Configuration Reference

This LLM-optimized reference covers the main Glimpse config file. Use it when generating or editing ~/.config/glimpse/config.toml.

File Discovery

Glimpse reads the first config file found in this order:

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

Custom command and exec applets are package files under $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/glimpse/applets or linked project applets created with applet tooling.

Includes

The main config can include other TOML files with a top-level array:

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

Included files load first, in list order. The file that declares include loads last and overrides included values. Relative include paths resolve relative to the file that declares them, not necessarily relative to the root config.toml. Included files are watched for hot reload.

Merge rules:

Values	Result
table + table	Recursive merge
array + array	Later array replaces earlier array
scalar + scalar	Later scalar replaces earlier scalar
mixed types	Later value replaces earlier value

Use includes for shared defaults. Keep machine-specific or final overrides in the main config.toml.

Minimal Panel

theme = "adwaita"
theme_mode = "auto"

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

"..." keeps the default applets for that panel section in place.

Theme

Field	Default	Values	Meaning
theme	"adwaita"	Theme pack directory name	Selects a theme pack.
theme_mode	"auto"	auto, dark, light	Controls effective light/dark mode for CSS, wallpaper/backdrop/lock image variants, and color-scheme.

theme_mode = "auto" follows solar day/night data when available. If solar data is unavailable, the panel keeps the previous effective mode; if none exists yet, it starts from light. Explicit dark or light ignores solar data.

A panel can override only its own mode:

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

Panel-level theme_mode does not select a different theme pack.

Panel Fields

Field	Default	Values	Meaning
monitor	unset	Output name	Pins the panel to one monitor.
position	"top"	top, bottom, left, right	Panel edge.
size	36	pixels	Panel thickness.
margin	all 0	{ left, right, top, bottom }	Panel margins.
theme_mode	global mode	auto, dark, light	Per-panel light/dark override.
left	default left applets	applet ids	Left island.
center	default center applets	applet ids	Center island.
right	default right applets	applet ids	Right island.

Reserved applet ids:

Id	Meaning
__dynamic__	Dynamic island content managed by the shell.
__dev__	Applets started by glimpse-shell applets dev.
...	Preserve defaults for that panel section.

Built-In Applet Names

Use these ids in left, center, or right:

audio, battery, bluetooth, clipboard, clock, display, idle, keyboard,
mpris, network, next_event, notifications, pager, printing, privacy,
removable, session, tray, weather

Custom package applets use the package id from their applet.toml.

Built-In Applet Config

Built-in applet overrides live under [applets.<name>]:

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

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

For every built-in applet field, see Applet Configuration.

Keyboard Memory

Keyboard layout memory is global; display labels are applet-local:

[keyboard]
remember = "window"

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

remember values: window, app, global. Default is window.

Location

Current shared location config supports GeoClue:

[location]
provider = "geo_clue"

Weather can bypass shared location with a fixed city:

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

Static shared coordinates are not supported in the current config format.

Night Light

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

Field	Default	Values	Meaning
schedule	"automatic"	automatic, schedule, off	Solar schedule, fixed clock schedule, or disabled gamma change.
temperature	4200	Kelvin	Lower values are warmer.
transition_minutes	15	minutes	Fade duration.
start_time	unset	HH:MM	Required for fixed schedule.
end_time	unset	HH:MM	Required for fixed schedule.

Fixed schedule example:

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

Idle

Default idle ladder:

Step	AC	Battery
Monitor off	600 seconds	300 seconds
Lock session	900 seconds	900 seconds
Suspend	3600 seconds	1800 seconds

[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 = "" },
]

Listener fields:

Field	Required	Meaning
timeout	yes	Seconds of no input before firing.
on_idle	yes	Shell command run after timeout.
on_resume	no	Shell command run when activity returns after that listener fired.
respect_inhibitors	no	Overrides global inhibitor behavior for one listener.

Wallpaper, Backdrop, And Lock

[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"]

Calendar

[calendar]
poll_interval = 600
sources = []

[[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"

Source types are ical and directory.

Custom Applet Package

Package files live under ~/.config/glimpse/applets/:

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

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

Then place terminal in a panel section.