cinnamon-screensaver

cinnamon-screensaver [OPTIONS]

-a, --activate
    Immediately activates the screensaver.

-d, --deactivate
    Deactivates the screensaver. Unlocks the screen.

-l, --lock
    Locks the screen immediately, even if the screensaver is not active.

-q, --query
    Queries the screensaver status. Returns 0 if active, non-zero otherwise.

-v, --version
    Displays the version information of the cinnamon-screensaver.

-h, --help
    Displays help information about the command.

The cinnamon-screensaver command is used to control the Cinnamon desktop environment's screensaver. It allows you to activate, query its status, and lock the screen.

It's a crucial part of the Cinnamon desktop experience, providing security by locking the screen after a period of inactivity and preventing unauthorized access to your computer.

The screensaver can be configured through the Cinnamon settings panel, but this command-line tool provides a way to interact with it programmatically. For example, you might use it in a script to lock the screen when a specific event occurs, or to check if the screensaver is active before performing a certain action. This utility is the primary method to interact with the screensaver from scripts and command line without using the desktop environment configurations.
It is important to note that to use this command your Cinnamon desktop needs to be properly installed and active.

The cinnamon-screensaver --query command returns an exit status of 0 if the screensaver is active, and a non-zero value otherwise.

xscreensaver(1), gnome-screensaver(1)