waybar-syst...failed-units(5)

💅 waybar-syst...failed-units — bestie edition (section 5, File Formats Manual)

okay so real talk: this is the manual page for the systemd-failed-units module in waybar. yes the man name got chopped mid-word, she's just like that, we love her anyway 🫶

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✨ NAME ✨

waybar — the systemd failed units monitor module. that's it, that's the whole name, she's a watcher 👀

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🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

the systemd-failed-units module displays the number of failed systemd units. literally just vibes-checking your systemd and holding up a little scoreboard 💖

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🎀 CONFIGURATION 🎀

so this module is addressed by systemd-failed-units. here's every knob you can turn, no skips, no cuts, all of them:

• format — typeof: string, default {nr_failed} failed. this is how the info gets displayed. this format is used when other formats aren't specified.
• format-ok — typeof: string. this format is used when there is no failing units. she's the "everything's fine" fit ✨
• user — typeof: bool, default true. option to count user systemd units.
• system — typeof: bool, default true. option to count systemwide (PID=1) systemd units.
• hide-on-ok — typeof: bool, default true. option to hide this module when there is no failing units. sneaky queen 🫣
• menu — typeof: string. action that popups the menu.
• menu-file — typeof: string. location of the menu descriptor file. there need to be an element of type GtkMenu with id menu.
• menu-actions — typeof: array. the actions corresponding to the buttons of the menu.
• expand — typeof: bool, default false. enables this module to consume all left over space dynamically. main character energy, taking up the whole bar 💅

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🦋 FORMAT REPLACEMENTS 🦋

these are the little tokens you can drop into your format strings, and they all do something different, so pay attention bestie:

• {nr_failed_system} — number of failed units from systemwide (PID=1) systemd.
• {nr_failed_user} — number of failed units from user systemd.
• {nr_failed} — number of total failed units.
• {systemd_state} — state of the systemd system session
• {user_state} — state of the systemd user session
• {overall_state} — overall state of the systemd and user session. ("Ok" or "Degraded")

lowkey note: those last three are giving status report, and the vibes can be good or so not good 🌈

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🔥 EXAMPLES 🔥

here's a whole config block, copy it exactly, don't freestyle it:

"systemd-failed-units": {
     "hide-on-ok": false,
     "format": "✗ {nr_failed}",
     "format-ok": "✓",
     "system": true,
     "user": false,
}

ok but the ✗ and ✓ in there?? iconic. she ate 💅

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💜 STYLE 💜

these are the CSS selectors you can style, one bullet each, no gatekeeping:

• #systemd-failed-units
• #systemd-failed-units.ok
• #systemd-failed-units.degraded

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and that's the whole page, bestie, you're a systemd-failed-units expert now, no cap 💖

this lil manual page is dated 2026-02-08, and it's part of the waybar-syst...failed-units(5) page from the File Formats Manual. mwah, go forth and monitor 👑✨