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Install Leaf

Leaf installs from an SD card using the Miniloong Pocket 1’s own built-in update mechanism. You don’t need ADB, a custom flasher, or any PC-side tooling: just extract the release to a card and let the device install it.

  • A Miniloong Pocket 1.
  • An SD card, FAT32 (or ext4). A backup of anything already on it; installing works on the card you boot from.
  • The Leaf install ZIP from the latest release: leaf-mlp1-sd-<release_id>.zip.
  1. Prepare the card. Format the SD card as FAT32 (or ext4) if it isn’t already.
  2. Extract the ZIP to the card root. Unzip leaf-mlp1-sd-<release_id>.zip directly to the top level of the SD card, not into a subfolder. You should see the install files and folders sitting at the card’s root.
  3. Insert and boot. Put the card in the powered-off device and turn it on.
  4. Let it install. The device’s stock update screen detects the installer and runs it. Wait for it to finish; don’t power off mid-install.
  5. Power off when the installer reports it’s done.
  6. Boot into Leaf. Turn the device back on normally. The Leaf boot animation plays and you land on the Leaf launcher.

That’s it: the device is now running Leaf, with stock still intact underneath for recovery.

  • Connect to Wi-Fi so you can update and (later) scrape art: open Settings → Network.
  • Add your games - see Adding games & ROMs.
  • Add BIOS files for the systems that need them - see BIOS & cores.
  • Check for updates from the launcher - see Updating.
  • Your stock data is preserved. Leaf runs on top of stock and doesn’t wipe the original OS. It only takes over the boot once installed.
  • Your data lives at the card root. Games, saves, states, and app data sit at the top level of the card (Roms/, Saves/, States/, and the .userdata/ and .umrk/ folders), separate from the firmware. Re-installing or updating over an existing card refreshes Leaf itself but leaves all of that untouched.
  • Crash safety. If Leaf ever fails to start cleanly several times in a row, the device falls back to the stock interface automatically so you’re never stuck.
  • Removing Leaf. Going back to stock for good is covered in Recovery.