Arch Linux i3 Window Manager Setup

A complete dotfiles configuration for Arch Linux with i3 window manager, designed for a CLI-first experience with fast boot times and minimal resource usage.

🚀 Features

• CLI-First Boot: System boots directly to command line for faster startup
• i3 Window Manager: Lightweight, tiling window manager
• Auto-login: Automatic login to TTY1 for immediate access
• Custom Keybindings: Optimized shortcuts for productivity
• Minimal Resource Usage: Fast and efficient system
• One-Command Installation: Automated setup scripts

📋 Prerequisites

• Fresh Arch Linux installation
• Internet connection
• User account with sudo privileges
• Git installed (sudo pacman -S git)

🛠️ Installation

Step 1: Pre-Installation Check

⚠️ IMPORTANT: Always run the pre-installation check first!

# Using HTTPS (recommended for most users)
git clone https://github.com/jorgemunozl/arch-i3-setup.git
cd arch-i3-setup
./check_prereqs.sh

Note: If you have SSH keys configured, you can also use:

git clone [email protected]:jorgemunozl/arch-i3-setup.git

This will verify:

• ✅ You're on Arch Linux
• ✅ Internet connection works
• ✅ You have sudo privileges
• ✅ All configuration files are present
• ✅ Sufficient disk space available

Step 2: Main Installation

Only proceed if the pre-check passes:

# Optional: Cache sudo password to minimize prompts
sudo -v

# Run the main installation
./install_i3.sh

Tip: sudo -v refreshes your sudo timestamp, so you won't be prompted for your password multiple times during installation.

The script will:

• Install i3 window manager and dependencies
• Configure auto-login to TTY1
• Set up essential system services
• Copy configuration files safely

Step 3: Post-Installation Setup

./post_install.sh

This adds:

• Desktop entries
• Wallpaper configuration
• Utility scripts
• User services

Step 4: Reboot

sudo reboot

🎯 Usage

After reboot, you'll automatically login to the command line interface.

Starting the GUI

To start the i3 window manager:

startx

Or use the custom script:

./start_i3.sh

Key Bindings

Shortcut	Action
Super + Enter	Open terminal
Super + d	Application launcher (dmenu)
Super + Shift + q	Close focused window
Super + Shift + r	Restart i3
Super + Shift + e	Exit i3 (instant, no confirmation)
Super + 1-9	Switch to workspace 1-9
Super + Shift + 1-9	Move window to workspace 1-9
Super + h/v	Split horizontal/vertical
Super + f	Toggle fullscreen
Super + Space	Toggle floating window

Utility Scripts

Located in ~/scripts/:

# Brightness control
~/scripts/brightness.sh up    # Increase brightness
~/scripts/brightness.sh down  # Decrease brightness

# Volume control
~/scripts/volume.sh up        # Increase volume
~/scripts/volume.sh down      # Decrease volume
~/scripts/volume.sh mute      # Toggle mute

# Screenshots
~/scripts/screenshot.sh       # Take screenshot

📁 Configuration Files

arch-i3-setup/
├── .config/
│   ├── i3/
│   │   └── config              # i3 window manager configuration
│   ├── i3status/
│   │   └── config              # Status bar configuration
│   └── alacritty/
│       └── alacritty.yml       # Terminal emulator configuration
├── .xinitrc                    # X11 initialization (full version)
├── .xinitrc.minimal            # X11 initialization (minimal version)
├── .bashrc                     # Bash configuration with aliases
├── install_i3.sh              # Main installation script
├── post_install.sh            # Post-installation configuration
├── start_i3.sh                # Script to start i3
└── README.md                   # This file

🎨 Customization

X11 Initialization (.xinitrc)

The .xinitrc file controls what happens when you run startx. It includes:

Automatic Detection & Safety:

• Checks for optional programs before running them
• Provides fallbacks when programs aren't installed
• Ensures i3 always starts successfully

Features:

• Sets US keyboard layout (change setxkbmap us to your preference)
• Starts compositor (picom) for transparency effects
• Sets wallpaper or solid background color
• Launches network manager applet (if installed)
• Starts bluetooth manager (if installed)
• Disables screen blanking
• Launches i3 window manager

Optional Programs: If these aren't installed, .xinitrc will skip them gracefully:

sudo pacman -S picom feh network-manager-applet blueman

Minimal Version: For testing or minimal setups, use .xinitrc.minimal:

cp .xinitrc.minimal ~/.xinitrc

Wallpapers

Place your wallpaper in ~/Pictures/ as:

• wallpaper.jpg or wallpaper.png

i3 Configuration

Edit ~/.config/i3/config to customize:

• Key bindings
• Workspace names
• Window rules
• Startup applications

Terminal

Edit ~/.config/alacritty/alacritty.yml to customize:

• Colors
• Fonts
• Opacity
• Key bindings

Aliases

Edit ~/.bashrc to add custom aliases and functions.

🔧 System Services

The installation configures:

• Auto-login: Automatic login to TTY1
• NetworkManager: Network management
• Bluetooth: Bluetooth support
• User services: Background applications

📊 System Information

Display system info:

neofetch

Monitor system resources:

htop

🚨 Troubleshooting & Recovery

🔧 Quick Fix Tool

If you're having any pacman or installation issues, use the dedicated troubleshooting tool:

./fix_pacman.sh

This interactive script will:

• ✅ Diagnose common pacman issues
• 🔧 Provide automatic fixes
• 🎯 Guide you through manual solutions
• 🤖 Auto-fix mode for common problems

🎮 NVIDIA Fix Tool

For NVIDIA firmware conflicts and graphics issues:

./fix_nvidia_firmware.sh

This interactive script will:

• 🔍 Detect NVIDIA hardware and conflicts
• 🛠️ Resolve firmware filesystem conflicts
• ⚡ Install appropriate drivers (open source or proprietary)
• 🔧 Fix common NVIDIA installation issues

If Something Goes Wrong

Recovery Script: Run if installation fails

./recovery.sh

Options include:

• Check system status
• Restore .bashrc backup
• Remove auto-login
• Reset i3 to minimal config
• Install missing packages
• Complete removal

Common Issues

X Server / startx command not found errors

# Error: "command not found" in .xinitrc at line 56
# This happens when optional programs aren't installed

# Solution 1: Install optional packages
sudo pacman -S picom feh network-manager-applet blueman

# Solution 2: Use minimal .xinitrc (for testing)
cp .xinitrc.minimal ~/.xinitrc

# Solution 3: The .xinitrc already has safety checks - just copy it:
cp .xinitrc ~/.xinitrc

Package database update fails

# Error: "Failed to update package database!"
# Try these solutions in order:

# 1. Force refresh package databases
sudo pacman -Syy

# 2. Remove package database lock (if another pacman is stuck)
sudo rm /var/lib/pacman/db.lck
sudo pacman -Syy

# 3. Check for running pacman processes
ps aux | grep pacman
sudo killall pacman  # if any are found

# 4. Update mirrors (if repositories are slow/broken)
sudo pacman -S reflector
sudo reflector --latest 20 --protocol https --sort rate --save /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist

# 5. Force full system update
sudo pacman -Syyu

NVIDIA firmware conflicts

# Error: "linux-firmware-nvidia /usr/lib/firmware/nvidia/... exists in filesystem"
# Use the dedicated NVIDIA fix tool:
./fix_nvidia_firmware.sh

# Or manual fix:
sudo pacman -S --overwrite='*' linux-firmware
sudo pacman -S --overwrite='*' nvidia nvidia-utils

X Server won't start

# Check logs
cat /var/log/Xorg.0.log

# Install graphics drivers
sudo pacman -S xf86-video-intel  # Intel
sudo pacman -S xf86-video-amdgpu # AMD
sudo pacman -S nvidia            # NVIDIA

Audio not working

sudo pacman -S pulseaudio pulseaudio-alsa
pulseaudio --start

Network issues

sudo systemctl status NetworkManager
sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager

Alacritty version compatibility issues

# If Alacritty fails to start, try the legacy config
cp ~/.config/alacritty/alacritty_legacy.yml ~/.config/alacritty/alacritty.yml

# Or install a specific Alacritty version
sudo pacman -S alacritty

Rollback Auto-login

sudo rm -f /etc/systemd/system/[email protected]/autologin.conf

🔄 Updates

To update the system:

# Update packages
sudo pacman -Syu

# Update AUR packages (if yay is installed)
yay -Syu

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Test thoroughly
5. Submit a pull request

📝 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

👤 Author

Jorge Muñoz

• GitHub: @jorgemunozl
• Repository: arch-i3-setup

🙏 Acknowledgments

• i3 Window Manager
• Arch Linux Community
• Luke Smith's dotfiles (inspiration)

📚 Additional Resources

• i3 User Guide
• Arch Linux Wiki
• r/unixporn (for inspiration)

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Happy tiling! 🚀