Add --skip-boot to allow for bypassing installation of a bootloader (#3677)

* Adding the option to skip boot loader

* Fixed a variable complaint

* Fixed ruff and mypy

* Fixed mypy

* Fixed mypy

* Fixed import recursion

* Fixed ruff

* Fixed circular imports

* Fixed ruff

* Hiding the menu option for bootloader when --skip-boot is given. Still setting it default to None to avoid it sneaking into the config file or being set behind the scenes causing if statements to trigger.

* Created an Enum None type for Bootloader called NO_BOOTLOADER

* Fixed ruff

* Spelling error

* Hiding NO_BOOTLOADER if --skip-boot is omitted

* Fixed TUI error when bootloader was missing

* Fixed mypy complaints

* Fixed ruff complaint

* Made the Bootloader option visible during --skip-boot and set the default value to NO_BOOTLOADER when --skip-boot is present

archinstall/lib/args.py

@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ class Arguments:
 	mountpoint: Path = Path('/mnt')
 	skip_ntp: bool = False
 	skip_wkd: bool = False
+	skip_boot: bool = False
 	debug: bool = False
 	offline: bool = False
 	no_pkg_lookups: bool = False
@@ -62,7 +63,7 @@ class ArchConfig:
 	profile_config: ProfileConfiguration | None = None
 	mirror_config: MirrorConfiguration | None = None
 	network_config: NetworkConfiguration | None = None
-	bootloader: Bootloader = field(default=Bootloader.get_default())
+	bootloader: Bootloader | None = None
 	uki: bool = False
 	app_config: ApplicationConfiguration | None = None
 	auth_config: AuthenticationConfiguration | None = None
@@ -107,7 +108,7 @@ class ArchConfig:
 			'timezone': self.timezone,
 			'services': self.services,
 			'custom_commands': self.custom_commands,
-			'bootloader': self.bootloader.json(),
+			'bootloader': self.bootloader.json() if self.bootloader else None,
 			'app_config': self.app_config.json() if self.app_config else None,
 			'auth_config': self.auth_config.json() if self.auth_config else None,
 		}
@@ -179,7 +180,7 @@ class ArchConfig:
 		if bootloader_config := args_config.get('bootloader', None):
 			arch_config.bootloader = Bootloader.from_arg(bootloader_config)
 
-		if args_config.get('uki') and not arch_config.bootloader.has_uki_support():
+		if args_config.get('uki') and (arch_config.bootloader is None or not arch_config.bootloader.has_uki_support()):
 			arch_config.uki = False
 
 		# deprecated: backwards compatibility
@@ -367,6 +368,12 @@ class ArchConfigHandler:
 			help='Disables checking if archlinux keyring wkd sync is complete.',
 			default=False,
 		)
+		parser.add_argument(
+			'--skip-boot',
+			action='store_true',
+			help='Disables installation of a boot loader (note: only use this when problems arise with the boot loader step).',
+			default=False,
+		)
 		parser.add_argument(
 			'--debug',
 			action='store_true',

archinstall/lib/global_menu.py

@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ class GlobalMenu(AbstractMenu[None]):
 		super().__init__(self._item_group, config=arch_config)
 
 	def _get_menu_options(self) -> list[MenuItem]:
-		return [
+		menu_options = [
 			MenuItem(
 				text=tr('Archinstall language'),
 				action=self._select_archinstall_language,
@@ -189,6 +189,8 @@ class GlobalMenu(AbstractMenu[None]):
 			),
 		]
 
+		return menu_options
+
 	def _safe_config(self) -> None:
 		# data: dict[str, Any] = {}
 		# for item in self._item_group.items:
@@ -416,11 +418,13 @@ class GlobalMenu(AbstractMenu[None]):
 		XXX: The caller is responsible for wrapping the string with the translation
 			shim if necessary.
 		"""
-		bootloader = self._item_group.find_by_key('bootloader').value
+		bootloader: Bootloader | None = None
 		root_partition: PartitionModification | None = None
 		boot_partition: PartitionModification | None = None
 		efi_partition: PartitionModification | None = None
 
+		bootloader = self._item_group.find_by_key('bootloader').value
+
 		if disk_config := self._item_group.find_by_key('disk_config').value:
 			for layout in disk_config.device_modifications:
 				if root_partition := layout.get_root_partition():

archinstall/lib/interactions/system_conf.py

@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ from archinstall.tui.menu_item import MenuItem, MenuItemGroup
 from archinstall.tui.result import ResultType
 from archinstall.tui.types import Alignment, FrameProperties, FrameStyle, Orientation, PreviewStyle
 
+from ..args import arch_config_handler
 from ..hardware import GfxDriver, SysInfo
 from ..models.bootloader import Bootloader
 
@@ -47,14 +48,25 @@ def select_kernel(preset: list[str] = []) -> list[str]:
 
 def ask_for_bootloader(preset: Bootloader | None) -> Bootloader | None:
 	# Systemd is UEFI only
+	options = []
+	hidden_options = []
+	default = None
+	header = None
+
+	if arch_config_handler.args.skip_boot:
+		default = Bootloader.NO_BOOTLOADER
+	else:
+		hidden_options += [Bootloader.NO_BOOTLOADER]
+
 	if not SysInfo.has_uefi():
-		options = [Bootloader.Grub, Bootloader.Limine]
-		default = Bootloader.Grub
+		options += [Bootloader.Grub, Bootloader.Limine]
+		if not default:
+			default = Bootloader.Grub
 		header = tr('UEFI is not detected and some options are disabled')
 	else:
-		options = [b for b in Bootloader]
-		default = Bootloader.Systemd
-		header = None
+		options += [b for b in Bootloader if b not in hidden_options]
+		if not default:
+			default = Bootloader.Systemd
 
 	items = [MenuItem(o.value, value=o) for o in options]
 	group = MenuItemGroup(items)

archinstall/lib/models/bootloader.py

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ from ..output import warn
 
 
 class Bootloader(Enum):
+	NO_BOOTLOADER = 'No bootloader'
 	Systemd = 'Systemd-boot'
 	Grub = 'Grub'
 	Efistub = 'Efistub'
@@ -25,11 +26,17 @@ class Bootloader(Enum):
 
 	@staticmethod
 	def values() -> list[str]:
-		return [e.value for e in Bootloader]
+		from ..args import arch_config_handler
+
+		return [e.value for e in Bootloader if e != Bootloader.NO_BOOTLOADER or arch_config_handler.args.skip_boot is True]
 
 	@classmethod
-	def get_default(cls) -> Bootloader:
-		if SysInfo.has_uefi():
+	def get_default(cls) -> None | Bootloader:
+		from ..args import arch_config_handler
+
+		if arch_config_handler.args.skip_boot:
+			return Bootloader.NO_BOOTLOADER
+		elif SysInfo.has_uefi():
 			return Bootloader.Systemd
 		else:
 			return Bootloader.Grub

archinstall/scripts/guided.py

@@ -99,10 +99,11 @@ def perform_installation(mountpoint: Path) -> None:
 		if config.swap:
 			installation.setup_swap('zram')
 
-		if config.bootloader == Bootloader.Grub and SysInfo.has_uefi():
-			installation.add_additional_packages('grub')
+		if config.bootloader and config.bootloader != Bootloader.NO_BOOTLOADER:
+			if config.bootloader == Bootloader.Grub and SysInfo.has_uefi():
+				installation.add_additional_packages('grub')
 
-		installation.add_bootloader(config.bootloader, config.uki)
+			installation.add_bootloader(config.bootloader, config.uki)
 
 		# If user selected to copy the current ISO network configuration
 		# Perform a copy of the config

archinstall/tui/menu_item.py

@@ -196,6 +196,7 @@ class MenuItemGroup:
 
 		max_width = self._max_items_text_width
 		display_text = item.get_display_value()
+
 		default_text = self._default_suffix(item)
 
 		text = unicode_ljust(str(item.text), max_width, ' ')

tests/test_args.py

@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ def test_default_args(monkeypatch: MonkeyPatch) -> None:
 		mountpoint=Path('/mnt'),
 		skip_ntp=False,
 		skip_wkd=False,
+		skip_boot=False,
 		debug=False,
 		offline=False,
 		no_pkg_lookups=False,
@@ -66,6 +67,7 @@ def test_correct_parsing_args(
 			'/tmp',
 			'--skip-ntp',
 			'--skip-wkd',
+			'--skip-boot',
 			'--debug',
 			'--offline',
 			'--no-pkg-lookups',
@@ -91,6 +93,7 @@ def test_correct_parsing_args(
 		mountpoint=Path('/tmp'),
 		skip_ntp=True,
 		skip_wkd=True,
+		skip_boot=True,
 		debug=True,
 		offline=True,
 		no_pkg_lookups=True,