dunst-project/dunst
Dunst
Dunst is a lightweight notification daemon for Linux desktop environments that receives and displays system alerts via the DBus protocol. It functions as a configurable alert service and notification manager, rendering pop-up messages for X11 and Wayland.
The project distinguishes itself through a pattern-based rule engine that allows for dynamic alert filtering and conditional modifications of visual styles or behavioral settings based on the sending application or category. It also supports notification workflow automation by triggering external scripts and system commands when specific notification patterns are matched.
The system covers broad capability areas including visual appearance customization, priority-based traffic management to pause alerts, and the management of a notification history stack for recalling dismissed messages. It also handles monitor routing, keyboard shortcut assignments, and the execution of action triggers via context menus.
Administrative tasks and daemon interaction are managed through a provided command line interface.
Features
- Notification Services - Managing how system alerts and app messages are displayed and interacted with on a Linux desktop environment.
- Notification Rendering Engines - Renders system alerts and messages using a highly configurable visual style for X11 and Wayland.
- Application Filtering - Filters and modifies notifications based on the application name or category of the sender.
- DBus Communication - Uses the DBus protocol as the primary transport mechanism for receiving notification requests and administrative commands.
- DBus Notification Daemons - Acts as a lightweight service receiving and displaying system notifications via the DBus protocol.
- Linux Desktop Customizations - Provides a modular framework for personalizing the visual and functional aspects of Linux desktop notifications.
- Linux X11 Window Access - Implements direct window creation and management using the native X11 protocol for rendering notifications on Linux.
- Styling Configurations - Determines the visual presentation and timing of alerts through a static configuration file that supports runtime reloading.
- Pattern-Based Rule Engines - Features a rule engine that matches notifications against patterns to dynamically modify their visual style and behavior.
- Alert Notification Management - A tool for styling and filtering system alerts based on urgency, application, or custom rules.
- Notification Filter Rules - Applies conditional rules to filter notifications or modify their appearance based on the sending application.
- Appearance Customizations - Enables extensive customization of fonts, colors, and icons via a configuration file with hot reloading.
- Urgency-Based Styling - Modifies colors, timeouts, and icons based on the urgency level of incoming notifications.
- Notification Visual Overrides - Allows changing background colors, foreground colors, and formats for notifications that match specific rules.
- Customizable UI Components - Provides a highly customizable UI for system alerts via a flexible configuration file.
- Notification Behavior Configurations - Configures the display rules and behavioral patterns for notifications based on specific matching criteria.
- Notification Filtering Rules - Dunst can modify the look or behavior of alerts matching specific patterns to highlight important messages.
- Alert-Based Script Triggers - Automatically executes external scripts when notifications match specific patterns.
- In-Memory State Stores - Maintains a volatile in-memory buffer of dismissed notifications to allow users to replay them.
- Notification Action Triggers - Enables users to trigger system commands or open URLs via notification context menus and clicks.
- External Script Hooks - Supports executing external shell commands and scripts as hooks to automate responses to notifications.
- Notification Suppression Systems - Dunst supports suppressing incoming alerts temporarily and saving them for later review based on priority levels.
- Priority-Based Suppression - Suppresses low-priority alerts during specific modes to prevent notification noise.
- Notification-Listener Triggers - Provides the ability to trigger local application workflows or commands by listening for matching system notifications.
- Alert Routing - Directs system alerts to specific monitors based on user-defined routing or active input focus.
- Notification Rate Limiting - Caps the number of visible notifications to prevent UI flooding and queues additional alerts.
- Configuration Hot Reloading - Features a configuration file that supports hot reloading for immediate application of style and behavior changes.
- Notification-Driven Automation - Triggers external scripts or system commands automatically when notifications match defined patterns.
- Keyboard Shortcuts - Provides configurable keyboard mappings to trigger application actions such as closing alerts.
- Notification History Centers - Maintains a historical log of alerts allowing users to review missed system notifications.
- Keyboard-to-Action Mappings - Allows users to map keyboard inputs to specific actions like dismissing alerts or viewing history.
- Window Positioning Logic - Displays alerts on a specific monitor or follows the active mouse and keyboard focus.
