Three commands, and it runs.
The whole OS builds as one signed artifact: make image produces the kernel, the baked-in cells — each individually signed — and a manifest naming every hash, signed as one Ed25519 unit. arkctl image verify checks that receipt offline; the bundled qemu-run.sh boots exactly what was verified. No installer, no download portal — a repository and a receipt.
Installing an app is the same trust decision the kernel makes at spawn: a bundle is one content-addressed unit — manifest plus signed cell image — and arkctl app install verifies it against the root-signed whitelist, refusing before any network is touched. Your own cell starts as arkctl new: one crate (arkane-sdk), a signed contract, arkctl bundle pack.
The honest edges: the image targets QEMU — bare metal is a named trigger, not a promise. A fresh checkout generates its own key material; the chain — root → whitelist → per-image signature — is real, but you are its root. CI builds these same signed artifacts on every push to main.