Setup
Dux Modular Shell
Setup
The dms setup command generates default configuration files for your compositor (niri, Hyprland, or mangowm). It only writes files that don't already exist or are empty, so it won't clobber anything you've customized.
Running dms setup with no arguments deploys all defaults at once. You can also deploy individual configs one at a time.
dms setup works unchanged on Fedora Atomic, bootc, and other image-based systems because it only writes to your home directory. On those hosts the Dux Installer runs this same config deployment once the packages have been layered and the system rebooted. See Fedora Atomic & bootc images.
Quick Start
Deploy all default configs:
dms setup
Deploy just keybinds:
dms setup binds
Subcommands
| Subcommand | Description | niri | Hyprland | mangowm |
|---|---|---|---|---|
binds | Default keybinds config | ~/.config/niri/dms/binds.kdl | ~/.config/hypr/dms/binds.lua | ~/.config/mango/dms/binds.conf |
colors | Default colors config | ~/.config/niri/dms/colors.kdl | ~/.config/hypr/dms/colors.lua | ~/.config/mango/dms/colors.conf |
layout | Default layout config | ~/.config/niri/dms/layout.kdl | ~/.config/hypr/dms/layout.lua | ~/.config/mango/dms/layout.conf |
outputs | Default outputs config | ~/.config/niri/dms/outputs.kdl | ~/.config/hypr/dms/outputs.lua | ~/.config/mango/dms/outputs.conf |
cursor | Default cursor config | ~/.config/niri/dms/cursor.kdl | ~/.config/hypr/dms/cursor.lua | ~/.config/mango/dms/cursor.conf |
windowrules | Default window rules config | ~/.config/niri/dms/windowrules.kdl | ~/.config/hypr/dms/windowrules.lua | ~/.config/mango/dms/windowrules.conf |
alttab | Default alt-tab config (niri only) | ~/.config/niri/dms/alttab.kdl | — | — |
Running dms setup with no subcommand deploys all of the above, plus the input fragment (dms/input.kdl on niri, dms/input.lua on Hyprland, dms/input.conf on mangowm) and, on Hyprland, dms/binds-user.lua. The input fragment has no subcommand of its own.
On niri, dms setup and dms setup binds also write ~/.config/niri/dms/binds-next.kdl, the binds that depend on the niri version (the Keyboard Shortcuts cheatsheet, and a Mod tap for the overview on the next niri release). Unlike the other files, DMS owns this one: it is replaced whenever its content no longer matches the installed niri, and DMS checks it again each time it starts. If your config.kdl doesn't include it, setup prints the line to add above dms/binds.kdl. See Version-dependent binds.
DMS writes Hyprland config in Lua only. When the installed Hyprland reports a version older than 0.55, dms setup stops with hyprland.lua is not loaded by Hyprland <version>; DMS needs 0.55 or newer instead of writing a config Hyprland would ignore. If the version can't be detected, it deploys anyway.
Everything dms setup writes for mangowm uses the snake_case keys of mangowm 0.18 and newer. With no subcommand, your existing config.conf is backed up to config.conf.backup.<timestamp> and replaced. Its bind, monitor_rule and window_rule lines move into dms/binds.conf, dms/outputs.conf and dms/windowrules.conf when those are empty, converted to snake_case. If you use config.toml instead, it is backed up to config.toml.backup.<timestamp> and replaced with a stock config.toml; DMS never creates a config.conf next to it, which would shadow it. Your TOML binds and rules are not moved into the fragments and stay in the backup. Fragments that already have content are kept as they are; if they predate 0.18, convert them with mangowm's migrate-config-keys.sh (see mangowm Configuration).
If you installed DMS from packages (not through the interactive installer), run dms setup after install to get working compositor and terminal configs right away.
Existing Keybinds
When dms setup finds your own keybinds (a non-empty dms/binds.kdl on niri; a non-empty dms/binds.conf or bind lines in config.conf on mangowm), it asks before deploying:
1) Keep my binds as they are
2) Start from the DMS stock binds
Keeping is the default. Either way, an existing binds.conf or binds.kdl is backed up with a timestamp first. Hyprland is not asked, since your own binds live in dms/binds-user.lua. DMS owns dms/binds.lua and refreshes it on every Hyprland setup: dms setup binds, dms setup headless --skip-existing, and the installer when you keep your hyprland.lua. If you edited it, the old copy goes to ~/.config/hypr/.dms-backups/<timestamp>/dms/binds.lua first; move those edits into binds-user.lua. dms setup headless keeps them unless you pass --stock-binds.
Headless
dms setup headless deploys configs without any prompts, for installers and scripts.
dms setup headless --compositor niri
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
--compositor | Required. niri, hyprland, or mango |
--terminal | Also deploy a terminal config and wire it into the keybinds: ghostty, kitty, or alacritty |
--force | Overwrite existing configs. Existing files get timestamped backups first |
--skip-existing | Log a warning and skip anything that already has a config, instead of failing |
--no-systemd | Deploy the session config without systemd integration |
--stock-binds | Replace existing keybinds with the DMS stock set instead of keeping them. A backup is kept |
With systemd, setup binds dms.service to the compositor's session unit (the same step as dms systemd enable) and the deployed config does not start DMS itself. If that binding fails, the config falls back to starting dms run.
If a config already exists and you pass neither --force nor --skip-existing, the command fails with a non-zero exit so scripts notice. The two flags can't be combined.
dms refuses to run as root, so from an install hook run it as the target user:
runuser -u youruser -- dms setup headless --compositor niri --skip-existing
NixOS Home-Manager Users
If you manage your niri or Hyprland config through home-manager, you probably don't want dms setup writing files that conflict with your declarative config. Instead, use the individual subcommands to generate only the pieces you need.
For example, if you handle keybinds through the niri home-manager module but want DMS defaults for colors and layout:
dms setup colors
dms setup layout
The niri home-manager module's niri.includes option references these same files under ~/.config/niri/dms/. See the niri integration docs for the full list of included files.
The individual subcommands are safe to run at any time — they skip files that already have content, except Hyprland's DMS-owned binds.lua, which dms setup binds always refreshes. To force a reset, delete or empty the file first, then run the subcommand again.