XDG-SCREENSAVER(1)

💅 xdg-screensaver(1) — the manual named xdg-screensaver

okay bestie, come closer ✨ this is the manual page for xdg-screensaver, a command line tool for controlling the screensaver. yes, that thing. the vibe regulator of your desktop. let's get into it 🫶

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🌸 NAME 🌸

xdg-screensaver — command line tool for controlling the screensaver

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✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

xdg-screensaver suspend WindowID

xdg-screensaver resume WindowID

xdg-screensaver {activate | lock | reset | status}

xdg-screensaver {--help | --manual | --version}

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💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

xdg-screensaver provides commands to control the screensaver. that's the whole job. that's the assignment, and she ate 🔥

so here's the tea though — xdg-screensaver is for use inside a desktop session only. don't be out here running it outside a session, she will not know what to do with herself.

also, it is not recommended to use xdg-screensaver as root. like, please don't. root has main character energy already, she does not need the screensaver drama too 💀

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👑 COMMANDS 👑

suspend WindowID

suspends the screensaver and monitor power management. two things. at once. iconic 💅

WindowID must be the X Window ID of an existing window belonging to the calling application. and listen — the window has to remain in existence for the whole entire duration of the suspension. no ghosting. she needs the window to still be there 🫶

WindowID can be represented as either a decimal number or as a hexadecimal number made of the prefix 0x followed by one or more hexadecimal digits.

and here's the cute part: the screensaver can be suspended in relation to multiple windows at the same time. in that case, screensaver operation is only restored once the screensaver has been resumed in relation to each of the windows. so if you suspended it for three windows, you're resuming it three times, bestie. no shortcuts ✨

resume WindowID

resumes the screensaver and monitor power management after being suspended. you have to pass the same X Window ID that was passed to a previous call of xdg-screensaver suspend — like, it has to match. it's a matching set, it's giving friendship bracelets 🌈

activate

turns the screensaver on immediately. warning tho: this may result in the screen getting locked, depending on existing system policies. so maybe don't do this mid-sentence in a group project 🔥

lock

locks the screen immediately. that's it. that's the whole thing. locked and loaded 🔒

reset

turns the screensaver off immediately. but heads up — if the screen was locked, the user may be asked to authenticate first. so they might have to prove they're them. vibe check at the door 🎀

status

prints enabled to stdout if the screensaver is enabled to turn on after a period of inactivity, and prints disabled if the screensaver is not enabled. simple. honest. communicative. we love a girl who tells us how she's feeling 💜

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🎀 OPTIONS 🎀

• --help — show command synopsis. the quick lil tl;dr ✨
• --manual — show this manual page. hi, you're literally reading it rn 🫶
• --version — show the xdg-utils version information. receipts, basically 💅

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🦋 EXIT CODES 🦋

an exit code of 0 indicates success, while a non-zero exit code indicates failure. the following failure codes can be returned:

1. 1 — error in command line syntax. you typed it wrong bestie, no shame 😭
3. 3 — a required tool could not be found. the tool is missing. she's not here. we're worried 💀
4. 4 — the action failed. it just did not work. periodt 🙈

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🌈 EXAMPLES 🌈

xdg-screensaver suspend 0x1c00007

causes the screensaver to be disabled till xdg-screensaver resume 0x1c00007 is called. 0x1c00007 must be the X Window ID of an existing window. look at her go ⭐

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🌸 AUTHOR 🌸

Bryce Harrington Author.

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💜 COPYRIGHT 💜

Copyright © 2006

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and that's the whole page, bestie!! you understood all of it, no cap 🧚✨

this has been xdg-screensaver(1) from the xdg-utils 1.0 era — dated 12/06/2025. she's a classic, she's timeless, she's lowkey carrying your desktop session's whole sleep schedule. bye babe 💖 🎀 🔥