Qemu Boot Run

QEMU Boot Run

Use this primitive whenever the task is to run QEMU and observe a boot milestone, whether the boot path is direct kernel boot, firmware boot, a guest OS shell, a test appliance, or a boot hang reproducer.

Composition

1. Start from qemu-flow-plan.
2. Use qemu-source-provenance for binaries, images, DTBs, kernels, initramfs, and firmware.
3. Use qemu-image-layout for boot media or flash images.
4. Write the runnable command and result to build/agent//boot-run.md.
5. Use qemu-debug on failures and qemu-model-verification for final claims.

Command Record

Record:

• QEMU binary path and build directory;
• machine, CPU, accelerator, SMP, memory, and machine properties;
• kernel, firmware, DTB, initrd, disk, pflash, or block device inputs;
• serial, monitor, display, networking, and storage options;
• kernel command line or firmware environment assumptions;
• timeout, expected success marker, and known failure markers;
• console log path under build/agent//logs/.

Run Rules

• Prefer a single copy-pasteable command.
• Use -nographic or explicit chardev routing for deterministic console capture.
• Keep QEMU monitor and guest serial behavior clear; do not hide which console carries Linux logs.
• Use timeout for smoke tests unless an interactive shell is the requested deliverable.
• Preserve exact output in a log file and summarize only decisive lines in evidence.md.
• If a run hangs, capture the last meaningful marker before adding debug flags.

Failure Handoff

When a run fails or times out, classify the first suspect before editing source:

• wrong or stale artifact;
• image layout mismatch;
• QEMU command mismatch;
• boot ABI or firmware handoff mismatch;
• missing device behavior;
• guest OS or rootfs issue.

Then use qemu-debug with a focused window: guest gdbstub, host debugger, QEMU log flags, trace events, or instruction logs.

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: processmission
• Source: processmission/oh-my-qemu
• License: MIT
• Homepage: https://processmission.github.io/oh-my-qemu/

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.