Keybinds & IPC

Dux Shell

Keybinds & IPC

Dux Shell provides comprehensive IPC (Inter-Process Communication) functionality that allows external control of the shell through command-line commands. All IPC commands follow the format:

dms ipc call <target> <function> [parameters...]

Discovering IPC commands

List all available targets and functions while DMS is running:

dms ipc list     # list all targets and functions
dms ipc          # same
dms ipc --help   # same, plus usage text

note

Live listing requires DMS to be running. If listing fails, use this page as the offline reference or start the shell with dms run.

Core Controls

audio

Manage audio output and input devices.

Function	Description	Parameters
setvolume <percentage>	Set output volume	percentage (0-100)
increment <step>	Increase output volume	step (default: 5)
decrement <step>	Decrease output volume	step (default: 5)
mute	Toggle output mute	-
setmic <percentage>	Set microphone volume	percentage (0-100)
micmute	Toggle microphone mute	-
cycleoutput	Cycle through audio output devices	-
setmono <bool>	Enable or disable mono audio	true/false
getmono	Get current mono audio state	-
status	Get current audio status	-

Examples:

dms ipc call audio setvolume 50
dms ipc call audio increment 10
dms ipc call audio mute
dms ipc call audio cycleoutput
dms ipc call audio setmono true
dms ipc call audio getmono

note

audio setmic and audio micmute remain available for backwards compatibility, but new scripts and keybinds should use the dedicated mic target below.

mic

Dedicated microphone input control with interactive OSD support.

Function	Description	Parameters
setvolume <percentage>	Set microphone volume	percentage (0-100)
increment <step>	Increase microphone volume (unmutes if muted)	step (default: 5)
decrement <step>	Decrease microphone volume (unmutes if muted)	step (default: 5)
mute	Toggle microphone mute	-
status	Get current microphone volume and mute state	-

Examples:

dms ipc call mic setvolume 75
dms ipc call mic increment 5
dms ipc call mic decrement 10
dms ipc call mic mute
dms ipc call mic status

Notes:

• Adjusting the microphone volume triggers an interactive OSD (when osdMicVolumeEnabled is on) with a draggable slider and a mute toggle, mirroring the speaker volume OSD.
• increment and decrement automatically unmute the microphone before changing the level.

brightness

Control display brightness for internal and external displays.

Function	Description	Parameters
set <percentage> [device]	Set brightness level	percentage (1-100), device (optional)
increment <step> [device]	Increase brightness	step, device (optional)
decrement <step> [device]	Decrease brightness	step, device (optional)
status	Get current brightness status	-
list	List all brightness devices	-
enableExponential [device]	Enable exponential brightness mode	device (optional, uses current if not specified)
disableExponential [device]	Disable exponential brightness mode	device (optional, uses current if not specified)
toggleExponential [device]	Toggle exponential brightness mode	device (optional, uses current if not specified)

Examples:

dms ipc call brightness set 80
dms ipc call brightness increment 10 ""
dms ipc call brightness decrement 5 "intel_backlight"
dms ipc call brightness disableExponential "backlight:intel_backlight"
dms ipc call brightness toggleExponential
dms ipc call brightness set 40 "software:DP-2"

night

Night mode (gamma/color temperature) control.

gamma and contrast are separate from night mode. They stay applied when night mode is off, and setting both back to 1.0 releases the gamma protocol so other tools can bind it again, unless an output is software-dimmed. Both need DMS API v34.

Function	Description	Parameters
toggle	Toggle night mode on/off	-
enable	Enable night mode	-
disable	Disable night mode	-
status	Get night mode status	-
gamma [value]	Get/set display gamma, applied with or without night mode	0.5-2.0, 1.0 is neutral (optional)
contrast [value]	Get/set display contrast around mid-gray, applied with or without night mode	0.5-2.0, 1.0 is neutral (optional)
getCurrentTemp	Get live gamma temperature	-
getTargetTemp	Get configured night temperature	-
getDayTemp	Get configured day temperature	-
setTargetTemp <value>	Set night temperature	value in Kelvin (2500-6000)
setDayTemp <value>	Set day temperature (applies when automation is on)	value in Kelvin (2500-6000)
getSchedule	Get automation details (mode, period, sun times, next transition)	-
automation [mode]	Get/set automation mode	"manual", "time", or "location" (optional)
schedule <start> <end>	Set time-based schedule	start time (HH:MM), end time (HH:MM)
location <lat> <lon>	Set location coordinates	latitude, longitude

Examples:

dms ipc call night toggle
dms ipc call night gamma 1.2
dms ipc call night contrast 1.1
dms ipc call night getCurrentTemp
dms ipc call night setTargetTemp 4000
dms ipc call night setDayTemp 5500
dms ipc call night getSchedule
dms ipc call night automation time
dms ipc call night schedule 20:00 06:00
dms ipc call night location 40.7128 -74.0060

mpris

Media player control via MPRIS interface.

Function	Description
list	List all available media players
play	Start playback
pause	Pause playback
playPause	Toggle play/pause
previous	Skip to previous track
next	Skip to next track
stop	Stop playback

Examples:

dms ipc call mpris playPause
dms ipc call mpris next

lock

Screen lock control and status.

Function	Description
lock	Lock the screen immediately
lockAndOutputsOff	Lock the screen, fade to black, then power off the monitors (GNOME Super+L style). Any input cancels the fade or wakes the monitors; the fade duration follows the fade-to-DPMS grace period setting.
demo	Show lock screen demo (doesn't lock)
isLocked	Check if screen is locked

Examples:

dms ipc call lock lock
dms ipc call lock lockAndOutputsOff
dms ipc call lock isLocked

sessions

Switch between logind sessions that are already running on the current seat. Wraps loginctl list-sessions and loginctl activate.

Function	Description	Parameters
list	List sessions as tab-separated rows (current marked *current*)	-
refresh	Re-enumerate sessions in the background	-
open	Refresh and open the Switch User picker	-
activate <sessionId>	Activate a session by its numeric logind ID	sessionId
switchTo <target>	Activate a session by username or session ID	target (username or sessionId)

Examples:

# See what's switchable
dms ipc call sessions list

# Open the Switch User picker (good for a keybind)
dms ipc call sessions open

# Jump straight to another logged-in user
dms ipc call sessions switchTo testuser2

# Or by session ID
dms ipc call sessions activate 4

note

This only switches between sessions that already exist on the current seat. Creating a brand-new session for a user who isn't logged in needs a multi-session greeter (greetd-flexiserver / GDM / LightDM); the picker's empty state offers a Log out fallback to reach the greeter.

The dms switch-user [target] CLI command wraps the same calls with a friendlier interactive list when no target matches.

inhibit

Idle inhibitor control to prevent automatic sleep/lock.

Function	Description
toggle	Toggle idle inhibit state
enable	Enable idle inhibit indefinitely (prevent sleep)
enableFor <minutes>	Enable idle inhibit for a number of minutes
disable	Disable idle inhibit (allow sleep)
status	Report whether idle inhibit is on, and the remaining time when a timer is set
reason <text>	Set the inhibit reason; pass an empty string to read the current one

Examples:

dms ipc call inhibit toggle
dms ipc call inhibit enable
dms ipc call inhibit enableFor 60
dms ipc call inhibit status
dms ipc call inhibit reason "rendering a video"
dms ipc call inhibit reason ""   # prints the current reason

The state is saved in the session, like Do Not Disturb, so it survives a shell restart — whether that comes from dms restart or from systemd bringing the service back.

powerprofile

Power profile control via the PowerProfiles D-Bus interface. Changes stay in sync with DMS UI and trigger the power profile OSD when enabled in Settings → OSD.

Requires either power-profiles-daemon, tuned with tuned-ppd or tlp with tlp-pd, to be installed and running. Works on all compositors.

Function	Description	Parameters
open	Show the power profile picker modal	-
close	Close the power profile picker modal	-
toggle	Toggle power profile picker modal visibility	-
list	List available profile slugs (one per line)	-
status	Get the currently active profile slug	-
set <profile>	Set the active power profile	slug or alias (see below)
cycle	Cycle to the next available profile	-

Profile slugs and aliases for set:

• power-saver — also powersaver, saver, 0
• balanced — also 1
• performance — also 2 (only when supported by hardware)

Cycle order: power-saver → balanced → performance → power-saver (skips profiles not available on your hardware).

Examples:

dms ipc call powerprofile status
dms ipc call powerprofile list
dms ipc call powerprofile cycle
dms ipc call powerprofile set balanced
dms ipc call powerprofile set performance
dms ipc call powerprofile toggle

Notes:

• list returns only profiles available on your system (performance is omitted when unsupported)
• status returns the current slug: power-saver, balanced, or performance
• Returns ERROR: power-profiles-daemon not available when no PowerProfiles daemon (power-profiles-daemon, tuned-ppd or tlp-pd) is running
• Returns ERROR: Failed to set power profile if the profile change could not be applied

wellbeing

Digital Wellbeing screen time tracking and limits. Usage is recorded by the DMS server, so tracking needs a running dms backend with wellbeing support.

Function	Description	Parameters
toggle	Toggle screen time tracking	-
enable	Enable screen time tracking	-
disable	Disable screen time tracking	-
status	Report tracking state, today's screen time and the daily limit	-
today	Today's screen time in seconds (0 while tracking is off)	-
dailyLimit <minutes>	Set the daily screen time limit; 0 clears it, empty string prints the current one	minutes
appLimit <appId> <minutes>	Set a daily limit for one app; 0 clears it, empty string prints the current one	app id, minutes

To open the Digital Wellbeing dashboard tab, use dms ipc call dash open wellbeing. The tab only appears while tracking is enabled.

Examples:

dms ipc call wellbeing status
dms ipc call wellbeing toggle
dms ipc call wellbeing today
dms ipc call wellbeing dailyLimit 180
dms ipc call wellbeing dailyLimit ""   # prints the current limit
dms ipc call wellbeing appLimit firefox 60
dms ipc call wellbeing appLimit firefox 0

Keybind examples:

// niri
Mod+Shift+W { spawn "dms" "ipc" "call" "dash" "toggle" "wellbeing"; }

-- Hyprland
hl.bind(mod .. " + SHIFT + W", hl.dsp.exec_cmd("dms ipc call dash toggle wellbeing"))

Both actions are also available in Settings → Keyboard shortcuts as Dashboard: Digital Wellbeing and Screen Time Tracking: Toggle.

Wallpaper & Profile

wallpaper

Wallpaper management with support for global and per-monitor configurations.

Global Wallpaper Functions

Function	Description	Parameters
get	Get current wallpaper path	-
set <path>	Set wallpaper	path to image file
clear	Clear all wallpapers	-
next	Cycle to next wallpaper	-
prev	Cycle to previous wallpaper	-

Per-Monitor Functions

Function	Description	Parameters
getFor <screen>	Get wallpaper for monitor	monitor name (e.g., "DP-2")
setFor <screen> <path>	Set wallpaper for monitor	monitor name, path to image
nextFor <screen>	Cycle to next wallpaper	monitor name
prevFor <screen>	Cycle to previous wallpaper	monitor name

Examples:

# Global wallpaper mode
dms ipc call wallpaper set /path/to/image.jpg
dms ipc call wallpaper next

# Per-monitor wallpaper mode
dms ipc call wallpaper setFor DP-2 /path/to/image1.jpg
dms ipc call wallpaper setFor eDP-1 /path/to/image2.jpg
dms ipc call wallpaper nextFor eDP-1

# Clear and return to global mode
dms ipc call wallpaper clear

Note: When per-monitor mode is enabled, legacy global functions will return error messages directing you to use the per-monitor equivalents.

profile

User profile image management.

Function	Description	Parameters
getImage	Get current profile image path	-
setImage <path>	Set profile image	path to image file
clearImage	Clear profile image	-

Examples:

dms ipc call profile setImage /path/to/avatar.png
dms ipc call profile clearImage

Appearance Controls

theme

Theme mode control (light/dark mode switching).

Function	Description
toggle	Toggle between light and dark themes
light	Switch to light theme
dark	Switch to dark theme
getMode	Get current theme mode

Examples:

dms ipc call theme toggle
dms ipc call theme dark

bar

Control individual bars using flexible selectors.

Function	Description	Parameters
reveal <selector> <value>	Show a bar	selector + value
hide <selector> <value>	Hide a bar	selector + value
toggle <selector> <value>	Toggle bar visibility	selector + value
status <selector> <value>	Get bar visibility status	selector + value
autoHide <selector> <value>	Enable auto-hide mode	selector + value
manualHide <selector> <value>	Disable auto-hide mode	selector + value
toggleAutoHide <selector> <value>	Toggle auto-hide mode	selector + value
toggleReveal <selector> <value>	Toggle the runtime reveal/tuck state for an auto-hidden bar	selector + value
getPosition <selector> <value>	Get bar position	selector + value
setPosition <selector> <value> <position>	Set bar position	selector + value + position (top, bottom, left, right)

Note: toggleReveal only affects bars with auto-hide enabled. Moving the pointer into the bar reveal area clears the IPC reveal state and hands control back to normal hover auto-hide behavior.

Selectors:

• index - Select by position (0-based)
• id - Select by unique bar ID
• name - Select by bar name

Examples:

# By index
dms ipc call bar hide index 0
dms ipc call bar reveal index 1
dms ipc call bar toggle index 0

# By name
dms ipc call bar toggle name "Main Bar"
dms ipc call bar status name "Secondary"

# By ID
dms ipc call bar reveal id abc123

# Auto-hide controls
dms ipc call bar autoHide index 0
dms ipc call bar manualHide name "Main Bar"
dms ipc call bar toggleAutoHide index 1
dms ipc call bar toggleReveal index 0

# Position controls
dms ipc call bar getPosition index 0
dms ipc call bar getPosition id default
dms ipc call bar setPosition index 0 top
dms ipc call bar setPosition id default left

Dank Island and Dot: A bar instance may use the Island or Dot layout (Settings → Bar → Layout). Both are still listed by bar selectors (index includes them), but visibility and auto-hide commands return BAR_IS_ISLAND — use the island or dot target instead. setPosition accepts only top and bottom for an edge island; for a free island it only picks the orientation (top/bottom horizontal, left/right vertical).

island

Dank Island activity surface. Requires a bar instance using the Island layout and enabled. Commands target the focused screen unless you use an *On variant. This target never answers for a Dot; use openInstance / toggleInstance with a bar id to address either kind explicitly.

Function	Description	Parameters
open <activity>	Expand into the requested activity	activity id
toggle <activity>	Collapse if expanded; otherwise expand into the activity	activity id
show <activity>	Switch the compact face without expanding	activity id
close	Collapse back to the compact face	-
cycle	Cycle activities (home → media when available → launcher when Default Opens is Island → controlcenter → wallpaper → weather when enabled → notificationcenter)	-
status	JSON snapshot of the island on the focused screen	-
notifications	Toggle the notification center as an island activity	-
openOn / toggleOn / showOn / closeOn / cycleOn / statusOn / notificationsOn	Same actions on a named monitor	activity (where required) + screen name
openInstance / toggleInstance	Address one island or dot instance by bar id	activity + screen name + bar id
move <x> <y>	Move a free island's centre to a pixel position on its screen, clamped fully on screen	x, y
moveOn <screen> <x> <y>	Same on a named monitor	screen name, x, y
center / centerOn <screen>	Recentre a free island, useful to recover one parked off a disconnected display	screen name (for centerOn)

Activities: home (clock), media, launcher, controlcenter (control-center, cc), wallpaper, weather, notificationcenter (notifications, notification-center, nc). Unrecognized ids open home. media needs an active session; weather needs weather enabled. A screen name with no island returns DANK_ISLAND_UNAVAILABLE rather than falling back to another display.

Free placement: With Float on, Settings → Bar → General → Placement offers Edge (floats along its edge) or Anywhere (a draggable island you can park at any point on the display). move / center only apply to an Anywhere island and return DANK_ISLAND_NOT_FREE otherwise. status reports free plus the anchor x / y for free islands.

When Dank Island or a Dot is the sole top chrome on the focused display, or an island or dot there has Shared shortcuts set to Always here or is the last one clicked under Last used on this screen, these existing targets open island activities instead of their popouts:

• control-center open / toggle / hide / status
• notifications open / toggle / close (the notification modal is used if the island does not own the screen)
• dash open / toggle with overview (or no tab), media, wallpaper, or weather, and dash close while those activities are open

spotlight and launcher open the island launcher when Launcher → Default Opens is Island, and fall back to Spotlight if the focused screen has no island. An island or dot that owns shared shortcuts also uses the island launcher, regardless of the default launcher style; see shared shortcut routing.

Examples:

dms ipc call island toggle home
dms ipc call island open media
dms ipc call island open launcher
dms ipc call island open controlcenter
dms ipc call island open wallpaper
dms ipc call island open weather
dms ipc call island open notifications
dms ipc call island show home
dms ipc call island toggleOn media DP-1
dms ipc call island cycle
dms ipc call island close
dms ipc call island status
dms ipc call island move 1600 900
dms ipc call island centerOn DP-1
dms ipc call island openInstance controlcenter DP-1 default

dot

Dank Dot: a bar instance using the Dot layout (Settings → Bar → Layout → Dot). It rests as a small draggable dot anywhere on the display, floats over every other bar, and opens the same activities as the island. Fades and shrinks when idle; hover or drag to wake it. Commands target the focused screen unless you use an *On variant, and answer only for dots — an island never responds here.

Function	Description	Parameters
open <activity>	Expand the dot into the requested activity	activity id
toggle <activity>	Collapse if expanded; otherwise expand into the activity	activity id
show <activity>	Switch the pending activity without expanding	activity id
close	Collapse back to the dot	-
cycle	Cycle activities, same order as the island	-
status	JSON snapshot of the dot (screen, x, y, idle, activity, expanded, …)	-
notifications	Toggle the notification center as a dot activity	-
move <x> <y>	Move the dot's centre to a pixel position on its screen, clamped fully on screen	x, y
center	Recentre the dot on its screen	-
openOn / toggleOn / showOn	Same activity action on a named monitor	activity + screen name
closeOn / cycleOn / statusOn / notificationsOn / centerOn	Same action on a named monitor	screen name
moveOn	Move the dot on a named monitor	screen name + x + y
openInstance / toggleInstance	Address one dot instance by bar id	activity + screen name + bar id

Activities and their aliases match the island target. Replies use a DANK_DOT_ prefix (DANK_DOT_OPEN, DANK_DOT_CLOSED, DANK_DOT_MOVED, DANK_DOT_UNAVAILABLE, …).

With bars on the same screen, the dot only reacts to clicks and this target by default; the shared control-center, notifications, dash, spotlight and launcher targets keep opening your bar popouts. On a screen with no bar and no island, the dot is the sole chrome and takes them automatically.

Shared shortcuts (Settings → Bar → General, with the dot or an island selected) changes this per instance:

• Normal routing — the default above.
• Always here — shared targets open in this dot or island, even when bars share the screen. Only one instance per screen can hold this; choosing it on another resets the previous one to Normal.
• Last used on this screen — shared shortcuts follow the last bar, island or dot you clicked. Each screen remembers its own destination until the shell restarts; clicking a standard bar restores its popouts and launcher. Before the first click, Normal routing applies.

All three work with the Frame layout and do not require changing your launcher style. Explicit dot and island commands keep their own targets regardless.

Examples:

dms ipc call dot toggle home
dms ipc call dot open launcher
dms ipc call dot open controlcenter
dms ipc call dot notifications
dms ipc call dot move 1600 900
dms ipc call dot moveOn DP-1 200 200
dms ipc call dot center
dms ipc call dot close
dms ipc call dot status

dock

Dock visibility and behavior control.

A dock is one of possibly several configurations, each holding one screen edge. Functions without a selector act on the dock of the focused screen; the *For variants take a selector naming a dock by its id or its display name (as shown in Settings → Dock → Configuration). Any function returns DOCK_NOT_FOUND when no dock matches.

Function	Description
reveal / revealFor <selector>	Enable the dock
hide / hideFor <selector>	Disable the dock
toggle / toggleFor <selector>	Toggle the dock
status / statusFor <selector>	Get dock visibility status
edit / editFor <selector>	Open the dock's widget edit mode, or DOCK_HIDDEN when the dock is disabled
autoHide	Enable auto-hide mode
manualHide	Disable auto-hide mode
toggleAutoHide	Toggle auto-hide mode
autoHideFor <selector> <enabled>	Set auto-hide on a named dock, true or false

Examples:

dms ipc call dock toggle
dms ipc call dock hide
dms ipc call dock reveal
dms ipc call dock status
dms ipc call dock edit

# A specific dock, by display name or id
dms ipc call dock revealFor Dock
dms ipc call dock hideFor dock_1757371200000
dms ipc call dock editFor Dock

# Auto-hide controls
dms ipc call dock autoHide
dms ipc call dock manualHide
dms ipc call dock toggleAutoHide
dms ipc call dock autoHideFor Dock true

widget

Control bar widget popouts, menus, and visibility (including plugins).

Function	Description	Parameters
toggle <widgetId>	Toggle widget popout visibility	widget ID
openWith <widgetId> <mode>	Open widget popout in a specific mode	widget ID, mode
toggleWith <widgetId> <mode>	Toggle widget popout in a specific mode	widget ID, mode
openQuery <widgetId> <query>	Open widget popout with a pre-filled search query	widget ID, query text
toggleQuery <widgetId> <query>	Toggle widget popout with a pre-filled search query	widget ID, query text
list	List all registered widget IDs with visibility state	-
status <widgetId>	Get widget popout visibility status	widget ID
visibility <widgetId>	Get widget visibility state	widget ID
reveal <widgetId>	Force widget to be visible	widget ID
hide <widgetId>	Force widget to be hidden	widget ID
reset <widgetId>	Clear visibility override, return to normal behavior	widget ID

Examples:

dms ipc call widget list
dms ipc call widget toggle clock
dms ipc call widget status weather

# Open widget popout in a specific mode (e.g., launcher tabs)
dms ipc call widget openWith launcherButton all
dms ipc call widget openWith launcherButton files
dms ipc call widget openWith launcherButton apps
dms ipc call widget openWith launcherButton plugins
dms ipc call widget toggleWith launcherButton files

# Open widget popout with a pre-filled search query
dms ipc call widget openQuery launcherButton "browser"
dms ipc call widget toggleQuery launcherButton "settings"

# Control widget visibility on the bar
dms ipc call widget visibility weather
dms ipc call widget hide weather
dms ipc call widget reveal weather
dms ipc call widget reset weather

Notes:

• Use list to discover available widget IDs with their current visibility state ([visible] or [hidden])
• Widget IDs come from the widgets in your bar settings; a disabled widget still opens its popout
• With several bars, popouts open on the focused screen, preferring a bar where the widget is shown, then the bar you last clicked when Last used on this screen is on. A widget on a hidden bar opens anchored where that bar sits
• The status function returns "visible" or "hidden" for the widget popout state
• The visibility, reveal, hide, and reset functions control the widget's bar presence (whether it appears on the bar at all)
• Plugins can define conditional visibility via visibilityCommand — use reset to return to that behavior after overriding

Modal Controls

These targets control various modal windows and overlays.

spotlight

Application launcher modal with search capabilities.

note

spotlight and launcher are synonymous — both targets call the same launcher modal for backwards compatibility.

When Launcher → Default Opens is set to Island, these calls open the island launcher on the focused screen (Spotlight is used if that screen has no Dank Island). Direct control is island open launcher.

Function	Description	Parameters
open	Show launcher	-
close	Hide launcher	-
toggle	Toggle launcher visibility	-
openWith <mode>	Open launcher in a specific mode	all, apps, files, plugins
toggleWith <mode>	Toggle launcher in a specific mode	all, apps, files, plugins
openQuery <query>	Show launcher with search	search text
toggleQuery <query>	Toggle launcher with search	search text

Examples:

dms ipc call spotlight toggle
dms ipc call spotlight openQuery browser
dms ipc call spotlight toggleQuery "!"
dms ipc call spotlight openWith apps
dms ipc call spotlight toggleWith files

spotlight-bar

Spotlight Bar — a compact inline search bar that drops down from the top center of the screen. Designed for quick app launches and searches without opening the full launcher modal.

Default keybind: Alt + Space

Function	Description	Parameters
open	Show the Spotlight Bar	-
close	Hide the Spotlight Bar	-
toggle	Toggle the Spotlight Bar	-
openWith <mode>	Open the Spotlight Bar in a specific mode	all, apps, files, plugins
toggleWith <mode>	Toggle the Spotlight Bar in a specific mode	all, apps, files, plugins
openQuery <query>	Show the Spotlight Bar with search	search text
toggleQuery <query>	Toggle the Spotlight Bar with search	search text

Examples:

dms ipc call spotlight-bar toggle
dms ipc call spotlight-bar open
dms ipc call spotlight-bar close
dms ipc call spotlight-bar openQuery browser
dms ipc call spotlight-bar toggleQuery "!"
dms ipc call spotlight-bar openWith apps
dms ipc call spotlight-bar toggleWith files

Other Modals

All these modals support open, close, and toggle functions:

• clipboard - Clipboard history manager
• notifications - Notification center (also supports clearAll, dismiss, dismissAllPopups, toggleDoNotDisturb, getDoNotDisturb, enableDoNotDisturbIndefinitely, enableDoNotDisturbUntilTomorrowMorning, and enableDoNotDisturbUntil <timestampMs>)
• processlist - System process list and performance monitor (also supports focusOrToggle)
• powermenu - Power menu for system actions
• control-center - Quick settings (network, bluetooth, audio, etc.)
• notepad - Quick notepad/scratchpad

When Dank Island is the sole top chrome on the focused display (or an island or dot there owns shared shortcuts), control-center and notifications open island activities instead of their popouts. The notification modal still opens if the island does not own the screen.

Examples:

dms ipc call clipboard toggle
dms ipc call notifications open
dms ipc call notifications clearAll
dms ipc call notifications dismiss
dms ipc call notifications dismissAllPopups
dms ipc call notifications toggleDoNotDisturb
dms ipc call notifications getDoNotDisturb
dms ipc call notifications enableDoNotDisturbIndefinitely
dms ipc call notifications enableDoNotDisturbUntilTomorrowMorning
dms ipc call notifications enableDoNotDisturbUntil 1744819200000
dms ipc call processlist open
dms ipc call powermenu toggle
dms ipc call control-center toggle
dms ipc call notepad open

settings

Settings modal with additional read/write access to configuration values.

Function	Description	Parameters
open	Show settings modal	-
openWith <tab>	Open settings to specific tab	tab ID
close	Hide settings modal	-
toggle	Toggle settings modal	-
toggleWith <tab>	Toggle settings to specific tab	tab ID
focusOrToggle	Focus settings if open, otherwise toggle	-
focusOrToggleWith <tab>	Focus/toggle to specific tab	tab ID
tabs	List available tab IDs	-
get <key>	Get a setting value	setting key name
set <key> <value>	Set a setting value	setting key, new value

Settings Categories:

Each category in the settings sidebar can be opened directly. Names are case-insensitive, and -, _ and spaces are ignored, so bar-widgets, bar_widgets and barwidgets are equivalent.

Category	Tab	Also accepts
Wallpaper & colors	personalization	wallpaper, colors, wallpaper_colors
Interface style	theme_surfaces	interface, interface_style
Fonts & motion	typography	fonts, fonts_motion
Bar	dankbar	bar
Bar widgets	dankbar_widgets	bar_widgets, workspaces
Dock	dock	dock_launcher
Launcher	launcher	-
Dashboard	dank_dash	dashboard
Desktop widgets	desktop_widgets	-
Notifications	notifications	-
On-screen displays	osd	-
Digital wellbeing	wellbeing	screen_time
Sound & media	sound_media	sound, media
Displays	displays	-
Input	input	-
Power & battery	power_battery	power, power_security
Network	network	-
Users & accounts	user_accounts	-
Security	security_accounts	security
Applications	applications	-
Date, time & region	date_time_region	datetime, region
System & integrations	system	-
Plugins	plugins	-
About	about	-

Individual pages inside a category (for example theme, keybinds, lock_screen, dock_appearance) can also be opened directly. Run dms ipc call settings tabs for the full list of page IDs, including installed plugins as plugin:<id>. Categories that don't apply to your system are hidden from the sidebar and the jump list.

The same categories are available as a jump list when you right-click the DMS Settings icon pinned to the dock or the bar's pinned apps.

Examples:

dms ipc call settings toggle
dms ipc call settings openWith wallpaper
dms ipc call settings openWith bar-widgets
dms ipc call settings toggleWith dock
dms ipc call settings focusOrToggleWith displays
dms ipc call settings tabs
dms ipc call settings set showSeconds true
dms ipc call settings set opacity 0.9

Note: The set function supports boolean, number, and string values. Objects and arrays are not currently supported.

dash

Dashboard popup with multiple tabs.

Function	Description	Parameters
open [tab]	Show dashboard	tab: "", "overview", "media", "wallpaper", "weather", "wellbeing", "notifications"
close	Hide dashboard	-
toggle [tab]	Toggle dashboard	tab
openAt <tab> <position>	Show dashboard anchored to a bar section	tab, position: "left", "center", "right"
toggleAt <tab> <position>	Toggle dashboard anchored to a bar section	tab, position

Without a position, the dashboard anchors to the clock widget. openAt/toggleAt anchor it to the given bar section instead — useful when triggering the dash from a custom widget or script.

On displays where Dank Island is the sole top chrome (or an island or dot there owns shared shortcuts), open/toggle with media, wallpaper, or weather route to the matching island activity. close collapses those activities when they are open.

Examples:

dms ipc call dash toggle ""
dms ipc call dash open overview
dms ipc call dash toggle media
dms ipc call dash open weather
dms ipc call dash open wellbeing
dms ipc call dash toggleAt wallpaper center
dms ipc call dash openAt overview right

file

File browser controls for selecting wallpapers and profile images.

Function	Description	Parameters
browse <type>	Open file browser	"wallpaper" or "profile"

Examples:

dms ipc call file browse wallpaper
dms ipc call file browse profile

color-picker

In-shell color picker modal for theme and settings color selection.

Function	Description	Parameters
open	Show color picker modal	-
openColor <color>	Show modal with a pre-selected color	color string (e.g. #ff0000)
close	Hide color picker modal	-
closeInstant	Hide without animation	-
toggle	Toggle modal visibility	-
toggleInstant	Toggle without animation on hide	-

Examples:

dms ipc call color-picker toggle
dms ipc call color-picker openColor "#3f51b5"

tip

Screen eyedropper: dms color pick is a standalone CLI command, not an IPC target. See Color Picker CLI.

welcome

First-launch welcome wizard with feature overview, system diagnostics, and configuration quick links.

Function	Description	Parameters
open	Show wizard at Welcome page	-
doctor	Show wizard at System Check page	-
page <num>	Show wizard at specific page	0=Welcome, 1=Doctor, 2=Complete

Pages:

• 0 - Welcome: Feature overview with DMS highlights
• 1 - System Check: Runs dms doctor with filterable results (Errors, Warnings, Info, OK)
• 2 - Complete: Configuration quick links, keybind shortcuts, and external resources

Examples:

dms ipc call welcome open
dms ipc call welcome doctor
dms ipc call welcome page 2

Settings Integration: Available in Settings → About → Tools as "Show Welcome" and "System Check" buttons.

System Utilities

niri

Screenshot functions require niri 25.11+. Automatic touchpad OSD updates require a niri build with TouchpadToggled IPC events (currently niri-git).

Screenshot and touchpad controls for the niri compositor. Captures are opened in your configured editor for markup and annotation.

Function	Description
screenshot	Interactive selection screenshot
screenshotScreen	Capture entire screen
screenshotWindow	Capture focused window
showTouchpadOsd <enabled>	Show the hardware-reported touchpad state (true for on, false for off), without changing it

Examples:

dms ipc call niri screenshot
dms ipc call niri screenshotScreen
dms ipc call niri screenshotWindow
dms ipc call niri showTouchpadOsd true
dms ipc call niri showTouchpadOsd false

Touchpad toggle: DMS listens for niri's TouchpadToggled events and shows the reported software-toggle state. Native keybindings and niri msg action toggle-touchpad both trigger the OSD. This state describes niri's software toggle; hardware switches and input { touchpad { off; } } can still disable the device.

The following binding calls niri directly. It uses spawn so the config remains parseable on older niri versions; toggling still requires the toggle-touchpad action, and the OSD requires the new events:

XF86TouchpadToggle allow-when-locked=true repeat=false {
    spawn "niri" "msg" "action" "toggle-touchpad";
}

Hardware On/Off keys: For laptops that enable or disable the touchpad in hardware and emit XF86TouchpadOn or XF86TouchpadOff, these bindings show the corresponding OSD without sending a toggle action. They do not require niri's toggle-touchpad action or TouchpadToggled events.

XF86TouchpadOn allow-when-locked=true repeat=false {
    spawn "dms" "ipc" "call" "niri" "showTouchpadOsd" "true";
}
XF86TouchpadOff allow-when-locked=true repeat=false {
    spawn "dms" "ipc" "call" "niri" "showTouchpadOsd" "false";
}

The OSD can be turned off in Settings → OSD → Touchpad.

Configuration:

Set the DMS_SCREENSHOT_EDITOR environment variable to choose your preferred screenshot editor backend:

# Use Swappy (default)
export DMS_SCREENSHOT_EDITOR=swappy

# Use Satty
export DMS_SCREENSHOT_EDITOR=satty

Requirements: niri compositor and your chosen screenshot editor (Swappy or Satty) must be installed.

keybinds

Dynamic keybinds cheatsheet modal that works with multiple providers.

Function	Description	Parameters
open <provider>	Show keybinds modal	provider name (e.g., "hyprland", "sway", "mangowc")
openWithPath <provider> <path>	Show keybinds modal with custom config path	provider name, path to config
close	Hide keybinds modal	-
toggle <provider>	Toggle keybinds modal visibility	provider name
toggleWithPath <provider> <path>	Toggle keybinds modal with custom config path	provider name, path to config

Examples:

dms ipc call keybinds toggle hyprland
dms ipc call keybinds toggle sway
dms ipc call keybinds toggle mangowc
dms ipc call keybinds open tmux

# With custom config paths
dms ipc call keybinds openWithPath hyprland /custom/path/to/hypr
dms ipc call keybinds toggleWithPath sway /etc/sway/config

Supported Providers:

The keybinds modal supports all providers available through the dms keybinds CLI:

• Built-in providers: Hyprland, Sway, MangoWC, Miracle WM (automatically parse compositor configs)
• Custom cheatsheets: Any JSON-based cheatsheet in ~/.config/dms/cheatsheets/

The modal automatically parses configuration files and displays keybinds organized by category with optional subcategories. See the Keybinds & Cheatsheets documentation for more details on providers and creating custom cheatsheets.

window-rules

niri only

Window rules editor modal for managing compositor window rules.

Function	Description
open	Open the window rules editor
close	Close the window rules editor
toggle	Toggle window rules editor visibility

Examples:

dms ipc call window-rules open
dms ipc call window-rules close
dms ipc call window-rules toggle

note

This feature is only available on the niri compositor.

workspace-rename

Niri and Hyprland only

Rename the currently active workspace via a dialog.

Function	Description
open	Open the workspace rename dialog

Examples:

dms ipc call workspace-rename open

Note: Returns an error if running on an unsupported compositor.

outputs

Monitor output profile management for switching between display configurations.

Function	Description	Parameters
listProfiles	List all available output profiles	-
current	Get the currently active profile	-
setProfile <name>	Switch to a specific output profile	profile name
cycleProfile	Cycle through configured profiles in order (wraps from last back to first)	-
cycle	Cycle through connected displays, leaving one enabled (niri only)	-
status	Get current output configuration status	-
refresh	Refresh output configuration	-

Examples:

# List available profiles
dms ipc call outputs listProfiles

# Check current profile
dms ipc call outputs current

# Switch to a specific profile
dms ipc call outputs setProfile "docked"
dms ipc call outputs setProfile "laptop-only"

# Cycle through profiles in order
dms ipc call outputs cycleProfile

# Cycle through connected displays, one enabled at a time
dms ipc call outputs cycle

# Get output status
dms ipc call outputs status

# Refresh configuration
dms ipc call outputs refresh

note

This feature is only available on niri, Hyprland, and MangoWC compositors.

Cycling connected displays

cycle walks connected outputs in name order and leaves a single display enabled. If the next output is disabled, DMS enables it and waits for confirmation before disabling the others. If it is already enabled, the others are disabled immediately.

The command returns as soon as the switch is started:

Status	Meaning
OUTPUT_CYCLE_ACCEPTED	Switching started, not a confirmation that it finished
OUTPUT_CYCLE_BUSY	Still waiting for the previously selected output to become enabled
OUTPUT_CYCLE_NOOP	Fewer than two outputs connected, or switching could not start
OUTPUT_CYCLE_UNSUPPORTED	Compositor is not niri, its IPC socket is unavailable, or output-state notifications are unavailable

If the selected display disconnects and no connected display is left enabled, DMS enables the previous connected display in the cycle. The cycle order lives in memory and resets when DMS restarts.

note

cycle is niri only, unlike the profile functions above.

hypr

Hyprland-only features

Hyprland-specific workspace overview control.

Function	Description
openOverview	Show Hyprland workspace overview
closeOverview	Hide Hyprland workspace overview
toggleOverview	Toggle Hyprland workspace overview visibility

Examples:

dms ipc call hypr toggleOverview

Workspace Overview:

The workspace overview shows all your workspaces across all monitors with live window previews:

• Multi-monitor support - Shows workspaces from all connected monitors with monitor name labels
• Live window previews - Real-time screen capture of all windows on each workspace
• Drag-and-drop - Move windows between workspaces and monitors by dragging
• Keyboard navigation - Use Left/Right arrow keys to switch between workspaces on current monitor
• Visual indicators - Active workspace highlighted when it contains windows
• Click to switch - Click any workspace to switch to it
• Click outside or press Escape - Close the overview

Note: All hypr functions return HYPR_NOT_AVAILABLE if not running Hyprland.

plugins

Manage plugins at runtime - useful for development and troubleshooting.

Function	Description	Parameters
list	List all available plugins with status	-
status <pluginId>	Check if a plugin is loaded	plugin ID
reload <pluginId>	Hot-reload a plugin without restarting	plugin ID
enable <pluginId>	Enable a disabled plugin	plugin ID
disable <pluginId>	Disable a loaded plugin	plugin ID

Examples:

# See what plugins are available
dms ipc call plugins list

# Check if a specific plugin is running
dms ipc call plugins status myPlugin

# Hot-reload during development (no shell restart needed)
dms ipc call plugins reload myPlugin

# Toggle plugins on/off
dms ipc call plugins enable myPlugin
dms ipc call plugins disable myPlugin

systemupdater

System updater widget control and background update checks.

Function	Description
toggle	Toggle the system updater popout open/closed
open	Open the system updater popout
close	Close the system updater popout
updatestatus	Trigger a background update check

Examples:

dms ipc call systemupdater toggle
dms ipc call systemupdater open
dms ipc call systemupdater close
dms ipc call systemupdater updatestatus

defaultApp

Launch the applications configured in Settings → Default Apps. Each function resolves the default handler for the associated MIME type and launches it.

Function	Description
browser	Launch the default web browser
fileManager	Launch the default file manager
textEditor	Launch the default text editor
pdfReader	Launch the default PDF reader
imageViewer	Launch the default image viewer
videoPlayer	Launch the default video player
musicPlayer	Launch the default music player
mail	Launch the default mail client
calendar	Launch the default calendar application

Examples:

dms ipc call defaultApp browser
dms ipc call defaultApp fileManager
dms ipc call defaultApp textEditor

Note: Returns a launch-request confirmation. If no default is configured (or its desktop entry can't be found) for the requested type, a warning is logged and nothing launches.

desktopWidget

Control desktop widget instances (clocks, system monitors, etc.).

Function	Description	Parameters
list	List all widget instances with ID, type, name, and status	-
status <instanceId>	Get widget status (enabled, overlay, clickThrough, etc.)	instance ID
enable <instanceId>	Enable the widget	instance ID
disable <instanceId>	Disable the widget	instance ID
toggleEnabled <instanceId>	Toggle widget enabled/disabled	instance ID
toggleOverlay <instanceId>	Toggle show on overlay layer	instance ID
setOverlay <instanceId> <bool>	Set overlay visibility	instance ID, true/false
toggleClickThrough <instanceId>	Toggle click-through mode	instance ID
setClickThrough <instanceId> <bool>	Set click-through mode	instance ID, true/false
toggleSyncPosition <instanceId>	Toggle position sync across screens	instance ID
setSyncPosition <instanceId> <bool>	Set position sync across screens	instance ID, true/false

Examples:

# List all desktop widgets
dms ipc call desktopWidget list

# Get widget status
dms ipc call desktopWidget status dw_1234567890_abc123

# Toggle overlay visibility (useful for keybinds)
dms ipc call desktopWidget toggleOverlay dw_1234567890_abc123

# Enable click-through mode
dms ipc call desktopWidget setClickThrough dw_1234567890_abc123 true

# Toggle position sync
dms ipc call desktopWidget toggleSyncPosition dw_1234567890_abc123

Notes:

• Use list to discover widget instance IDs
• Click-through mode allows mouse clicks to pass through the widget to windows below
• Position sync keeps the widget at the same relative position across multiple monitors

toast

Display toast notifications for user feedback and scripted alerts.

Function	Description	Parameters
info <message>	Show info toast (1.5s)	message text
infoWith <message> <details> <command> <category>	Info toast with extras	message, details, command, category
warn <message>	Show warning toast (3s)	message text
warnWith <message> <details> <command> <category>	Warning toast with extras	message, details, command, category
error <message>	Show error toast (5s)	message text
errorWith <message> <details> <command> <category>	Error toast with extras (8s, expandable)	message, details, command, category
hide	Hide current toast	-
dismiss <category>	Dismiss toasts by category	category name
status	Get current toast state	-

Examples:

# Simple messages
dms ipc call toast info "Build complete"
dms ipc call toast warn "Disk space low"
dms ipc call toast error "Connection failed"

# With details (expandable in UI)
dms ipc call toast errorWith "Git push failed" "Permission denied (publickey)" "git push origin main" "git"

# With category for later dismissal
dms ipc call toast warnWith "Downloading update..." "" "" "updater"
dms ipc call toast dismiss "updater"

# Check current state
dms ipc call toast status

# Force hide
dms ipc call toast hide

Notes:

• The *With variants accept optional details (expandable in UI), a command string, and a category
• Use empty strings ("") for optional parameters you want to skip
• Categories allow grouping related toasts for batch dismissal
• The status function returns hidden or visible:level:message

Scripting and Automation

IPC commands are designed for integration with keybindings, scripts, and automation tools.

Time-based Automation

#!/bin/bash
# Toggle night mode based on time of day
hour=$(date +%H)
if [ $hour -ge 20 ] || [ $hour -le 6 ]; then
    dms ipc call night enable
else
    dms ipc call night disable
fi

Status Checking

# Check if screen is locked before performing action
if dms ipc call lock isLocked | grep -q "false"; then
    dms ipc call notifications open
fi

Conditional Logic

# Increase brightness only if below threshold
current=$(dms ipc call brightness status | grep -oP '\d+')
if [ "$current" -lt 50 ]; then
    dms ipc call brightness set 50
fi

# Cycle power profile only when not in performance mode
if [ "$(dms ipc call powerprofile status)" != "performance" ]; then
    dms ipc call powerprofile cycle
fi

Return Values

Most IPC functions return string messages indicating:

• Success confirmation with current values
• Error messages if operation fails
• Status information for query functions
• Empty/void return for simple action functions

Functions that return void (like media controls) execute the action but don't provide feedback. Check the application state through other means if needed.

Next Steps

See compositor-specific keybinding configuration in your compositor's documentation to integrate these IPC commands with your workflow.