Niri + Quickshell + Noctalia Installation Script

Automated installation script for setting up Niri compositor, Quickshell, and Noctalia shell on Debian 13.

Overview

This script provides a complete installation workflow for:

• Niri: A scrollable-tiling Wayland compositor
• Quickshell: A QtQuick-based Wayland shell toolkit
• Noctalia: A desktop shell for Quickshell

Prerequisites

• Debian 13 (Trixie)
• Root/sudo access
• Internet connection

Usage

Basic Installation

Run the script to install all core components automatically:

chmod +x install.sh
./install.sh

Interactive Menu

Use the --menu flag to select which components to install:

./install.sh --menu
```a

This shows an interactive menu where you can choose:
- Core components (1-5): System dependencies, Pacstall, Niri, Quickshell, Noctalia
- Upgrade options (U1-UA): Upgrade individual components or all at once
- Optional components (6-12): VS Code, Oh My Zsh, document viewers, office tools, network fixes, GNOME removal, wallpaper changer

### Interactive Mode

Use the `--ask-step` flag to get prompted before each installation step:

```bash
./install.sh --ask-step

This allows you to skip specific components if already installed or not needed.

Command-Line Options

Install specific optional components directly:

# Upgrade components
./install.sh --upgrade niri           # Upgrade only Niri
./install.sh --upgrade quickshell     # Upgrade only Quickshell
./install.sh --upgrade noctalia       # Upgrade only Noctalia configuration
./install.sh --upgrade all            # Upgrade all components

# Install VS Code with Wayland support
./install.sh --install-vscode

# Install Oh My Zsh
./install.sh --install-omz

# Install document viewers (zathura, loupe)
./install.sh --install-docs

# Install office tools (patat, gnumeric, abiword)
./install.sh --install-office

# Apply network & hardware fixes
./install.sh --apply-fixes

# Install random wallpaper changer (systemd timer)
./install.sh --install-wallpaper

# Remove GNOME/GDM3 (WARNING: removes desktop environment)
./install.sh --remove-gnome

# Combine multiple options
./install.sh --install-vscode --install-omz --apply-fixes

For a full list of options, run:

./install.sh --help

Installation Steps

The script performs the following steps:

[1/5] System Dependencies

Installs all required build tools and libraries:

• Build essentials (cmake, ninja-build, gcc, etc.)
• Qt6 development packages (base, declarative, wayland with private headers)
• Wayland libraries (protocols, client, scanner)
• Graphics libraries (libdrm, libgbm, EGL)
• Additional dependencies (PAM, polkit, jemalloc, CLI11)
• GitHub CLI (gh)

Post-install actions:

• Prompts for system reboot (due to systemd-resolved)
• Checks GitHub authentication status and offers login

[2/5] Pacstall Package Manager

Installs Pacstall, a community-driven package manager for Debian.

[3/5] Niri Compositor

Installs the Niri Wayland compositor via Pacstall.

[4/5] Quickshell

Builds and installs Quickshell from source:

• Clones from official repository
• Builds with CMake/Ninja
• Crash handler disabled (no google-breakpad dependency)
• Verifies installation

[5/5] Noctalia Shell Configuration

Clones the Noctalia shell configuration to ~/.config/quickshell/noctalia-shell.

Post-Installation

If a config.kdl file exists in the same directory as the script, you'll be prompted to apply it as the Niri configuration.

Optional Components

Visual Studio Code (--install-vscode)

• Adds Microsoft apt repository
• Installs VS Code
• Configures Wayland support via desktop file modification
• Adds shell alias for Wayland flag

Oh My Zsh (--install-omz)

• Installs zsh package
• Offers to change default shell to zsh
• Installs Oh My Zsh framework

Document Viewers (--install-docs)

• Installs zathura (PDF viewer)
• Installs zathura-pdf-poppler (PDF backend)
• Installs loupe (image viewer)

Office Tools (--install-office)

• Installs patat (terminal-based presentation tool)
• Installs gnumeric (spreadsheet application)
• Installs abiword (word processor)

Network & Hardware Fixes (--apply-fixes)

• Installs NetworkManager, bluez, brightnessctl, upower
• Installs pipewire audio libraries
• Installs firmware packages (iwlwifi, realtek, etc.)
• Installs wlsunset (screen color temperature)
• Installs nwg-look (GTK theme switcher)
• Adds user to netdev, bluetooth, and video groups
• Updates NetworkManager configuration to managed mode
• Comments out wlan0 entries in /etc/network/interfaces
• Backs up configuration files before modifying

Random Wallpaper Changer (--install-wallpaper)

• Creates a script at ~/.local/bin/noctalia-random-wallpaper.sh
• Sets up systemd service and timer files
• Automatically rotates wallpaper every 30 minutes
• Uses Noctalia IPC to change wallpaper
• Timer starts on boot and runs continuously

Remove GNOME/GDM3 (--remove-gnome)

• WARNING: This removes your desktop environment
• Stops GDM3 service
• Purges GNOME packages (gnome-core, gnome-shell, gdm3, etc.)
• Runs autoremove to clean up dependencies
• Sets system to boot to multi-user target (console mode)
• Requires typing "yes" to confirm

Upgrading Components

The script includes an upgrade mode to update already-installed components:

# Upgrade individual components
./install.sh --upgrade niri           # Updates Niri via Pacstall
./install.sh --upgrade quickshell     # Rebuilds Quickshell from latest source
./install.sh --upgrade noctalia       # Pulls latest Noctalia configuration

# Upgrade everything at once
./install.sh --upgrade all            # Updates all three components

Note: When using --upgrade, only the specified components are updated. Other installation options are ignored.

Configuration

Niri Configuration

Place a config.kdl file next to the install script to have it automatically copied to ~/.config/niri/config.kdl during installation.

GitHub Authentication

The script checks if GitHub CLI is authenticated. This is useful for:

• Cloning private repositories
• Avoiding rate limits
• Contributing to projects

If not authenticated, you'll be prompted to run gh auth login.

Starting Niri

After installation completes, you can start Niri with:

niri

Or add it as a session option in your display manager.

Dependencies Installed

Build Tools

• cmake, ninja-build, build-essential
• pkg-config, spirv-tools

Qt6 Packages

• qt6-base-dev, qt6-base-private-dev
• qt6-declarative-dev, qt6-declarative-private-dev
• qt6-wayland-dev, qt6-wayland-private-dev
• qt6-shadertools-dev

System Libraries

• libwayland-dev, wayland-protocols
• libdrm-dev, libgbm-dev, libegl1-mesa-dev
• libpolkit-agent-1-dev
• libpam0g-dev
• libjemalloc-dev
• libcli11-dev

Utilities

• gh (GitHub CLI)
• systemd-resolved

Troubleshooting

Reboot Required

If you experience DNS resolution issues after installation, reboot your system to properly initialize systemd-resolved.

GitHub Authentication

If you skip GitHub authentication and later need it:

gh auth login

Build Failures

If Quickshell build fails due to missing dependencies, ensure all Qt6 private development packages are installed:

sudo apt install qt6-base-private-dev qt6-declarative-private-dev qt6-wayland-private-dev

Quickshell Not Found

After installation, if quickshell is not found, ensure the installation directory is in your PATH, or log out and back in.

Repository Structure

.
├── install.sh          # Main installation script
├── config.kdl          # Optional Niri configuration
└── README.md           # This file

License

This installation script is provided as-is. Individual components (Niri, Quickshell, Noctalia) have their own licenses.

Credits

• Niri: YaLTeR/niri
• Quickshell: outfoxxed/quickshell
• Noctalia: outfoxxed/noctalia-shell