dconf-write

Write a key value

$ dconf write /[path/to/key] "[value]"

$ dconf write /[path/to/key] "'[string]'"

$ dconf write /[path/to/key] "[5]"

$ dconf write /[path/to/key] "[true]"

$ dconf write /[path/to/key] "['first', 'second']"

$ dconf write /[path/to/key] "@as []"

dconf write key value

dconf write sets a value in the dconf database. Values must be specified in GVariant text format, which requires careful quoting to satisfy both shell parsing and GVariant syntax requirements.
The challenge with dconf write is the layered quoting: the shell requires quotes around the entire value argument, while GVariant format requires its own quotes for strings. This leads to constructions like "'string value'" where outer double quotes are for the shell and inner single quotes are GVariant syntax. Integers, booleans, and other types don't need the inner quotes.
Changes take effect immediately for applications monitoring the dconf database. Unlike gsettings, dconf write doesn't validate values against schemas, so it's possible to write values that applications won't accept. For schema-validated writes with better error checking, use gsettings instead. dconf write is most useful in scripts where the value format is known and controlled.

key

Full path to the key

Value in GVariant format

Strings

Single quotes inside double: "'text'"

Plain numbers: "42"

true or false

['item1', 'item2']

@as [] (string array), @ai [] (int array)

Quoting is tricky: shell quotes wrap GVariant format. Strings need both shell quotes and GVariant quotes. Invalid values are silently ignored. For validated writes, use gsettings.

dconf(1), dconf-read(1), gsettings(1)