`system.ecf` — the system configuration file¶

/equinox/conf/system.ecf is the persistent system configuration of Equinox OS. It is written by the equinoxinstall wizard (phase [3/4]), read at every boot, and edited with the set builtin (or the GUI settings editor). Everything below describes its schema and resolution rules as implemented in kernel/library/ecf.c.

Format¶

.ecf is an INI-lite format (see ECF.md for the exact grammar):

# Equinox system configuration
[net]
driver = e1000          # ne2000 | e1000 | none

[dependencies]
bash = true             # sync /equinox/.local into /bin at boot

[eggkg]
server = https://raw.githubusercontent.com/amnottdevv/Eggkg-l
mirror =
local  = /equinox/.local

[base]
path =                  # recorded by `set -b`; applied at next boot

[active]
conf =                  # overlay pointer set by `set -d`

Section keys flatten with a dot: [net] driver → net.driver.

The known keys¶

Key	Consumer	Values	Notes
`net.driver`	`net_nic_init()` (`kernel/net/nic.c`)	`ne2000`, `e1000`, `none`	Schema-flagged as reboot-required. `none` disables networking.
`dependencies.bash`	`eggkg_boot_check()`	`true` / `false`	Boot-time: copy `/equinox/.local/<pkg>/*.mrp` into `/bin` when the package is enabled.
`eggkg.server`	`eggkg update`	URL or local path	Primary package index source.
`eggkg.mirror`	`eggkg update`	URL or local path	Fallback when the server fails.
`eggkg.local`	`eggkg` build/install	path	Local staging root for sources and builds.
`base.path`	boot (`fat32_boot_init` tail)	path	Pivot root applied at next boot (`set -b`).
`active.conf`	`ecf_active_path()` / boot	filename	Overlay: redirect the active store to another `.ecf`.

Unknown keys are legal and must round-trip unchanged through set -w — the schema is a hint for validators, not a hard gate.

Resolution at boot¶

ecf_active_path(0) picks the canonical file: /equinox/conf/system.ecf first, then the legacy boot/system.ecf on the volume.
ecf_store() parses that file into the global store and follows the active.conf overlay (one redirect) — that file is parsed with ecf_parse_merge, so overlapping keys are overridden by the overlay.
Consumers run: net_nic_init() reads net.driver, eggkg_boot_check() reads dependencies.bash, eggkg reads eggkg.*.
The base.path pivot, if present, is applied at the end of fat32_boot_init().

Neither base.path nor the active.conf target is consulted until a reboot — set -b / set -d therefore always say "applies at next boot".

Managing it¶

set                                        # show the active store
set net.driver e1000                       # edit in memory
set -w /equinox/conf/system.ecf            # persist
set -a /equinox/conf/drivers.ecf           # merge another file in
set -d drivers.ecf -path /equinox/conf     # make it the active store
set -b /mnt/equinox                        # pivot base (next boot)

The GUI settings editor (gui → settings) edits the same store; when an eqshell script is the launcher, the GUI runs an mtcc compile-check before saving.

Failure modes¶

File missing → ecf_store() serves an empty store; consumers fall back to defaults (ne2000, no bash package, no mirror).
Bad section header / stray = on its own line → the line is skipped; parsing continues (INI-lite is deliberately forgiving).
Invalid value for a schema key (net.driver = ixgbe) → rejected by ecf_check at set -a/GUI validation time with an error naming the allowed values.

system.ecf — the system configuration file¶