gnome-screensaver-command

gnome-screensaver-command [OPTION...]

-a, --activate
    Activates the screensaver immediately.

-d, --deactivate
    Deactivates the screensaver, preventing it from activating.

-p, --poke
    "Pokes" the screensaver, resetting its idle timer to prevent activation for a short period without fully deactivating it.

-q, --query
    Queries the screensaver's current state (active or inactive, locked or unlocked) and prints it to standard output.

-l, --lock
    Locks the screen immediately, regardless of the screensaver's idle status.

-w, --wait
    Waits until the screensaver is active before exiting. Useful for scripting.

--version
    Displays the command's version information.

--help
    Shows a help message and exits.

gnome-screensaver-command is a command-line utility designed to interact with and control the GNOME Screensaver daemon. It provides a programmatic interface to manage the screensaver's state, enabling users to activate, deactivate, or query its status. Furthermore, it allows for immediate screen locking. This tool is particularly valuable in scripting environments, allowing for automated screen locking before leaving a workstation, preventing screensaver activation during presentations, or simply checking if the screen is currently locked. It relies on the gnome-screensaver process running in the background for its operations. While it was a core component of older GNOME desktop environments, its functionality has largely been integrated into gnome-shell and systemd-logind in more recent GNOME versions.

This command requires the gnome-screensaver daemon to be running. In modern GNOME environments (GNOME 3 and later), screen locking and screensaver management are often handled by gnome-shell itself or systemd-logind, potentially rendering gnome-screensaver-command less relevant or even non-functional depending on the specific system configuration and installed components.

gnome-screensaver-command operates by communicating with the gnome-screensaver daemon using D-Bus, a message bus system. This allows it to send requests and receive status updates from the running daemon.

For users of contemporary GNOME desktops, gnome-shell provides native screen locking and idle management. The loginctl command from systemd (e.g., loginctl lock-session) is often the preferred command-line method for session locking, interacting with the underlying systemd-logind service.

The gnome-screensaver project, including gnome-screensaver-command, was a standard feature of the GNOME 2 desktop environment, providing integrated screen locking and screensaver capabilities. With the advent of GNOME 3 and the gnome-shell, much of this functionality was absorbed directly into the shell's codebase and integrated with systemd's logind service. Consequently, while gnome-screensaver-command might still exist for backward compatibility on some systems, its direct role has diminished, with newer methods often preferred for screen management.

gnome-screensaver(1), loginctl(1), xset(1), dbus-send(1)