Arch Linux Post-Install Automation on Spoljarevic's Knowledgebase

Introduction

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Arch Linux Post-Install Automation is an Ansible playbook that takes a fresh Arch Linux (or Arch-based, e.g. CachyOS) install and turns it into a fully configured daily-driver machine — without manually installing packages, enabling services, or configuring your shell one by one.

What it does

Run against a target host, the playbook will:

Bootstrap the CachyOS and BlackArch pacman repositories
Install a full package set via pacman, the AUR (via yay), Flatpak, and Snap
Apply basic system hardening (firewalld, fail2ban, doas, a non-default SSH port, disabled password authentication)
Create a standard set of user directories (Documents, Downloads, Pictures/wallpaper, git, …)
Install and configure Zsh with Oh My Zsh, Powerlevel10k, and a Nerd Font
Generate SSH and GPG keys and configure git for signed commits
Clone a set of personal repositories (dotfiles, wallpapers, other projects)

Why it exists

Re-installing Arch (or setting up a new machine) used to mean an hour or more of repetitive manual setup. This playbook exists so that process is a single command: point Ansible at a host, get a coffee, and come back to a fully configured system.

Usage

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Prerequisites

A control machine with Ansible installed.
A target host running Arch Linux (or an Arch-based distro such as CachyOS), reachable over SSH with a user that can become root (sudo).

Warning

This playbook is built for Arch Linux specifically — it uses pacman, and adds CachyOS/BlackArch repositories. Running it against a different distribution will fail.

1. Install required Ansible collections

The playbook depends on a few community Ansible collections:

Code Explanation

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Repository layout

archPostInstall.yml the full playbook — every play, in order
spo-pc-ls.yml ansible-vault encrypted secrets (not usable by others as-is)
inventory.ini example Ansible inventory
requirenments.yml Ansible Galaxy collection dependencies
snippets/ the same plays, split into standalone, individually runnable playbooks

Note

The dependencies file is named requirenments.yml (not requirements.yml) — use that exact filename when installing collections.

`archPostInstall.yml`

This is the “run everything” entrypoint. It’s a sequence of independent Ansible plays, executed top to bottom:

FAQ

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Can I run this on a different distro?

No. It relies on pacman, and specifically bootstraps the CachyOS and BlackArch pacman repositories. It will not work on Debian/Fedora/etc.

Do I have to run the entire playbook?

No — run only what you need via the standalone playbooks in snippets/. See Code Explanation for the full list, and Usage for an example command.