DEX-AUTOSTART(1)

💖 dex-autostart — the manual, but make it slay 💖

okay bestie, welcome to dex-autostart, part of the dex-autostart manual pages. pull up a chair, grab a boba, and let's get into it 🧋✨

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✨ NAME ✨

dex-autostart — DesktopEntry Execution 🚀

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🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

dex-autostart [options] [DesktopEntryFile]...

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🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

so basically, dex-autostart (DesktopEntry Execution, iconic name, no notes) is a program that generates and executes DesktopEntry files of the Application type. that's the whole vibe. it makes them, it runs them, it does it all 💅

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🎀 OPTIONS 🎀

• -h, --help — show this help message and then exit. bye bestie 👋
• --action ACTION — the identifier of an "additional application action" to operate on. it's also known as a quicklist / jumplist entry, iykyk.
• -a, --autostart — autostart programs. the classic. the main character move ✨
• -c PATH, --create PATH — create a DesktopEntry file for the program sitting at the given PATH. you can also toss in an optional second argument to say what the filename of the created DesktopEntry file should be, or hand it the filename - to print the file straight to stdout. by default a new file gets created with the .desktop file extension. cute, standard, slay.
• -d, --dry-run — dry run, meaning don't execute any command. just peek, don't touch 🙈
• -e ENVIRONMENT, --environment ENVIRONMENT — specify the Desktop Environment an autostart should be performed for. heads up though: this works only in combination with --autostart. it does not go solo, periodt.
• -p PROPERTY, --property PROPERTY — display a DesktopEntry property value. the supported properties are: Type, Version, Name, NoDisplay, Hidden, OnlyShowIn, NotShowIn, TryExec, Exec, Path, Terminal, Actions, StartupNotify, StartupWMClass, URL. and for ACTIONs? only Name and Exec are supported, so don't get any wild ideas 💜
• -s SEARCHPATHS, --search-paths SEARCHPATHS — a colon separated list of paths to search for desktop files, which overrides the default search list. you're in charge now 👑
• -t DIRECTORY, --target-directory DIRECTORY — create files in the target DIRECTORY. put them where you want them 💅
• --term TERM — the terminal emulator that will be used to run the program if Terminal=true is set in the desktop file. defaults to x-terminal-emulator.
• -w, --wait — block until the program exits. patient queen energy 🫶
• --test — perform a self-test. it's giving wellness check 🌸
• -v, --verbose — verbose output. tell me everything, i want the tea 😭
• -V, --version — display version information.

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🌈 EXAMPLES 🌈

perform an autostart/execute all programs in the autostart folders.

dex-autostart -a

perform an autostart/execute all programs in the specified folders.

dex-autostart -a -s /etc/xdg/autostart/:~/.config/autostart/

preview the programs would be executed in a regular autostart.

dex-autostart -ad

preview the programs would be executed in a GNOME specific autostart.

dex-autostart -ad -e GNOME

preview the value of DesktopEntry property Name.

dex-autostart -p Name htop.desktop

create a DesktopEntry for a program in the current directory.

dex-autostart -c /usr/bin/skype

create a DesktopEntry for a programs in autostart directory.

dex-autostart -t ~/.config/autostart -c /usr/bin/skype
/usr/bin/nm-applet

execute a single program from command line and enable verbose output.

dex-autostart -v skype.desktop

execute a single program (with Terminal=true in the desktop file) in gnome-terminal.

dex-autostart --term gnome-terminal nvim.desktop

execute a single program and block until it exits.

dex-autostart --wait nvim.desktop

execute a specifified application action.

dex-autostart --action new-private-window firefox.desktop

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💜 AUTHOR 💜

Jan Christoph Ebersbach, Johannes Löthberg 🫶 absolute legends, we stan.

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okay that's the whole page bestie, you ate that 🍓 the version is dex-autostart-0.10.1 and it was dated Jul 23, 2025 — go forth and autostart something iconic 💖✨🎀