xshadertoy(6x)

📦
version 6.17 · 4 versions
, in fedora 44

🌈 xshadertoy (6x) — the XScreenSaver manual, bestie edition 💅

okay so this is xshadertoy, a lil screensaver from the XScreenSaver manual, and it runs actual shadertoy.com GLSL programs. yeah. iconic. 👑

✨ NAME ✨

xshadertoy — screen saver for Shadertoy GLSL programs. literally what it says on the tin, no cap. 🎀

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

xshadertoy [--display host:display.screen] [--visual visual] [--window]
[--root] [--delay number] [--speed number] [--scale number]
[--automouse] [--automouse-speed number] [--program-common file]
[--program0 file] [--program1 file] [--program2 file] [--program3 file]
[--program4 file] [--fps]

she takes options. so many options. she's high maintenance and we love her for it. ✨

💜 DESCRIPTION 💜

Runs arbitrary GLSL programs that use the shadertoy.com API.

that's it. that's the whole thing. it just. runs your shaders. while you're not looking. main character energy fr fr 🌸

🌟 OPTIONS 🌟

  • --visual visual — pick which visual to use. legal values are the name of a visual class, OR the id number (decimal or hex) of a specific visual. your choice bestie 💖
  • --window — draw on a newly-created window. this is the default, so if you do nothing, this is what you get. the low effort option. respect. 🫶
  • --root — draw on the root window. going full desktop wallpaper mode, we love to see it ✨
  • --delay number — per-frame delay, in microseconds. default: 20000 (that's 0.02 seconds for the math girlies 🧚)
  • --speed number — animation speed. 2.0 means twice as fast, 0.5 means half as fast. go zoom or go slow, no judgment 🔥
  • --scale number — frame buffer resolution. 0.5 means halve the resolution for better performance but lower quality output. default 1.0, full quality. (so basically: do you want pretty or do you want fast, pick one 😭)
  • --program0 file — GLSL code, each as an input to the previous. 📝
  • --program1 file — GLSL code, each as an input to the previous. 📝
  • --program2 file — GLSL code, each as an input to the previous. 📝
  • --program3 file — GLSL code, each as an input to the previous. 📝
  • --program4 file — GLSL code, each as an input to the previous. 📝
yes bestie they really do chain — each one feeds into the one before it. it's giving shader relay race 🏃♀️💨
  • --program-common file — GLSL code to prepend to each program. like a lil intro paragraph but for shaders 💅
  • --automouse | --no-automouse — whether to pretend to drag the mouse around sinusoidally. default false. (fake mouse wiggle. sinusoidally. sure.) 🐭
  • --automouse-speed ratio — how fast the fake mouse wiggling goes. default 1.0.
  • --fps | --no-fps — whether to show a frames-per-second display at the bottom of the screen. number go up = serotonin 📈✨

🌱 ENVIRONMENT 🌱

  • 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.

(vibe check: these are the environment variables, and they do environment variable things. don't touch unless you know, iykyk 🌈)

👀 SEE ALSO 👀

X(1), xscreensaver(1), https://www.shadertoy.com/

go read them. or don't. but like, they're right there. 🦋

Copyright © 2025 by Jamie Zawinski. 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.

translation bestie: it's free, do whatever, just keep the copyright notice around and don't come for anyone if it breaks. "as is." periodt. 💅

🌸 AUTHOR 🌸

Jamie Zawinski.

absolute icon. we stan. 👑

and that's the whole page!! this was X Version 11, build 6.17-1.fc44 from 13-Oct-2026, filed under xshadertoy(6x) — and no cap, that's a wrap 🎀✨💖

📦 where this page comes from