[Google Pixel 7 Pro] Freak07:
F.A.Q:

Question: How do I check the state of avb flags for verity/verification on my phone?

Answer: Check @capntrips post here and get the magisk module for this from here. After flashing the magisk module reboot your phone. You can now use the commands from @capntrips post to check.

Question: How do I update my phone to a new monthly update if this kernel is installed?

Answer: The easiest solution is to just use any full firmware package to update your phone to the new stock firmware. You can do so with the android web flash tool, a factory image or a full OTA image.

An excellent guide on how to use the factory image to do so was posted by @roirraW "edor" ehT on this thread. Feel free to use this as a reference.

I also posted what I do each month to update my phone here.

This also serves as the easiest way to return back to stock, if you don´t like the kernel and feel not comfortable flashing anything via fastboot.

Just remember to disable verity/verification vbmeta flags each time you update your phone as described in the next question below.

If you boot once, without them disabled a wipe is required to disable them again.

Question: How do I disable the vbmeta flags for verity/verification?

Answer: The easiest solution is to use the android web flash tool and tick the correct checkbox.

Alternatively extract the vbmeta.img from the matching factory image and flash it in fastboot via:

fastboot --disable-verity --disable-verification flash vbmeta vbmeta.img

Please note that disabling those flags will require a full wipe for the device to boot if coming from flags enabled state!

And a further note: You need to repeat this command every time you flash a full firmware zip ( a factory image or a full OTA.zip) to update the firmware of your phone as those contain a vbmeta image. Otherwise the flags will be reset to default enabled and it will require another wipe to disable them again! As with the firmware.zips, you need to tick the checkbox in the webflasher every month you update your phone or flash a firmware there!

Question: How do I return back to stock?

Answer: Extract boot.img, dtbo.img, vendor_kernel_boot.img and vendor_dlkm.img from the matching factory image provided on googles download page.

Before flashing those modules make sure to remove powerhint module called AK3 Helper Module via Magisk Manager!

Flash those images via fastboot/fastbootd and you will be back on stock kernel. If you don't know the fastboot commands to flash the images, check the instructions how to flash those images in post #4.

Starting from Raviantah 2.0.0 it´s only required to flash boot.img, dtbo.img and vendor_kernel_boot.img from original firmware to return back to stock.

Alternatively dirty flash the whole firmware without wiping by using either the android web flash tool, a factory image or a full OTA image. If you disabled the vbmeta flags, don't forget to disable them again (or tick the correct options on the web flash tool) after flashing a full firmware package and re-root.

Kernel flasher has the capability to backup those partitions as well, but if your phone doesn´t boot, because you flashed a kernel for stable firmware on dev preview that backup will not help you.

Question: Does this kernel include a mod similar to the well known KCAL modification?

Answer: No it does not, as KCAL is tapping into a QCOM specific driver and that´s not included in the tensor source as it´s based on exynos.

There´s a very powerful app called CF Lumen from @Chainfire, that serves the same purpose and even includes far more options that were available from kernelspace. Link to the thread here.

Question: How to report bugs properly?

Answer: Have a look at post #3 in the linked thread. The linked guide is a pretty good starting point.

Before reporting any bug make sure you´re running on a supported firmware. Usually I'm announcing in the release post, the firmware the kernel.zip is compatible with, but most of the time the kernel is updated when a firmware update drops.

Please make also sure you're running a stock configuration.

That´s means you´re not using any mods, tweaks in kernel managers or other root tweaks , magisk modules, xposed/lsposed etc, scripts or other modifications that alter various functions like sound mods, data traffic, sleeping behaviour, scheduler, magical battery tweaks etc.

Try to describe the issue as detailed as possible! Give your exact setup, like rom, magisk version, kernel version.

Is the issue reproducible? Does it happen frequently?

Please make sure to meet the points described above, provide logs as detailed in the link above, otherwise debugging is a lot more time consuming and harder. (kernel flashing apps usually support exporting logs of flashes too) If these requirements aren´t met and I don´t find time to either reproduce the issue myself or I´m not able to reproduce the issue myself, reports might just be ignored. If you can already reproduce the issue and provide logs it greatly limits the amount of time I have to spent until I figure out how to reproduce it.

Question: What about unlocking, rooting, passing safetynet, apps detecting root/modifications and other topics that are vaguely related, but not really subject of this thread?

Answer: If you want to modify your phone via root/magisk in any way you need to unlock the bootloader. Unlocking will result in safetynet not passing. This has nothing to do with the kernel. At the moment of writing this, safetynet not passing can be worked around with a magisk module called "Universal SafetyNet Fix".

Not passing safetynet is unrelated to the kernel since hardware attestation is enforced on nearly all newly released devices now.

If you´re not passing safetynet banking apps might for example be detecting root. There are various tricks to hide root/modifications to the phone from banking apps or others but that´s not really subject of this thread.

I recommend taking a look at this excellent collection of helpful threads from @roirraW "edor" ehT!

It can be found following this link!

Question: I get a device corrupted message after flashing the kernel or just reboot to bootloader. How to get rid of it?

Answer:

There seems to be an issue with verity on Pixel devices that can trigger randomly. That means even if the expected hashes match the device refuses to boot due to this bug.

Short answer, flash magisk patched init_boot.img via fastboot, afterwards flash stock init_boot.img. That should clear this situation.