page of the manual and the Discord cover the known models.

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