Desk-gnome Role

Description: Aggregate desktop environment bundling caffeine, shell extensions, and terminal into a complete GNOME setup on Linux

Variables

  • author: Kevin Veen-Birkenbach

  • description: Aggregate desktop environment bundling caffeine, shell extensions, and terminal into a complete GNOME setup on Linux

  • license: Infinito.Nexus Community License (Non-Commercial)

  • company: Kevin Veen-Birkenbach https://www.veen.world

  • min_ansible_version: 2.9

  • platforms: [{‘name’: ‘ArchLinux’, ‘versions’: [‘all’]}, {‘name’: ‘Debian’, ‘versions’: [‘all’]}, {‘name’: ‘EL’, ‘versions’: [‘all’]}, {‘name’: ‘Fedora’, ‘versions’: [‘all’]}, {‘name’: ‘Ubuntu’, ‘versions’: [‘all’]}]

  • galaxy_tags: [‘gnome’, ‘desktop’, ‘archlinux’, ‘automation’]

README

GNOME Desktop

Description

This role aggregates various GNOME desktop components to ensure a cohesive and fully functional GNOME environment on Arch Linux. It includes the installation and configuration of several sub-roles:

  • desk-gnome-caffeine: Prevents the system from sleeping or locking automatically.

  • desk-gnome-extensions: Manages GNOME Shell extensions and installs the CLI GNOME Extension Manager.

  • desk-gnome-terminal: Installs GNOME Terminal, the official terminal emulator for GNOME.

Overview

This role aggregates essential GNOME desktop roles (including caffeine, extensions, and terminal) for a complete GNOME environment on Linux.

Cosmos

The diagram places GNOME Desktop in the Infinito.Nexus cosmos: the components it deploys (capabilities), the central services it consumes (dependencies), and its outward reach (federation and bridged external networks).

flowchart LR
    subgraph role [desk-gnome 💻]
        svc_gnome["gnome"]
    end

Solid 1:1 edges are fixed relationships; dashed 0..1 edges are conditional (enabled only in matching deployments); red 0..0 edges are turned off in this role. Node markers show the role’s deploy modes (💻 host, 🐳 compose, 🐝 swarm); ❌ marks a service that is explicitly turned off, and ⚙️ an Ansible role dependency declared in meta/main.yml.

Purpose

The purpose of this role is to provide a complete GNOME desktop experience by orchestrating multiple sub-roles. This simplifies deployment and management by ensuring that all key components are installed and configured in a consistent, system-wide manner.

Features

  • Aggregates multiple GNOME-related roles into one cohesive setup.

  • Installs and configures caffeine-ng to keep the desktop active.

  • Manages GNOME Shell extensions and integrates the CLI GNOME Extension Manager.

  • Installs GNOME Terminal for a robust command-line interface.

  • Ensures a seamless and uniform GNOME environment on Arch Linux.

Quick Setup

Development

Clone, set up the workstation, and deploy GNOME Desktop onto the local stack:

git clone https://github.com/infinito-nexus/core.git
cd core
make onboard
make compose-deploy mode=reinstall apps=desk-gnome full_cycle=false

Production

Install GNOME Desktop directly onto the target machine: clone the repository, install the OS prerequisites and the repository toolchain, then deploy against localhost over a local connection (no SSH, no container):

git clone https://github.com/infinito-nexus/core.git
cd core
bash scripts/install/package.sh
make install
source scripts/meta/env/load.sh

APP=desk-gnome
DOMAIN=<your-domain>
TLS_MODE=self_signed
SSH_PUBLIC_KEY="<your-ssh-public-key>"
INVENTORY=inventories/production
infinito administration inventory provision "$INVENTORY" \
  --inventory-file "$INVENTORY/devices.yml" \
  --host localhost \
  --include "$APP" \
  --vars "{\"TLS_MODE\": \"$TLS_MODE\", \"DOMAIN_PRIMARY\": \"$DOMAIN\", \"users\": {\"administrator\": {\"authorized_keys\": [\"$SSH_PUBLIC_KEY\"]}}}"
infinito administration deploy dedicated "$INVENTORY/devices.yml" \
  --password-file "$INVENTORY/.password" \
  --diff -vv

Addons

Role-level GNOME Shell extensions are declared in `meta/addons/ <./meta/addons/>`__ (unified addon contract, requirement 026). They are installed through cli-gnome-extension-manager, which receives the action, uuid, and url from each addon’s config payload:

Addon

Mechanism

Default state

Bridges

nasa-apod

extension

required (always enabled)

none

dash-to-dock

extension

optional, disabled by default

none

dash-to-panel

extension

required (always enabled)

none

These are desktop GNOME Shell extensions with no in-app web surface to drive, so they are exempt from the Playwright requirement (requirement 026, Decision 11).

Credits

Implemented by Kevin Veen-Birkenbach. Part of the Infinito.Nexus Project and maintained by Kevin Veen-Birkenbach. Licensed under the Infinito.Nexus Community License (Non-Commercial).