Mainline Linux for Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite (daisy)

Build system for creating Arch Linux ARM or Debian Trixie (13) images for the Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite (codename: daisy), based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (MSM8953) SoC.

The Debian variant optionally includes Proxmox VE 9 for ARM64, turning the phone into a pocket-sized hypervisor capable of running LXC containers.

• KlipperPhonesLinux — Firmware blobs, kernel config, and boot image methodology for MSM8953 phones
• PostmarketOS — Device tree, mainline kernel support, and lk2nd bootloader
• msm8953-mainline — Mainline Linux kernel port for MSM8953 devices
• Arch Linux ARM — AArch64 root filesystem
• Proxmox VE ARM64 — Community Proxmox VE 9 port for ARM64

• Linux host (Arch Linux, Ubuntu 22.04+, Fedora)
• Root access (for chroot, loop mounts)
• ~10 GB free disk space
• Unlocked bootloader on the Mi A2 Lite
• fastboot installed (android-tools)
• For Debian builds: debootstrap and qemu-user-static

git clone <this-repo> && cd daisy-archlinux
chmod +x build.sh scripts/*.sh
sudo ./build.sh
cd output/ && sudo ./flash_archlinux.sh

git clone <this-repo> && cd daisy-archlinux

# 1. Configure your network settings
cp example-network.config network.config
nano network.config   # Edit Wi-Fi IP, gateway, timezone, etc.

# 2. Build the image
sudo ./build_debian.sh --with-pxvirt

# 3. Flash to device
cd output/ && sudo ./flash_debian.sh

All network settings are stored in network.config (gitignored). Copy the example template and edit it before building:

cp example-network.config network.config

With --with-pxvirt, containers get real IPs on your home Wi-Fi network using 1:1 NETMAP NAT. No port forwarding or reverse proxy required!

The NETMAP_HOME_RANGE variable reserves a block of IPs on your home network for containers. The default 192.168.1.200/26 maps like this:

Note: Make sure the NETMAP range doesn't overlap with other devices on your network (routers, printers, etc).

sudo ./build.sh [OPTIONS]

  --skip-deps          Skip installing host dependencies
  --skip-kernel        Skip kernel compilation
  --skip-rootfs        Skip rootfs creation
  --skip-lk2nd         Skip lk2nd compilation
  --rootfs-size SIZE   Root filesystem size in MB (default: 4096)
  --kernel-branch BR   Kernel git branch
  --help               Show help

sudo ./build_debian.sh [OPTIONS]

  --with-pxvirt        Install Proxmox VE 9 (PXVIRT) for ARM64
  --skip-deps          Skip installing host dependencies
  --skip-kernel        Skip kernel compilation
  --skip-rootfs        Skip rootfs creation
  --skip-lk2nd         Skip lk2nd compilation
  --rootfs-size SIZE   Root filesystem size in MB (default: 8192)
  --kernel-branch BR   Kernel git branch
  --help               Show help

lk2nd is a secondary bootloader that replaces the stock Android boot image and provides a standard fastboot interface for booting mainline kernels.

# Phone in fastboot mode (Vol Down + Power + USB)
fastboot flash boot output/lk2nd.img
fastboot reboot
# Wait for lk2nd fastboot screen

cd output/
sudo ./flash_debian.sh    # or ./flash_archlinux.sh

• USB RNDIS networking is always available via USB cable
• Wi-Fi connects automatically if credentials were provided at build time
• Proxmox Web UI (PXVIRT only): https://<phone-ip>:8006

daisy-archlinux/
├── build.sh                         # Arch Linux ARM build orchestrator
├── build_debian.sh                  # Debian Bookworm build orchestrator
├── example-network.config           # Network config template (committed)
├── network.config                   # User network config (gitignored)
├── .gitignore
├── configs/
│   └── msm8953_defconfig            # Custom kernel config (optional)
├── scripts/
│   ├── ensure_kernel_config.sh      # Patches kernel .config for LXC/Proxmox
│   ├── configure_rootfs.sh          # Arch Linux rootfs configuration
│   ├── configure_rootfs_debian.sh   # Debian rootfs configuration
│   ├── chroot_setup.sh              # Arch Linux chroot package setup
│   └── chroot_setup_debian.sh       # Debian chroot package setup + PXVIRT
├── output/                          # Build output (gitignored)
│   ├── boot.img
│   ├── root.img
│   ├── lk2nd.img
│   └── flash_debian.sh
└── work/                            # Build working directory (gitignored)
    ├── linux/                       # Kernel source
    ├── lk2nd/                       # lk2nd source
    └── ...

Place your custom kernel .config at configs/msm8953_defconfig. The build script will use it instead of the default.

sudo ./build_debian.sh --skip-kernel
cd work/linux
make ARCH=arm64 CROSS_COMPILE=aarch64-linux-gnu- menuconfig
cp .config ../../configs/msm8953_defconfig
sudo ./build_debian.sh --skip-deps

Default rootfs is 8 GB for Debian (4 GB for Arch). Adjust with:

sudo ./build_debian.sh --rootfs-size 16384  # 16 GB

• Debian: Edit scripts/chroot_setup_debian.sh to add packages to the apt-get install command.
• Arch: Edit scripts/chroot_setup.sh to add packages to the pacman -S command.

Scripts in this repository are licensed under GPL-3.0, consistent with the Linux kernel and referenced projects.