Kali Linux Setup Scripts

Post-install automation for Kali Linux that handles system setup, tool installation, and optional debloating.

Two complementary scripts for getting a fresh Kali Linux install into a comfortable, usable state:

• setup.sh - Updates system, installs baseline tools, configures firewall, optionally installs popular apps
• debloat.sh - Removes unnecessary packages to free disk space and reduce clutter

Both scripts follow a "keep going" approach - they continue even if a step fails, then show you what went wrong at the end.

Quick Start

Run setup.sh first to set up your system:

chmod +x setup.sh
sudo ./setup.sh --brave --vscodium

Then optionally run debloat.sh to remove bloat:

chmod +x debloat.sh
sudo ./debloat.sh --kernels

How These Scripts Work

Continue-on-error behavior

Both scripts are designed to continue execution even if a step fails. At the end, you'll see a clear summary of what failed. This prevents losing progress just because one repo was unreachable.

Logging behavior

• All output is captured while scripts run
• Log files are only saved if something fails or if you use --log
• On successful runs without --log, the temporary logs are automatically discarded

This keeps your directory clean while making troubleshooting easy when needed.

APT lock handling

Before running apt commands, scripts wait for package manager locks to clear so they don't fail if another process is using APT.

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Setup Script

Sets up a fresh Kali install with updates, baseline tools, firewall configuration, and optional applications.

What it does

1) Updates your system

• Runs apt-get update and apt-get upgrade -y

2) Installs baseline packages

Installs practical tools most people want:

• Basics: curl, wget, git, ca-certificates, gnupg
• Admin tools: btop, net-tools, ufw
• Archive tools: zip, unzip, p7zip-full
• Editor + restore tool: vim, timeshift
• Media player: vlc

3) Enables firewall (UFW)

• Default deny incoming
• Default allow outgoing
• Enable firewall

Suitable for most personal Kali systems. Add rules afterward if you need inbound access for services.

4) Optional applications

Nothing extra is installed unless you explicitly request using flags.

5) Cleanup

• Removes unused packages
• Cleans APT cache
• Runs systemd-tmpfiles --clean
• Removes thumbnail cache

Usage

chmod +x setup.sh
sudo ./setup.sh

View help:

sudo ./setup.sh --help

Flags

Flag	What it does
--log	Always keep setup.log (even if everything succeeds)
--pwfeedback	Enables sudo password feedback
--brave	Adds Brave's repo + installs brave-browser
--mullvad	Adds Mullvad's repo + installs Mullvad VPN and browser
--rustdesk	Installs RustDesk remote desktop client from latest release
--vscodium	Adds VSCodium repo + installs codium
--docker	Installs Docker Engine using Docker's Debian repo for Kali

Examples

Baseline only:

sudo ./setup.sh

Install common apps:

sudo ./setup.sh --brave --vscodium --docker

Enable sudo password feedback:

sudo ./setup.sh --pwfeedback

Always save a log:

sudo ./setup.sh --log

Docker installation notes

Kali reports its codename as kali-rolling, which doesn't work with Docker's Debian repos. This script:

• Infers the Debian base (trixie or bookworm) using the installed libc6 version
• Removes stale Docker repo entries if present
• Installs Docker from Docker's official Debian repository
• Adds the user to the docker group

After installation, log out and back in (or reboot) before using Docker without sudo.

RustDesk installation notes

When --rustdesk is used:

• Detects system architecture (amd64 or arm64)
• Queries RustDesk's latest GitHub release
• Downloads and installs the matching .deb package
• Cleans up temporary files

RustDesk is installed without adding a persistent APT repository.

What changes on disk

Depending on flags used, may create or modify:

• UFW firewall state and defaults
• /etc/sudoers.d/setup-pwfeedback (only with --pwfeedback)
• APT source files for Brave, Mullvad, VSCodium, Docker (with their respective flags)
• Temporary files under /tmp during installs
• setup.log (only on failure or with --log)

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Debloat Script

Removes unnecessary packages from Kali Linux to free disk space and reduce clutter.

What it does

1) Shows what will be removed and asks for confirmation

Before doing anything, displays a list of packages that will be removed and waits for your confirmation. Nothing happens until you enter y.

2) Removes default bloat packages

Removes packages most Kali users don't need:

Package	What it is
totem	GNOME Videos player
orca	Screen reader
rygel	DLNA/UPnP media streaming server
bolt	Thunderbolt device manager
gnome-user-docs	GNOME help documentation
yelp	Help viewer app
malcontent	Parental controls
gnome-remote-desktop	GNOME's remote desktop server
packagekit	Software center backend

These have minimal dependencies and won't break your desktop environment.

3) Optional: removes old Linux kernels

With --kernels, detects and removes old kernel packages while keeping:

• Currently running kernel
• Meta-package (linux-image-amd64)

Can free significant disk space on older installations.

4) Optional: removes Firefox

With --firefox, removes Firefox ESR using a stub package approach.

Kali's kali-desktop-core depends on firefox-esr | firefox. You can't just purge it without breaking some dependencies. The script:

• Creates a stub package (debloat-firefox-stub) that satisfies the dependency
• Installs the stub
• Purges firefox-esr
• Removes leftover ~/.mozilla files
• Sets Brave as default browser if installed

The stub package is tiny (~1KB) and just tells APT "the Firefox dependency is satisfied."

5) Cleanup

• Removes unused dependencies
• Cleans APT cache

Usage

chmod +x debloat.sh
sudo ./debloat.sh

View help:

sudo ./debloat.sh --help

Flags

Flag	What it does
--log	Always keep debloat.log (even if everything succeeds)
--kernels	Also remove old Linux kernels (keeps currently running kernel)
--firefox	Remove Firefox ESR and replace with stub package

Examples

Remove default bloat only:

sudo ./debloat.sh

Also remove old kernels:

sudo ./debloat.sh --kernels

Also remove Firefox:

sudo ./debloat.sh --firefox

Remove everything and keep a log:

sudo ./debloat.sh --kernels --firefox --log

How to undo

Reinstall removed packages:

sudo apt install totem orca rygel bolt gnome-user-docs yelp malcontent gnome-remote-desktop packagekit

Reinstall Firefox after using --firefox:

sudo apt purge debloat-firefox-stub
sudo apt install firefox-esr

Note: Old kernels cannot be easily restored. If you need a previous kernel, install it manually from Kali repositories.

What changes on disk

Depending on flags used, may create or modify:

• Removed packages and their config files (purged)
• debloat-firefox-stub package installed (only with --firefox)
• ~/.mozilla directory removed (only with --firefox)
• Default browser setting (only with --firefox if Brave is installed)
• debloat.log (only on failure or with --log)

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Troubleshooting

"Command not found" when running scripts

Common causes:

• Not in the same directory as the script
• Script isn't executable
• Filename doesn't match what you typed

Fix:

cd /path/to/the/script
chmod +x setup.sh
sudo ./setup.sh

Check the logs

If a script reports errors or you used --log:

less ./setup.log

Firefox removal failed (debloat.sh)

Check if:

• equivs failed to install (possible network issue)
• Stub package failed to build (check logs)
• firefox-esr was already removed some other way

"Nothing to remove" message (debloat.sh)

None of the target packages are currently installed. System is already debloated.

Docker doesn't work without sudo (setup.sh)

After Docker installation, you may need to log out and back in (or reboot) for the group membership to take effect.

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When You Might Not Want These Scripts

Setup:

• You need custom firewall rules for inbound services
• You prefer a very minimal Kali install
• You already manage packages and repositories manually

Debloat:

• You use GNOME Videos (totem) or other removed apps
• You rely on accessibility features (orca screen reader)
• You use Thunderbolt devices (bolt)
• You want to keep Firefox as your browser
• You want old kernels as fallback options