Help Wanted: Looking for Maintainers for NexisOS (Pre-Alpha Linux Distro)

[Kyle G]

Hi everyone,

I'm Kyle, the solo maintainer of NexisOS a new, pre-alpha Linux distribution built around the principles of transparency, user control, and reproducibility.
(By the way, I’m new to linux.org and excited to join this community and learn from all of you!)

This is my first major open-source project, and I’m looking for contributors and maintainers to help bring it to life. If you're passionate about Linux whether you're into desktop, server, or general-purpose systems and want to help shape a new distro from the ground up, I’d love to collaborate.

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About NexisOS​

NexisOS is a free and open-source Linux distro featuring:

• A Rust-based system-level declarative package manager
• Fully declarative configuration via simple TOML files
• No central repositories – you define your own "flake sources"
• A “captain of your own ship” philosophy: total system ownership
• Strong built-in security tooling: firewalld, ClamAV, Maldet, Tetragon, Suricata, and more

Inspired by NixOS and Artix, NexisOS blends flexibility with simplicity in a new way.

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Build System: Powered by Buildroot​

NexisOS uses Buildroot (as a Git submodule) to manage the base system build. This provides:

• A reproducible and minimal system image
• Custom toolchain and cross-compilation support
• Easy integration with your own packages and configuration layers

This approach ensures system builds are consistent, reliable, and approachable for contributors — even if they're not coming from an embedded background.

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Build Workflow Overview​

The NexisOS development workflow is designed to be simple and reproducible:

• The installer ISO is built using Buildroot and includes everything needed to deploy NexisOS to hardware or a VM.
• A dedicated subdirectory inside the projects root contains all NexisOS-specific configuration, packages, TOML files, and tooling.
• You can build the entire system — including the ISO — with a single command (make). All build artifacts are output in a clean directory structure.

This structure allows for:

• Clear separation between upstream Buildroot and NexisOS code
• Fast iteration on system packages and configuration
• Easy onboarding for contributors familiar with Linux distro development

While Buildroot currently powers the system build, I’m very open to improving or evolving the workflow if contributors see better ways to achieve our goals especially around reproducibility, modularity, or simplicity.

Full build instructions and contributor guides are available in the GitHub repo.

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What I Need Help With​

I'm looking for contributors and maintainers to help:

• Review and merge pull requests
• Manage and triage issues
• Improve documentation and user onboarding
• Contribute to core tooling and system configuration

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Ideal Skills​

• Experience with Linux distributions
• Familiarity with package managers (bonus if you've used declarative systems like Nix or Guix)
• Git and GitHub workflows
• Willingness to collaborate and build something new

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How to Get Involved​

• GitHub Org: https://github.com/NexisOS
• Main Repo: https://github.com/NexisOS/NexisOS
• Fork the project, pick an issue or suggest your own
• Submit a pull request or start a discussion even just saying hi is welcome!

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Why Join?​

• Build experience in open-source development
• Help shape a new Linux distro from the ground up
• Improve your GitHub profile with meaningful contributions
• Join a growing community passionate about Linux innovation

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Got questions or want to chat about the project? Feel free to reply here or open an issue/discussion on GitHub I’d love to connect.



I Appreciate your time and looking forward to collaborating!

Kyle Gortych