Installation

Before you begin

You need a Linux desktop running Wayland and working EGL/OpenGL ES drivers. There is no X11 window backend. A desktop keyring is recommended so Cressida can remember your sign-in.

Choose an installation route below. For a plain source build, install the build dependencies first. Package names vary by distribution.

Nix

From the extracted Cressida source directory, run:

nix run path:.

This uses the project's Nix configuration. Your Nix installation must support flakes and the nix-command feature. The application still needs your Wayland desktop and its services.

Guix

Add the Cressida channel to your Guix channel list:

(channel
  (name 'cressida)
  (url "https://github.com/Ly-sec/Cressida")
  (branch "main"))

Refresh the channel and install the package:

guix pull
guix install cressida-git

The package is available in the (cressida) module. Refresh the channel again when you want to update to a newer source revision.

Build and install with just

Obtain the source from the Cressida repository or a published source archive. Install the development libraries listed in Building from source, plus just.

From the source directory:

just install

A fresh release build installs under /usr/local. If the release build directory already has a prefix configured, the command keeps it. Build as your normal user; the installation step can request administrator privileges when needed.

For a user-local installation:

just install release "$HOME/.local"

Ensure $HOME/.local/bin is on your PATH. Your desktop also needs to find application entries and icons in $HOME/.local/share.

Remove a just installation

Keep the build directory used for installation, then run:

just uninstall

This removes files recorded in that release build's installation manifest. It does not rebuild or remove your account's data. Distribution-managed packages should be removed with the distribution's package manager instead.

Build with Meson directly

For a complete step-by-step walkthrough, use the manual installation guide.

just is optional. With the dependencies installed:

meson setup build-release --prefix=/usr/local --buildtype=release -Dcpp_std=c++23
meson compile -C build-release -j 4 cressida
meson install -C build-release --no-rebuild

This installs the executable, renderer library, assets and desktop integration. See Packaging for distribution prefixes and staged installations.

First launch

Open Cressida from your application launcher or run:

cressida

Then follow Sign in. To preview the interface without an account:

cressida --demo

Running the ordinary command again focuses the existing client. Use cressida --new-instance if you intentionally want a separate instance.