CachyOS Apps

CachyOS Kernel Manager on CachyOS: install, first run, settings and fixes

Simple kernel manager.

From the official CachyOS repo. Install with pacman, no AUR helper needed.

Written from the sources listed at the end · Nov 2, 2026 · CachyOS Kernel Manager app page, reviews and trust score

Install CachyOS Kernel Manager with pacman

  1. Install cachyos-kernel-manager from the official cachyos repo. pacman checks the package signature before it installs.
    sudo pacman -S cachyos-kernel-manager

First run

  1. Open CachyOS Kernel Manager from your app menu. Tick the box next to a kernel from the list and press Execute to install it.
  2. To remove a kernel, untick the box next to the installed kernel and press Execute again.

Key settings

  1. To build your own CachyOS kernel, press Configure, adjust options such as the scheduler (BORE, RC, RT, RT+BORE, EEVDF or BMQ), tick rate, preemption, LTO and CPU optimizations, then press Build kernel. You are asked for your sudo password to install it.
  2. Give the custom kernel its own package name, for example linux-custom-cachy, and save or load presets of your settings.
  3. The sched-ext scheduler config button opens a GUI to switch scx schedulers, set profiles and flags, and turn the scheduler service on or off. It saves the choice in /etc/scx_loader.toml so it persists across reboots.

Common fixes

The Execute button is greyed out

It is unavailable when you pick a kernel that is already installed.

The sched-ext settings do not work

That part needs a working polkit agent.

Can it build a stock Arch kernel?

No. It builds custom kernels for CachyOS variants only.

Where are built kernels stored?

Built kernel packages and the build cache are in ~/.cache/cachyos-km/.

Uninstall CachyOS Kernel Manager

  1. Remove cachyos-kernel-manager and the dependencies nothing else needs.
    sudo pacman -Rns cachyos-kernel-manager

Sources