circuit(6)

📦
version 6.15 · 2 versions
, in alpine 3.24, arch rolling, nixpkgs unstable

💖 circuit(6) — the wholescreen-saver manual, bestie edition ✨

okay so real talk: this is the manual page for circuit, which lives in the XScreenSaver manual (yes, the (6) means it's a game/screensaver-type thing, iykyk). It's a gorgeous little 3D electronics moment and I'm obsessed. Let's get into it 🎀

🌈 SYNOPSIS

circuit [--display host:display.screen] [--visual visual] [--window]
        [--root] [--window-id number] [--delay number] [--parts number]
        [--no-spin] [--rotate] [--speed number] [--no-light] [--fps]

like, that's the whole summoning ritual, fr fr 💅

✨ DESCRIPTION

Animates a number of 3D electronic components.

and that's it, that's the whole vibe. little 3D circuit bits, floating around, living their best lives. iconic 🦋

🎀 OPTIONS

okay bestie, here's the full menu — no skips, no skimming, we read all of them 💖

  • --visual visual — picks which visual you wanna use. Legal values are the name of a visual class, or the id number (decimal or hex) of a specific visual. slay, flexible ✨
  • --window — draws on a newly-created window. this one is the default, so it's kinda the main character 🫶
  • --root — draws on the root window instead. root energy 👑
  • --window-id number — draws on the specified window. you pick, you choose 💅
  • --delay number — per-frame delay, in microseconds. Default: 20000 (that's 0.02 seconds, for the math girlies 🧮). lowkey controls the whole tempo.
  • --parts number — number of parts. Default: 10. more parts = more chaos = more fun, ngl.
  • --spin | --no-spin — whether the objects should spin. spinning is literally so them 🌸
  • --rotate | --no-rotate — whether the whole scene should spin. yes, that's different from --spin, and yes, both exist, don't @ me 💀
  • --speed number — rotation speed, 0 - 100. Default: 1. (one!! they start chill and you can absolutely crank it, go off 🔥)
  • --light | --no-light — whether to use lighting, or flat coloring. mood lighting vs. flat aesthetic, both valid 🌈
  • --fps — display the current frame rate, CPU load, and polygon count. the stat girlies' favorite button, fr fr ⭐

🦋 ENVIRONMENT

the vibes your shell needs to bring 🫶

  • DISPLAY — to get the default host and display number.
  • XENVIRONMENT — to get the name of a resource file that overrides the global resources stored in the RESOURCE_MANAGER property.
  • XSCREENSAVER_WINDOW — the window ID to use with --root.

🔥 SEE ALSO

go read these too, bestie, they're the whole friend group:

Copyright © 2002 by Ben Buxton.

Permission to use, copy, modify, distribute, and sell this software and its documentation for any purpose is hereby granted without fee, provided that the above copyright notice appear in all copies and that both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear in supporting documentation. No representations are made about the suitability of this software for any purpose. It is provided "as is" without express or implied warranty.

okay so, real note: that "as is" bit means no warranty at all — no promises, no guarantees, don't come for anybody if it acts up. that part matters, don't skip it 🙈

🌸 AUTHOR

Ben Buxton. (yes, the same legend from the copyright line — we stan a consistent icon 👑)

and that's the whole page, bestie!! 🎉 this gorgeousness is from X Version 11, dated 6.15 (30-Mar-2026), and the manual page itself is circuit(6) — go make some 3D electronic components spin, you've earned it 💖✨🎀

📦 where this page comes from