Installing protoLabs on Fedora/RHEL

This guide covers installation of protoLabs on Fedora, RHEL, Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux, and other RPM-based distributions.

Prerequisites

protoLabs requires:

64-bit x86_64 architecture
Fedora 39+ or RHEL 9+ (earlier versions may work but not officially supported)
4GB RAM minimum, 8GB recommended
~300MB disk space for installation
Internet connection for installation and Claude API access

Authentication

You'll need one of the following:

Claude CLI (recommended) - claude login
API key - Set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY environment variable

See the installation guide authentication section for details.

Installation

Option 1: Download and Install from GitHub

Visit GitHub Releases
Find the latest release and download the .rpm file:
- Download: protoLabs-<version>-x86_64.rpm

Install using dnf (Fedora):

bash

sudo dnf install ./protoLabs-<version>-x86_64.rpm

Or using yum (RHEL/CentOS):

bash

sudo yum localinstall ./protoLabs-<version>-x86_64.rpm

Option 2: Install Directly from URL

Install from GitHub releases URL without downloading first. Visit releases page to find the latest version.

Fedora:

bash

# Replace v0.11.0 with the actual latest version
sudo dnf install https://github.com/protoLabsAI/protomaker/releases/download/v0.11.0/protoLabs-0.11.0-x86_64.rpm

RHEL/CentOS:

bash

# Replace v0.11.0 with the actual latest version
sudo yum install https://github.com/protoLabsAI/protomaker/releases/download/v0.11.0/protoLabs-0.11.0-x86_64.rpm

Running protoLabs

After successful installation, launch protoLabs:

Open Activities/Applications
Search for "protoLabs"
Click to launch

From Terminal

bash

automaker

System Requirements & Capabilities

Hardware Requirements

Component	Minimum	Recommended
CPU	Modern multi-core	4+ cores
RAM	4GB	8GB+
Disk	300MB	1GB+
Architecture	x86_64	x86_64

Required Dependencies

The RPM package automatically installs these dependencies:

gtk3              - GTK+ GUI library
libnotify         - Desktop notification library
nss               - Network Security Services
libXScrnSaver     - X11 screensaver library
libXtst           - X11 testing library
xdg-utils         - XDG standards utilities
at-spi2-core      - Accessibility library
libuuid           - UUID library

Most of these are pre-installed on typical Fedora/RHEL systems.

Optional Dependencies

For development (source builds only):

Node.js 22+
npm 10+

The packaged application includes its own Electron runtime and does not require system Node.js.

Supported Distributions

Officially Tested:

Fedora 39, 40 (latest)
Rocky Linux 9
AlmaLinux 9

Should Work:

CentOS Stream 9+
openSUSE Leap/Tumbleweed (with compatibility layer)
RHEL 9+

Not Supported:

RHEL 8 (glibc 2.28 too old, requires Node.js 22)
CentOS 7 and earlier
Fedora versions older than 39

Configuration

Environment Variables

Set authentication via environment variable:

bash

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...
automaker

Or create ~/.config/automaker/.env:

ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...

Configuration Directory

protoLabs stores configuration and cache in:

~/.automaker/                # Project-specific data
~/.config/automaker/         # Application configuration
~/.cache/automaker/          # Cache and temporary files

Troubleshooting

Application Won't Start

Check installation:

bash

rpm -qi automaker
rpm -V automaker

Verify desktop file:

bash

cat /usr/share/applications/automaker.desktop

Run from terminal for error output:

bash

automaker

Missing Dependencies

If dependencies fail to install automatically:

Fedora:

bash

sudo dnf install gtk3 libnotify nss libXScrnSaver libXtst xdg-utils at-spi2-core libuuid

RHEL/CentOS (enable EPEL first if needed):

bash

sudo dnf install epel-release
sudo dnf install gtk3 libnotify nss libXScrnSaver libXtst xdg-utils at-spi2-core libuuid

SELinux Denials

If protoLabs fails on SELinux-enforced systems:

Temporary workaround (testing):

bash

# Set SELinux to permissive mode
sudo setenforce 0

# Run protoLabs
automaker

# Check for denials
sudo ausearch -m avc -ts recent | grep automaker

# Re-enable SELinux
sudo setenforce 1

Permanent fix (not recommended for production): Create custom SELinux policy based on ausearch output. For support, see GitHub Issues.

Port Conflicts

protoLabs uses port 3008 for the internal server. If port is already in use:

Find process using port 3008:

bash

sudo ss -tlnp | grep 3008
# or
lsof -i :3008

Kill conflicting process (if safe):

bash

sudo kill -9 <PID>

Or configure protoLabs to use different port (see Configuration section).

Firewall Issues

On Fedora with firewalld enabled:

bash

# Allow internal traffic (local development only)
sudo firewall-cmd --add-port=3008/tcp
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=3008/tcp

GPU/Acceleration

protoLabs uses Chromium for rendering. GPU acceleration should work automatically on supported systems.

Check acceleration:

Look for "GPU acceleration" status in application settings
Verify drivers: lspci | grep VGA

Disable acceleration if issues occur:

bash

DISABLE_GPU_ACCELERATION=1 automaker

Terminal/Worktree Issues

If terminal emulator fails or git worktree operations hang:

Check disk space: df -h
Verify git installation: git --version
Check /tmp permissions: ls -la /tmp
File a GitHub issue with error output

Unresponsive GUI

If the application freezes:

Wait 30 seconds (AI operations may be processing)
Check process: ps aux | grep automaker
Force quit if necessary: killall automaker
Check system resources: free -h, top

Network Issues

If Claude API calls fail:

bash

# Test internet connectivity
ping -c 3 api.anthropic.com

# Test API access
curl -I https://api.anthropic.com

# Verify API key is set (without exposing the value)
[ -n "$ANTHROPIC_API_KEY" ] && echo "API key is set" || echo "API key is NOT set"

Uninstallation

Remove Application

Fedora:

bash

sudo dnf remove automaker

RHEL/CentOS:

bash

sudo yum remove automaker

Clean Configuration (Optional)

Remove all user data and configuration:

bash

# Remove project-specific data
rm -rf ~/.automaker

# Remove application configuration
rm -rf ~/.config/automaker

# Remove cache
rm -rf ~/.cache/automaker

Warning: This removes all saved projects and settings. Ensure you have backups if needed.

Building from Source

To build protoLabs from source on Fedora/RHEL:

Prerequisites:

bash

# Fedora
sudo dnf install nodejs npm git

# RHEL (enable EPEL first)
sudo dnf install epel-release
sudo dnf install nodejs npm git

Build steps:

bash

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/protoLabsAI/protomaker.git
cd protomaker

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build packages
npm run build:packages

# Build Linux packages
npm run build:electron:linux

# Packages in: apps/ui/release/
ls apps/ui/release/*.rpm

See the installation guide for detailed build instructions.

Updating protoLabs

Automatic Updates: protoLabs checks for updates on startup. Install available updates through notifications.

Manual Update:

bash

# Fedora
sudo dnf update automaker

# RHEL/CentOS
sudo yum update automaker

# Or reinstall latest release
sudo dnf remove automaker

# Download the latest .rpm from releases page
# https://github.com/protoLabsAI/protomaker/releases
# Then reinstall with:
# sudo dnf install ./protoLabs-<VERSION>-x86_64.rpm

Getting Help

Resources

Installation Guide - Project overview and setup
CONTRIBUTING.md - Contributing guide
GitHub Issues - Bug reports & feature requests
Discussions - Questions & community

Reporting Issues

When reporting Fedora/RHEL issues, include:

bash

# System information
lsb_release -a
uname -m

# protoLabs version
rpm -qi automaker

# Error output (run from terminal)
automaker 2>&1 | tee automaker.log

# SELinux status
getenforce

# Relevant system logs
sudo journalctl -xeu automaker.service (if systemd service exists)

Performance Tips

Use SSD: Faster than spinning disk, significantly improves performance
Close unnecessary applications: Free up RAM for AI agent processing
Disable GPU acceleration if glitchy: Set DISABLE_GPU_ACCELERATION=1
Keep system updated: sudo dnf update
Use latest Fedora/RHEL: Newer versions have better Electron support

Security Considerations

API Key Security

Never commit API keys to version control:

bash

# Good: Use environment variable
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...

# Good: Use .env file (not in git)
echo "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-..." > ~/.config/automaker/.env

# Bad: Hardcoded in files
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-..." (in any tracked file)

SELinux Security

Running with SELinux disabled (setenforce 0) reduces security. Create custom policy:

Generate policy from audit logs: ausearch -m avc -ts recent | grep automaker
Use selinux-policy tools to create module
Install and test module
Keep SELinux enforcing

File Permissions

Ensure configuration files are readable by user only:

bash

chmod 600 ~/.config/automaker/.env
chmod 700 ~/.automaker/
chmod 700 ~/.config/automaker/

Known Limitations

Single display support: Multi-monitor setups may have cursor synchronization issues
X11 only: Wayland support limited (runs under XWayland)
No native systemd service: Manual launcher or desktop file shortcut
ARM/ARM64: Not supported, x86_64 only

Contributing

Found an issue or want to improve Fedora support? See CONTRIBUTING.md.

Last Updated: 2026-01-16 Tested On: Fedora 40, Rocky Linux 9, AlmaLinux 9

Installing protoLabs on Fedora/RHEL ​

Prerequisites ​

Authentication ​

Installation ​

Option 1: Download and Install from GitHub ​

Option 2: Install Directly from URL ​

Running protoLabs ​

From Application Menu ​

From Terminal ​

System Requirements & Capabilities ​

Hardware Requirements ​

Required Dependencies ​

Optional Dependencies ​

Supported Distributions ​

Configuration ​

Environment Variables ​

Configuration Directory ​

Troubleshooting ​

Application Won't Start ​

Missing Dependencies ​

SELinux Denials ​

Port Conflicts ​

Firewall Issues ​

GPU/Acceleration ​

Terminal/Worktree Issues ​

Unresponsive GUI ​

Network Issues ​

Uninstallation ​

Remove Application ​

Clean Configuration (Optional) ​

Building from Source ​

Updating protoLabs ​

Getting Help ​

Resources ​

Reporting Issues ​

Performance Tips ​

Security Considerations ​

API Key Security ​

SELinux Security ​

File Permissions ​

Known Limitations ​

Contributing ​

Installing protoLabs on Fedora/RHEL

Prerequisites

Authentication

Installation

Option 1: Download and Install from GitHub

Option 2: Install Directly from URL

Running protoLabs

From Application Menu

From Terminal

System Requirements & Capabilities

Hardware Requirements

Required Dependencies

Optional Dependencies

Supported Distributions

Configuration

Environment Variables

Configuration Directory

Troubleshooting

Application Won't Start

Missing Dependencies

SELinux Denials

Port Conflicts

Firewall Issues

GPU/Acceleration

Terminal/Worktree Issues

Unresponsive GUI

Network Issues

Uninstallation

Remove Application

Clean Configuration (Optional)

Building from Source

Updating protoLabs

Getting Help

Resources

Reporting Issues

Performance Tips

Security Considerations

API Key Security

SELinux Security

File Permissions

Known Limitations

Contributing