Command line

lys-login greet

lys-login greet [--config PATH] [--sessions DIR]... [--xsessions DIR]... [--state PATH] [--env KEY=VAL]... [--hand-over] [-- <session argv...>]

Flag	Default	What it does
--config PATH	/etc/lys-shell/config.yaml	The lys-shell config used for theming.
--sessions DIR	/usr/local/share/wayland-sessions, /usr/share/wayland-sessions	A Wayland session directory. Repeatable; replaces the defaults.
--xsessions DIR	/usr/local/share/xsessions, /usr/share/xsessions	An X11 session directory, launched through startx. Repeatable; replaces the defaults.
--state PATH	$XDG_STATE_HOME/lys-greeter/last-session, else under $HOME/.local/state, else /var/lib/lys-greeter/last-session	The file holding the last session id, with the username in a last-user file beside it.
--env KEY=VAL		Extra environment for the started session, after XDG_SESSION_TYPE, which the greeter sets from the session's kind (wayland for a -- <argv> session). Repeatable.
--hand-over	off	Set by lys-login daemon: after a login the greeter stays up showing only its background until the daemon stops its compositor. Under greetd leave it off, and the greeter exits so greetd starts the session.
-- <argv...>		An explicit fallback session, offered as "Custom".

It exits 2 on a malformed command line, or with no session to offer.

lys-login daemon

lys-login daemon [--vt N] [--service NAME] [--greeter-user NAME] [--compositor PATH] [--runtime-dir DIR] [--splash PATH] [-- <greet args...>]

Run as root by its service. Everything after -- goes to lys-login greet, and a session list that would be empty stops it at startup.

Flag	Default	What it does
--vt N	1	The virtual terminal.
--service NAME	lys-login	The PAM service.
--greeter-user NAME	lys-greeter	The account the greeter runs as.
--compositor PATH	lys-wm	The greeter's compositor.
--runtime-dir DIR	/run/lys-login	The directory for the sockets and the kiosk config.
--splash PATH		lys-splash, quit with --retain-splash once the greeter's first frame is presented.

The packaged unit runs:

lys-login daemon --vt 1 --service lys-login --greeter-user lys-greeter --compositor /usr/bin/lys-wm --splash /usr/bin/lys-splash -- --config /etc/lys-shell/config.yaml --state /var/lib/lys-greeter/last-session

lys-login lock

lys-login lock

No arguments. The lock screen lists its output and exit codes.

lys-login apply-config

lys-login apply-config [--config PATH] <STAGED.yaml>

Changes the login screen and prints the file it wrote. --config is root's: a user's change goes to the display manager, which writes the config it shows. See Configuration.

lys-login record-cursor

lys-login record-cursor

Hands the session's cursor to the display manager and prints the file it wrote. A session that names no cursor records nothing and exits 0. See Configuration.

Internal modes

lys-login worker and lys-login vault-unlock are started by lys-login itself.

Environment

Variable	What it does
LYS_UI_RENDERER	cpu always draws on the CPU, gpu makes a GPU that cannot draw an error, and unset or auto picks.
XCURSOR_THEME, XCURSOR_SIZE	The cursor, last in the order the greeter resolves it in.