Shadowfetch Linux 4.1.0 «Umbra»
Frequently asked questions
Common questions, answered plainly — including the ones where the honest answer is “wait”.
Questions and answers
Is Shadowfetch Linux just Debian?
It is a Debian-testing derivative. Debian provides the base ecosystem; Shadowfetch adds the curated creative workstation layer, Umbra theme, installer defaults, Welcome flow, featured Grok Bot setup, privacy defaults, signed ISO, and signed APT repo.
Is Shadowfetch affiliated with Debian?
No. Shadowfetch Linux is independent and is not endorsed by Debian; it is not affiliated with the Debian project.
Who should try it?
Creators, developers, AI tinkerers, and Linux users who want a pre-curated KDE workstation with reviewable agent workflows and a curated creative toolset.
Who should wait?
Anyone who needs Secure Boot signing, enterprise support, a Debian-stable base, or a zero-surprise production workstation should wait and follow the changelog.
Does it support NVIDIA?
The ISO includes Mesa for Intel and AMD. The proprietary NVIDIA driver is an explicit post-install download: shadowfetch-gpu presents a plan, checks the vendor repository, simulates package changes and verifies the resulting driver. Hybrid laptops still need hardware-specific validation. Read the hardware notes and known issues before installing.
How do I know where AI work runs?
Grok Bot and the coding agents use online services and their own accounts. Four providers ship and the provider is chosen per mission: codex and claude are cloud providers that use their own accounts and require explicit network approval, localmodel runs on device with network policy none and no credentials, and offline-media runs media exports. Code and sourced-report missions can run on codex, claude or localmodel, so where more than one of them is ready you must pass --provider. Local AI is no longer deferred in 4.1.0: the on-device provider ships, but no model weights are bundled, so it reports installed-unavailable until you supply a model service, and it reports available only once a registered on-device provider actually is. The desktop, project workspaces and deterministic media exports do not require an AI provider. Optional vendor apps retain their own privacy policies.
How do I verify the ISO?
Use the SHA-256 checksum, detached GPG signature, and Shadowfetch public key on the verification page.
Where do I file a bug or send a patch?
Open an issue on ShadowfetchLinux/shadowfetch-linux, or email linux@shadowfetchlinux.org. Include the ISO filename, checksum result, firmware mode, and hardware. Never attach a password CSV.
Still stuck?
The known-issues page lists what is currently broken rather than what is planned, and the roadmap separates what ships today from what does not. Both are kept current with each release.