goose/BUILDING_LINUX.md

Building Goose Desktop on Linux

This guide covers building the Goose Desktop application from source on various Linux distributions.

Prerequisites

System Dependencies

Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y dpkg fakeroot build-essential libxcb1-dev libxcb-util-dev protobuf-compiler

Arch/Manjaro:

sudo pacman -S --needed dpkg fakeroot base-devel

Fedora/RHEL/CentOS:

sudo dnf install dpkg-dev fakeroot gcc gcc-c++ make

openSUSE:

sudo zypper install dpkg fakeroot gcc gcc-c++ make

android / termux:

goose is not officially support termux build yet, you need some minor patch to fix build issues. We will publish goose (block-goose) into termux-packages. If you want to try there is a non-official build, https://github.com/shawn111/goose/releases/download/termux/goose-termux-aarch64.tar.bz2 For more details, see: https://github.com/block/goose/pull/3890

pkg install rust
pkg install cmake protobuf clang build-essential

Development Tools

• Rust: Install via rustup
• Node.js: Version 22.9.0 or later (use nvm for version management)
• npm: Comes with Node.js

Build Process

1. Clone and Setup

git clone https://github.com/block/goose.git
cd goose

2. Build the Rust Backend

cargo build --release -p goose-server

3. Prepare the Desktop Application

cd ui/desktop
npm install

# Copy the server binary to the expected location
mkdir -p src/bin
cp ../../target/release/goosed src/bin/

4. Build the Application

Option A: ZIP Distribution (Recommended)

Works on all Linux distributions:

npm run make -- --targets=@electron-forge/maker-zip

Output: out/make/zip/linux/x64/Goose-linux-x64-{version}.zip

Option B: DEB Package

For Debian/Ubuntu systems:

npm run make -- --targets=@electron-forge/maker-deb

Output: out/make/deb/x64/goose_{version}_amd64.deb

Option C: Both Formats

npm run make

5. Run the Application

From Build Directory

./out/Goose-linux-x64/Goose

Install DEB Package (if built)

sudo dpkg -i out/make/deb/x64/goose_*.deb

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Missing System Dependencies

If you see errors about missing dpkg or fakeroot:

# Install the missing packages for your distribution (see Prerequisites above)

GLib Warnings

You may see warnings like:

GLib-GObject: instance has no handler with id

These are harmless and don't affect functionality. To suppress them, create a launcher script:

#!/bin/bash
cd /path/to/goose/ui/desktop/out/Goose-linux-x64
./Goose 2>&1 | grep -v "GLib-GObject" | grep -v "browser_main_loop"

Server Binary Not Found

If you see "Could not find goosed binary", ensure you've:

1. Built the Rust backend: cargo build --release -p goose-server
2. Copied it to the right location: cp ../../target/release/goosed src/bin/
3. Rebuilt the application: npm run make

Distribution-Specific Notes

Arch/Manjaro

• The RPM maker is disabled by default as it's not compatible with Arch-based systems
• Use the ZIP distribution method for maximum compatibility

Flatpak/Snap

Building as Flatpak or Snap packages is not currently supported but may be added in the future.

Development Workflow

For active development:

1. Backend changes: Rebuild with cargo build --release -p goose-server and copy the binary
2. Frontend changes: Use npm run start for hot reload during development
3. Full rebuild: Run the complete build process above

Creating System Integration

Desktop Entry

Create ~/.local/share/applications/goose.desktop:

[Desktop Entry]
Name=Goose AI Agent
Comment=Local AI agent for development tasks
Exec=/path/to/goose/ui/desktop/out/Goose-linux-x64/Goose %U
Icon=/path/to/goose/ui/desktop/out/Goose-linux-x64/resources/app.asar.unpacked/src/images/icon.png
Terminal=false
Type=Application
Categories=Development;Utility;
StartupNotify=true
MimeType=x-scheme-handler/goose

System-wide Installation

To install system-wide:

sudo cp -r out/Goose-linux-x64 /opt/goose
sudo ln -s /opt/goose/Goose /usr/local/bin/goose-gui

Contributing

When contributing changes that affect the Linux build process, please:

1. Test on multiple distributions if possible
2. Update this documentation
3. Update ui/desktop/README.md if needed
4. Consider CI/CD implications for automated builds