Installation guide

Ready in a few minutes.

Installation stays inside the selected user account and does not replace the normal Linux desktop. Existing Cozy Kids settings are preserved when you install again.

What you need

A Linux computer

Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Zorin OS, or a similar modern desktop distribution.

A browser and Python

Firefox or a Chromium-based browser plus Python 3. Both are already present on many systems.

You also need flock from util-linux. The installer checks every requirement and explains what is missing before it continues.

Quick installation

Open a terminal, paste the complete command below, and press Enter:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/TrissyGE/cozy-kids-launcher/main/scripts/install.sh | bash Terminal
Good to know: Cozy Kids Launcher keeps main pinned to the latest stable published release. Unreleased development is never served through this installer path.

What happens next

  1. Log out of the Linux session and sign in again.
  2. Cozy Kids Launcher opens automatically.
  3. Open Parent to adjust apps, websites, media, and screen time.
  4. Optionally set a parent PIN.

Common installation options

For a customized installation, download the repository and call the script with options:

bash scripts/install.sh --lang en --launch-mode fullscreen Example

Language

--lang auto detects the language. --lang de and --lang en select one explicitly.

Window mode

window is the most universal. fullscreen and kiosk use the entire display.

Tile size

--layout gross shows four large tiles; --layout klein shows nine compact tiles per page.

Power off

--install-shutdown-helper optionally adds a button for a clean computer shutdown.

Updating

The installed updater downloads published releases, verifies their SHA-256 checksum, and preserves your configuration:

bash ~/.local/share/cozy-kids-launcher/update.sh Update

If the launcher does not start

Complete technical documentation

Still deciding?

Every line of source, every change, and every release can be inspected publicly.