Install Thriva on Linux

What you’ll need:

Raspberry Pi 5 (4 GB) or Intel/AMD laptop with Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
About 30 minutes (once the installer is available)

Step 1: Generate a Registration Code

Every Thriva device starts with a registration code that ties it to your family account.

Sign in to your Thriva parent portal
Go to Devices → Add Device
Choose Linux as the platform
Copy the 6-character registration code — it’s valid for one hour

Keep this tab open. You’ll use the code in Step 3.

Step 2: Download and Install Thriva

Raspberry Pi (planned): Flash the Thriva image to a microSD card and boot — the Pi comes pre-configured with the Thriva service, panel, and a dedicated child account. No extra steps required.

Ubuntu laptop (planned): Download and run the Thriva installer, which installs the service, creates the child account, and configures the panel automatically.

Once the installer has run, it will have:

Installed the Thriva service (polls your family’s plan every 30 seconds)
Created a thriva-child user account — this is what your child logs into
Configured auto-login as thriva-child at startup
Installed the Thriva panel so it opens automatically on the child session
Applied the GNOME focus layers that Focused mode controls

Step 3: Register the Device

Once Thriva is installed, register the device with the code from Step 1. The installer will prompt you for the registration code, or you can run:

thriva-register --code YOUR_CODE

This links the device to your family account. The device will appear in your parent portal within a few seconds.

Step 4: Reboot and Verify

Reboot the device. After startup:

The device logs in automatically as thriva-child
The Thriva panel appears at the bottom of the screen
The device appears as Connected in your Thriva parent portal under Devices

Try switching your child’s mode from the portal — within about 30 seconds, the device updates. During Focused time, apps outside your agreed list are paused. During Free time, the full desktop is available.

Your Admin Account

Your admin account stays completely separate from your child’s account. To reach it at any time:

From the child’s session: Press Ctrl+Alt+F2, log in as your admin user
From another computer: SSH in with ssh your-admin-username@device-ip
To return to your child’s session: Press Ctrl+Alt+F1

Your admin account is unaffected by Thriva’s mode system — Focused mode only applies to the thriva-child account.

Keeping Thriva Up to Date

The Thriva service checks for updates automatically as part of its regular check-in. Updates apply in the background — no manual steps needed.