
Athena OS: Repository Management and Installation Guide
Athena OS integrates multiple software repositories to provide seamless access to security tools, AUR packages, and core system utilities. This guide explores its repository architecture, package management, and steps to integrate Athena’s repository into other systems.
Repositories Overview
Athena OS relies on the following repositories:
Athena Arch: A custom repository for penetration testing tools, originally forked from BlackArch.
Chaotic Repository: Provides prebuilt AUR packages accessible via pacman.
Arch Linux Repositories: Core system packages from:
coreextracommunitymultilib
These repositories are configured in/etc/pacman.conf. After modifying this file, runsudo pacman -Syyto sync the package database.
Repository Structure and Management
Athena Repository Source
The Athena repository is publicly available for contributions. Each package includes:
- A
PKGBUILDfile defining build rules for the.pkg.tar.zstpackage. - Optional
build.shscripts to automate packaging, signing, and cleanup. - A Dockerized build process managed by the Hephaestus container.
The repository is declared in /etc/pacman.conf as:
1[athena]
2SigLevel = Optional TrustedOnly
3Include = /etc/pacman.d/athena-mirrorlistKey Management
Athena’s GPG keys and revocation lists are stored in /usr/share/pacman/keyrings/:
athena.gpg: Public key for repository access.athena-trusted: Trusted keys.athena-revoked: Revoked keys.
The OS installer handles initial key configuration.
Adding Athena Repository to Other Systems
To use Athena’s repository on non-Athena systems:
Update /etc/pacman.conf:
1[athena]
2SigLevel = Optional TrustedOnly
3Include = /etc/pacman.d/athena-mirrorlistDownload the Mirrorlist:
1sudo curl -o /etc/pacman.d/athena-mirrorlist \
2https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Athena-OS/athena/main/packages/os-specific/system/athena-mirrorlist/athena-mirrorlistImport and Trust the GPG Key:
Trust the key:
1sudo pacman-key --recv-keys A3F78B994C2171D5 --keyserver keys.openpgp.org
2# If unsuccessful, try:
3sudo pacman-key --recv-keys A3F78B994C2171D5 --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com
4
5sudo pacman-key --lsign A3F78B994C2171D5Tip: Ensure pacman is updated after configuration.
Let's try it:
1sudo pacman -Syyu
2sudo pacman -S amass subfinder sublist3rAnd the output of that command should be like this:

Contribution and Customization
The Athena repository encourages community contributions. Developers can submit updates to package sources or build scripts via GitHub.