rtk-ai/rtk

Add aarch64-unknown-linux-musl target to release binaries

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#1331 opened on Apr 15, 2026

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effort-smallenhancementgood first issue

Description

Problem

The current release only provides rtk-aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu.tar.gz for Linux ARM64. This binary is not compatible with Alpine Linux (musl libc), which is widely used in container images.

Running the gnu binary on Alpine results in:

Error relocating /usr/local/bin/rtk: fcntl64: symbol not found
Error relocating /usr/local/bin/rtk: __res_init: symbol not found

Even with libc6-compat and gcompat packages installed, the missing symbols are not resolved.

Current workaround

We build rtk from source using Cargo inside an Alpine-based Docker stage, which works but adds significant build time (~3-5 min)
compared to downloading a pre-built binary.

Request

Add rtk-aarch64-unknown-linux-musl.tar.gz to the release assets, similar to how rtk-x86_64-unknown-linux-musl.tar.gz is already provided for x86_64.

Context

  • The x86_64 musl target already exists: rtk-x86_64-unknown-linux-musl.tar.gz
  • Alpine Linux is the de facto standard for lightweight container images
  • ARM64 (aarch64) adoption is growing fast in cloud (AWS Graviton, Azure Cobalt, etc.)
  • The Rust target aarch64-unknown-linux-musl is Tier 2 with host tools, so cross-compilation should be straightforward

Thanks for the great tool! 🚀

Contributor guide

Tech stack
rust
Domain
devopsrelease
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
2
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
half day
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
fresh
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
Rust cross compilation basicsGitHub Actions workflow understanding
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
70
Research direction
Locate the release workflow file in `.github/workflows/` (likely `release.yml`). Identify where the x86 64 musl target is defined (e.g., `x86 64 unknown linux musl`). Add a similar entry for `aarch64 unknown linux musl`, ensuring the cross compilation toolchain (e.g., `rustup target add aarch64 unknown linux musl`) is installed in the workflow. Optionally, test the build locally using `cargo build target aarch64 unknown linux musl` with an appropriate linker. Create a pull request with the change and reference this issue.