quickshell/BUILD.md

Build instructions

Instructions for building from source and distro packagers. We highly recommend distro packagers read through this page fully.

Packaging

If you are packaging quickshell for official or unofficial distribution channels, such as a distro package repository, user repository, or other shared build location, please set the following CMake flags.

-DDISTRIBUTOR="your distribution platform"

Please make this descriptive enough to identify your specific package, for example:

• Official Nix Flake
• AUR (quickshell-git)
• Nixpkgs
• Fedora COPR (errornointernet/quickshell)

-DDISTRIBUTOR_DEBUGINFO_AVAILABLE=YES/NO

If we can retrieve binaries and debug information for the package without actually running your distribution (e.g. from an website), and you would like to strip the binary, please set this to YES.

If we cannot retrieve debug information, please set this to NO and ensure you aren't distributing stripped (non debuggable) binaries.

In both cases you should build with -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=RelWithDebInfo (then split or keep the debuginfo).

QML Module dir

Currently all QML modules are statically linked to quickshell, but this is where tooling information will go.

-DINSTALL_QML_PREFIX="path/to/qml"

-DINSTALL_QMLDIR="/full/path/to/qml"

INSTALL_QML_PREFIX works the same as INSTALL_QMLDIR, except it prepends CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX. You usually want this.

Dependencies

Quickshell has a set of base dependencies you will always need, names vary by distro:

• cmake
• qt6base
• qt6declarative
• qtshadertools (build-time only)
• spirv-tools (build-time only)
• pkg-config (build-time only)
• cli11

On some distros, private Qt headers are in separate packages which you may have to install. We currently require private headers for the following libraries:

• qt6declarative
• qt6wayland

We recommend an implicit dependency on qt6svg. If it is not installed, svg images and svg icons will not work, including system ones.

At least Qt 6.6 is required.

All features are enabled by default and some have their own dependencies.

Crash Reporter

The crash reporter catches crashes, restarts quickshell when it crashes, and collects useful crash information in one place. Leaving this enabled will enable us to fix bugs far more easily.

To disable: -DCRASH_REPORTER=OFF

Dependencies: google-breakpad

Jemalloc

We recommend leaving Jemalloc enabled as it will mask memory fragmentation caused by the QML engine, which results in much lower memory usage. Without this you will get a perceived memory leak.

To disable: -DUSE_JEMALLOC=OFF

Dependencies: jemalloc

Unix Sockets

This feature allows interaction with unix sockets and creating socket servers which is useful for IPC and has no additional dependencies.

WARNING: Disabling unix sockets will NOT make it safe to run arbitrary code using quickshell. There are many vectors which mallicious code can use to escape into your system.

To disable: -DSOCKETS=OFF

Wayland

This feature enables wayland support. Subfeatures exist for each particular wayland integration.

WARNING: Wayland integration relies on features that are not part of the public Qt API and which may break in minor releases. Updating quickshell's dependencies without ensuring without ensuring that the current Qt version is supported WILL result in quickshell failing to build or misbehaving at runtime.

Currently supported Qt versions: 6.6, 6.7.

To disable: -DWAYLAND=OFF

Dependencies:

• qt6wayland
• wayland (libwayland-client)
• wayland-scanner (may be part of your distro's wayland package)
• wayland-protocols

Wlroots Layershell

Enables wlroots layershell integration through the zwlr-layer-shell-v1 protocol, enabling use cases such as bars overlays and backgrounds. This feature has no extra dependencies.

To disable: -DWAYLAND_WLR_LAYERSHELL=OFF

Session Lock

Enables session lock support through the ext-session-lock-v1 protocol, which allows quickshell to be used as a session lock under compatible wayland compositors.

To disable: -DWAYLAND_SESSION_LOCK=OFF

Foreign Toplevel Management

Enables management of windows of other clients through the zwlr-foreign-toplevel-management-v1 protocol, which allows quickshell to be used as a session lock under compatible wayland compositors.

To disable: -DWAYLAND_TOPLEVEL_MANAGEMENT=OFF

Screencopy

Enables streaming video from monitors and toplevel windows through various protocols.

To disable: -DSCREENCOPY=OFF

Dependencies:

• libdrm
• libgbm

Specific protocols can also be disabled:

• DSCREENCOPY_ICC=OFF - Disable screencopy via ext-image-copy-capture-v1
• DSCREENCOPY_WLR=OFF - Disable screencopy via zwlr-screencopy-v1
• DSCREENCOPY_HYPRLAND_TOPLEVEL=OFF - Disable screencopy via hyprland-toplevel-export-v1

X11

This feature enables x11 support. Currently this implements panel windows for X11 similarly to the wlroots layershell above.

To disable: -DX11=OFF

Dependencies: libxcb

Pipewire

This features enables viewing and management of pipewire nodes.

To disable: -DSERVICE_PIPEWIRE=OFF

Dependencies: libpipewire

StatusNotifier / System Tray

This feature enables system tray support using the status notifier dbus protocol.

To disable: -DSERVICE_STATUS_NOTIFIER=OFF

Dependencies: qt6dbus (usually part of qt6base)

MPRIS

This feature enables access to MPRIS compatible media players using its dbus protocol.

To disable: -DSERVICE_MPRIS=OFF

Dependencies: qt6dbus (usually part of qt6base)

PAM

This feature enables PAM integration for user authentication.

To disable: -DSERVICE_PAM=OFF

Dependencies: pam

Hyprland

This feature enables hyprland specific integrations. It requires wayland support but has no extra dependencies.

To disable: -DHYPRLAND=OFF

Hyprland Global Shortcuts

Enables creation of global shortcuts under hyprland through the hyprland-global-shortcuts-v1 protocol. Generally a much nicer alternative to using unix sockets to implement the same thing. This feature has no extra dependencies.

To disable: -DHYPRLAND_GLOBAL_SHORTCUTS=OFF

Hyprland Focus Grab

Enables windows to grab focus similarly to a context menu under hyprland through the hyprland-focus-grab-v1 protocol. This feature has no extra dependencies.

To disable: -DHYPRLAND_FOCUS_GRAB=OFF

i3/Sway

Enables i3 and Sway specific features, does not have any dependency on Wayland or x11.

To disable: -DI3=OFF

i3/Sway IPC

Enables interfacing with i3 and Sway's IPC.

To disable: -DI3_IPC=OFF

Building

For developers and prospective contributors: See CONTRIBUTING.md.

We highly recommend using ninja to run the build, but you can use makefiles if you must.

Configuring the build

$ cmake -GNinja -B build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=RelWithDebInfo [additional disable flags from above here]

Note that features you do not supply dependencies for MUST be disabled with their associated flags or quickshell will fail to build.

Additionally, note that clang builds much faster than gcc if you care.

Building

$ cmake --build build

Installing

$ cmake --install build