🆓 The always-free lane

📦 Add the free repository

sudo install -d -m 0755 /etc/apt/keyrings
curl -fsSL https://deb-free.griffo.io/EA0F721D231FDD3A0A17B9AC7808B4DD62C41256.asc | sudo gpg --dearmor --yes -o /etc/apt/keyrings/deb-free.griffo.io.gpg
echo "deb [signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/deb-free.griffo.io.gpg] https://deb-free.griffo.io/apt $(lsb_release -sc 2>/dev/null) main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/deb-free.griffo.io.list > /dev/null
sudo apt update

install -d -m 0755 /etc/apt/keyrings
curl -fsSL https://deb-free.griffo.io/EA0F721D231FDD3A0A17B9AC7808B4DD62C41256.asc | gpg --dearmor --yes -o /etc/apt/keyrings/deb-free.griffo.io.gpg
echo "deb [signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/deb-free.griffo.io.gpg] https://deb-free.griffo.io/apt $(lsb_release -sc 2>/dev/null) main" | tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/deb-free.griffo.io.list > /dev/null
apt update

Then install anything it carries, for example sudo apt install ghostty. Source packages are available too — add the matching deb-src line if you want apt-get source or apt-get build-dep to work.

📋 What the free mirror serves today

Enrolment is per tool, and any tool in the catalogue can be enrolled on request:

• Ghostty — apt install ghostty
• Oh My Posh — apt install oh-my-posh
• Zed — apt install zed

Everything else in the catalogue is served only by the subscription repository for now. The full, live package list is at deb-free.griffo.io/apt/dists/ — that is the archive itself, not a page describing it.

⏳ The rule, exactly

• The free mirror serves the newest upstream version that is at least 2 months old. Age is measured from the first time that version was published here, not from when it was rebuilt.
• Once a version is in the free mirror, patch releases of that same series are promoted immediately — so a bugfix or security fix for the version you are running does not wait 2 months.
• Nightly and tip channels (for example ghostty-tip) are subscription-only. They exist to test unreleased code; a 2-month-old nightly would be pointless.
• Every architecture, every suite: the free mirror covers the same Debian and Ubuntu suites as the main one for the tools it carries.
• It is signed with the same GPG key (EA0F721D231FDD3A0A17B9AC7808B4DD62C41256), stored under its own keyring filename so both repositories can be configured on one machine.

🤔 Free lane or subscription?

If you want a tool the moment upstream tags it — the subscription is what pays for the build machines that make that possible. If a 2-month-old release is fine, the free mirror is genuinely free, and it stays that way.

❓ Common questions

Should I configure both repositories?

No — pick one. With both enabled apt installs whichever version is higher, which is the subscription one, so the free lane just sits there; and if a subscription lapses, apt update starts reporting an authentication error for the paid source. To switch from the subscription repository to the free one, drop its source file and update:

sudo rm -f /etc/apt/sources.list.d/deb.griffo.io.list
sudo apt update

rm -f /etc/apt/sources.list.d/deb.griffo.io.list
apt update

Will packages I already installed keep working?

Yes. Installed .debs are yours; nothing phones home and nothing expires. A repository only decides where future upgrades come from. Switching to the free mirror means apt may report no upgrade available for a while — until the version you are on ages past the 2-month window, or a patch release of your series is published.

Why does the free lane exist at all?

Because every tool packaged here is open source, and its licence guarantees the right to use and redistribute it. Charging for freshness is fair; making the software itself reachable only behind a payment is not the deal these projects offer their users. The subscription pays for the automation — the free lane is the same automation, run on a delay.

apt is telling me 401 Unauthorized — is that this?

Yes: from 1 October 2026 the subscription repository needs credentials to download packages. Switching to the free mirror is one of the three ways out — the full explanation is here.

Is the free mirror as trustworthy as the main one?

It is the same pipeline, the same packaging repositories on GitHub with public CI logs, and the same signing key. The only difference is which release it publishes — here is how every package is built, and how to verify it yourself.

Can a tool I need be enrolled?

Ask. Enrolment is a per-tool switch in the packaging repository, not a rebuild — say so in Discord or open an issue.

← All packages served by deb.griffo.io