98 lines
5.2 KiB
Markdown
98 lines
5.2 KiB
Markdown
# xautolock-inhibit
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Makes screen locking with `xautolock` respect the "don't lock the screen" requests that apps send, on X11 sessions without a desktop environment (for example a plain window manager like xmonad).
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Browsers, Steam, gamemode and other apps ask the desktop not to lock or blank the screen while a video or game is running, through the D-Bus service `org.freedesktop.ScreenSaver`. Without a desktop environment nothing provides that service, so the requests are dropped and the screen locks in the middle of a video. xautolock-inhibit provides it:
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- While at least one request is active, it runs `xautolock -disable` and pauses X screen blanking and DPMS.
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- When the last request is released, it waits a few seconds, then runs `xautolock -enable` and resumes blanking.
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xautolock stays your locker; xautolock-inhibit only switches it off and on.
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## How it works
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- Owns `org.freedesktop.ScreenSaver` on the session bus at both `/org/freedesktop/ScreenSaver` and `/ScreenSaver` (apps differ on the path), and implements `Inhibit` and `UnInhibit`.
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- Tracks requests per D-Bus client. If a client disconnects without releasing them (for example a browser crash), its requests are released.
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- Runs `xautolock` only when the number of active requests goes from 0 to 1 or back to 0. Re-enabling waits a few seconds (`--release-delay`), because browsers send short bursts of requests when a video starts.
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- Pauses X blanking with `XScreenSaverSuspend`, the same mechanism mpv uses, instead of changing `xset` settings. The X server ends the pause by itself if the daemon exits or crashes.
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- Requests whose reason is on an ignore list (default: `Playing audio`) are accepted and logged, but don't block locking. Firefox-based browsers send one for audio playback, which would otherwise keep the screen unlocked while music plays with nobody at the computer.
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- Keeps the requests it holds in `$XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/xautolock-inhibit.json`, so a restarted or crashed daemon takes them over. They are taken over only if the previous daemon stopped at most 30 seconds ago (`--restore-window`) on the same session bus, and only for clients still connected. A request released while no daemon was running can't be seen, so an old file isn't trusted.
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- On exit (including SIGTERM), it re-enables xautolock. The systemd unit also runs `xautolock -enable` when it stops, as a fallback.
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- If another program (a desktop environment) already owns `org.freedesktop.ScreenSaver`, it exits with status 2 instead of taking over.
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## Requirements
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- `xautolock`, already running in the session
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- `python`, `python-gobject`
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- `libx11`, `libxss`
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## Installation
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Build and install the package with the included PKGBUILD, which builds the signed release tag set in `pkgver`:
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```
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makepkg -si
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```
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Or, with aurutils, build it into a local repository with `aur build` and install it with pacman.
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Then start it from your window manager's startup, after `xautolock`. For xmonad:
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```haskell
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spawnOnce "xautolock -time 10 -locker slock -detectsleep"
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spawnOnce "systemctl --user start xautolock-inhibit"
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```
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The unit has no `[Install]` section on purpose. Enabling it at login would also start it in a desktop environment, or before X is up; starting it from the window manager limits it to that session. The user service manager needs `DISPLAY` (and `XAUTHORITY`) in its environment, which `/etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc.d/50-systemd-user.sh` sets up for `startx` sessions.
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## Usage
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```
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xautolock-inhibit [-i REASON] [--count-all] [-d SECONDS] [--restore-window SECONDS]
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```
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- `-i`, `--ignore-reason REASON`: request reason that doesn't block locking. Can be repeated; replaces the default (`Playing audio`).
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- `--count-all`: every request blocks locking; no reasons are ignored.
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- `-d`, `--release-delay SECONDS`: wait this long after the last release before re-enabling xautolock (default 5).
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- `--restore-window SECONDS`: take over requests from a previous daemon that stopped at most this long ago (default 30; 0 disables).
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To change the options used by the service:
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```
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systemctl --user edit xautolock-inhibit.service
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```
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```ini
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[Service]
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ExecStart=
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ExecStart=/usr/bin/xautolock-inhibit --count-all
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```
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Every request, release and xautolock call is logged to the journal:
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```
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journalctl --user -u xautolock-inhibit
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```
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## App notes
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- **Sandboxed apps** may be blocked from reaching the service. For a firejail profile that filters D-Bus (`dbus-user filter`, as the Firefox-based profiles do), allow it in the app's `.local` file, e.g. `zen-browser.local`:
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```
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dbus-user.talk org.freedesktop.ScreenSaver
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```
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- **Games**: Steam's overlay and gamemode (`inhibit_screensaver=1`) send requests on their own.
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- **scrcpy** only sends a request when started with `--disable-screensaver`.
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- **mpv** talks to the X server directly and doesn't need this daemon.
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## Limitations
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- A release sent while the daemon is down is lost: if the daemon is back within `--restore-window`, that request stays active until its app exits. After a longer stop, all held requests are dropped and apps don't send them again.
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- `SimulateUserActivity` is accepted but does nothing. Calls are logged once when a client starts sending them and once, with a count, after 5 minutes without any.
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- `GetActive` always returns `false`.
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## License
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GPL-3.0-or-later. See [LICENSE](LICENSE).
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