Build from source

Start with a disposable Linux account or virtual machine. No prebuilt release, package compatibility guarantee, or one-line download installer is implied here.

Review the source

Use the repository-pinned toolchain and committed lockfile. The reviewed revision pins Rust 1.98.1; that pin is not an established minimum supported Rust version.

git clone https://github.com/seradotcom/semwright.git
cd semwright
git switch --detach 963f0ceecb22ccfadf66b0937524fb30a6269030

Review the README, VERIFY.md, RELEASE_BLOCKERS.md, and the scripts you are about to run. Building requires a Rust toolchain and may need network access to populate dependency caches.

Build and run the fake path

These commands come from the installation guide. They are instructions, not a report that this website build compiled the product.

./scripts/dev/bootstrap.sh
cargo fmt --all
cargo check --locked --workspace --all-targets
cargo test --locked --workspace --all-targets
cargo build --locked --workspace --release
BIN_DIR=target/release ./scripts/dev/fake-smoke.sh

The fake path creates its own temporary runtime. It checks the daemon, CLI, recipe and audit flow without controlling a live desktop. A fixture response is not an observation of your real applications.

Install deliberately

Only after a successful reviewed build:

python3 packaging/install/install.py --bin-dir target/release

The installer uses user-local paths and refuses existing files. It does not grant desktop authority or install an automatically approved background service. Do not run the broker as root.

For a real session, follow the source installation guide: protect the configuration, begin with observe, and start the broker separately in the same graphical login session. Do not overwrite an existing configuration.

The initial policy is deliberately small:

[policy]
profile = "observe"

The source guide explains the owner-only file permissions and the foreground daemon. A systemd user service cannot answer an external operator confirmation prompt.

Know the next boundary

A successful build is not proof of live compositor support. Read compatibility and permissions before enabling real operations.

Source: installation guide and observe profile, reviewed 22 September 2026.