⚠️ Disclaimer: This guide is provided for informational and educational purposes only. All actions you take based on information found on this site are done entirely at your own risk. The Jibo Revival Group and contributors to jibo.guide are not responsible or liable for any damage, data loss, or malfunction to your device or property. Proceed only if you understand and accept these risks.

Route A — Automated Installer

The JiboAutoMod tool automates everything that Route B does by hand: building ShofEL2, dumping the eMMC, locating the /var partition, patching mode.json, and writing it back. It includes both a CLI and an optional graphical interface.

ℹ️ What this does under the hood

JiboAutoMod performs the exact same steps as the Manual Route — it just handles the partition math, loop-mount, and hex conversion for you. If something goes wrong, the Troubleshooting page and the Manual Route explain every step in detail.

Requirements

🚨 Before you start — note your Jibo's IP

Make sure you know Jibo's IP address before you begin. You'll need it to SSH in after the mod. Check your router's DHCP table or use Jibo's settings screen (tap the settings cog → Info → network details).

Step 1 — Get the Tool

Clone the JiboAutoMod repository from GitHub:

$ git clone https://github.com/Jibo-Revival-Group/JiboAutoMod.git
$ cd JiboAutoMod
ℹ️ Can't find the repo?

Join the Jibo Revival Discord and ask in the #modding channel for the current repo link. The community keeps pinned resources up to date.

Step 2 — Install Dependencies

Pick the command for your OS:

Arch / CachyOS / Manjaro:

$ sudo pacman -S --needed base-devel libusb git python python-pip

Ubuntu / Debian / Raspberry Pi OS:

$ sudo apt update
$ sudo apt install build-essential libusb-1.0-0-dev git python3 python3-pip

Fedora:

$ sudo dnf groupinstall "Development Tools"
$ sudo dnf install libusb1-devel python3-pip

Step 3 — Put Jibo in RCM Mode

Jibo has a Recovery Mode (RCM) that lets us read and write the eMMC over USB. The USB port, Reset button, and RCM button are all behind the circular panel on the back of Jibo's head — open that panel first.

Back panel of Jibo's head showing the micro-USB port at the top, the Reset button (upper circle), and the RCM button (lower circle)

Back panel of Jibo's head. Micro-USB port at the top; Reset (upper) and RCM (lower) buttons are circled.

  1. Open the panel on the back of Jibo's head and plug your micro-USB data cable into the micro-USB port at the top of the panel.
  2. Hold the RCM button (the lower circled button) while pressing the Reset button (the upper circled button).
  3. Jibo will show a red light on his face ring and will not boot normally. This means RCM mode is active.
  4. Confirm on your computer: 
    $ lsusb | grep NVIDIA
Bus 001 Device 007: ID 0955:7740 NVIDIA Corp. APX
    You must see the entry with 0955:7740 before continuing.
⚠️ USB permissions on Linux

If lsusb shows the device but the tool can't open it, run the tool with sudo or install the udev rule from the repo (99-jibo-rcm.rules): 

sudo cp 99-jibo-rcm.rules /etc/udev/rules.d/
sudo udevadm control --reload-rules && sudo udevadm trigger

Step 4 — Run the Installer

Launch the bash launcher and choose your mode:

$ chmod +x jibo_automod.sh
$ ./jibo_automod.sh

The launcher will ask whether you want CLI mode (recommended) or GUI mode (optional Qt interface). Both run the same logic.

CLI Mode — Default (Full Mod)

Just press Enter to use the full workflow, which dumps the entire eMMC (~15 GB, takes 2–4 hours):

$ python3 jibo_automod.py

CLI Mode — Fast (Recommended if disk space is tight)

Fast mode reads only the GPT header and the /var partition (~500 MB), patches mode.json, and writes back only the changed sectors. Much faster but skips the full system backup: 

$ python3 jibo_automod.py --mode-json-only
⚠️ Back up your Jibo

The eMMC contains your Jibo's calibration data — unique to your unit. If you have the disk space, run the full dump at least once and keep jibo_work/var_partition_backup.bin somewhere safe.

Step 5 — Wait for Completion

The tool will print progress as it works. When it's done, you'll see a summary and (optionally) an MD5 hash verification confirming the write succeeded.

When finished, unplug the USB cable, then hold Jibo's power button until the red LED goes off, and power him back on normally.

Step 6 — First Boot

Instead of his normal startup animation, Jibo will show a large checkmark on his display. This means he has booted into int-developer mode successfully.

✅ You're in!

SSH into Jibo from your computer:

ssh root@<jibo-ip>
# password: jibo

You now have full root access to your Jibo.

Head to SSH & Next Steps to learn what to do now, including installing the JiboOS community update.

Windows Notes

Windows is supported but requires extra setup:

  1. Install MSYS2 and run: 
    pacman -S --needed mingw-w64-x86_64-gcc mingw-w64-x86_64-libusb python3 git e2fsprogs
  2. Use Zadig to replace the driver for the NVIDIA APX (0955:7740) device with WinUSB. Without this, ShofEL2 cannot communicate with Jibo.
  3. Run the installer as Administrator: 
    jibo_automod.bat
ℹ️ WSL2 alternative

Many Windows users find it easier to use WSL2 and follow the Linux path. You'll still need USB passthrough into WSL — see the Microsoft usbipd-win guide.