Configuration

Glimpse is configured with one TOML file. Start with the panel layout, then add applet settings as you need them.

Config File

Most users create this file:

~/.config/glimpse/config.toml

Use it for panel layout, applets, wallpaper, lock screen, idle rules, location, and night light. Put shell and lock CSS in ~/.config/glimpse/themes/.

Glimpse looks for config in this order:

Priority	Path
1	GLIMPSE_CONFIG environment variable
2	./config.toml in the current directory
3	$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/glimpse/config.toml
4	$HOME/.config/glimpse/config.toml when XDG_CONFIG_HOME is unset

Include Other Config Files

Use top-level include to split shared settings into smaller TOML files:

include = ["common.toml", "laptop.toml"]

theme = "rosepine"

[[panels]]
left = ["workspace", "..."]
right = ["tray", "session"]

Included files load first, in list order, and the file that declares include loads last. That means the main config.toml remains the final override. Relative include paths resolve from the file that declares them, so an include inside profiles/work.toml is relative to profiles/. Glimpse watches included files for hot reload, so changing an included file reloads the merged config.

Tables merge recursively. Arrays and scalar values replace earlier values instead of appending:

# common.toml
[applets.clock]
label_format = "%H:%M"
tooltip_format = "%A"

[[panels]]
right = ["clock"]

# config.toml
include = ["common.toml"]

[applets.clock]
label_format = "%a %H:%M"

[[panels]]
right = ["tray", "session"]

The final clock config keeps tooltip_format = "%A" from common.toml, overrides label_format, and replaces the whole panels array with the panel from config.toml.

Start With A Panel

This is a compact top panel:

theme = "adwaita"
theme_mode = "auto"

[[panels]]
position = "top"
size = 36
left = ["pager", "..."]
center = ["clock"]
right = ["network", "battery", "session"]

The special name "..." keeps the default applets for that section in place. Use it when you want to add or remove a few items without copying the whole default layout.

Theme And Mode

Use theme to choose the theme pack and theme_mode to choose how Glimpse resolves light and dark styling:

theme = "rosepine"
theme_mode = "auto"

Option	Default	Values	What it does
theme	"adwaita"	Theme pack name	Selects a pack by directory name. If the pack cannot be found, Glimpse still loads the built-in base style.
theme_mode	"auto"	auto, dark, light	Selects the effective light/dark mode used by CSS, theme images, wallpaper, backdrop, and lock background resolution.

theme_mode = "dark" and theme_mode = "light" force that mode and ignore solar data.

For the panel, theme_mode = "auto" lets Glimpse choose the effective mode:

State	Effective mode
Solar data says it is daytime	light
Solar data says it is nighttime	dark
Solar data is temporarily unavailable	Keeps the previous effective mode
Solar data has never been available in this session	light

The panel also publishes the effective mode to the desktop color-scheme setting, so GTK applications that follow the system preference can switch with it.

The lock screen uses the same theme_mode setting. With dark or light, it uses that mode directly. With auto, it follows the desktop color-scheme setting, which normally reflects the panel's resolved solar mode.

Each panel can override only its own mode:

[[panels]]
position = "top"
theme_mode = "dark"
left = ["pager"]
center = ["clock"]
right = ["network", "battery", "session"]

Panel mode does not select a different theme pack. It only changes the light/dark styling for that panel.

Panel Options

Option	What it does
monitor	Output name, such as eDP-1 or DP-1. Leave it out for the default output.
position	Panel edge: top, bottom, left, or right.
size	Panel thickness in pixels.
theme_mode	Optional per-panel mode: auto, dark, or light. This changes only that panel's light/dark styling.
left	Applets on the left side.
center	Applets in the center.
right	Applets on the right side.

To pin a panel to a specific monitor:

[[panels]]
monitor = "eDP-1"
position = "top"
size = 36
left = ["pager"]
center = ["clock"]
right = ["network", "battery", "session"]

Built-In Applets

Put these names in left, center, or right:

Applet	Use it for
audio	Volume status and controls.
battery	Battery percentage and charging status.
bluetooth	Bluetooth status and devices.
clipboard	Clipboard history.
clock	Time and calendar.
display	Display brightness.
idle	Idle inhibitor status.
keyboard	Current keyboard layout.
mpris	Media player status.
network	Wi-Fi and wired network status.
next_event	Next upcoming calendar event.
notifications	Notification center.
pager	Workspaces and windows.
printing	Printer and print job status.
privacy	Camera, microphone, and screen sharing indicators.
removable	USB and removable drives.
session	Lock, logout, suspend, restart, and shutdown actions.
tray	Status notifier icons.
weather	Current weather.
command	A custom button or menu that runs commands.
exec	A live custom applet powered by your own program.

__dynamic__ is reserved for Glimpse's dynamic island area. Keep it in your panel if you want Glimpse to place dynamic status content automatically.

__dev__ shows applets started with glimpse-shell applets dev. The default panel keeps it at the end of the left section.

Configure An Applet

Settings for a built-in applet live under [applets.name].

[applets.clock]
label_format = "%H:%M"

[applets.weather]
city_name = "Warsaw, PL"
label_format = "{temp}"

Then place the applet names in a panel section:

right = ["weather", "network", "battery", "session"]

Read Applets for the full list of options and format placeholders.

Add A Launcher Button

Custom command and exec applets live in package files under:

~/.config/glimpse/applets/

This creates a terminal launcher:

# ~/.config/glimpse/applets/terminal.toml
id = "terminal"
type = "command"

[command]
icon = "utilities-terminal-symbolic"
tooltip = "Open terminal"
command = ["ghostty"]

Then place the package id in a panel section:

right = ["weather", "terminal", "network", "battery", "session"]

Use exec when you want a live applet with changing text, icons, popovers, or click handling. Read Custom Applets for the applet package format and SDKs.

Calendar Sources

Calendar sources live in the shared [calendar] section. The clock popover and next_event applet both use these sources.

[calendar]
poll_interval = 600

[[calendar.sources]]
id = "personal"
type = "ical"
name = "Personal"
uri = "https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/example/basic.ics"
color = "#4285f4"

[[calendar.sources]]
id = "local"
type = "directory"
name = "Local"
uri = "file:///home/alex/.config/glimpse/calendars"
color = "#f6c343"

Use type = "ical" for provider .ics URLs or local .ics files, and type = "directory" for a folder of local calendar files. Read Calendar Sources for Google Calendar and Outlook ICS links, optional sidecar URL files, recurrence support, display rules, and debugging.

Location

Shared location is used by weather when city_name is empty, and by automatic night light.

[location]
provider = "geo_clue"

For a fixed weather place, set the weather applet directly:

[applets.weather]
city_name = "Warsaw, PL"

Static shared coordinates are not a supported [location] provider in the current config format.

Services

The same config file also controls the background services for night light and idle rules. Enable the services from Installation, then tune their behavior here.

Night Light

Night light warms the display after dark. The default config follows sunrise and sunset from the shared location provider:

[location]
provider = "geo_clue"

[night_light]
schedule = "automatic"
temperature = 4200
transition_minutes = 15

Option	Default	Values	What it does
schedule	"automatic"	automatic, schedule, off	Chooses automatic solar timing, fixed clock times, or no color change.
temperature	4200	Kelvin value	Sets how warm the screen becomes. Lower values look warmer.
start_time	unset	HH:MM	Start time for schedule = "schedule".
end_time	unset	HH:MM	End time for schedule = "schedule".
transition_minutes	15	Minutes	Fades between normal color and night-light color.

Use fixed hours when location is not available or you want the same schedule every day:

[night_light]
schedule = "schedule"
start_time = "20:30"
end_time = "07:00"
temperature = 4200
transition_minutes = 15

Temperature is measured in Kelvin:

Value	Feel
6500	Normal daylight color.
5000	Slightly warm.
4200	Comfortable evening warmth.
3500	Very warm late-night color.

If nothing changes, check that schedule is not off, that the background service is running, and that your compositor supports the Wayland gamma-control protocol.

Idle

Idle rules decide what happens after no keyboard or mouse input. The default profile is a laptop-friendly ladder:

Step	AC	Battery
Turn monitors off	10 minutes	5 minutes
Lock session	15 minutes	15 minutes
Suspend	60 minutes	30 minutes

Monitors come back on automatically when input resumes. The packaged monitor helper supports niri and Hyprland.

[idle]
enabled = true
respect_inhibitors = true

[idle.profiles.ac]
listeners = [
  { timeout = 600, on_idle = "/usr/share/glimpse/scripts/monitors off", on_resume = "/usr/share/glimpse/scripts/monitors on" },
  { timeout = 900, on_idle = "loginctl lock-session" },
  { timeout = 3600, on_idle = "systemctl suspend" },
]

[idle.profiles.battery]
listeners = [
  { timeout = 300, on_idle = "/usr/share/glimpse/scripts/monitors off", on_resume = "/usr/share/glimpse/scripts/monitors on" },
  { timeout = 900, on_idle = "loginctl lock-session" },
  { timeout = 1800, on_idle = "systemctl suspend" },
]

Option	Default	What it does
enabled	true	Turns idle rules on or off.
respect_inhibitors	true	Honors apps that ask the desktop to stay awake.
profiles.ac.listeners	Default AC ladder	Rules used while plugged in.
profiles.battery.listeners	Default battery ladder	Rules used on battery.

Each listener has these fields:

Field	Required	What it does
timeout	Yes	Seconds of no keyboard or mouse input before the rule runs.
on_idle	Yes	Shell command to run after the timeout.
on_resume	No	Shell command to run when activity returns, but only after that listener has fired.
respect_inhibitors	No	Overrides the global inhibitor setting for this listener.

Inhibitors are requests from apps such as video players, games, screen sharing tools, and presentation software. With respect_inhibitors = true, those apps can keep idle actions from firing while they need the screen awake.

For one rule that should always run, override it on that listener:

[idle.profiles.ac]
listeners = [
  { timeout = 900, on_idle = "loginctl lock-session", respect_inhibitors = false },
]

Wallpaper And Lock

Wallpaper and lock screen settings can stay in the same file:

[wallpaper]
path = "/home/alex/Pictures/wallpapers/coast.jpg"
fit = "cover"

[lock]
css_path = "themes/lock.css"

Read Wallpaper for background settings and Lock for lock screen options.

Default Config Reference

These snippets show defaults by file. You usually do not need to copy all of this. Copy only the section you want to change.

~/.config/glimpse/config.toml

This is the main file. It controls the panel layout, built-in applet overrides, night light, idle behavior, keyboard layout memory, wallpaper, lock screen, monitors, and calendar sources.

theme = "adwaita"
theme_mode = "auto"

[location]
provider = "geo_clue"

[[panels]]
# monitor = "eDP-1"
size = 36
position = "top"
margin = { left = 0, right = 0, top = 0, bottom = 0 }
theme_mode = "dark"
left = ["pager", "mpris", "__dev__"]
center = ["clock", "weather", "notifications", "privacy"]
right = [
  "__dynamic__",
  "next_event",
  "tray",
  "removable",
  "clipboard",
  "keyboard",
  "printing",
  "bluetooth",
  "network",
  "display",
  "audio",
  "idle",
  "battery",
  "session",
]

[applets]

[night_light]
temperature = 4200
schedule = "automatic"
# start_time = "20:00"
# end_time = "06:00"
transition_minutes = 15

[idle]
enabled = true
respect_inhibitors = true

[idle.profiles.ac]
listeners = [
  { timeout = 600, on_idle = "/usr/share/glimpse/scripts/monitors off", on_resume = "/usr/share/glimpse/scripts/monitors on" },
  { timeout = 900, on_idle = "loginctl lock-session", on_resume = "" },
  { timeout = 3600, on_idle = "systemctl suspend", on_resume = "" },
]

[idle.profiles.battery]
listeners = [
  { timeout = 300, on_idle = "/usr/share/glimpse/scripts/monitors off", on_resume = "/usr/share/glimpse/scripts/monitors on" },
  { timeout = 900, on_idle = "loginctl lock-session", on_resume = "" },
  { timeout = 1800, on_idle = "systemctl suspend", on_resume = "" },
]

[keyboard]
remember = "window"

[wallpaper]
# path = "/home/alex/Pictures/wallpapers/coast.jpg"
color = "#101010"
fit = "cover"
transition_ms = 800

[backdrop]
enabled = true
# path = "/home/alex/Pictures/wallpapers/coast.jpg"
blur_radius = 24

[lock]
css_path = "themes/lock.css"

[lock.background]
# color = "#101010"
# path = "/home/alex/Pictures/wallpapers/lock.jpg"
# fit = "cover"
blur_radius = 0
dim = 0.35

[lock.clock]
enabled = true
time_format = "%H:%M"
date_format = "%A, %B %-d"

[lock.controls]
buttons = ["wifi", "input", "weather", "battery", "power"]

[monitors]
# builtin_connector = "eDP-1"

[calendar]
poll_interval = 600
sources = []

Built-In Applet Sections In ~/.config/glimpse/config.toml

Built-in applet sections are also written in the main config file. They are implicit; add a section only when you want to override it.

[applets.audio]
show_icon = true
show_muted_indicator = true
label_format = ""
tooltip_format = "{device} - {volume}%"
scroll_step = 10
max_volume = 100
show_streams = true

[applets.battery]
show_icon = true
label_on_battery = ""
label_on_ac = ""
tooltip_on_battery = "{percentage}% {state}, {time_left}"
tooltip_on_ac = "{percentage}% {state}"

[applets.bluetooth]
label_format = ""
tooltip_format = "{devices} connected devices"

[applets.clipboard]
label_format = ""
tooltip_format = "{count} clipboard items"
show_when_empty = false

[applets.clock]
label_format = "%a %-d %b, %H:%M"
tooltip_format = "%A, %-d %B %Y"
# [[applets.clock.timezones]]
# name = "New York"
# timezone = "America/New_York"
# format = "%-I:%M %p"
#
# [[applets.clock.timezones]]
# name = "Tokyo"
# timezone = "Asia/Tokyo"
# format = "%H:%M"
hide_all_day_events = false
show_week_numbers = false

[applets.display]
# Manages display brightness.
label_format = ""
tooltip_format = "{source}: {percent}%"
scroll_step = 10

[applets.keyboard]

[applets.keyboard.labels]
# "English (US)" = "EN"
# "German" = "DE"

[applets.mpris]
label_format = "{artist} - {title}"
tooltip_format = "{player}: {artist} - {title}"
hide_when_empty = true
max_rows = 12
show_artwork = true
# filter_regex = [
#   "(?i)^firefox$",
#   "(?i)podcast",
# ]

[applets.network]
label_format = ""
tooltip_format = "{state}"

[applets.next_event]
label_format = "{name} {remaining}"
tooltip_format = "{name} ({time}) — {duration}"
threshold_minutes = 30

[applets.notifications]
label_format = ""
tooltip_format = "{count} notifications"
badge_style = "dot"
popup_timeout_ms = 5000
popup_visible_limit = 8
popup_position = "top_right"
popup_margin_x = 12
popup_margin_y = 12
max_history = 100
# filter_regex = [
#   "(?i)^discord$",
#   "(?i)build succeeded",
# ]
#
# [[applets.notifications.urgency_remap]]
# app_pattern = "(?i)^slack$"
# urgency = "critical"
#
# [[applets.notifications.urgency_remap]]
# app_pattern = "(?i)^telegram"
# urgency = "low"

[applets.pager]
display = "windows"
appearance = "dots"
active_workspace_label = "{index}"
inactive_workspace_label = "{index}"

[applets.printing]
display = "auto"

[applets.privacy]

[applets.removable]
show_when_empty = false
label_format = ""
tooltip_format = "{count} removable device(s), {mounted} mounted"

[applets.session]
label_format = "{user}"
tooltip_format = "{user} on {host}"
show_lock = true
show_logout = true
show_suspend = true
show_hibernate = false
show_reboot = true
show_shutdown = true
confirm_logout = true
confirm_suspend = true
confirm_hibernate = true
confirm_reboot = true
confirm_shutdown = true

[applets.weather]
city_name = ""
hourly_slots = 5
forecast_days = 5
label_format = "{temp}"
tooltip_format = "{condition} · {temp} · feels like {feels_like} · {location}"
refresh_interval = 1800

Read Theming for visual customization, Applets for per-applet options, Calendar Sources for event feeds, Wallpaper for background settings, and Lock for lock screen settings.