Guide
Lichii GitHub Guide: Builds, Branches and Releases Explained
Reading lichii Github like a tester: the nx2 branch, automatic build tags, PGO and standard builds, release notes and how to file a bug report that gets fixed.
Contents On this page
The repository layout
The lichii Github home is where the emulator actually lives: source code in C++, a build guide, coding guidelines, and the releases page where builds appear. The upstream repository is maintained by zortos293, and the Android port keeps its own repository and releases, pulling upstream changes in batches. Start from lichii Github for the tested build and the full picture.
Start on the releases page, not the code tab. Each release carries notes that name the games touched, the fixes included and the known issues that remain. Those notes are the single most useful reading in the whole project, and they are written plainly enough for players, not just developers.
Reading a release like a tester
Look for three things. First, the build number and what changed since the last one you ran. Second, the known issues list, which tells you whether your problem is already understood. Third, the build choices: on desktop, Windows players pick between a standard zip and a PGO zip, and the notes recommend the PGO build, which is the same program compiled with profile guided optimization trained on real gameplay.
On Android, the release notes name the tested phone, the driver used and the exact game behaviours measured. When a note says a game was tested at 0.5x on a 12 GB phone, that is the configuration its frame rates describe. The requirements page translates those test notes into buying and setup advice.
Reporting problems that get fixed
Good bug reports in this project have a shape: phone or hardware model, graphics driver, the log file, and the game moment where things go wrong. Android reports go to the port issue tracker with your phone, driver and the eden_log.txt file the emulator writes.
That shape matters because the project turns reports into fixes at unusual speed: AMD shader crashes, white streaks at night in Ocarina of Time, a red line in a tomb. Each began as a report with enough detail to reproduce. Vague reports get sympathy; precise reports get patches.
Related reading: the requirements page.
Related reading: how the fork works.
Quick Answers
Which build should I download, standard or PGO?
The release notes recommend the PGO build for most players on desktop; it is the same program with profile guided optimization. Keep the standard build as your fallback if the PGO build misbehaves on your system.
What does it mean when a release is marked pre-release?
Every Lichii build is a pre-release in spirit: an automatic snapshot of a fast moving branch. Expect fixes and rough edges in the same package, and back up your saves.
Where do Android bugs get reported?
On the Android port issue tracker, with your phone model, graphics driver and the eden_log.txt log file attached. Reports with those three items are the ones that turn into fixes.