NotAShelf
ac8418c8a4
Signed-off-by: NotAShelf <raf@notashelf.dev> Change-Id: I45a3fa9e4f1c8758b65e119e16e7b8a16a6a6964
160 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
160 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
# Sin
|
|
|
|
> 🙏 Forgive me father for I have simply inhibited.
|
|
|
|
**S**imple **In**hibitor (Sin) watches `/proc` for processes matching your
|
|
patterns and inhibits system idle/sleep while they run.
|
|
|
|
## Why
|
|
|
|
Your system shouldn't sleep while you're watching a movie, compiling code, or
|
|
running a long task. Sin prevents that by talking to systemd-logind when your
|
|
processes are active.
|
|
|
|
I think this is should be a part of the idle program itself, but I could not
|
|
find an idle daemon that supports this feature. Naturally I made one of my own.
|
|
You are welcome to use it if this fits your needs. It is easy to **S**imply
|
|
**In**hibit.
|
|
|
|
This is an _alternative_ to handling inhbiting on a compositor level, and is
|
|
aimed to detect things a compositor generally cannot. In the case of, e.g.,
|
|
desktop applications I recommend letting your compositor handling the inhibit. I
|
|
might also support this for Sin in the future.
|
|
|
|
## How it works
|
|
|
|
1. You tell Sin which processes to watch (e.g., `mpv`, `steam`, `ffmpeg`)
|
|
2. Sin scans `/proc` every few seconds looking for them
|
|
3. When found, it grabs a Systemd inhibitor lock
|
|
4. When they exit, it releases the lock
|
|
5. Your system can sleep again
|
|
|
|
Great success!
|
|
|
|
## Usage
|
|
|
|
```bash
|
|
# Keep system awake while Firefox is running
|
|
sin -n firefox
|
|
|
|
# Watch multiple processes
|
|
sin -n steam -n "wine " -n lutris
|
|
|
|
# Prevent sleep (not just idle) while rendering
|
|
sin -n blender --what=sleep
|
|
|
|
# Custom poll interval
|
|
sin -n mpv --poll=1.0
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
### Options
|
|
|
|
```plaintext
|
|
-n, --name PATTERN Process cmdline substring to watch (required, repeatable)
|
|
--what WHAT What to inhibit: idle, sleep, shutdown, etc. (default: idle)
|
|
--mode MODE block or delay (default: block)
|
|
--poll SECONDS How often to check (0.1-3600, default: 2.0)
|
|
-d, --daemon Run as daemon (fork to background)
|
|
-q, --quiet Suppress informational output
|
|
-v, --version Show version
|
|
-h, --help Show help
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
## Building
|
|
|
|
```bash
|
|
make
|
|
sudo make install
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
Requires:
|
|
|
|
- GCC or Clang
|
|
- libsystemd
|
|
|
|
That's it.
|
|
|
|
## Examples
|
|
|
|
```bash
|
|
# Don't idle while gaming
|
|
sin -n steam -n wine
|
|
|
|
# Keep system awake during long builds
|
|
sin -n "cargo build" -n "nix build"
|
|
|
|
# Prevent sleep while watching videos
|
|
sin -n mpv -n vlc --what=sleep
|
|
|
|
# Fast polling for responsive tasks
|
|
sin -n ffmpeg --poll=0.5
|
|
|
|
# Run as daemon
|
|
sin -d -n mpv -n vlc
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
## Running as a Service
|
|
|
|
A systemd service file is provided in `vendor/sin.service`. Edit it to match
|
|
your needs:
|
|
|
|
```bash
|
|
# Copy and customize the service file
|
|
sudo cp vendor/sin.service /etc/systemd/system/
|
|
sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/sin.service # Edit the ExecStart line
|
|
|
|
# Enable and start
|
|
sudo systemctl enable --now sin.service
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
## Why not just use...?
|
|
|
|
### Systemd-inhibit
|
|
|
|
There are a few alternative options that you could go with. Namely, Sin is
|
|
inspired by the operating principle of `systemd-inhibit` among those options,
|
|
but prefers an approach similar to EarlyOOM where you provide the programs that
|
|
you want to watch instead of launching the program with a systemd-inhibit
|
|
wrapper.
|
|
|
|
### Caffeine
|
|
|
|
While researching, I've noticed programs such as **caffeine** and
|
|
**caffeine-ng** but ultimately decided against those since they seem to be
|
|
hooking up to more specific APIs than Systemd's own. I also find Python to be
|
|
unsuitable for production, and have elected to use C for a smaller and faster
|
|
binary that is easier to bootstrap.
|
|
|
|
If you _do_ use those tools, and would like to try out Sin but cannot make a
|
|
switch due to missing features, please do create an issue. While I do not wish
|
|
to support screenlocker-specific APIs, I am happy to implement more generic
|
|
features such as a tray icon. Maybe even support for other init systems in the
|
|
future.
|
|
|
|
### Hand-written Systemd Service
|
|
|
|
Sure, if you'd like to write one yourself. Sin is that Systemd service in my
|
|
case. Give it a try, maybe I've saved you from some code spent fixing a trivial
|
|
problem.
|
|
|
|
## Attributions
|
|
|
|
[Diniamo]: https://github.com/diniamo
|
|
[Wayhibit]: https://github.com/diniamo/wayhibitor
|
|
|
|
This project was inspired partially by [Diniamo]'s [Wayhibit], which deserves
|
|
the primary attribution here. I'd also like to thank Systemd developers for
|
|
`systemd-inhibit`, which has inspired me to write this project and also for the
|
|
sd-bus API that makes Sin possible.
|
|
|
|
## License
|
|
|
|
<!-- markdownlint-disable MD059 -->
|
|
|
|
[here]: https://interoperable-europe.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/custom-page/attachment/eupl_v1.2_en.pdf
|
|
|
|
This project is made available under European Union Public Licence (EUPL)
|
|
version 1.2. See [LICENSE](LICENSE) for more details on the exact conditions. An
|
|
online copy is provided [here].
|
|
|
|
<!-- markdownlint-enable MD059 -->
|