This page documents a bit how to [[contribute/build]] a custom system
based on Tails.

<div class="caution">

<strong>The resulting system will effectively be a fork of
Tails, that only you can support: do not expect any help from us about
it.<br />
Please consider [[having your changes merged|contribute/how/code]]
into Tails instead.
</strong>
</div>


[[!toc levels=2]]

# Settings specific to Tails

The settings that can be customized can be found in `config/amnesia`;
e.g. desktop environment.

You'd better never directly edit this file: rather put your custom
variable assignments in a new `config/amnesia.local` file. The values
found in the `.local` file will override the ones from the
upstream one.

These configuration files are actually shell scripts, and are sourced
by various other scripts.

# Debian Live settings

The Amnesic Incognito Live System is based on Debian Live.
Nearly everything can thus be customized. To learn how to do so, refer
to the Debian Live [manual](http://live.debian.net/manual/oldstable/html/live-manual.en.html),
[website](http://debian-live.alioth.debian.org/) and
[wiki](https://wiki.debian.org/DebianLive/).

# $HOME

Tails default user's `$HOME` directory is created at runtime from
`/etc/skel/`. One may want to build an image including a modified
version of it. There are multiple ways to do so:

1. edit the content of `config/chroot_local-includes/etc/skel/`
2. dropping shell scripts in `config/chroot_local-hooks/` or
   `config/chroot_local-includes/lib/live/config/`
   to modify `/home/amnesia` in a program-driven way
   (`gconftool`, etc.)
