xlings

Used by: MCPP · Luban

One tool to install any version of anything, run it without root, and isolate it like an OS of its own — on Linux, macOS and Windows.

Quick Start

xlings

# Linux / macOS
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/openxlings/xlings/main/tools/other/quick_install.sh | bash

# Windows (PowerShell)
irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/openxlings/xlings/main/tools/other/quick_install.ps1 | iex

xlings install mcpp luban node   # install (the latest)
xlings install node@20           # an older version, beside it
xlings use node@20               # switch the active version
xlings search gcc                # search packages
xlings list                      # what is installed

Using an AI agent? Tell it to run xlings agent usage — a complete guide written for agents ships with xlings.

Luban OS

luban (the command) and Luban OS (the window) are packages of their own: install them, then make a system and go in.

xlings install luban luban-os    # the luban command and the Luban OS window
luban new box                    # a Linux system, no root needed (Luban Core)
luban enter box                  # its shell; exit to leave
luban-os                         # or open the Luban OS window

What it does

Area	What you get
Packages	binaries, scripts, configs, SubOS bases — all one format (xpkg), from official, third-party or self-hosted indexes
Versions	any number side by side; N environments share one copy of each payload
SubOS	named environments: their own tools, home and policy — from a PATH switch to a rootless sandbox with a private network
Agents	xlings subos exec, exit codes that mean something, XLINGS_AGENT_MODE=1, and an NDJSON interface (xlings interface)
Repair	xlings self doctor --fix checks its own state and repairs it in one run

Scenarios

Several toolchains, no conflicts — guide

xlings install gcc@16 gcc@11 node@24
xlings use gcc@11        # switch back any time; both stay installed

One environment for the whole team — guide

{ "workspace": { "xmake": "3.0.7", "gcc": { "linux": "16.1.0" }, "llvm": { "macosx": "20.1.7" } } }

cd my-project/ && xlings install     # the project's own SubOS, the declared versions

Agents and untrusted code in a sandbox — guide

xlings subos new agent-ws --sandbox=private      # isolation is declared once, here
xlings subos exec agent-ws -- python run.py      # every entry is that sandbox; its own exit code
xlings subos use agent-ws                        # or a shell inside -- no flag needed

Platform	Release	--sandbox isolates
Linux x86_64 / aarch64	✅	filesystem, processes, network, identity (bwrap)
macOS 14+ arm64	✅	only $HOME
Windows x86_64	✅	only %USERPROFILE%

On macOS and Windows --sandbox is not a security boundary: use an OS sandbox or a VM for code you do not trust. xlings subos status <name> shows what a SubOS asks for and what this machine gives it.

Upgrade and repair — guide

xlings self update
xlings self doctor --fix

Luban

A whole Linux userland in one command, rootless — then boot it as a machine. Luban is the OS model on xlings: environments made from editions, rolled back by generation, exported as images, shown in the Luban OS window with their desktop. Quick start · The desktop

xlings install luban  # the luban command (luban-os: the window)
luban new box         # a Linux system, no root needed (Luban Core: shells, editors, git, compilers)
luban enter box       # its shell; exit to leave

Smaller or desktop editions (--edition tiny, --edition desktop), the same system as a machine with its own kernel (--mode machine), bootable images (luban export), the Luban OS window, macOS and Windows: Quick start.

Documentation

Topic	Docs
Start	What xlings is · Getting started · Scenarios · Commands by scenario
Use	Packages and versions · Projects · Indexes and mirrors · Self-management
SubOS	SubOS · Sandbox and policy · Roots and generations · macOS and Windows
Extend	Authoring a package · Hosting an index · SubOS templates
Contracts	Agents and the machine interface · Supported platforms · Specifications · Commands
Luban	Luban OS — environments, editions, images and machines on xlings
xlings itself	Build from source · Architecture · Release

All of it: docs/.

Ecosystem and community

• MCPP — modern C++ toolchain, distributed through xlings
• xim-pkgindex — the official package index
• Luban — the OS model on xlings: environments, editions, bootable images
• Forum · QQ 167535744 / 1006282943 · Issues
• Contributing: issues · packages · docs