Elastos Runtime v0.7.1 is out
Runtime is the foundation of ElastOS v2. PC2, the ElastOS desktop in use today, began as a fork of Puter, an open-source web desktop. ElastOS v2 is being built natively on Runtime, without Puter as its base. Runtime is written in Rust, and apps on it run as sandboxed capsules that get only the permissions you grant.
v0.7.1 is a developer release for people building on Runtime or testing it. It is not yet stable enough for everyday users. Builds are available for Apple silicon Macs and for Linux on x86-64 and ARM64. They are unsigned and built from source.
Our September 21 update said Runtime v0.7.1 would come out only after installation, updates, local AI, Browser and protected video all passed on the same tested build, with a one-command installer. We have not reached that point yet. We are publishing v0.7.1 as a developer snapshot so the work is available now.
The first ElastOS v2 release for everyday users must meet that testing bar for installation, updates, local AI and Browser, with a one-command installer. Protected content is planned for a later release, after that first user release.
Much of the other work described in that update is in this release: the new sign-in screen, the Recovery Kit before passkey setup, the empty first desktop, local models from Marketplace, remote models with Inbox approval, and agents in their own capsules.
Assistant and AI models
Assistant is the AI app built into ElastOS. The models it uses go through Runtime’s permission checks, with one exception listed under Current limits.
It can now run models on your own machine. Marketplace, where ElastOS apps and content are installed, lists them from a signed catalogue. Each download is checked against that catalogue, and the model runs locally through llama.cpp.
The first catalogue lists two: SmolLM2, a 145 MB download that needs 512 MB of memory, and Qwen3.5-9B, a 6.2 GB download that needs 8 GB of memory. Qwen3.5-9B is listed but still being tested. Installed models can be kept or removed from System.
Assistant can also use a model on someone else’s machine once its owner approves access from their Inbox. It can connect to hosted model services too, with the API key kept on your own Home.
Home
Home is the desktop you sign in to with a passkey, where apps are installed and opened. New installs open to an empty desktop with Marketplace pinned. The sign-in screen is new, and setup asks for a Recovery Kit before it creates your passkey. The Home agent runs as its own capsule instead of inside Home.
Browser
Browser, the ElastOS web browser, runs web pages in an isolated engine on your own machine or on a trusted device. Sessions that use an engine on another machine pass through Runtime’s permission checks, and the local engine’s dependencies are verified.
AI agents can be invited into a Browser page. They can read the page, click and type in it only after the owner approves.
Services
Services is where you manage the services your machine runs and the ones trusted people offer you, such as a Browser engine or a network exit. It now includes AI models, so a model shared by someone you trust shows up here next to engines and exits.
Current limits
- On a Mac, a hosted model route that an operator sets up manually can skip the Inbox approval step.
- Signed updates still have open bugs, and moving to a later version may need a reinstall.
- Chat sign-up is hard to find.
- Installing on NVIDIA Jetson, and getting a visible Assistant reply there, has not been verified yet.
What comes next
The next milestone is ElastOS v2, the first release meant for everyday users. It covers the basics of everyday use: installing, signing in and recovering an account, and signed updates.
The planned scope also includes local AI on Mac, Linux and NVIDIA Jetson, hosted AI with the owner’s approval, Chat and People, Browser and Wallet on Mac, and Home on phones. Smaller Runtime releases will deliver that work along the way.
Protected content is not included in v0.7.1 or planned for the first ElastOS v2 user release.
Release notes and downloads: Elastos Runtime v0.7.1
