Keybinds & IPC

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DankMaterialShell provides comprehensive IPC (Inter-Process Communication) functionality that allows external control of the shell through command-line commands. All IPC commands follow the format:

dms ipc call <target> <function> [parameters...]

Core Controls

audio

Manage audio output and input devices.

Function	Description	Parameters
`setvolume <percentage>`	Set output volume	percentage (0-100)
`increment <step>`	Increase output volume	step (default: 5)
`decrement <step>`	Decrease output volume	step (default: 5)
`mute`	Toggle output mute	-
`setmic <percentage>`	Set microphone volume	percentage (0-100)
`micmute`	Toggle microphone mute	-
`cycleoutput`	Cycle through audio output devices	-
`status`	Get current audio status	-

Examples:

dms ipc call audio setvolume 50
dms ipc call audio increment 10
dms ipc call audio mute
dms ipc call audio cycleoutput

brightness

Control display brightness for internal and external displays.

Function	Description	Parameters
`set <percentage> [device]`	Set brightness level	percentage (1-100), device (optional)
`increment <step> [device]`	Increase brightness	step, device (optional)
`decrement <step> [device]`	Decrease brightness	step, device (optional)
`status`	Get current brightness status	-
`list`	List all brightness devices	-
`enableExponential [device]`	Enable exponential brightness mode	device (optional, uses current if not specified)
`disableExponential [device]`	Disable exponential brightness mode	device (optional, uses current if not specified)
`toggleExponential [device]`	Toggle exponential brightness mode	device (optional, uses current if not specified)

Examples:

dms ipc call brightness set 80
dms ipc call brightness increment 10 ""
dms ipc call brightness decrement 5 "intel_backlight"
dms ipc call brightness disableExponential "backlight:intel_backlight"
dms ipc call brightness toggleExponential

night

Night mode (gamma/color temperature) control.

Function	Description	Parameters
`toggle`	Toggle night mode on/off	-
`enable`	Enable night mode	-
`disable`	Disable night mode	-
`status`	Get night mode status	-
`temperature [value]`	Get/set color temperature	value in Kelvin (2500-6000, optional)
`automation [mode]`	Get/set automation mode	"manual", "time", or "location" (optional)
`schedule <start> <end>`	Set time-based schedule	start time (HH:MM), end time (HH:MM)
`location <lat> <lon>`	Set location coordinates	latitude, longitude

Examples:

dms ipc call night toggle
dms ipc call night temperature 4000
dms ipc call night automation time
dms ipc call night schedule 20:00 06:00
dms ipc call night location 40.7128 -74.0060

mpris

Media player control via MPRIS interface.

Function	Description
`list`	List all available media players
`play`	Start playback
`pause`	Pause playback
`playPause`	Toggle play/pause
`previous`	Skip to previous track
`next`	Skip to next track
`stop`	Stop playback

Examples:

dms ipc call mpris playPause
dms ipc call mpris next

lock

Screen lock control and status.

Function	Description
`lock`	Lock the screen immediately
`demo`	Show lock screen demo (doesn't lock)
`isLocked`	Check if screen is locked

Examples:

dms ipc call lock lock
dms ipc call lock isLocked

inhibit

Idle inhibitor control to prevent automatic sleep/lock.

Function	Description
`toggle`	Toggle idle inhibit state
`enable`	Enable idle inhibit (prevent sleep)
`disable`	Disable idle inhibit (allow sleep)

Examples:

dms ipc call inhibit toggle
dms ipc call inhibit enable

Wallpaper & Profile

wallpaper

Wallpaper management with support for global and per-monitor configurations.

Global Wallpaper Functions

Function	Description	Parameters
`get`	Get current wallpaper path	-
`set <path>`	Set wallpaper	path to image file
`clear`	Clear all wallpapers	-
`next`	Cycle to next wallpaper	-
`prev`	Cycle to previous wallpaper	-

Per-Monitor Functions

Function	Description	Parameters
`getFor <screen>`	Get wallpaper for monitor	monitor name (e.g., "DP-2")
`setFor <screen> <path>`	Set wallpaper for monitor	monitor name, path to image
`nextFor <screen>`	Cycle to next wallpaper	monitor name
`prevFor <screen>`	Cycle to previous wallpaper	monitor name

Examples:

# Global wallpaper mode
dms ipc call wallpaper set /path/to/image.jpg
dms ipc call wallpaper next

# Per-monitor wallpaper mode
dms ipc call wallpaper setFor DP-2 /path/to/image1.jpg
dms ipc call wallpaper setFor eDP-1 /path/to/image2.jpg
dms ipc call wallpaper nextFor eDP-1

# Clear and return to global mode
dms ipc call wallpaper clear

Note: When per-monitor mode is enabled, legacy global functions will return error messages directing you to use the per-monitor equivalents.

profile

User profile image management.

Function	Description	Parameters
`getImage`	Get current profile image path	-
`setImage <path>`	Set profile image	path to image file
`clearImage`	Clear profile image	-

Examples:

dms ipc call profile setImage /path/to/avatar.png
dms ipc call profile clearImage

Appearance Controls

theme

Theme mode control (light/dark mode switching).

Function	Description
`toggle`	Toggle between light and dark themes
`light`	Switch to light theme
`dark`	Switch to dark theme
`getMode`	Get current theme mode

Examples:

dms ipc call theme toggle
dms ipc call theme dark

bar

Control individual bars using flexible selectors.

Function	Description	Parameters
`reveal <selector> <value>`	Show a bar	selector + value
`hide <selector> <value>`	Hide a bar	selector + value
`toggle <selector> <value>`	Toggle bar visibility	selector + value
`status <selector> <value>`	Get bar visibility status	selector + value
`autoHide <selector> <value>`	Enable auto-hide mode	selector + value
`manualHide <selector> <value>`	Disable auto-hide mode	selector + value
`toggleAutoHide <selector> <value>`	Toggle auto-hide mode	selector + value

Selectors:

index - Select by position (0-based)
id - Select by unique bar ID
name - Select by bar name

Examples:

# By index
dms ipc call bar hide index 0
dms ipc call bar reveal index 1
dms ipc call bar toggle index 0

# By name
dms ipc call bar toggle name "Main Bar"
dms ipc call bar status name "Secondary"

# By ID
dms ipc call bar reveal id abc123

# Auto-hide controls
dms ipc call bar autoHide index 0
dms ipc call bar manualHide name "Main Bar"
dms ipc call bar toggleAutoHide index 1

dock

Dock visibility and behavior control.

Function	Description
`reveal`	Show the dock
`hide`	Hide the dock
`toggle`	Toggle dock visibility
`status`	Get dock visibility status
`autoHide`	Enable auto-hide mode
`manualHide`	Disable auto-hide mode
`toggleAutoHide`	Toggle auto-hide mode

Examples:

dms ipc call dock toggle
dms ipc call dock hide
dms ipc call dock reveal
dms ipc call dock status

# Auto-hide controls
dms ipc call dock autoHide
dms ipc call dock manualHide
dms ipc call dock toggleAutoHide

Control bar widget popouts and menus, including plugins.

Function	Description	Parameters
`toggle <widgetId>`	Toggle widget popout visibility	widget ID
`list`	List all registered widget IDs	-
`status <widgetId>`	Get widget popout visibility status	widget ID

Examples:

dms ipc call widget list
dms ipc call widget toggle clock
dms ipc call widget status weather

Notes:

Use list to discover available widget IDs on your current bar configuration
Widget IDs depend on which widgets are enabled in your bar settings
The status function returns "visible" or "hidden" for the widget popout state

These targets control various modal windows and overlays.

spotlight

Application launcher modal with search capabilities.

Function	Description	Parameters
`open`	Show launcher	-
`close`	Hide launcher	-
`toggle`	Toggle launcher visibility	-
`openQuery <query>`	Show launcher with search	search text
`toggleQuery <query>`	Toggle launcher with search	search text

Examples:

dms ipc call spotlight toggle
dms ipc call spotlight openQuery browser
dms ipc call spotlight toggleQuery "!"

Other Modals

All these modals support open, close, and toggle functions:

clipboard - Clipboard history manager
notifications - Notification center (also supports clearAll)
processlist - System process list and performance monitor (also supports focusOrToggle)
powermenu - Power menu for system actions
control-center - Quick settings (network, bluetooth, audio, etc.)
notepad - Quick notepad/scratchpad

Examples:

dms ipc call clipboard toggle
dms ipc call notifications open
dms ipc call notifications clearAll
dms ipc call processlist open
dms ipc call powermenu toggle
dms ipc call control-center toggle
dms ipc call notepad open

settings

Settings modal with additional read/write access to configuration values.

Function	Description	Parameters
`open`	Show settings modal	-
`openWith <tab>`	Open settings to specific tab	tab ID
`close`	Hide settings modal	-
`toggle`	Toggle settings modal	-
`toggleWith <tab>`	Toggle settings to specific tab	tab ID
`focusOrToggle`	Focus settings if open, otherwise toggle	-
`focusOrToggleWith <tab>`	Focus/toggle to specific tab	tab ID
`tabs`	List available tab IDs	-
`get <key>`	Get a setting value	setting key name
`set <key> <value>`	Set a setting value	setting key, new value

Available Tab IDs:

Personalization: personalization, wallpaper, theme, typography, time_weather, sounds
Dankbar: dankbar, dankbar_settings, dankbar_widgets
Widgets: workspaces_widgets, workspaces, media_player, notifications, osd, running_apps, updater
Dock & Launcher: dock_launcher, dock, launcher
System: keybinds, displays, network, printers
Power & Security: power_security, lock_screen, power_sleep
Other: plugins, about

Examples:

dms ipc call settings toggle
dms ipc call settings openWith theme
dms ipc call settings toggleWith dock
dms ipc call settings tabs
dms ipc call settings get barPosition
dms ipc call settings set showSeconds true
dms ipc call settings set opacity 0.9

Note: The set function supports boolean, number, and string values. Objects and arrays are not currently supported.

dash

Dashboard popup with multiple tabs.

Function	Description	Parameters
`open [tab]`	Show dashboard	tab: "", "overview", "media", "weather"
`close`	Hide dashboard	-
`toggle [tab]`	Toggle dashboard	tab

Examples:

dms ipc call dash toggle ""
dms ipc call dash open overview
dms ipc call dash toggle media
dms ipc call dash open weather

file

File browser controls for selecting wallpapers and profile images.

Function	Description	Parameters
`browse <type>`	Open file browser	"wallpaper" or "profile"

Examples:

dms ipc call file browse wallpaper
dms ipc call file browse profile

dankdash

DankDash wallpaper browser control.

Function	Description
`wallpaper`	Toggle DankDash wallpaper browser

Examples:

dms ipc call dankdash wallpaper

System Utilities

niri

Requires niri 25.11+

Screenshot functionality for the niri compositor. Captures are opened in your configured editor for markup and annotation.

Function	Description
`screenshot`	Interactive selection screenshot
`screenshotScreen`	Capture entire screen
`screenshotWindow`	Capture focused window

Examples:

dms ipc call niri screenshot
dms ipc call niri screenshotScreen
dms ipc call niri screenshotWindow

Configuration:

Set the DMS_SCREENSHOT_EDITOR environment variable to choose your preferred screenshot editor backend:

# Use Swappy (default)
export DMS_SCREENSHOT_EDITOR=swappy

# Use Satty
export DMS_SCREENSHOT_EDITOR=satty

Requirements: niri compositor and your chosen screenshot editor (Swappy or Satty) must be installed.

keybinds

Dynamic keybinds cheatsheet modal that works with multiple providers.

Function	Description	Parameters
`open <provider>`	Show keybinds modal	provider name (e.g., "hyprland", "sway", "mangowc")
`openWithPath <provider> <path>`	Show keybinds modal with custom config path	provider name, path to config
`close`	Hide keybinds modal	-
`toggle <provider>`	Toggle keybinds modal visibility	provider name
`toggleWithPath <provider> <path>`	Toggle keybinds modal with custom config path	provider name, path to config

Examples:

dms ipc call keybinds toggle hyprland
dms ipc call keybinds toggle sway
dms ipc call keybinds toggle mangowc
dms ipc call keybinds open tmux

# With custom config paths
dms ipc call keybinds openWithPath hyprland /custom/path/to/hypr
dms ipc call keybinds toggleWithPath sway /etc/sway/config

Supported Providers:

The keybinds modal supports all providers available through the dms keybinds CLI:

Built-in providers: Hyprland, Sway, MangoWC (automatically parse compositor configs)
Custom cheatsheets: Any JSON-based cheatsheet in ~/.config/DankMaterialShell/cheatsheets/

The modal automatically parses configuration files and displays keybinds organized by category with optional subcategories. See the Keybinds & Cheatsheets documentation for more details on providers and creating custom cheatsheets.

hypr

Hyprland-only features

Hyprland-specific workspace overview control.

Function	Description
`openOverview`	Show Hyprland workspace overview
`closeOverview`	Hide Hyprland workspace overview
`toggleOverview`	Toggle Hyprland workspace overview visibility

Examples:

dms ipc call hypr toggleOverview

Workspace Overview:

The workspace overview shows all your workspaces across all monitors with live window previews:

Multi-monitor support - Shows workspaces from all connected monitors with monitor name labels
Live window previews - Real-time screen capture of all windows on each workspace
Drag-and-drop - Move windows between workspaces and monitors by dragging
Keyboard navigation - Use Left/Right arrow keys to switch between workspaces on current monitor
Visual indicators - Active workspace highlighted when it contains windows
Click to switch - Click any workspace to switch to it
Click outside or press Escape - Close the overview

Note: All hypr functions return HYPR_NOT_AVAILABLE if not running Hyprland.

plugins

Manage plugins at runtime - useful for development and troubleshooting.

Function	Description	Parameters
`list`	List all available plugins with status	-
`status <pluginId>`	Check if a plugin is loaded	plugin ID
`reload <pluginId>`	Hot-reload a plugin without restarting	plugin ID
`enable <pluginId>`	Enable a disabled plugin	plugin ID
`disable <pluginId>`	Disable a loaded plugin	plugin ID

Examples:

# See what plugins are available
dms ipc call plugins list

# Check if a specific plugin is running
dms ipc call plugins status myPlugin

# Hot-reload during development (no shell restart needed)
dms ipc call plugins reload myPlugin

# Toggle plugins on/off
dms ipc call plugins enable myPlugin
dms ipc call plugins disable myPlugin

systemupdater

System updater external check request.

Function	Description
`updatestatus`	Trigger system update check

Examples:

dms ipc call systemupdater updatestatus

Scripting and Automation

IPC commands are designed for integration with keybindings, scripts, and automation tools.

Time-based Automation

#!/bin/bash
# Toggle night mode based on time of day
hour=$(date +%H)
if [ $hour -ge 20 ] || [ $hour -le 6 ]; then
    dms ipc call night enable
else
    dms ipc call night disable
fi

Status Checking

# Check if screen is locked before performing action
if dms ipc call lock isLocked | grep -q "false"; then
    dms ipc call notifications open
fi

Conditional Logic

# Increase brightness only if below threshold
current=$(dms ipc call brightness status | grep -oP '\d+')
if [ "$current" -lt 50 ]; then
    dms ipc call brightness set 50
fi

Return Values

Most IPC functions return string messages indicating:

Success confirmation with current values
Error messages if operation fails
Status information for query functions
Empty/void return for simple action functions

Functions that return void (like media controls) execute the action but don't provide feedback. Check the application state through other means if needed.

Next Steps

See compositor-specific keybinding configuration in your compositor's documentation to integrate these IPC commands with your workflow.

Core Controls​

audio​

brightness​

night​

mpris​

lock​

inhibit​

Wallpaper & Profile​

wallpaper​

Global Wallpaper Functions​

Per-Monitor Functions​

profile​

Appearance Controls​

theme​

bar​

dock​

widget​

Modal Controls​

spotlight​

Other Modals​

settings​

dash​

file​

dankdash​

System Utilities​

niri​

keybinds​

hypr​

plugins​

systemupdater​

Scripting and Automation​

Time-based Automation​

Status Checking​

Conditional Logic​

Return Values​

Next Steps​

Core Controls

audio

brightness

night

mpris

lock

inhibit

Wallpaper & Profile

wallpaper

Global Wallpaper Functions

Per-Monitor Functions

profile

Appearance Controls

theme

bar

dock

widget

Modal Controls

spotlight

Other Modals

settings

dash

file

dankdash

System Utilities

niri

keybinds

hypr

plugins

systemupdater

Scripting and Automation

Time-based Automation

Status Checking

Conditional Logic

Return Values

Next Steps