feat(plymouth): centred skull logo + boot-log tail, drop spinner

Rework the M-Archy splash: scale the skull to ~42% of screen height and
centre it instead of filling the screen, then draw the latest 3 boot-log
lines beneath it (fed by both the status and display-message callbacks).
Drops the imagemagick-generated dot.png throbber and its refresh loop.

Render the logo at 600px (down from 1920px) since it is no longer
full-screen, and only pull in imagemagick for the transparent-placeholder
fallback. migrate-to-lightdm purges the stale dot.png before re-running the
module so upgraded installs end up byte-clean. Update docs and module
labels ("skull logo + boot-log tail"), and simplify bg-skull.svg.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>

docs/md/installation.md

@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ The TUI walks you through:
    - `core` — 100+ base system packages
    - `svc` — core services (NetworkManager, cronie, fail2ban, greetd)
    - `shell` — zsh, Neovim, Yazi, Micro, Starship
-   - `plymouth` — boot splash screen (skull logo + magenta spinner, **on by default**)
+   - `plymouth` — boot splash screen (skull logo + boot-log tail, **on by default**)
 3. **Desktop Environment** — HyprLua, Niri, Hyprland, Sway, KDE Plasma, GNOME, COSMIC, XFCE, LXQt, or none
 4. **Applications** — checklist of ~50 optional apps (see [Modules](modules.md))
 5. **Colorway** — optional; enter hex values to customise the CyberQueer palette

docs/md/modules.md

@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ bash ~/Dotfiles/setup/install-modules.sh
 | `timeshift` | system snapshot and backup with autosnap |
 | `zfs` | zfs-dkms kernel module |
 | `wprs` | Wayland proxy for remote sessions (wprs-git, AUR) |
-| `plymouth` | boot splash — bundled skull logo and spinner |
+| `plymouth` | boot splash — bundled skull logo + boot-log tail |
 | `plymouth-custom` | boot splash with a user-supplied image |
 | `lightdm` | LightDM GTK greeter, cyberqueer-themed (HyprLua default) |
 | `ly` | ly TUI display manager, cyberqueer-themed |

setup/install-modules.sh

@@ -212,7 +212,7 @@ SELECTED=$(dialog --backtitle "$BACKTITLE" \
     "ffmpeg"          "FFmpeg extras     thumbnailer · GStreamer codecs"        off \
     "localtunnel"     "LocalTunnel       expose localhost via tunnel"           off \
     "butter"          "butter            btrfs snapshot backup (AUR)"           off \
-    "plymouth"        "Plymouth          boot splash — skull logo + spinner"    off \
+    "plymouth"        "Plymouth          boot splash — skull logo + boot-log tail"    off \
     "plymouth-custom" "Plymouth (custom) boot splash — supply your own image"  off \
     "lightdm"         "LightDM           GTK greeter, cyberqueer-themed"       off \
     "ly"              "ly                TUI display manager, cyberqueer"       off \

setup/modules.conf

@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ localtunnel|system|expose localhost over a public URL|off|
 timeshift|system|system snapshot and backup with autosnap|on|
 zfs|system|zfs-dkms kernel module|off|
 wprs|system|Wayland proxy for remote sessions (wprs-git, AUR)|off|
-plymouth|system|boot splash — bundled skull logo and spinner|on|plymouth-custom
+plymouth|system|boot splash — bundled skull logo + boot-log tail|on|plymouth-custom
 plymouth-custom|system|boot splash with a user-supplied image|off|plymouth
 lightdm|system|LightDM GTK greeter, cyberqueer-themed (HyprLua default)|off|ly
 ly|system|ly TUI display manager, cyberqueer-themed|off|lightdm

setup/modules/optional-Modules/apps/plymouth.sh

@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 # plymouth.sh — Plymouth boot splash installer
 #
-# Installs the M-Archy Plymouth theme: the transparent skull/CRT artwork scaled
+# Installs the M-Archy Plymouth theme: the magenta skull-monitor logo centred
-# to fill the screen over a dark background, with a magenta spinning-dot
+# on a dark background, with the latest 3 boot-log lines polled underneath it
-# animation near the bottom.
+# as plain text (no spinner).
 #
 # SVG NOTE: Plymouth's image loader (ply-image) is PNG-only — it links against
 # libpng and has no SVG or gdk-pixbuf dependency.  The ply-image.h header is
@@ -19,14 +19,13 @@
 #
 # Steps:
 #   1. Install plymouth (extra repo)
-#   2. Install librsvg (rsvg-convert) if logo is SVG; imagemagick for dot
+#   2. Install librsvg (rsvg-convert) if logo is SVG
-#   3. Produce logo.png (native 1920 px wide) from the resolved source
+#   3. Produce logo.png (600 px wide) from the resolved source
-#   4. Generate a 10×10 magenta dot.png for the spinner
+#   4. Write the m-archy theme (.plymouth descriptor + .script animation)
-#   5. Write the m-archy theme (.plymouth descriptor + .script animation)
+#   5. Register with plymouth-set-default-theme
-#   6. Register with plymouth-set-default-theme
+#   6. Inject plymouth / sd-plymouth hook into /etc/mkinitcpio.conf
-#   7. Inject plymouth / sd-plymouth hook into /etc/mkinitcpio.conf
+#   7. Add 'quiet splash' to GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT
-#   8. Add 'quiet splash' to GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT
+#   8. Regenerate GRUB config and initramfs
-#   9. Regenerate GRUB config and initramfs
 
 set -euo pipefail
 source "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")/../../lib/logging.sh"
@@ -54,22 +53,17 @@ fi
 log "Installing Plymouth..."
 sudo pacman -S --noconfirm --needed plymouth
 
-# ── Ensure conversion tools ───────────────────────────────────────────────────
-# imagemagick is always needed for the spinner dot.
-# librsvg (rsvg-convert) is only needed when the logo source is an SVG.
-if ! command -v convert &>/dev/null; then
-    log "Installing imagemagick (dot generation)..."
-    sudo pacman -S --noconfirm --needed imagemagick
-fi
-
 # ── Produce logo.png ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 TMP_LOGO="$(mktemp /tmp/plymouth-logo.XXXXXX.png)"
-TMP_DOT="/tmp/plymouth-dot.png"
+trap 'rm -f "$TMP_LOGO"' EXIT
-trap 'rm -f "$TMP_LOGO" "$TMP_DOT"' EXIT
 
 if [[ -z "$LOGO_SRC" ]]; then
     warn "No logo source found — using transparent placeholder."
-    convert -size 1920x1080 xc:transparent "$TMP_LOGO"
+    if ! command -v convert &>/dev/null; then
+        log "Installing imagemagick (placeholder generation)..."
+        sudo pacman -S --noconfirm --needed imagemagick
+    fi
+    convert -size 600x600 xc:transparent "$TMP_LOGO"
 elif [[ "${LOGO_SRC,,}" == *.png ]]; then
     log "Using PNG directly: $LOGO_SRC"
     cp "$LOGO_SRC" "$TMP_LOGO"
@@ -79,29 +73,22 @@ else
         log "Installing librsvg (rsvg-convert) for SVG→PNG conversion..."
         sudo pacman -S --noconfirm --needed librsvg
     fi
-    # Render at native width so the full-screen splash keeps detail when the
+    # Render at 600 px wide — the skull is centred (not full-screen), and the
-    # Plymouth script scales it to the display resolution.
+    # Plymouth script scales it down to a fraction of the display height, so we
-    log "Converting $LOGO_SRC → PNG (1920 px wide)..."
+    # only need enough resolution to stay crisp on high-DPI panels.
-    rsvg-convert -w 1920 "$LOGO_SRC" -o "$TMP_LOGO"
+    log "Converting $LOGO_SRC → PNG (600 px wide)..."
+    rsvg-convert -w 600 "$LOGO_SRC" -o "$TMP_LOGO"
 fi
 
-# ── Generate spinner dot ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-# 10×10 magenta circle — centred at (5,5), radius 4 px
-convert -size 10x10 xc:transparent \
-    -fill '#E40046' \
-    -draw 'circle 5,5 5,1' \
-    "$TMP_DOT"
-
 # ── Install theme files ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 log "Installing M-Archy Plymouth theme..."
 sudo mkdir -p "$THEME_DIR"
 sudo cp "$TMP_LOGO" "$THEME_DIR/logo.png"
-sudo cp "$TMP_DOT"  "$THEME_DIR/dot.png"
 
 sudo tee "$THEME_DIR/m-archy.plymouth" > /dev/null <<'EOF'
 [Plymouth Theme]
 Name=M-Archy
-Description=M-Archy boot splash — skull logo with spinning dots
+Description=M-Archy boot splash — centred skull logo with a boot-log tail
 ModuleName=script
 
 [script]
@@ -110,7 +97,7 @@ ScriptFile=/usr/share/plymouth/themes/m-archy/m-archy.script
 EOF
 
 sudo tee "$THEME_DIR/m-archy.script" > /dev/null <<'EOF'
-# M-Archy Plymouth splash — full-screen skull background + magenta spinner
+# M-Archy Plymouth splash — centred skull logo + latest 3 boot-log lines.
 
 Window.SetBackgroundTopColor    (0.10, 0.10, 0.10);
 Window.SetBackgroundBottomColor (0.07, 0.07, 0.07);
@@ -118,47 +105,65 @@ Window.SetBackgroundBottomColor (0.07, 0.07, 0.07);
 screen_width  = Window.GetWidth ();
 screen_height = Window.GetHeight ();
 
-# Full-screen skull background. bg-skull.svg is a 1920x1080 composition with a
+# ── Skull logo, centred ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-# transparent field, so we scale it to fill the display and pin it at the
+# logo.png is the tight skull-monitor artwork (roughly square). Scale it to a
-# origin; the transparent areas reveal the dark background gradient above.
+# fraction of the screen height, preserving aspect ratio, then centre it and
-logo.image  = Image ("logo.png");
+# nudge it up a little so the log lines below have room to breathe.
-scaled      = logo.image.Scale (screen_width, screen_height);
+logo.image = Image ("logo.png");
+target_h   = screen_height * 0.42;
+scale      = target_h / logo.image.GetHeight ();
+scaled     = logo.image.Scale (logo.image.GetWidth () * scale, target_h);
+
 logo.sprite = Sprite (scaled);
-logo.sprite.SetX (0);
+logo.sprite.SetX ((screen_width  - scaled.GetWidth ())  / 2);
-logo.sprite.SetY (0);
+logo.sprite.SetY ((screen_height - scaled.GetHeight ()) / 2 - screen_height * 0.08);
 logo.sprite.SetZ (10);
 
-# 12-dot spinner near the bottom of the screen. The centre is a fixed fraction
+# ── Boot-log tail — latest 3 lines ────────────────────────────────────────────
-# of the screen height (not derived from the logo size) so it stays put
+# A rolling buffer of the three most recent status/message strings Plymouth
-# regardless of the source image's dimensions.
+# hands us, drawn as centred text beneath the logo. The newest line is the
-num_dots  = 12;
+# brightest; older lines fade back.
-dot_r     = 5;
+num_lines = 3;
-orbit     = 35;
+line_gap  = 26;                                # px between successive baselines
-cx        = screen_width  / 2;
+text_top  = Math.Int (screen_height * 0.72);   # y of the oldest (top) line
-cy        = Math.Int (screen_height * 0.93);
-dot.image = Image ("dot.png");
 
-for (i = 0; i < num_dots; i++) {
+for (i = 0; i < num_lines; i++) {
-    dot[i].sprite = Sprite (dot.image);
+    log_line[i]   = "";
-    dot[i].sprite.SetZ (20);
+    log_sprite[i] = Sprite ();
+    log_sprite[i].SetZ (20);
 }
 
-frame = 0;
+fun draw_lines () {
-
+    for (i = 0; i < num_lines; i++) {
-fun refresh_callback () {
+        # Empty slots (before the buffer fills) stay hidden — Image.Text ("")
-    frame++;
+        # is unreliable across Plymouth versions, so never render it.
-    step = 2 * Math.Pi / num_dots;
+        if (log_line[i] == "") {
-    for (i = 0; i < num_dots; i++) {
+            log_sprite[i].SetOpacity (0);
-        angle = step * i + frame * 0.15;
+        } else {
-        dot[i].sprite.SetX (Math.Int (cx + Math.Cos (angle) * orbit - dot_r));
+            shade = 0.40 + 0.25 * i;           # 0.40, 0.65, 0.90 top→bottom
-        dot[i].sprite.SetY (Math.Int (cy + Math.Sin (angle) * orbit - dot_r));
+            image = Image.Text (log_line[i], shade, shade, shade);
-        t = (i + Math.Int (frame / 4) % num_dots) % num_dots;
+            log_sprite[i].SetImage (image);
-        f = t / num_dots;
+            log_sprite[i].SetX ((screen_width - image.GetWidth ()) / 2);
-        dot[i].sprite.SetOpacity (0.15 + 0.85 * f * f);
+            log_sprite[i].SetY (text_top + i * line_gap);
+            log_sprite[i].SetOpacity (1);
+        }
     }
 }
 
-Plymouth.SetRefreshFunction (refresh_callback);
+fun push_line (text) {
+    # Scroll the buffer up by one line and append the newcomer at the bottom.
+    for (i = 0; i < num_lines - 1; i++) {
+        log_line[i] = log_line[i + 1];
+    }
+    log_line[num_lines - 1] = text;
+    draw_lines ();
+}
+
+# Both callbacks feed the same tail: systemd unit progress arrives via the
+# status function, explicit `plymouth display-message` strings via the message
+# function.
+Plymouth.SetUpdateStatusFunction   (fun (status) { push_line (status); });
+Plymouth.SetDisplayMessageFunction (fun (text)   { push_line (text);   });
 EOF
 
 # ── Register theme ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

setup/tools/generate-answerfile.sh

@@ -272,7 +272,7 @@ if [[ "$AF_RUN_TUI" == "true" ]]; then
         "timeshift"  "timeshift             system snapshot and backup with autosnap"  on \
         "zfs"  "zfs                   zfs-dkms kernel module"  off \
         "wprs"  "wprs                  Wayland proxy for remote sessions (wprs-git, AUR)"  off \
-        "plymouth"  "plymouth              boot splash — bundled skull logo and spinner"  on \
+        "plymouth"  "plymouth              boot splash — bundled skull logo + boot-log tail"  on \
         "plymouth-custom"  "plymouth-custom       boot splash with a user-supplied image"  off \
         "lightdm"  "lightdm               LightDM GTK greeter, cyberqueer-themed (HyprLua default)"  off \
         "ly"  "ly                    ly TUI display manager, cyberqueer-themed"  off \

setup/tools/migrate-to-lightdm.sh

@@ -14,13 +14,21 @@
 #      reboot yourself.
 #   3. Runs the lightdm module (installs LightDM + lightdm-gtk-greeter, deploys
 #      the cyberqueer greeter config + skull background, enables lightdm.service).
-#   4. Runs the plymouth module (skull splash, initramfs + GRUB cmdline) unless
+#   4. Purges obsolete Plymouth artifacts left by earlier versions of this repo
+#      (e.g. the spinner's dot.png) so an upgraded install ends up byte-clean.
+#   5. Runs the plymouth module (skull splash, initramfs + GRUB cmdline) unless
 #      --no-plymouth is given.
 #
 # It reuses the real module scripts under optional-Modules/apps/ so there is no
 # duplicated install logic — this tool only handles detection, teardown of the
 # OLD display manager, and orchestration.
 #
+# Double duty: on a machine that is ALREADY on Plymouth + LightDM (an install
+# migrated by an earlier version of this repo) re-running simply refreshes the
+# greeter config and re-installs the current Plymouth theme — the clean upgrade
+# path from the old full-screen-skull + spinner splash to the centred-skull +
+# boot-log-tail one.
+#
 # Safe to re-run (idempotent). Reboot to complete the switch.
 #
 # Usage:
@@ -177,6 +185,19 @@ run bash "$APPS/lightdm.sh"
 
 # ── 5. Plymouth splash (delegated to the module) ──────────────────────────────
 if (( DO_PLYMOUTH )); then
+    # Upgrade cleanup: the current theme is a centred skull + boot-log tail. The
+    # previous version scaled the skull full-screen and drew a spinning-dot
+    # throbber from dot.png. That file is now dead weight — strip it (and any
+    # other stale theme assets) BEFORE re-running the module, so it is neither
+    # rendered nor baked into the initramfs that plymouth.sh rebuilds.
+    THEME_DIR="/usr/share/plymouth/themes/m-archy"
+    for stale in "$THEME_DIR/dot.png"; do
+        if [[ -e "$stale" ]]; then
+            log "Removing obsolete Plymouth asset: $stale"
+            run sudo rm -f "$stale"
+        fi
+    done
+
     log "Setting up the Plymouth splash via the plymouth module..."
     run bash "$APPS/plymouth.sh"
 else

setup/tui-install.sh

@@ -589,7 +589,7 @@ else
         "timeshift"  "timeshift             system snapshot and backup with autosnap"  on \
         "zfs"  "zfs                   zfs-dkms kernel module"  off \
         "wprs"  "wprs                  Wayland proxy for remote sessions (wprs-git, AUR)"  off \
-        "plymouth"  "plymouth              boot splash — bundled skull logo and spinner"  on \
+        "plymouth"  "plymouth              boot splash — bundled skull logo + boot-log tail"  on \
         "plymouth-custom"  "plymouth-custom       boot splash with a user-supplied image"  off \
         "lightdm"  "lightdm               LightDM GTK greeter, cyberqueer-themed (HyprLua default)"  off \
         "ly"  "ly                    ly TUI display manager, cyberqueer-themed"  off \