dm-tool
Manage device-mapper devices from the command line
TLDR
Show the greeter while keeping current desktop session open and waiting to be restored upon authentication by logged in user
Lock the current session
Switch to a specific user, showing an authentication prompt if required
Add a dynamic seat from within a running LightDM session
SYNOPSIS
dm-tool COMMAND [ARGS]
PARAMETERS
lock
Locks the current session screen.
switch-to-greeter
Switches to the display manager greeter (login screen).
check
Checks if dm-tool is functional in the current session.
DESCRIPTION
dm-tool is a command-line utility for managing user sessions in the Cinnamon desktop environment, primarily used in Linux Mint. It provides a simple interface to perform common session actions via D-Bus calls to the session manager.
It enables users to lock the screen, switch to the greeter (login screen), or perform other session controls without relying on graphical menus. This tool is especially useful for scripting, keyboard shortcuts, or automation in Cinnamon sessions.
Invoked from a terminal or bound to hotkeys, it interacts with the Cinnamon screensaver and display manager components. Note that it requires an active graphical session and appropriate D-Bus permissions.
CAVEATS
Only functional within an active Cinnamon desktop session; requires D-Bus and cinnamon-screensaver. Does not work in other DEs like GNOME or KDE.
EXAMPLES
dm-tool lock
Locks screen immediately.
dm-tool switch-to-greeter
Switches user to login screen.
HISTORY
Introduced with Cinnamon desktop (fork of GNOME Shell) around 2012 by Linux Mint team. Evolved to support session management in muffin window manager ecosystem.
SEE ALSO
cinnamon-session(1), cinnamon-screensaver(1), lightdm(1)
