| name | deploy-pi |
| description | Use when deploying or provisioning OpenFollow to a Raspberry Pi via Ansible, or when asked to "deploy to the pi", "provision", "run the ansible playbook", "install on raspberry". Covers the install playbook, the ad-hoc inline-inventory invocation idiom (no inventory file in repo), related .deb/image artifacts, and the docs to keep in sync. |
Deploy OpenFollow to a Raspberry Pi
The provisioning playbook is
scripts/ansible/install-raspberry-pi.yml.
It sets up the openfollow service account, clones the repo, builds a Poetry
venv (poetry install --only main; -e install_detection_extra=true adds the
detection extra, -e openfollow_install_dev=true adds the dev/CI group for a
testing Pi), templates the systemd
units (openfollow.service, openfollow-splash.service), mounts NVMe, and
configures silent boot.
Confirm the target first
Deploying mutates a real device – confirm the host/IP with the operator before
running. Don't auto-proceed.
Ad-hoc invocation (no inventory file in this repo)
Use an inline one-host inventory (the trailing comma is required) and SSH as pi:
ansible-playbook -i <host>, -u pi scripts/ansible/install-raspberry-pi.yml
<host> is the Pi's hostname or IP (e.g. openfollow or 10.0.0.5). Privileged
tasks escalate via become.
Related artifacts (context, not run by this skill)
- Offline
.deb: packaging/build-deb.sh (native arch/OS; bundles a venv at
/opt/openfollow/venv).
- Flashable Pi OS image + signed
.ofupdate bundle: the release-deb.yml
workflow.
- Background:
docs/SERVICE.md (systemd + Ansible
deployment) and docs/PACKAGING.md (deb/image
build + release flow).
Docs gate
If provisioning steps, Ansible vars/flags, or systemd unit templates changed,
update docs/SERVICE.md / docs/PACKAGING.md to match in the same change.
