Packages
A Zethro system is Debian Linux packages plus a small number of Zethro's own. The Debian packages are taken unchanged from Debian's signed archive, pinned to one point release per Zethro release, and carried on the installation image so that an install needs no network. Zethro's own packages come from the Zethro repository, signed with the release key. On an installed system, zethro why <package> prints the reason any package is there.
Zethro's own packages
| Package | Edition | What it is |
|---|---|---|
zethro-setup | both | Stage 2 of the installation. It applies the specification to the installed system, re-runnable, reports every step. |
zethro-doctor | both | The checker. It verifies the installed system against the requirements, after install and after every update. |
zethro-update | both | Moves the system to the next release with a verified repository, refuses an update that would remove a package, and undoes on request. |
zethro | both | The command-line tool, zethro why, for any path, package or port. |
zethro-keyring | both | The release key and the repository source. |
zethro-theme | desktop | The mark, the wallpapers, the GRUB, Plymouth and desktop theme. |
zethro-examples | desktop | Example programs in the languages the desktop ships tools for. |
zethro-core | server | Zethro Core, the daemon, the worker, zc, zmodel and the library. Optional; a server runs without it. |
From Debian
Everything else, about 175 packages on the server edition and 680 on the desktop, is Debian's, unmodified. The exact list with versions and the reason each is included is in the repository, conf/pool.lock and the package lists of chapter 02 of the specification. Look any of them up at packages.debian.org.
Upstream extras
A few tools the desktop edition needs are newer than Debian's, the Zig compiler, the Lite XL editor and the Starship prompt. They are fetched from their upstream releases by pinned checksum, installed under /opt or /usr/local, never mixed into the package database, and listed with their checksums in the specification.
The repository
Signed packages and images are published at https://repo.zethro.pro/ from 1 December 2026, one directory per version, never replaced. A searchable package index generated from the release's lock file is part of the release build and will appear here with it.