Arch Linux User Repository

Hello all,

Kindly note: this packaging tracks the stable branch of helium-linux. Before marking this package out of date, please check the latest version here: https://github.com/imputnet/helium-linux/releases/latest. There can be anywhere from 10 minutes, up to a week (happened once) before upstream marks a release as "Latest."

If you wish to track the beta/pre-releases branch, you can use the helium-browser-beta-bin package.

Cheers,

Sam

Installing Helium's PGP key

==> Verifying source file signatures with gpg...
    helium-0.7.7.2-x86_64_linux.tar.xz ... FAILED (unknown public key 351601AD01D6378E)
==> ERROR: One or more PGP signatures could not be verified!

Since Helium 0.7.7.2 you will need Helium's PGP signature to verify the tarballs on install. This is a once off/once per system process.

• tl;dr: jump to step 3. Steps one and two exist simply to prove the key added to the PKGBUILD is legitimate (i.e., Helium's/Imputnet's), and how to manually import their key without a keyserver.

1. Get the key and signature. (Optional)

Obtain Helium's signing key from https://github.com/imputnet/helium-linux#signature and save the key to a file.

2. Verify the signature (Optional)

Run gpg --show-key /PATH/TO/helium_pub.asc. What returns should match the first comment of Helium's PGP key block, and the validpgpkeys entry in the PKGBUILD.

> gpg --show-key helium_pub.asc 
pub   ed25519 2025-10-11 [SC] [expires: 2028-10-10]
      BE677C1989D35EAB2C5F26C9351601AD01D6378E
uid                      Helium signing key (https://helium.computer/) <helium@imput.net>
sub   cv25519 2025-10-11 [E] [expires: 2028-10-10]

3. Install the key

• Option 1: source the key from upstream per step 1 and 2, and run:

gpg --import /path/to/helium_pub.asc

• Option 2: install from a public server:

gpg --keyserver hkps://keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys BE677C1989D35EAB2C5F26C9351601AD01D6378E

4. Verify the key install

> gpg --fingerprint BE677C1989D35EAB2C5F26C9351601AD01D6378E
pub   ed25519 2025-10-11 [SC] [expires: 2028-10-10]
      BE67 7C19 89D3 5EAB 2C5F  26C9 3516 01AD 01D6 378E
uid           [ unknown] Helium signing key (https://helium.computer/) <helium@imput.net>
sub   cv25519 2025-10-11 [E] [expires: 2028-10-10]

5. Install helium as normal

Hello everyone,

FYI pushes are currently disabled on the AUR [1] which prevents me from updating this package.

In the meantime, you can update manually:

1. Clone the helium-browser-bin repo from the AUR and cd into the directory
2. Edit the PKGBUILD and set pkgver=0.15.2.1 (the latest Helium version)
3. Run updpkgsums and then makepkg -si

This should not cause any issues once the AUR returns to normality.

I am continuing to maintain updates publicly on GitHub [2] which you may use instead during the downtime if you like.

Cheers,

Sam

[1] https://lists.archlinux.org/archives/list/aur-general@lists.archlinux.org/message/YPJ3FQYJTJXXY3RUXCYLMHUKHLIUNVFF/

[2] https://github.com/s6muel/helium-browser-bin

Hello all,

So sorry for the delay in pushing this update, I was travelling for a funeral and wasn't able to get to a computer.

Please take a moment of your day to tell those close to you that you love them.

Cheers,

Sam

oops I marked it OOD before checking out the pinned comment, sorry :(

Spixmaster,

I've now updated the checksums for patch 0002 in v0.12.5.1-2. Many thanks for pointing this out, and my apologies to all for the oversight.

FYI, this change to 0002-align-desktop-entry.patch simply includes the SPDX identifier header that I forgot to include in v0.12.4.1. This is to ensure reuse licensing compliance.

Let me know if there's any other issues.

Cheers,

Sam

The hash was not updated.

==> Validating source files with sha256sums...
    0001-update-wrapper-arch.patch ... Passed
    0002-align-desktop-entry.patch ... FAILED
    LICENSE.ungoogled_chromium ... Passed
==> ERROR: One or more files did not pass the validity check!
error: failed to download sources for 'helium-browser-bin-0.12.5.1-1':
error: packages failed to build: helium-browser-bin-0.12.5.1-1

Hello everyone,

v0.12.4.1 includes an amendment to align patch 0002 with upstream changes to the .desktop file, which no longer includes the StartupWMClass value.

Ref: https://github.com/imputnet/helium-linux/pull/296

Cheers,

Sam

Knotrocket,

Do you know which version is used by Helium when set to "Use QT" and why there are two .so libraries?

I can confirm that Helium only requires qt5-base after reviewing strace outputs. Testing with 'Use QT' enabled and disabled, version six is not called even when installed on my system. I believe the namcap results flagging version six was due to my system having the package installed. Also checking upstream, builds only include the qt5base-dev package (on Debian) 1.

So I think it's safe to say that we don't need version six, but version five should be included as an optional dependency for these and previously mentioned reasons. I will bump packaging to version two with this amendment shortly.

This issue and strace outputs has been documented here: https://github.com/s6muel/helium-browser-bin/issues/47

Please accept apologies for any inconvenience caused, and for the delay in responding.

Cheers,

Sam

Hey, I noticed that the url variable isn't really used in the source reference in the PKGBUILD, I think using the variable there is probably convenient, that way you only define it once and use it in the other places. Thanks!

Before making changes, might I propose that we move the qt{5,6}-base to optdepends, while inviting any suggestions and discussion.

Sounds good to me! I commented here because in my case qt5-base was not already installed when updating helium.

Do you know which version is used by Helium when set to "Use QT" and why there are two .so libraries?