◈ A graphical user interface for managing wallpapers for [linux-wallpaperengine](https://github.com/Almamu/linux-wallpaperengine) ◈
◈ Powered by Go (Backend) and Electron (Frontend) ◈
- CONTENTS
- SCREENSHOTS
- FEATURES
- MEMORY EFFICIENCY
- PREREQUISITES
- INSTALLATION
- USAGE
- BUILD FROM SOURCE
- DEVELOPMENT
- STONKS!
Note
This GUI is also compatible with my linux-wallpaperengine.
It's a C++ (with sokol) implementation of Wallpaper Engine for Linux. It's still in early development and missing some features. Maybe you want to check it out!
| Main Window |
|---|
 |
| Main Window (List) |
|---|
 |
| Display Settings |
|---|
 |
| WORKSHOP |
|---|
 |
| PLAYLIST |
|---|
 |
| PLAYLIST - SETTING |
|---|
 |
| WORKSHOP - DOWNLOADING |
|---|
 |
| Settings |
|---|
 |
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Wallpaper Management | Browse and select wallpapers from your Steam Workshop content |
| Steam Workshop Integration | Search and download wallpapers directly from Steam Workshop |
| Playlist Support | Create and manage playlists including dynamic "Random All" |
| Wallpaper Properties | Adjust individual wallpaper settings |
| Multi-Monitor Support | Choose which screen to apply wallpapers to |
| Auto-Save & Auto-Run | Remembers and applies last used wallpaper on startup |
| Native Wayland Support | Optional native Wayland mode for fixing scaling issues |
| Customizable Settings | Edit settings or raw JSON config |
| System Tray | Minimize to tray for seamless background operation |
I know that many users are scared of Electron applications due to their reputation for being "RAM eaters". This GUI is specifically designed for maximum efficiency to address those concerns:
- Go Backend: A lightweight Go process handles the system tray, configuration, and wallpaper management.
- Electron Frontend: The Electron-based UI is only launched when needed. When you minimize the application to the tray, the Electron process is completely terminated, freeing up all the memory it was using.
Important
This application requires linux-wallpaperengine (Almamu) or linux-wallpaperengine (AzPepoze) (still missing some features) to be installed on your system to function.
Important
Requires (fails without):
- linux-wallpaperengine (Almamu) or linux-wallpaperengine (AzPepoze) (still missing some features) — renders the wallpapers
xrandr— detects connected screens (get-screensfails, no wallpaper applied)libayatana-appindicator3(libayatana-appindicator3.so.1) — system tray support (backend won't start)
Optional (feature degraded if missing):
xprop— fullscreen pause detectionnotify-send(libnotify) — desktop notificationskillall(psmisc) — cleanup of stale engine processeszenity(GNOME/GTK) orkdialog(KDE) — prompting dialogsxdg-open(xdg-utils) — open config file in editor
Install using your favorite AUR helper:
# Using yay
yay -S linux-wallpaperengine-gui-git
# Using paru
paru -S linux-wallpaperengine-gui-gitIf you use Nix, this repository provides a flake.nix with a development shell containing all the build requirements (go, bun, pkg-config, gtk3, libayatana-appindicator), plus golangci-lint for bun run check, so you don't need to install anything manually.
With Nix installed:
nix developThis drops you into a shell with all the dependencies, continue with bun install, bun run build, or bun run dev as normal.
Note
bun run build:all currently fails on NixOS under the Nix devShell due to a known NixOS limitation with generic dynamically-linked binaries downloaded by electron-builder (see https://nix.dev/permalink/stub-ld). bun run build works fine.
With direnv installed:
direnv allowThis automatically loads the same shell whenever you cd into the project directory.
Thanks to @Maxxavec2x!
Download the latest pre-built binaries (AppImage, deb, rpm) from the Releases page.
Launch it from your application menu or via terminal:
linux-wallpaperengine-gui [options]| Option | Description |
|---|---|
--minimized |
Starts the application minimized in the system tray. |
--native-wayland |
Makes electron use native Wayland instead of XWayland to solve fractional scaling issues (only works on Wayland sessions) |
--debug-mode |
Enables debug mode for the application. |
Requirements:
- Go (1.21+)
- bun
- GTK3 and libayatana-appindicator development headers, required to compile the systray integration:
- Debian/Ubuntu:
sudo apt install libgtk-3-dev libayatana-appindicator3-dev pkg-config - Other distros: install the packages providing
gtk+-3.0andayatana-appindicator3-0.1viapkg-config
- Debian/Ubuntu:
- Clone & Enter:
git clone https://github.com/AzPepoze/linux-wallpaperengine-gui cd linux-wallpaperengine-gui - Install Deps:
bun install
- Build:
The output will be in the
bun run build
distdirectory.
Run with hot-reloading:
bun run dev✦ Made with ♥︎ by AzPepoze ✦