Working
Boot and recovery
Custom kernels can boot with development access and a repeatable recovery route.
Community hardware liberation project
Free the hardware.
Keep the voice.
LibreEcho is building an open operating system for the Amazon Echo Gen 2—turning capable, locked-down hardware into a useful, hackable platform.
- MT8163MediaTek platform
- Gen 2Initial hardware target
- OpenCode and research
Boot chain explored
Bluetooth operational
OPEN SOURCE ✦ REPAIRABLE ✦ LOCAL-FIRST ✦ COMMUNITY-LED ✦ HARDWARE REUSE ✦
01 / Mission
Perfectly good hardware should not become e-waste.
Echo Gen 2 contains a capable processor, microphones, speakers, wireless connectivity and an expressive LED ring. LibreEcho aims to document the platform and replace the proprietary software stack with an open, maintainable alternative.
The objective is broader than a one-off hack: reproducible research, understandable tooling and a path that other devices can follow.
02 / Progress
From black box to open platform.
Hardware enablement is incremental. These milestones show the shape of the work without pretending the system is finished.
Working
Bluetooth transport
The MediaTek connectivity path now completes Bluetooth function initialisation reliably.
In development
Wi-Fi enablement
Firmware loading and WMT integration are under active investigation and refinement.
Researching
Audio and LED control
Board-specific audio routing and a custom LED daemon are part of the next system layer.
Status reflects active development and may move quickly. See the repository for test evidence and the latest branch notes.
03 / Architecture
A complete local-first stack.
The intended system separates hardware enablement from user-facing services, allowing each layer to improve independently.
ApplicationsHome automation · media · utilities
Local voice servicesWake word · speech · intent routing
System servicesAudio · LEDs · Bluetooth · Wi-Fi
Linux kernelMT8163 · device tree · drivers
Echo Gen 2 hardwareMicrophones · speaker · LED ring · radios
04 / Roadmap
Make the Echo useful again.
These are the ambitions guiding LibreEcho from hardware bring-up to a genuinely useful, local-first assistant.
Next up
Wi-Fi
Bring reliable wireless networking to the open platform, with a clean path for updates and local services.
Planned
Audio output
Unlock the speaker as a dependable output device for notifications, music, speech and assistive tools.
Planned
Microphone
Enable the microphone array for local voice interactions while keeping control of audio data close to home.
Planned
Open wake word
Support an open, configurable wake-word experience that does not depend on a proprietary cloud service.
Planned
Home Assistant integration
Make LibreEcho a first-class local voice interface for open home automation through Home Assistant.
Roadmap order is directional, not a promise of delivery dates. Follow the repository for implementation updates.
05 / Contribute
Help turn research into a usable system.
Kernel developers, embedded Linux engineers, reverse engineers, designers, testers and technical writers all have something valuable to contribute.
Enjoying the project?
Buy the builders a coffee and help keep the research moving.
Support LibreEcho