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https://github.com/syraenix/reliquaint

A preservation-focused launcher for classic DOS and Amiga games on Linux. Curated catalog, sane defaults, no telemetry.
https://github.com/syraenix/reliquaint

amiga dos dosbox fs-uae launcher linux preservation retro-gaming rust tauri

Last synced: 3 days ago
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A preservation-focused launcher for classic DOS and Amiga games on Linux. Curated catalog, sane defaults, no telemetry.

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README 

          
# Reliquaint



> *REL-i-kwaynt* — a portmanteau of *relic* and *quaint*.



[![CI](https://github.com/syraenix/reliquaint/actions/workflows/ci.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/syraenix/reliquaint/actions/workflows/ci.yml)

[![Release](https://github.com/syraenix/reliquaint/actions/workflows/release.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/syraenix/reliquaint/actions/workflows/release.yml)

[![Latest release](https://img.shields.io/github/v/release/syraenix/reliquaint)](https://github.com/syraenix/reliquaint/releases/latest)

[![License: MPL 2.0](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-MPL--2.0-blue.svg)](LICENSE)



A preservation hub for classic DOS and Amiga games that happens to launch. One catalog, one install command, one launch button — plus the future scaffolding for the maps, hint sheets, and manuals that gave these games their flavour.





  Reliquaint




## What it is



Reliquaint is a Linux launcher built on top of [DOSBox-Staging](https://www.dosbox-staging.org/) (DOS) and [FS-UAE](https://fs-uae.net/) (Amiga). You bring your own legally-acquired game files; Reliquaint handles the configuration, mounting, sidecars (FluidSynth for MIDI), and a small catalog of curated metadata.



Subscribe to the official [`reliquaint-core`](https://github.com/syraenix/reliquaint-core) tap to get a curated starter set of classic DOS and Amiga titles — Quest for Glory I–IV, King's Quest I–V, Space Quest I–VI, Police Quest 1–4, and the Amiga single-disk *Fatman: The Caped Consumer*. The launcher's tap model (per [ADR-0003](docs/adr-0003-tap-based-distribution.md)) supports multiple community-maintained taps with priority-based conflict resolution.



It does **not** acquire game files for you. It does **not** circumvent DRM. The user provides their own copies; the launcher tells them where to put them.



## Status



**v0.3.** Tap subscriptions are fully implemented. Subscribe to community-maintained taps via `reliquaint tap add ` or the Taps panel in the GUI. The CLI has `list`, `run`, `install`, `migrate-installs`, `doctor`, `add`, `tap add/remove/list/sync/reorder/validate`, and `upgrade`. The GUI supports browsing, installing, launching, tap management, and a first-run prompt for new installs. Companion content (walkthroughs, maps, hint files) remains a v0.4 goal per the [PRD](docs/prd.md).



> **Upgrading from v0.2?** The `reliquaint-core` catalog that used to ship inside the launcher has **moved to its own repository** ([`syraenix/reliquaint-core`](https://github.com/syraenix/reliquaint-core)); the launcher no longer bundles any catalog content. Your existing installs keep working — just subscribe so the launcher can find their catalog entries again:

>

> ```bash

> reliquaint upgrade            # detects installs whose tap is no longer subscribed and tells you what to add

> reliquaint tap add reliquaint-core

> ```

>

> See [Migrating from v0.2](#migrating-from-v02) below for the full story.



The project is Linux-only by design (Flatpak DOSBox-Staging, apt-installed FluidSynth/FS-UAE). Cross-platform support is a non-goal for v0.1.



## Installing the launcher



Prerequisites are documented in [`docs/prerequisites.md`](docs/prerequisites.md) — DOSBox-Staging (Flatpak), FluidSynth, FS-UAE, and the Rust toolchain.



```bash

git clone https://github.com/syraenix/reliquaint.git

cd reliquaint

cargo install --path launcher/src-tauri

```



This installs the `reliquaint` binary to `~/.cargo/bin/`. Make sure that's on your `PATH`.



For the GUI, you'll additionally need Node.js + pnpm + GTK/webkit system libs:



```bash

cd launcher && pnpm install && pnpm tauri build

```



## Adding a game you own



The launcher doesn't ship game files. Once you've obtained your own copy (see each entry's "How to obtain" buttons in the GUI for legitimate sources):



```bash

# Extract / copy the game's files into a directory of your choice, then:

reliquaint install qfg1-ega ~/games/qfg1-ega

reliquaint run qfg1-ega

```



If you have games already laid out at `~/games//` from before:



```bash

reliquaint migrate-installs

```



This scans for any catalog entry whose id matches a subdirectory of `~/games/` and registers each one in a single pass.



### Adding a game *not* in a subscribed tap



For DOS or Amiga games we don't have a manifest for, point the wizard at the directory and it will inspect, propose a draft, and write it to your local tap at `${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-$HOME/.config}/reliquaint/tap/`:



```bash

reliquaint add ~/games/my-custom-game            # interactive prompt

reliquaint add ~/games/my-custom-game --yes      # accept the draft as-is

reliquaint add ~/games/my-custom-game --platform amiga   # override detection

```



Or in the GUI: click the **+ Add game** button in the header, pick the directory, review the form, save.



The new entry shows up alongside subscribed-tap games with a small **CUSTOM** badge. Tweak it later via:



```bash

reliquaint where my-custom-game     # print on-disk paths for hand-editing

reliquaint remove my-custom-game    # delete the manifest, sibling .conf, and install record

```



When the manifest works well for you, send it upstream so others can use it:



```bash

reliquaint submit my-custom-game --clipboard

# Then paste into tap/catalog//.toml in a PR against this repo.

```



Or in the GUI: open the entry's detail view and click **Submit upstream** — it copies the canonical manifest to your clipboard and opens GitHub on the right "new file" path.



## Browsing the catalog



```bash

reliquaint list                       # tabular, grouped by collection

reliquaint list --platform dos

reliquaint list --installed

reliquaint list --format json         # for scripting

reliquaint                            # opens the GUI

```



The GUI gives you per-entry cards with year + developer, full metadata + description on detail view, "Get on GOG / Steam / …" buttons drawn from the catalog's `[acquisition]` block, and a live diagnostic panel that streams launcher tracing events alongside the emulator's own stdout/stderr.



## Diagnostics



```bash

reliquaint doctor          # host deps + per-install checks + orphan records

reliquaint -v list         # tracing at DEBUG; use -vv for TRACE

RUST_LOG=trace reliquaint list

```



In the GUI, the ⚕ Doctor button in the header surfaces the same checks plus per-row "Fix this" buttons for missing apt/flatpak dependencies.



## Subscribing to taps



The first time you run Reliquaint, a prompt offers to subscribe to the official `reliquaint-core` tap. You can also manage subscriptions manually:



```bash

reliquaint tap add reliquaint-core      # subscribe to the official tap

reliquaint tap add https://github.com/…/my-tap   # or any URL

reliquaint tap list                     # show subscribed taps

reliquaint tap sync                     # pull latest commits for all taps

reliquaint tap remove my-tap            # unsubscribe

```



The Taps panel (⊞ Taps button in the GUI) provides the same controls visually.



## Migrating from v0.2



In v0.2 the `reliquaint-core` catalog shipped *inside* the launcher. As of v0.3 it lives in its own repository, [`syraenix/reliquaint-core`](https://github.com/syraenix/reliquaint-core), and the launcher ships no bundled catalog content — everything comes from taps you subscribe to.



Nothing about your installed games changes on disk. Each install record points at the `(tap, game)` it was installed against, so the only thing missing after upgrading is the subscription that provides those catalog entries. Restore it in one step:



```bash

reliquaint upgrade

```



This scans your install records, finds any whose tap you are not subscribed to, and — when the tap is a known one like `reliquaint-core` — prints the exact `reliquaint tap add` command to run. Then:



```bash

reliquaint tap add reliquaint-core

reliquaint list            # your games are back, now sourced from the subscribed tap

```



In the GUI, the same situation surfaces as a first-run/empty-catalog prompt offering to subscribe to `reliquaint-core`, and `⚕ Doctor` lists any orphaned installs with the suggested fix.



## Contributing a catalog entry



Catalog contributions go to the [`reliquaint-core`](https://github.com/syraenix/reliquaint-core) repository. Clone it, drop a TOML file into `catalog//.toml` matching the schema in [`docs/schema.md`](docs/schema.md), add any per-game shipped `.conf` next to it, and open a PR there. See [`CONTRIBUTING.md`](CONTRIBUTING.md) for the full walkthrough.



## Further reading



- [`docs/prd.md`](docs/prd.md) — product vision and scope

- [`docs/schema.md`](docs/schema.md) — TOML schemas (catalog entries, install records, tap metadata, user config)

- [`docs/v0.1-tasks.md`](docs/v0.1-tasks.md) — the v0.1 task list (kept for historical reference)

- ADRs in [`docs/`](docs/): two-layer manifest model (0001), split DOSBox config (0002), tap-based distribution (0003), logging (0004), error handling (0005)



## License



- **Code** — [MPL-2.0](LICENSE). Weak copyleft: file-level, lets the launcher integrate with proprietary or other-licensed code while keeping modifications to Reliquaint's own files open.

- **Catalog content** — catalog entries and shipped configs live in the [`reliquaint-core`](https://github.com/syraenix/reliquaint-core) repository under [CC-BY-SA-4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/): reuse with attribution; derivative tap repositories must share-alike.