We have officially dropped support for non-GKI kernels in #1705. As major version 4.0 approaches, we would like to further clarify and formalize the project’s future direction to avoid ambiguity and reduce unnecessary maintenance overhead:
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Drop Support for Unsupported Kernels
KernelSU will completely discontinue support for kernels that are incompatible with the aarch64 GKI 2.0 ABI (referred to as “unsupported kernels”), including but not limited to:
- Older kernel versions
- Non-Android kernels
- x86_64 kernels
- x86_64 AVD kernels
Future development will no longer guarantee compatibility with these kernels, and existing compatibility-related code will be removed.
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KernelSU will no longer actively maintain or support direct kernel integration (commonly referred to as “built-in” or “GKI mode”).
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This does not mean the approach is strictly forbidden. However:
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Future development will not target or test this integration method. There is no guarantee that KernelSU will compile or function correctly when integrated into the kernel. Existing compatibility code for this use case will be gradually removed
As a result, developers who continue using built-in integration will need to handle compatibility and maintenance on their own.
The only officially supported build environment going forward is DDK.
-
Contribution Scope Restrictions
Contributions related to kernel integration or unsupported kernels will no longer be accepted, including but not limited to:
- Features specific to built-in integration
- Build script fixes for kernel-integrated builds
- Patches targeting unsupported kernels
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Recommendations for Third-party Kernel Maintainers
Maintainers of third-party kernels based on GKI are discouraged from continuing to integrate KernelSU directly into the kernel.
If KernelSU support is required, compatibility with the KernelSU LKM ABI must be ensured.
In the future, KernelSU will provide mechanisms to detect ABI compatibility.
Our energy is limited, but the rewards are even more limited, so please understand our choice, thank you!
We have officially dropped support for non-GKI kernels in #1705. As major version 4.0 approaches, we would like to further clarify and formalize the project’s future direction to avoid ambiguity and reduce unnecessary maintenance overhead:
Drop Support for Unsupported Kernels
KernelSU will completely discontinue support for kernels that are incompatible with the aarch64 GKI 2.0 ABI (referred to as “unsupported kernels”), including but not limited to:
Future development will no longer guarantee compatibility with these kernels, and existing compatibility-related code will be removed.
KernelSU will no longer actively maintain or support direct kernel integration (commonly referred to as “built-in” or “GKI mode”).
This does not mean the approach is strictly forbidden. However:
Future development will not target or test this integration method. There is no guarantee that KernelSU will compile or function correctly when integrated into the kernel. Existing compatibility code for this use case will be gradually removed
As a result, developers who continue using built-in integration will need to handle compatibility and maintenance on their own.
The only officially supported build environment going forward is DDK.
Contribution Scope Restrictions
Contributions related to kernel integration or unsupported kernels will no longer be accepted, including but not limited to:
Recommendations for Third-party Kernel Maintainers
Maintainers of third-party kernels based on GKI are discouraged from continuing to integrate KernelSU directly into the kernel.
If KernelSU support is required, compatibility with the KernelSU LKM ABI must be ensured.
In the future, KernelSU will provide mechanisms to detect ABI compatibility.
Our energy is limited, but the rewards are even more limited, so please understand our choice, thank you!