MeccanicOS

MeccanicOS is a portable, keyboard-driven Linux system built on NixOS 26.05 and XFCE. It is designed as a consistent, shell-first environment rather than a bundle of unrelated tools: Super+Space opens a command bar for launching apps, running commands, finding files and websites, or asking an AI. A small program for Windows, macOS, or Linux downloads and verifies the system and prepares a USB drive of at least 16 GB; users can also download and write the ISO themselves. The desktop, included software and drivers work offline, and the system can run temporarily from USB, preserve an encrypted home on the drive, or be installed to a computer.

The system emphasizes encryption, reproducibility and practical hardware support. Installed disks use LUKS2 encryption; live sessions run in memory, while persistent homes and vaults are encrypted. Security measures include a hardened kernel, firewall and SSH login alerts, alongside explicit conveniences and trade-offs: sudo requires no password, and installed SSH access is available but disabled by default. Nix-based atomic upgrades can be rolled back, and additional software can be searched from a large package collection or tried without installing. Other features include offline local AI after a model download, optional cloud AI, text-to-speech, encrypted versioned backups, configurable settings and troubleshooting tools. An experimental fleet system manages organizational computers from a central server. The project uses freely redistributable software, with its manual and tutorials available on the system.