Alpine will automatically add/remove packages based on the contents of /etc/apk/world. Start leveraging this. Bug: the two package arrays were not being merged, but rather overwritten.

config.go

@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ func GetValue(i interface{}, path string) (interface{}, error) {
 			v := reflect.ValueOf(i)
 			if v.IsValid() == false { return nil, ErrKey }
 			i = v.MapIndex(reflect.ValueOf(p)).Interface()
-		case reflect.Array:
+		case reflect.Array, reflect.Slice:
 			return i, nil
 		case reflect.String:
 			return i, nil

goolinux.json

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 	"base":		"alpine",
 	"packages": [
 		"tmux", "vim", "ripgrep",
-		"go"
+		"go", "tailscale",
 	]
 },
 

main.go

@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"os"
 	"os/exec"
 	"path"
+	"slices"
 	"strings"
 	"text/template"
 
@@ -21,6 +22,7 @@ type Config struct {
 type SystemConfig struct {
 	Base		string
 	Packages	[]string
+	SystemPackages	[]string	`json:"system_packages"`
 }
 
 type NetworkingConfig struct {
@@ -100,8 +102,9 @@ func main() {
 		// Scripted actions for the service
 
 		// Add service packages to the global list
-		pkgs := &config.System.Packages
+		config.System.Packages = append(
-		*pkgs = append(*pkgs, s.Packages...)
+			config.System.Packages,
+			s.Packages...)
 
 		// If a proxy definition exists, append it
 		if s.Proxy != "" {
@@ -199,37 +202,48 @@ func main() {
 	}
 
 	// Parse package list
+	{
+		var err error
 
-	// Add extra packages needed
+		err = os.MkdirAll("/config" + "/etc/apk/", 0555)
-	// ...
-
-	// Install packages
-	fmt.Println("Installing packages")
-	var installString = []string{"add", "--no-interactive", "--no-progress"}
-	var testArgs, args []string
-	var out []byte
-	testArgs = append(installString, "-s")
-	testArgs = append(testArgs, config.System.Packages...)
-	out, err = exec.Command("/sbin/apk", testArgs...).CombinedOutput()
 		if err != nil {
-		fmt.Println("===")
+			fmt.Println("Error creating config directory.")
 			fmt.Println(err)
-		fmt.Println(string(out))
-		fmt.Println("===")
-		fmt.Println("Error preparing packages")
 			return
 		}
 
-	args = append(installString, config.System.Packages...)
+		slices.Sort(config.System.Packages)
-	out, err = exec.Command("/sbin/apk", args...).CombinedOutput()
+		slices.Sort(config.System.SystemPackages)
+
+		config.System.Packages = append(
+			config.System.SystemPackages,
+			config.System.Packages...)
+		config.System.Packages = slices.Compact(
+			config.System.Packages)
+
+		p := strings.Join(config.System.Packages, "\n")
+		err = os.WriteFile("/config/etc/apk/world",[]byte(p), 0444)
+		if err != nil {
+			fmt.Println("Error creating package list")
+			fmt.Println(err)
+			return
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Install and remove packages
+	{
+		fmt.Println("Installing packages")
+		args := []string{"add", "-s", "-u", "-l"}
+		out, err := exec.Command("/sbin/apk", args...).CombinedOutput()
 		if err != nil {
 			fmt.Println("===")
 			fmt.Println(err)
 			fmt.Println(string(out))
 			fmt.Println("===")
-		fmt.Println("Error installing packages")
+			fmt.Println("Error updating packages")
 			return
 		}
+	}
 
 	// (Re)start services
 

services/alpine.json

@@ -2,7 +2,11 @@
 
 system: {
 	base:		"alpine",
-	packages:	[],
+	system_packages: [
+		"alpine-base", "doas", "linux-lts", "syslinux",
+		"ifupdown-ng", "util-linux", "mount",
+		"podman", "podman-compose",
+	],
 }
 
 services: {