gpm

Console mouse support daemon

TLDR

Start gpm with a PS/2 mouse

$ sudo gpm -m /dev/input/mice -t ps2

Start gpm with a Microsoft serial mouse

$ sudo gpm -m /dev/ttyS0 -t ms

Start gpm in the foreground for debugging

$ sudo gpm -m [path/to/mouse_device] -t [mouse_type] -D

Kill the running gpm

$ sudo gpm -k

Start gpm in repeater mode for X server compatibility

$ sudo gpm -m [path/to/mouse_device] -t [mouse_type] -R

List the available mouse types

$ gpm -t help

gpm (General Purpose Mouse) provides mouse support for the Linux virtual console (text mode). It enables copy/paste functionality, mouse cursor movement, and mouse button events in console applications.Text selection is done by holding the left button and dragging. Middle button pastes selected text. Right button extends selection. This provides clipboard functionality similar to X11 in pure text mode.In repeater mode (-R), gpm can pass mouse events to X server, allowing both console and X applications to share the mouse device.

PARAMETERS

-m DEVICE

Mouse device (e.g., /dev/input/mice, /dev/ttyS0)

-t TYPE

Mouse type (ps2, ms, imps2, etc.)

-R [TYPE]

Repeater mode for X server; optionally specify output type

-D

Debug mode; run in foreground

-k

Kill running gpm daemon

-B SEQUENCE

Button sequence (1, 2, 3 or permutation)

-2

Force two-button mouse emulation

-3

Force three-button mouse emulation

CONFIGURATION

/etc/gpm.conf

Daemon configuration including mouse device, type, and options.

INSTALL

sudo apt install gpm

sudo dnf install gpm

sudo pacman -S gpm

sudo apk add gpm

sudo zypper install gpm

nix profile install nixpkgs#gpm

CAVEATS

Only works in Linux virtual consoles, not terminal emulators or SSH sessions. Requires root privileges. May conflict with X server mouse handling if not configured for repeater mode. Modern systems often use systemd to manage gpm.

HISTORY

gpm was created by Alessandro Rubini in 1994 to bring mouse support to the Linux console. It became essential for text-mode applications and system administration before graphical desktops became prevalent. The project remains maintained for console-based systems.

gpm