GRUBTamer

GRUBTamer is a modern, GUI-based editor for managing and customizing the GRUB2 bootloader. Built with Python and GTK4/Libadwaita, it provides a user-friendly interface to configure boot settings, m[...]

Why?

I wanted to edit my GRUB menu and make some customizations to the loading screen. This one is Linux based.

Features

• General Settings: Easily adjust the default boot entry, timeout duration, and menu visibility.
• Kernel Parameters: Add or remove kernel arguments safely.
• Theme Editor: Customize the look and feel of your boot menu with a visual editor.
  • Change background images and colors.
  • Adjust fonts, menu positioning, and progress bar styles.
  • Live preview of theme changes.
• Boot Entries: View and manage detected operating systems and kernels.
• Backup & Restore: Automatically backs up configuration files before saving changes.

Requirements

• Python 3
• GTK4
• Libadwaita
• grub-mkconfig (standard on most Linux distributions)
• pkexec (for privileged operations)

Installation & Usage

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/DanielRMangru/GRUBTamer.git
   cd GRUBTamer

2. Installation options

   Option A — Automated installer (recommended for Linux/Debian-based systems)

   # Review the installer first, then run it with sudo
   less install.sh
   sudo bash install.sh

   • The installer automates dependency installation (uses apt on Debian/Ubuntu), deploys files to /opt/grubtamer, creates a .desktop file so the app appears in the system menu, and installs the bundled icon.
   • You will be prompted for your password for elevated operations. Inspect install.sh prior to running if you want to verify actions.

   Option B — Uninstall (if you used the automated installer)

   # Run the included uninstall script
   sudo bash uninstall.sh

   • The uninstall script will attempt to remove installed files created by install.sh (for example /opt/grubtamer, the .desktop entry, and installed icons). As with the installer, review uninstall.sh before running.

   Option C — Manual (distribution-agnostic)

   1. Install dependencies manually (example for Debian/Ubuntu):

      sudo apt install python3-gi python3-gi-cairo gir1.2-gtk-4.0 gir1.2-adw-1

   2. Run the application from the project directory:

      python3 main.py

   • Note: If you prefer not to use the installer, make sure you have pkexec and grub-mkconfig available for privileged operations and GRUB updates.

3. Run the application:

   • After installation you can launch GRUBTamer from your system menu (if installed via install.sh) or run:

   python3 main.py

Note: If a theme file does not exist, the application will ask for elevated privileges to write a default one before the full interface appears.

Change Log

Changelog - GrubTamer Project Date: 2025-12-27

[v1.1.0] - Packaging & Deployment

• Added install.sh script for automated dependency installation (apt) and file deployment (/opt/grubtamer).
• Added .desktop file generation for system menu integration.
• Added icon.png and integrated it into the installer.
• Created requirements.txt for Python package tracking.
• Removed redundant 'GRUB_BACKGROUND' option from main UI (src/system.py).

[v1.0.5] - Boot Entry Management

• Implemented src/boot_manager.py to parse /boot/grub/grub.cfg.
• Added UI to "Default Entry" row to select boot targets by name instead of index.
• Fixed permission issues by reading grub.cfg via pkexec cat.

[v1.0.4] - Theme Editor Transaction Safety

• Refactored on_save_clicked in ThemeEditorWindow to bundle all operations (Asset Move + File Write) into a single pkexec transaction.
• Eliminated multiple password prompts during save.
• Fixed accumulating whitespace issue in theme.txt parser.

[v1.0.3] - Dynamic Asset Generation

• Implemented GdkPixbuf logic to generate 1x1 PNGs for Menu Box backgrounds (enabling transparency support).
• Implemented Cairo logic to generate dynamic assets (ring/dot) for Circular Progress indicators.
• Updated src/theme_parser.py to link menu_pixmap_style and circular_progress blocks to generated assets.

[v1.0.2] - Parser & Styling Fixes

• Fixed critical bug where internal GUI keys (e.g., progress-style) were corrupting theme.txt syntax.
• Implemented 'virtual' property flags in parser to separate UI state from GRUB config.
• Fixed missing colors in Boot Menu by explicitly mapping item_color and selected_item_color.
• Split "Styled Box" UI group into "Boot Menu Styling" and "Footer Text" for clarity.

[v1.0.1] - Permissions & GTK Fixes

• Replaced deprecated set_margin_all with individual margin setters for GTK4 compliance.
• Fixed AttributeError in secondary windows by implementing Gio.SimpleActionGroup.
• Implemented automatic asset import logic: dragging/selecting files now copies them to the theme directory via pkexec to ensure GRUB visibility.

[v1.0.0] - Initial Commit

• Basic functionality for editing /etc/default/grub.
• Initial Theme Editor UI.

Attributions

• Developer: Daniel R Mangru (concept, direction, debugger)
• Code Generation: Portions of the code and logic were generated with the assistance of Gemini 3 Pro (Google).
• Reference Documentation: Development was guided by the official GNU GRUB Manual and GTK4/Libadwaita documentation.

License

MIT License