Build Your Own Kernel with Github Action

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This Github Action helps you build kernels. It reads multiple kernel sources from a configuration file and builds them using different toolchains. Additionally, it supports patching the kernel with KernelSU and uploading the built kernel image.

Configure Quick Start Local testing

Github Action

This action contains two jobs: Set-repos and Build-Kernel.

The Set-repos job reads the kernel sources from the configuration file and outputs them to the Build-Kernel job. The Build-Kernel job uses the outputted kernel sources to build the kernels and upload the built kernel images.

Trigger

Event name	Description
workflow_dispatch	Manually run

Workflow

Step	Description
Install prerequisites	Install the necessary dependencies for building the kernel
Setup Anykernel3	Clone the Anykernel3 repository to prepare for packaging the kernel
Clone kernel source	Clone the kernel source code repository for the Android device
Get toolchains	Obtain the required cross-compilation toolchains for building the kernel
Set args	Set the necessary build parameters for the kernel
Update KernelSU	Update the KernelSU tool to ensure compatibility with the new kernel
Make defconfig	Generate the kernel configuration file
Build kernel	Compile the kernel source code to create the kernel image
Upload Image	Upload the kernel image file to a designated location
Upload Image.gz	Upload the compressed kernel image file to a designated location
Upload dtb	Upload the device tree blob file to a designated location
Upload dtbo.img	Upload the device tree overlay image file to a designated location
Pack AnyKernel3.zip	Package the kernel image and device tree files into an Anykernel3 zip file
Upload AnyKernel3 image	Upload the Anykernel3 zip file to a designated location
Create GitHub Release	Create a new release on GitHub to share the kernel with the community

Configuration File Syntax

Example configuration file

[
  {
    "kernelSource": {
      "name": "DogDay-KernelSU-Proton-release",
      "repo": "https://codeberg.org/DogDayAndroid/android_kernel_xiaomi_thyme",
      "branch": "lineage-20.0",
      "device": "thyme",
      "defconfig": "thyme_defconfig"
    },
    "withKernelSU": true,
    "toolchains": [
      {
        "repo": "https://github.com/kdrag0n/proton-clang",
        "branch": "master",
        "name": "proton-clang",
        "binPath": ["bin"]
      }
    ],
    "ccache":false,
    "params": {
      "ARCH": "arm64",
      "CC": "proton-clang/bin/clang",
      "externalCommand": {
        "CROSS_COMPILE": "proton-clang/bin/aarch64-linux-gnu-",
        "CROSS_COMPILE_ARM32": "proton-clang/bin/arm-linux-gnueabi-",
        "LD": "proton-clang/bin/ld.lld",
        "AR": "proton-clang/bin/llvm-ar",
        "NM": "proton-clang/bin/llvm-nm",
        "OBJCOPY": "proton-clang/bin/llvm-objcopy",
        "OBJDUMP": "proton-clang/bin/llvm-objdump",
        "READELF": "proton-clang/bin/llvm-readelf",
        "OBJSIZE": "proton-clang/bin/llvm-size",
        "STRIP": "proton-clang/bin/llvm-strip",
        "LDGOLD": "proton-clang/bin/aarch64-linux-gnu-ld.gold",
        "LLVM_AR": "proton-clang/bin/llvm-ar",
        "LLVM_DIS": "proton-clang/bin/llvm-dis"
      }
    },
    "AnyKernel3": {
      "use": true,
      "release": true,
      "repo": "https://github.com/easterNday/AnyKernel3/",
      "branch": "thyme"
    }
  },
  {
    "kernelSource": {
      "name": "DogDay-KernelSU-Proton-noanykernel-release",
      "repo": "https://codeberg.org/DogDayAndroid/android_kernel_xiaomi_thyme",
      "branch": "lineage-20.0",
      "device": "thyme",
      "defconfig": "thyme_defconfig"
    },
    "withKernelSU": true,
    "toolchains": [
      {
        "repo": "https://github.com/kdrag0n/proton-clang",
        "branch": "master",
        "name": "proton-clang",
        "binPath": ["bin"]
      }
    ],
    "ccache":true,
    "params": {
      "ARCH": "arm64",
      "CC": "proton-clang/bin/clang",
      "externalCommand": {
        "CROSS_COMPILE": "proton-clang/bin/aarch64-linux-gnu-",
        "CROSS_COMPILE_ARM32": "proton-clang/bin/arm-linux-gnueabi-",
        "LD": "proton-clang/bin/ld.lld",
        "AR": "proton-clang/bin/llvm-ar",
        "NM": "proton-clang/bin/llvm-nm",
        "OBJCOPY": "proton-clang/bin/llvm-objcopy",
        "OBJDUMP": "proton-clang/bin/llvm-objdump",
        "READELF": "proton-clang/bin/llvm-readelf",
        "OBJSIZE": "proton-clang/bin/llvm-size",
        "STRIP": "proton-clang/bin/llvm-strip",
        "LDGOLD": "proton-clang/bin/aarch64-linux-gnu-ld.gold",
        "LLVM_AR": "proton-clang/bin/llvm-ar",
        "LLVM_DIS": "proton-clang/bin/llvm-dis"
      }
    },
    "AnyKernel3": {
      "use": false,
      "release": true,
      "repo": "https://github.com/easterNday/AnyKernel3/",
      "branch": "thyme"
    }
  },
  {
    "kernelSource": {
      "name": "DogDay-KernelSU-Proton-anykernel-norelease",
      "repo": "https://codeberg.org/DogDayAndroid/android_kernel_xiaomi_thyme",
      "branch": "lineage-20.0",
      "device": "thyme",
      "defconfig": "thyme_defconfig"
    },
    "withKernelSU": false,
    "toolchains": [
      {
        "repo": "https://github.com/kdrag0n/proton-clang",
        "branch": "master",
        "name": "proton-clang",
        "binPath": ["bin"]
      }
    ],
    "ccache":true,
    "params": {
      "ARCH": "arm64",
      "CC": "proton-clang/bin/clang",
      "externalCommand": {
        "CROSS_COMPILE": "proton-clang/bin/aarch64-linux-gnu-",
        "CROSS_COMPILE_ARM32": "proton-clang/bin/arm-linux-gnueabi-",
        "LD": "proton-clang/bin/ld.lld",
        "AR": "proton-clang/bin/llvm-ar",
        "NM": "proton-clang/bin/llvm-nm",
        "OBJCOPY": "proton-clang/bin/llvm-objcopy",
        "OBJDUMP": "proton-clang/bin/llvm-objdump",
        "READELF": "proton-clang/bin/llvm-readelf",
        "OBJSIZE": "proton-clang/bin/llvm-size",
        "STRIP": "proton-clang/bin/llvm-strip",
        "LDGOLD": "proton-clang/bin/aarch64-linux-gnu-ld.gold",
        "LLVM_AR": "proton-clang/bin/llvm-ar",
        "LLVM_DIS": "proton-clang/bin/llvm-dis"
      }
    },
    "AnyKernel3": {
      "use": true,
      "release": false,
      "repo": "https://github.com/easterNday/AnyKernel3/",
      "branch": "thyme"
    }
  }
]

Individual Configuration Template

{
  "kernelSource": {
    "name": "",
    "repo": "",
    "branch": "",
    "device": "",
    "defconfig": ""
  },
  "withKernelSU": false,
  "toolchains": [
    {
      "repo": "",
      "branch": "",
      "name": "",
      "binPath": []
    }
  ],
  "ccache": false,
  "params": {
    "ARCH": "",
    "CC": "",
    "externalCommand": {}
  },
  "AnyKernel3": {
    "use": false,
    "release": false,
    "repo": "",
    "branch": ""
  }
}

Parameter Parsing

In general, there are the following fields:

Field Name	Description
kernelSource	Information about the kernel source code, including name, repository address, branch, and device type.
withKernelSU	A boolean value indicating whether the `KernelSU` was used.
toolchains	An array containing information about the toolchains needed, including repository address, branch, and name.
ccache	A boolean value indicating whether the `ccache` tool was used to speed up compile.
params	An object containing information about the build parameters, including architecture type, cross-compiler, compiler, etc.
AnyKernel3	An object containing information about building the kernel flash package, including the `AnyKernel3` repository address, branch, etc.

Kernel Source Configuration (kernelSource)

Kernel Source Parameter	Type	Description	Explanation
`name`	String	Kernel Name	Customized, will be used in the release.
`repo`	String	Kernel Source Repository Address	The `git` repository address of the kernel source code.
`branch`	String	Kernel Source Branch	The specified branch of the repository.
`device`	String	Device Code	The device code or name to be compiled, will be used in the release.
`defconfig`	String	Kernel Configuration File Name	The prefix of the corresponding `defconfig` file to be compiled, for example, if the `defconfig` file is `thyme_defconfig`, fill in `thyme`.

Toolchain Configuration (toolchains)

This is an array that contains many repository objects of cross-compilation toolchains, and the parameter description of each configuration object is as follows:

Toolchain Parameter	Type	Description	Explanation
`repo`	String	Toolchain Repository Address	The `git` repository address of the toolchain.
`branch`	String	Toolchain Branch	The specified branch of the repository.
`url`	String	Toolchain Download Url	The download url of the toolchain.
`name`	String	Toolchain Name	The name of the folder cloned locally, customized.
`binPath`	Array	Toolchain Binary File Path	The path of the `bin` file used during compilation (relative to the path of the cloned folder). It will be converted to an absolute path during parameter setting when compiling.

Therefore, you can use the following forms to obtain the compilation toolchain:

1. Use `Git` to pull the toolchain

"toolchains": [
  {
    "repo": "https://github.com/kdrag0n/proton-clang",
    "branch": "master",
    "name": "proton-clang",
    "binPath": ["./bin"]
  }
]

2. Use `wget` to download the toolchain

In this way, you can get the compiled toolchain compressed package in .zip | .tar | .tar.gz | .rar format.

"toolchains": [
  {
    "url": "https://android.googlesource.com/platform/prebuilts/clang/host/linux-x86/+archive/refs/heads/master-kernel-build-2022/clang-r450784d.tar.gz",
    "name": "clang",
    "binPath": ["./bin"]
  },
  {
    "url": "https://android.googlesource.com/platform/prebuilts/gcc/linux-x86/aarch64/aarch64-linux-android-4.9/+archive/refs/tags/android-12.1.0_r27.tar.gz",
    "name": "gcc",
    "binPath": ["bin"]
  }
]

3. Mixed mode (using `Git` and `wget` at the same time)

"toolchains": [,
  {
    "repo": "https://gitlab.com/ThankYouMario/android_prebuilts_clang-standalone/",
    "branch": "11",
    "name": "clang",
    "binPath": ["bin"]
  },
  {
    "url": "https://android.googlesource.com/platform/prebuilts/gcc/linux-x86/aarch64/aarch64-linux-android-4.9/+archive/refs/tags/android-12.1.0_r27.tar.gz",
    "name": "gcc",
    "binPath": ["bin"]
  }
]

Compilation Parameters (params)

Compilation Parameter	Type	Description	Explanation
`ARCH`	String	Architecture	The architecture of the device, which can be queried using `uname -m`.
`CC`	String	C Compiler Path	The compiler used, usually `clang` or `gcc`.
`externalCommand`	Object	External Command Path	Additional parameter settings required for compilation.

For the externalCommand part, here is an example of the command that may be used during compilation:

make -j$(nproc --all) \
      O=out \
      ARCH=arm64 \
      CC=clang \
      CLANG_TRIPLE=aarch64-linux-gnu- \
      CROSS_COMPILE=aarch64-linux-gnu- \
      CROSS_COMPILE_ARM32=arm-linux-gnueabi-

The -j and O=out parts will be automatically configured by the compilation script, and the ARCH and CC parts correspond to the above configuration. The other parts correspond to the externalCommand part, so the corresponding configuration for the toolchains part should be:

"params": {
  "ARCH": "arm64",
  "CC": "clang",
  "externalCommand": {
    "CLANG_TRIPLE": "aarch64-linux-gnu-",
    "CROSS_COMPILE": "proton-clang/bin/aarch64-linux-gnu-",
    "CROSS_COMPILE_ARM32": "proton-clang/bin/arm-linux-gnueabi-"
  }
}

Kernel Flashing Package Configuration(AnyKernel3)

AnyKernel3 Parameter	Type	Description	Explanation
`use`	Boolean	Whether to use AnyKernel3	If set to `false`, the corresponding kernel flashing package will not be packaged
`release`	Boolean	Whether it is a release version	Only effective when `use` is set to `true`. If set to `false`, the corresponding kernel flashing package will not be released
`repo`	String	AnyKernel3 repository address	The repository address of the `Anykernel3` used
`branch`	String	AnyKernel3 branch	The specified branch of the corresponding repository

How to use

This project's basic usage is as follows:

Fork this project on GitHub.
Modify the repos/repos*.json file through the Github website or pull it to your local machine and commit the changes.
Go to the Action page on Github and find Build kernels, then Run workflow.

Notice

In this step, you may encounter the following error when executing softprops/action-gh-release@v1:
👩‍🏭 Creating new GitHub release for tag v20230619.7...
⚠️ GitHub release failed with status: 403
undefined
retrying... (2 retries remaining)
👩‍🏭 Creating new GitHub release for tag v20230619.7...
⚠️ GitHub release failed with status: 403
undefined
retrying... (1 retries remaining)
👩‍🏭 Creating new GitHub release for tag v20230619.7...
⚠️ GitHub release failed with status: 403
undefined
retrying... (0 retries remaining)
❌ Too many retries. Aborting...
Error: Too many retries.
The reason for this error is related to workflow permissions:

Complete the permission settings and then you can publish your own Release normally.

Wait for the compilation to finish, then download the compiled product from the corresponding page.
Use your preferred packaging software to package the kernel (AnyKernel3, Android-Image-Kitchen, MagiskBoot, etc.)

Local testing

If you don't want to run the action on Github, you can use nektos/act to test this workflow locally and output the files.

Normal local build (kernel source code is fetched using Git)

This is the recommended local testing process. Simply install nektos/act and run the following command:

# Collect artifacts to /tmp/artifacts folder:
act --artifact-server-path /tmp/artifacts

If you want to store the artifacts in a different location, change /tmp/artifacts to your preferred directory.

If there are errors, use the -v flag to generate an error report and submit an issue. Here's the command:

# Collect artifacts to /tmp/artifacts folder:
act --artifact-server-path /tmp/artifacts -v

Full local build (kernel source code is stored locally)

If you need to perform a completely local build, consider building as follows:

Set up a local Gitea or Gitlab Git service and modify the configuration file address to point to the local service address.
Use git daemon to create a secondary image locally.

This is just a suggestion, and we do not provide a specific guide.

TODO list

Use MagiskBoot to generate boot.img
Web page for configuring profiles

Acknowledgments

weishu : Developer of KernelSU
AKR Android Developer Community ： Provides build tutorials
DogDayAndroid/KSU_Thyme_BuildBot : Predecessor of this project
xiaoleGun/KernelSU_Action ： Drawing on some Github Actions
UtsavBalar1231/Drone-scripts ： Drawing on some Github Actions

Contributor

Star history

License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

TsubakiDev/kernel-builder-chopin