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title Install Otter Shell on PikaOS Using the APT Repository
sidebarTitle Installation
description Get the Otter Shell desktop suite on PikaOS by adding the APT repository and running a single apt install command. All components update automatically.

Otter Shell is distributed as native Debian packages for PikaOS through the official otter-shell PPA. Every component — from the terminal emulator to the screenshot tool — is packaged and maintained in the otter-zenith repository, so you get a fully integrated desktop with a single apt install command and automatic updates through the standard PikaOS package pipeline.

System Requirements

Before you install, confirm your system meets the following requirements:

  • PikaOS (Ubuntu-based) — Otter Shell packages target PikaOS and its APT repositories.
  • Wayland compositor — River is the packaged default and is pulled in automatically via otter-zenith. Any other Wayland compositor works as long as it supports the required protocols.
  • No Zig runtime needed — Otter Shell applications are compiled to native binaries; end users do not need Zig installed.
Otter Shell is **Wayland-only**. X11 is not supported. Additionally, the screenshot and color-picker tools (`otter-screenshot` and `otter-pick`) require your compositor to expose the `ext_image_copy_capture_v1` protocol. River, the default compositor, supports this out of the box.

Installation

Otter Shell ships through the PikaOS default repositories via the **otter-zenith** package pipeline, so no manual PPA configuration is needed on a standard PikaOS installation. If you are on a minimal or custom PikaOS base and need to add the repository manually, follow the PikaOS repository guide before continuing. Refresh APT's package index to pick up the latest Otter Shell releases: 
```bash
sudo apt update
```
Install the full desktop environment with all components in one command: 
```bash
sudo apt install otter-shell
```

This pulls in every Otter Shell application as a single meta-package:

| Package | Description |
|---|---|
| `otter-term` | Terminal emulator |
| `otter-screenshot` | Region and fullscreen screenshot tool |
| `otter-clip` | Clipboard manager daemon |
| `otter-rec` | Screen recorder |
| `otter-shot` | Product-shot composer |
| `otter-note` | Sticky notes |
| `otter-cal` | Calendar |
| `otter-timer` | Timer and stopwatch |
| `otter-transcribe` | Audio transcription |
| `otter-calc` | Calculator |
| `otter-emoji` | Emoji picker |
| `otter-pick` | Color picker |
| `otter-vox` | Voice assistant |
| `otter-weather` | Weather widget |

If you only need specific tools, install them individually instead. For example, to install just the terminal:

```bash
sudo apt install otter-term
```

Verify the Installation

Once the install finishes, confirm everything is working by launching the terminal emulator:

otter-term

A new terminal window should open on your Wayland session. If it does, Otter Shell is installed and functional. You are ready to move on to the Quick Start guide.