# Can't install Flox in containerized GitHub runner: System has not been booted with systemd as init system (PID 1). Can't operate

**URL:** <https://discourse.flox.dev/t/cant-install-flox-in-containerized-github-runner-system-has-not-been-booted-with-systemd-as-init-system-pid-1-cant-operate/1096>\
**Category:** Help\
**Created:** [March 3, 2025, 8:30am UTC](https://discourse.flox.dev/t/cant-install-flox-in-containerized-github-runner-system-has-not-been-booted-with-systemd-as-init-system-pid-1-cant-operate/1096 "2025-03-03T08:30:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![jakubjanecek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dfb087/32.png) [@jakubjanecek](https://discourse.flox.dev/u/jakubjanecek)\
**Post date:** [March 3, 2025, 8:30am UTC](https://discourse.flox.dev/t/cant-install-flox-in-containerized-github-runner-system-has-not-been-booted-with-systemd-as-init-system-pid-1-cant-operate/1096/1 "2025-03-03T08:30:44Z")

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Hello,  
I am trying to use Flox in our GitHub CI (on-premise) and the installation fails with the following error: “System has not been booted with systemd as init system (PID 1). Can’t operate.”

The GitHub runner is a container and apparently we use something called `dumb-init` which runs as PID 1 and that can’t be changed. Is there a way around this?

Thank you.

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**Author:** ![tomberek](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.flox.dev/tomberek/32/83_2.png) [@tomberek](https://discourse.flox.dev/u/tomberek)\
**Post date:** [March 3, 2025, 3:47pm UTC](https://discourse.flox.dev/t/cant-install-flox-in-containerized-github-runner-system-has-not-been-booted-with-systemd-as-init-system-pid-1-cant-operate/1096/2 "2025-03-03T15:47:19Z")

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The installers might think you have a systemd-based OS. We have a conditional checking this;

```auto
if [-e /run/systemd/system]; then

```

Does that path exist in your container?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jakubjanecek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dfb087/32.png) [@jakubjanecek](https://discourse.flox.dev/u/jakubjanecek)\
**Post date:** [March 3, 2025, 4:28pm UTC](https://discourse.flox.dev/t/cant-install-flox-in-containerized-github-runner-system-has-not-been-booted-with-systemd-as-init-system-pid-1-cant-operate/1096/3 "2025-03-03T16:28:20Z")

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I wanted to get that information for you but I noticed it started working (after a week I was away). So let me try to find out whether anything has changed since…

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jakubjanecek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dfb087/32.png) [@jakubjanecek](https://discourse.flox.dev/u/jakubjanecek)\
**Post date:** [March 4, 2025, 8:53am UTC](https://discourse.flox.dev/t/cant-install-flox-in-containerized-github-runner-system-has-not-been-booted-with-systemd-as-init-system-pid-1-cant-operate/1096/4 "2025-03-04T08:53:07Z")

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Coincidentally our GH Actions runners were completely reworked and something has fixed the problem (couldn’t find what exactly that was because there were too many changes). Thanks for trying to help.