Updates and recovery

Update Monarch safely and choose the right recovery option when something goes wrong.

Use Monarch Menu → Maintenance → Monarch or run:

monarch update

The Monarch updater keeps the operating-system update in one transaction. It checks free space, prunes superseded package cache entries, attempts a system snapshot, updates Monarch and package keyrings, upgrades repository and AUR packages, reconciles the installation, removes orphaned packages, runs post-update hooks, analyses the log, and prompts for required restarts.

Do not use sudo pacman -Syu for routine system upgrades. Monarch blocks direct full upgrades by default because they skip parts of this pipeline.

If an update fails

Read the error shown in the terminal, correct it, and run monarch update again. The complete current update session is recorded at:

/tmp/monarch-update.log

Do not reboot after an initramfs-generation failure until it has been corrected. The updater explicitly reports that condition when it detects it.

The Stable and Dev channels can be selected under Monarch Menu → Maintenance → Channel. Stable is the normal choice; Dev receives unfinished changes and may require manual recovery.

System snapshots

Create a system snapshot manually:

monarch snapshot create

Open the snapshot restore workflow:

monarch snapshot restore

Snapshots protect the Btrfs root system. They are not a backup of personal files in /home. Keep independent backups of data you cannot replace.

Choose the smallest recovery action

Problem	Action	Effect
Generated Niri configuration is damaged	monarch refresh niri	Rebuilds, validates, and reloads Niri while keeping user.kdl separate
Monarch-managed Noctalia files are damaged	monarch refresh noctalia	Backs up and restores the managed Noctalia files, then restarts the shell
A system change must be rolled back	monarch snapshot restore	Restores a selected root-system snapshot
Default packages or configurations are badly damaged	monarch reinstall	Reinstalls Monarch's default packages from Stable and overwrites default configurations
The machine must return to first-owner setup	Settings → Factory Reset	Erases user and machine state, then starts new-owner provisioning

monarch reinstall overwrites changes made to Monarch's default configuration files. Back up any configuration you want to keep before confirming it.

Factory reset

Factory reset is intended for selling or handing the computer to a new owner. It requires the standard Monarch Btrfs layout and an @factory snapshot created by a compatible Monarch installer.

It permanently removes:

• every user account and everything in /home;
• packages and system changes made since installation;
• saved network connections, SSH host keys, and the machine identity.

After the staged reset, reboot to complete the wipe. The next boot starts owner provisioning like a fresh installation.

Factory reset is destructive and cannot restore personal files. On an unencrypted disk it is deletion, not guaranteed forensic erasure. On an encrypted disk, changing passphrases also does not replace the underlying volume key. Use an appropriate secure-erasure or full-reinstallation procedure when that distinction matters.