AI-assisted distro from Belgium
does the Arch Linux family proud
By Larry Cafiero
Upon researching this week’s Distro of the Week last week, I came upon some software with the same name that is heavily involved in Amazon AWS circles. Bear in mind that this is not a review of that particular software.
Not that this one comes with any less controversy, of course.
This week, Distro of the Week travels to Belgium, land of chocolates and underrated beer, and takes a test drive of Kiro Linux, a distribution based on Arch with a little help from his friend, Claude AI.
A bit about of Kiro Linux
The Kiro distribution is founded by the creator of ArcoLinux, Eric Dubois, with Claude AI as developmental partner, according to the distro’s FAQ. “It’s a one-developer-plus-AI project,” the FAQ states. “For the past year Kiro has been his personal build: the exact system he runs every day, shared openly. From June 1, 2026 the focus shifts — the same opinionated foundation, now shaped for the people who use it (driven by what users actually need, not what the creator happens to like).”
Hmmm. OK, then.
Kiro ships the stock Linux kernel by default with Linux-LTS alongside – “CachyOS or Zen kernels are one pick away in the Kiro ISO Builder,” according to the FAQ, “and sane defaults, while keeping the userland close to upstream Arch. It adds chaotic-aur for pre-built AUR binaries, Kiro’s own nemesis_repo, the Arch Linux Tweak Tool, and AI-assisted development. “Less gaming and ricing, more a curated, learnable Arch you can daily-drive.”
So let’s say I’m not a big fan of AI. What about this Claude AI partnership here? Is this something I can remove?
The FAQ is very clear about this, and it says sure you can. “The AI tooling is opt-in convenience, not a dependency. Remove the package with sudo pacman -R claude-code” and delete the “Open Claude Here” entry from Thunar’s right-click menu — the rest of the system is unaffected.”
Well, all righty then.
Installing Kiro Linux
The ISO comes in at a hefty 6.5 GB, which would tax any normal wireless connection – and maybe even a few Ethernet-connected ones, to boot – but it downloaded in a reasonable amount of time.
Putting the ISO on a USB drive to make it a live USB took only a few minutes – more than enough time to grab a cup of coffee – and we were on our way. Like most Arch-based distros, the Kiro live USB booted quickly and we had the install icon on a pristine Xfce desktop environment in no time.
Clicking the icon, the Calamares installer comes up quickly and efficiently, asking the user which area they’re from (for time/date), keyboard they’re using, the user’s name and login information, and once the user confirms all that, it’s on to the install.
The minimum system requirements for Kiro Linux are fairly simple: A 64-bit processor is required, as is at least 2 GB of RAM and 20 GB of storage space.
After several minutes, we rebooted our hardware, et voila, Kiro Linux
Kicking the tires
The login screen is fairly colorful, as we log into the Xfce desktop environment for the first time on our new Kiro Linux system. With the standard Xfce 4.20 desktop setup with the top panel with icons available, one that stood out on the top right was the update key, which offers the user a simple way to update the distro. Using it took several minutes for the distro to upgrade to its latest and greatest form, and we were on our way.
There’s a reason that the ISO was a bit hefty at the start, and it’s the absolute wealth of software available with Kiro Linux’s initial install. Right off the bat, the distro’s install includes – in the web browser field alone – Firefox, Brave, Chromium and Vivaldi (rounding out the list with qBittorrent in the Internet menu field) – as well as GIMP and Inkscape in the Graphics menu. Multimedia? Let’s see . . . VLC media player comes along with Parole Media Player, and for those who are into recording, it also comes with OBS Studio.
While the initial install is chock full of software, the only thing lacking was an email client – hello, Thunderbird – as well as the LibreOffice suite of software, which was added almost immediately. With that, we were ready to put Kiro Linux through its paces.
One of Kiro’s highlights is the Arch Linux Tweak Tool, or ATT. This distro-specific tool, which is an Arco Linux holdover now available for all Arch-based distros, does a lot of heavy lifting, not the least of which in the form of changing the desktop environment from the stock Xfce to any of around 30 desktop environments and window managers available. Not for the meek, by request ATT – using one example – changed the desktop environment using the Desktop option from Xfce to KDE Plasma with the push of a button and waiting a few minutes.
Rebooting into KDE Plasma was a matter of changing the setting in the log-in window from Xfce to KDE Plasma. Want to change back? Simple. Just change the setting in the log-in window back to the original desktop environment upon reboot.
ATT offers the user a wide range of changes to various aspects of one’s hardware including things like changing kernel used in the Kiro distro, tweaking AI if you’re using it (and we’re not), building your own ISO, check out logs, and many others. It’s a revelation for someone who might be new to Kiro, however for intermediate and new users, it’s a simple system management tool without getting involved with the command line.
But anyway, back to road-testing, proverbially speaking, Kiro Linux . . .
Being an Arch-based distro, Kiro Linux does not disappoint in the speed department, as software comes up right away and is ready for whatever action the user may have in mind. The distro is very responsive thanks in large part to Arch Linux under the hood.
Kiro Linux easily handled the daily tasks of web surfing and emailing, as well as listening to a song or two to pass the time. As far as multitasking goes, the distro handled everything thrown at it effortlessly, and rarely went over 3 GB of RAM use no matter how many programs were open.
Of course, dealing with online software like Google Docs and Google Drive were simple tasks for the distro as well, taking care of each with ease.
The final word
There is always a bit of suspicion (or more) about having an AI-generated distro, however with the reputation of ArcoLinux’s Eric Dubois behind Kiro Linux – not to mention being able to turn off any AI once it’s installed – what is left for the user is a solid distro, not unlike ArcoLinux, that should be a welcome addition to the Arch Linux family of distros.
Which brings us to our weekly question: Is Kiro Linux good for beginners?
The short answer is yes. The Xfce 4.20 desktop environment plus all the trimmings therein should be adequate. But even if it isn’t, with a little help from the Arch Linux Tweak Tool the user can amend the desktop environment to any virtually imaginable one to make it easier for him or her.
However, the longer answer is this: If the user is capable of keeping up with the number of updates – there were four within the week we tested the distro – and is also able to maintain whatever desktop the user chooses, he or she should have a field day.
As for intermediate and experienced users, Kiro Linux could be considered an absolute joy to work with; whether the user is a constant tinkerer tweaking the distro to his or her perfection, or whether the user is a digital professional and has to use Linux for daily work. In both cases, Kiro Linux shines.
On the whole, Kiro Linux is a strong contender for anyone who values a modern, rolling-release system. It’s a thoughtful reinterpretation of Arch Linux, as opposed to a carbon copy of Arch with a decent Calamares installer. The distro excels as a daily driver on a laptop or desktop, and it’s fast – as nearly all Arch Linux-based distros are – it’s flexible, and it’s full of character.
Kiro Linux is worth a look, no matter what your feelings on AI generated software might be. Give it a run by downloading an ISO from the Kiro Linux web page.
Do you have a distro you think would make a great feature for Distro of the Week? Don’t be shy—let me know! Email me at larry.cafiero@gmail.com and I’ll make an effort to make your choice available to the wider public … No suggestion is too mainstream!