gpm

Start gpm with a PS/2 mouse

$ sudo gpm -m /dev/input/mice -t ps2

$ sudo gpm -m /dev/ttyS0 -t ms

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

$ sudo gpm -k

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

$ gpm -t help

gpm [options]

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.

-m DEVICE

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

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

Repeater mode for X server; optionally specify output type

Debug mode; run in foreground

Kill running gpm daemon

Button sequence (1, 2, 3 or permutation)

Force two-button mouse emulation

Force three-button mouse emulation

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.

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.

Xorg(1), console(4)