Arch Linux

gtarch

Member

Registered: 2022-10-14

Posts: 45

[Solved] mkinitcpio doesn't use cmdline.d

I`m installing arch on a new PC with an encrypted root partition and I can't pass command line parameters to the UKI.

Here's my config:

[root@archiso ~]# ls -l /etc/cmdline.d/
total 8
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 86 Nov 12 15:14 cmdline.conf

[root@archiso ~]# cat /etc/cmdline.d/cmdline.conf
cryptdevice=/dev/nvme0n1p2:ssdcrypt root=UUID=cfdacb63-70bc-4a31-9aef-3e8b9246a37c rw

[root@archiso ~]# cat /etc/mkinitcpio.conf.d/hooks.conf
HOOKS=(base systemd autodetect microcode modconf kms keyboard keymap block sd-encrypt lvm2 filesystems fsck)

and here is the run of mkinitcpio

[root@archiso ~]# mkinitcpio -P
==> Building image from preset: /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux.preset: 'default'
==> Using default configuration file: '/etc/mkinitcpio.conf'
  -> -k /boot/vmlinuz-linux -U /boot/EFI/Linux/arch-linux.efi --splash /usr/share/systemd/bootctl/splash-arch.bmp
==> Using drop-in configuration file: 'hooks.conf'
==> Starting build: '6.17.7-arch1-1'
  -> Running build hook: [base]
  -> Running build hook: [systemd]
  -> Running build hook: [autodetect]
  -> Running build hook: [microcode]
  -> Running build hook: [modconf]
  -> Running build hook: [kms]
  -> Running build hook: [keyboard]
  -> Running build hook: [keymap]
  -> Running build hook: [block]
  -> Running build hook: [sd-encrypt]
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: 'n5pf'
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: 'ccp'
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: 'cxgb4'
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: 'crypto_safexcel'
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: 'qat_6xxx'
  -> Running build hook: [lvm2]
  -> Running build hook: [filesystems]
  -> Running build hook: [fsck]
==> Generating module dependencies
==> Creating zstd-compressed initcpio image
  -> Early uncompressed CPIO image generation successful
==> Initcpio image generation successful
==> Creating unified kernel image: '/boot/EFI/Linux/arch-linux.efi'
==> Unified kernel image generation successful

Nowhere in this output is the cmdline mentioned and when booting the system it gets stuck at trying to find the root partition without asking for encryption password.

Last edited by gtarch (2025-11-12 17:10:03)

Scimmia

Fellow

Registered: 2012-09-01

Posts: 13,247

Re: [Solved] mkinitcpio doesn't use cmdline.d

cryptdevice isn't correct for the sd-encrypt hook.

gtarch

Member

Registered: 2022-10-14

Posts: 45

Re: [Solved] mkinitcpio doesn't use cmdline.d

Oh, I didn't realise sd-encrypt was using rd.luks.* parameters.

Thank you!