Arch Linux

jeffm

Member

From: victoria, australia

Registered: 2019-04-06

Posts: 26

[SOLVED]archiso/mkarchiso/grub-mkstandalone: error:cannot find en@quot

I attempt to create an archisio 'baseline' iso using archiso.

Steps:
1. Install archiso
2. From wiki copy archiso build files to a build folder , then proceed to run mkarchiso :  sudo mkarchiso -v -r -w /tmp/archiso-tmp -o ./ ./

Output is :

[mkarchiso] INFO: Validating options...
[mkarchiso] INFO: Validating 'bios.syslinux': 'memtest86+' is not in the package list. Memmory testing will not be available from syslinux.
[mkarchiso] INFO: 'edk2-shell' is not in the package list. The ISO will not contain a bootable UEFI shell.
[mkarchiso] INFO: Validating 'uefi.grub': 'memtest86+-efi' is not in the package list. Memory testing will not be available from the UEFI boot loader.
[mkarchiso] INFO: Done!
[mkarchiso] INFO: mkarchiso configuration settings
[mkarchiso] INFO:              Architecture:   x86_64
[mkarchiso] INFO:         Working directory:   /tmp/archiso-tmp
[mkarchiso] INFO:    Installation directory:   arch
[mkarchiso] INFO:                Build date:   2026-03-15T12:34+1100
[mkarchiso] INFO:          Output directory:   /mnt/local/build/archiso/baseline
[mkarchiso] INFO:        Current build mode:   iso
[mkarchiso] INFO:               Build modes:   iso
[mkarchiso] INFO:                   GPG key:   None
[mkarchiso] INFO:                GPG signer:   None
[mkarchiso] INFO: Code signing certificates:   None
[mkarchiso] INFO:                   Profile:   /mnt/local/build/archiso/baseline
[mkarchiso] INFO: Pacman configuration file:   /mnt/local/build/archiso/baseline/pacman.conf
[mkarchiso] INFO:           Image file name:   archlinux-baseline-2026.03.15-x86_64.iso
[mkarchiso] INFO:          ISO volume label:   ARCH_202603
[mkarchiso] INFO:             ISO publisher:   Arch Linux <https://archlinux.org>
[mkarchiso] INFO:           ISO application:   Arch Linux baseline
[mkarchiso] INFO:                Boot modes:   bios.syslinux uefi.grub
[mkarchiso] INFO:             Packages File:   /mnt/local/build/archiso/baseline/packages.x86_64
[mkarchiso] INFO:                  Packages:   base cloud-init hyperv linux mkinitcpio mkinitcpio-archiso open-vm-tools openssh pv qemu-guest-agent syslinux virtualbox-guest-utils-nox
[mkarchiso] INFO: Setting up GRUB for UEFI booting...
grub-mkstandalone: error: cannot find locale `en@quot'.

I can successfully build the 'releng' version.

Any ideas?

Last edited by jeffm (2026-03-17 04:24:34)

qinohe

Member

From: Netherlands

Registered: 2012-06-20

Posts: 1,560

Re: [SOLVED]archiso/mkarchiso/grub-mkstandalone: error:cannot find en@quot

You probably need to edit 'profiledef.sh' and remove the grub part 'bootmodes=('bios.syslinux')'
I don't even know if archiso still builds with grub.
So clear to say if you want to build with uefi then you need to add that to it's package list and edit 'bootmodes'!
Hope this helps;)

jeffm

Member

From: victoria, australia

Registered: 2019-04-06

Posts: 26

Re: [SOLVED]archiso/mkarchiso/grub-mkstandalone: error:cannot find en@quot

You probably need to edit 'profiledef.sh' and remove the grub part 'bootmodes=('bios.syslinux')'
I don't even know if archiso still builds with grub.
So clear to say if you want to build with uefi then you need to add that to it's package list and edit 'bootmodes'!
Hope this helps;)

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction wrt profiledef.sh.

my edit to baseline/profiledef.sh >> bootmodes=('bios.syslinux' 'uefi.systemd-boot') fixed the problem.

Wiki needs an update

archiso package needs an update

qinohe

Member

From: Netherlands

Registered: 2012-06-20

Posts: 1,560

Re: [SOLVED]archiso/mkarchiso/grub-mkstandalone: error:cannot find en@quot

Maybe that profiledef of the baseline profile should not contain the grub part.
However editing profiledef is well described in https://gitlab.archlinux.org/archlinux/ … type=heads
Glad you solved it btw.;)
Please mark your post solved, if you're happy with the result... thanks!

eznix

Member

Registered: 2020-06-29

Posts: 31

Re: [SOLVED]archiso/mkarchiso/grub-mkstandalone: error:cannot find en@quot

Funny, I use archiso all the time with:

bootmodes=('bios.syslinux'
           'uefi.grub')

in the profiledef.sh and legacy booting and grub uefi booting work as expected. Then again, I use the releng profile.

Last edited by eznix (2026-03-21 23:49:38)

qinohe

Member

From: Netherlands

Registered: 2012-06-20

Posts: 1,560

Re: [SOLVED]archiso/mkarchiso/grub-mkstandalone: error:cannot find en@quot

Yes, but on the releng profile grub is in packages.x86_64 by default
Unless, you remove the whole grub part releng just works with it
Btw. you need to add 'uefi.grub' to 'bootmodes' manually, it's not in the default profiledef

Baseline only has the trace in 'bootmodes' and that wont work without the package
So, building from a default baseline profile and running it doesn't work

Basically it looks like someone mixed up the facts in the default profiles....;)

edit: to be even more clear, the devs are steering away from grub for a while now especially 'nl6720'
He says: "...we will never ever again use GRUB in the official ISO"
and the fore-last message he suggest: "it would be better to forget GRUB even exists"
https://gitlab.archlinux.org/archlinux/ … ote_349586

The parts that are still in the profiles and 'mkarchiso' are basically a convenience for people still using GRUB

Last edited by qinohe (2026-03-22 12:35:36)

nl6720

The Evil Wiki Admin

Registered: 2016-07-02

Posts: 714

Re: [SOLVED]archiso/mkarchiso/grub-mkstandalone: error:cannot find en@quot

Basically it looks like someone mixed up the facts in the default profiles....;)

Nope. The uefi.grub boot mode uses GRUB from the host system. It doesn't matter whether the grub package is included in the ISO's package list or not.

edit: to be even more clear, the devs are steering away from grub for a while now especially 'nl6720'
He says: "...we will never ever again use GRUB in the official ISO"
and the fore-last message he suggest: "it would be better to forget GRUB even exists"
https://gitlab.archlinux.org/archlinux/ … ote_349586

https://gitlab.archlinux.org/archlinux/ … quests/374 has more details on why GRUB will never ever be used as the ISO boot loader again.

qinohe

Member

From: Netherlands

Registered: 2012-06-20

Posts: 1,560

Re: [SOLVED]archiso/mkarchiso/grub-mkstandalone: error:cannot find en@quot

@nl6720, thanks I understand that.

But, still I have the question that remains then, if you you build baseline the way it is, 'bootmodes=('uefi.grub')  needs to be removed otherwise it wont build.
Is that intentional for OP mentions it's not mentioned in the wiki and that's right, though I think perfectly described in README.profile.rst.

nl6720

The Evil Wiki Admin

Registered: 2016-07-02

Posts: 714

Re: [SOLVED]archiso/mkarchiso/grub-mkstandalone: error:cannot find en@quot

The baseline profile builds just fine as long as you have the grub package installed. The archiso package lists it as an optional dependency.

If I'd have to guess, then the message about "en@quot" is likely because jeffm has custom NoExtract lines in /etc/pacman.conf because of which /usr/share/locale/en@quot/LC_MESSAGES/grub.mo is missing.

qinohe

Member

From: Netherlands

Registered: 2012-06-20

Posts: 1,560

Re: [SOLVED]archiso/mkarchiso/grub-mkstandalone: error:cannot find en@quot

Thanks for your message, that's correct I think.
But anyhow, if grub is not installed on the host  > 'bootmodes=('uefi.grub')' needs to be removed from profiledef.sh.
I know it's described in README.profile.rst, but, a new archiso user that doesn't notice this, have it's build failed, if grub isn't installed on the host

nl6720

The Evil Wiki Admin

Registered: 2016-07-02

Posts: 714

Re: [SOLVED]archiso/mkarchiso/grub-mkstandalone: error:cannot find en@quot

A new archiso user will know exactly what to do once they see the error.

# mkarchiso -v -r -w /tmp/archiso-tmp -o /tmp/archiso-out /usr/share/archiso/configs/baseline
[mkarchiso] INFO: Validating options...
[mkarchiso] INFO: Validating 'bios.syslinux': 'memtest86+' is not in the package list. Memmory testing will not be available from syslinux.
[mkarchiso] INFO: 'edk2-shell' is not in the package list. The ISO will not contain a bootable UEFI shell.
[mkarchiso] INFO: Validating 'uefi.grub': 'memtest86+-efi' is not in the package list. Memory testing will not be available from the UEFI boot loader.
[mkarchiso] ERROR: Validating 'uefi.grub': grub-install is not available on this host. Install 'grub'!
[mkarchiso] ERROR: 1 errors were encountered while validating the profile. Aborting.

qinohe

Member

From: Netherlands

Registered: 2012-06-20

Posts: 1,560

Re: [SOLVED]archiso/mkarchiso/grub-mkstandalone: error:cannot find en@quot

I completely missed this looking for the error messages in mkarchiso script, facepalm
Sorry for the noise...