Install the Daemon from a Specific Branch

⚠️ For Developers and Testers Only

This guide explains how to install the Reachy Mini daemon from a specific GitHub branch before it is officially released. Use this for testing new features or bug fixes.

Prerequisites

SSH access to your Reachy Mini robot (pollen@reachy-mini.local, password: root)
The robot must be connected to your Wi-Fi network (or accessible through its hotspot)

Option A: Local Development Setup

This option is intended for active development and fast debugging cycles. It allows you to safely test changes without affecting the system-wide installation.

⚠️ Avoid installing apps with this option as any changes made to the local reachy_mini version won’t be propagated correctly.

Steps:

Connect to the robot via SSH:

ssh pollen@reachy-mini.local
# Password: root

Clone the Reachy Mini repository with the specific branch:

git clone -b <branch-name> https://github.com/pollen-robotics/reachy_mini.git
cd reachy_mini

Set up the virtual environment:

uv venv --python /venvs/mini_daemon/bin/python .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
uv sync --extra gstreamer --extra wireless-version

Stop the system daemon service:
```
sudo systemctl stop reachy-mini-daemon
```
This step must be repeated after each reboot since the system service restarts automatically.
Start the local daemon for testing:
```
reachy-mini-daemon --wireless-version
```

Now you can modify the code in ~/reachy_mini and test your changes without affecting the system installation.

Option B: System-Wide Custom Installation

This option installs a branch build of reachy-mini as the system-wide daemon. It’s better suited for thorough, end-to-end testing and supports seamless app installation from Reachy Mini Control.

Steps:

Connect to the robot via SSH:

ssh pollen@reachy-mini.local
# Password: root

Activate the daemon’s virtual environment:
```
source /venvs/mini_daemon/bin/activate
```
Install the specific branch:
```
pip install --no-cache-dir --force-reinstall \
  "reachy_mini[gstreamer,wireless-version] @ git+https://github.com/pollen-robotics/reachy_mini.git@<branch-name>"
```
Replace <branch-name> with the branch you want to test (e.g., develop, feature/my-feature, bugfix/issue-123).

We have to use pip here and not uv because uv pip install does not work correctly with git lfs.
(Only for versions ≤ 1.2.13) Repeat steps 2 and 3 using /venvs/apps_venv.

Restart the daemon service:

sudo systemctl restart reachy-mini-daemon

Verify the installation was successful:
```
pip show reachy-mini | grep Version
```
This should display the version corresponding to your installed branch.

Rolling Back to Factory Version

If you encounter issues with the branch installation, you can restore the factory daemon:

Trigger the SOFTWARE_RESET command via Bluetooth to reinstall the original factory daemon
Refer to the Reset Guide for detailed step-by-step instructions

Important Notes

Backup your work before switching between different branch installations
Test thoroughly in local development mode before doing system-wide installations
Monitor system logs after installation: journalctl -u reachy-mini-daemon -f
Performance impact: Some development branches may have reduced performance or stability

Update on GitHub