PAM_TIMESTAMP_CHECK(8)

💖 PAM_TIMESTAMP_CHECK 💖

okay bestie, welcome to the Linux-PAM Manual page for pam_timestamp_check(8) — yes that's a section 8, we're in the admin/system zone, very grown-up of us ✨

🌸 NAME 🌸

pam_timestamp_check — check to see if the default timestamp is valid 💅

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🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

pam_timestamp_check [-k] [-d] [target_user]

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✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

okay so with no arguments at all, pam_timestamp_check will check to see if the default timestamp is valid, or optionally remove it. that's it. that's the whole vibe. 🎀

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👑 OPTIONS 👑

• -k — instead of checking the validity of a timestamp, remove it. this is analogous to sudo's -k option. (iconic sibling behaviour, fr fr 🫶)
• -d — instead of returning validity using an exit status, this one just... loops. indefinitely. polling regularly and printing the status on standard output. main character energy, it literally never leaves. 💀
• target_user — okay so by default pam_timestamp_check checks or removes timestamps generated by pam_timestamp when users authenticate as themselves. but when the user authenticates as a different user, the name of the timestamp file changes to accommodate this. so target_user lets you specify this user name. 🦋

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💜 RETURN VALUES 💜

• 0 — the timestamp is valid. slay. ✅
• 2 — the binary is not setuid root. 😭
• 3 — invalid invocation.
• 4 — user is unknown. who is she? 🙈
• 5 — permissions error.
• 6 — invalid controlling tty.
• 7 — timestamp is not valid.

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🎀 NOTES 🎀

users can get confused when they are not always asked for passwords when running a given program. some users reflexively begin typing information before noticing that it is not being asked for. not me personally but like, i get it bestie 😭

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🌈 EXAMPLES 🌈

auth sufficient pam_timestamp.so verbose
auth required   pam_unix.so

session required pam_unix.so
session optional pam_timestamp.so

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🍓 FILES 🍓

• /var/run/sudo/... — timestamp files and directories

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⭐ SEE ALSO ⭐

pam_timestamp_check(8), pam.conf(5), pam.d(5), pam(8)

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💖 AUTHOR 💖

pam_timestamp was written by Nalin Dahyabhai. thank you for your service king 👑

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ngl this page is giving "tiny tool, huge consequences" and i'm obsessed 💅

okay that's the whole thing bestie, ily, go check those timestamps — this was the Linux-PAM manual, dated 09/27/2026, and yes the footer said PAM_TIMESTAMP_CHECK(8) again because manpages love a little repetition 🫶✨