Part of POCO guides, DerpFest guides, 2025 guides.

DerpFest is one of the ROMs people ask about most, and this is its first landing

on the X7 Pro. It follows the now-standard route for this phone: flash vendor_boot

to both slots, reboot, catch recovery with the volume key, format data, sideload,

then root while recovery is still open. I sideloaded Magisk 29 in the same session

because doing it in one pass saves you a second trip into recovery.

What I like is how little drama there is. What I would flag is the honest part:

the maintainer wrote "Initial Build" and nothing else, so the bug list is still

being written by whoever flashes first. That was me. Now it is you.

What changed

• Initial build for the POCO X7 Pro.
• Signed build with SELinux enforcing.
• GApps included, so there is no separate package to hunt down.
• Root via Magisk 29 during the same recovery session.

That first line is the one to think about. An initial build is not a bad build.

It simply means nobody has hit the strange corner cases yet, so keep a backup of

whatever you are running now.

What you need

• The DerpFest ROM zip for the POCO X7 Pro (Rodin).
• The vendor_boot image for this build.
• A PC with ADB and fastboot, or the Termux route if you want to skip it.
• The ADB and fastboot driver installed.
• Your data moved off the phone, and your IMEI written down somewhere safe.
• Magisk 29, only if you want root.

That IMEI line is not filler. It is the single step people skip and later regret,

and it takes two minutes.

Step 1 - back up, and write down your IMEI

Move your data off the phone first. Then find your IMEI, usually in Settings, and

write it down or photograph it. If something goes wrong later, having it saved

somewhere other than the phone is worth more than you think.

Step 2 - fastboot, and check the connection

Boot to fastboot with Volume Down and Power, connect to the PC, and run:

fastboot devices

You want a serial number and the word fastboot. No serial number is a driver

problem, so fix that before going further.

Step 3 - flash vendor_boot to both slots

fastboot flash vendor_boot --slot=all vendor_boot.img

Both slots. Half-flashing this image is how boot loops start.

Step 4 - reboot and catch recovery with Volume Up

Run fastboot reboot, then hold Volume Up immediately.

Do not use the fastboot command that jumps straight to recovery. On this phone

that is a brick waiting to happen, and I am not exaggerating for effect. Hold the

key yourself.

Step 5 - factory reset, then format data

Factory reset, then Format data. This build wants a clean start, so do not try to

dirty flash it over an older ROM.

Step 6 - sideload the ROM

Apply update, then Apply from ADB. From the PC:

adb sideload and the DerpFest zip name.

Let it finish to 100 percent before you touch anything.

Step 7 - say yes, then sideload Magisk 29

When it asks, choose yes. Then, while recovery is still open, sideload Magisk 29

if you want root. Doing it here means one pass instead of two, and it is the tidier

route than patching a boot image after the fact.

Root is optional here. The ROM boots perfectly well without it.

Step 8 - reboot to system

First boot is slow. Give it minutes, not seconds, before you start worrying. A

clean data partition with a fresh Android 16 install takes its time, and that is

normal.

Where people get stuck

• Not writing down the IMEI. Two minutes now, a lot of regret later.
• Using the fastboot reboot recovery command. Hold Volume Up instead.
• Expecting a bug list. This is the initial build, so there is not one yet.
• First boot worry. It is slow. Give it minutes.

One known rough edge

The maintainer posted a fix for Aperture video, so if that app misbehaves for you,

check the ROM channel post for it rather than assuming the whole camera stack is

broken.

Should you flash it

If you want a signed Android 16 build with GApps already inside and you are happy

being an early adopter, this is a clean one. It boots like a phone that shipped

this way, and the whole process is short. If you want a build with a settled bug

list and a few releases of history behind it, wait a while.

If the driver side is the part that slows you down, the free Rom Flasher tool on

GitHub installs the ADB and fastboot driver in a couple of clicks. It is free, and

the link is in the downloads section.

Full description from the video

DerpFest OS on the POCO X7 Pro (Rodin) — a fresh Android 16 build flashed with vendor_boot, ADB sideload and Magisk 29 installed straight after.

DerpFest is one of the ROMs people ask about most, and this is its first landing on the X7 Pro. It follows the now-standard route for this phone: flash vendor_boot to both slots, reboot, catch recovery with the volume key, format data, sideload, then root while recovery is still open. I sideloaded Magisk 29 in the same session because doing it in one pass saves you a second trip into recovery.

What I like is how little drama there is. SELinux stays enforcing, the build is signed, GApps are already in so you're not hunting a separate package, and the whole thing boots like a phone that shipped this way. What I'd flag is the honest part: the maintainer wrote "Initial Build" and nothing else, so the bug list is still being written by whoever flashes first — me, and now you.

🗒 What Changed

• Initial build for the POCO X7 Pro
• Signed build with SELinux enforcing
• GApps included, no extra package needed
• Root via Magisk 29 during the same recovery session

📝 Steps

1. Move your data off the phone and write down your IMEI somewhere safe.
2. Boot to fastboot, connect to the PC and check with fastboot devices.
3. Flash vendor_boot to both slots: fastboot flash vendor_boot --slot=all vendor_boot.img
4. fastboot reboot, then hold Volume Up immediately for recovery.
5. Do not use fastboot reboot recovery — on this phone that's a brick waiting to happen.
6. Factory reset, then Format data.
7. Apply update → Apply from ADB, then sideload the ROM zip.
8. Choose yes when it asks, then sideload Magisk 29 while recovery is open.
9. Reboot to system and let the first boot finish before you judge it.

⚠️ Notes Worth Reading

• Aperture video has a fix, linked to the ROM channel in the post.
• Back up IMEI first. This is the single step people skip and later regret.
• First boot is slow. Give it minutes, not seconds, before you start worrying.

❓ Common Questions

Can I dirty flash over an older ROM? No — this wants a clean start, so format data.

Do I need Magisk? No, it's optional root. The ROM boots fine without it.

Does this work on other Poco phones? No. It's built for the X7 Pro.

Will Play Store work? Yes, the GApps are baked into the build.

Common questions

More for POCO X7 Pro