Arguments for activate-linux

Activate linux takes command line arguments for all customizable options.

Each option has own long name (e.g. -t and --text-title). Readability or shortness, you choose.

Scaling is used to display the message correctly on screens of different resolutions. 100% is based on 1080p. It also affects the offset from the corner of the screen so is not recommended to be changed unless you are not using a 1080p screen.

Color is formatted in "r-g-b-a", with each number being a decimal from 0 to 1. Default is a light grey color.

Text

Custom Main Message

./activate-linux -t "Main Message"
./activate-linux --text-title "Main Message"

Custom Secondary Message

./activate-linux -m "Secondary Message"
./activate-linux --text-message "Secondary Message"

Run with a text preset

./activate-linux -p "bsd"
./activate-linux --text-preset "bsd"

Use Distro name

./activate-linux -o
./activate-linux --os-release

Appearance

Custom Font

./activate-linux -f "Ubuntu"
./activate-linux --text-font "Ubuntu"

Enable Bold Text

./activate-linux -b
./activate-linux --text-bold

Enable Italics

./activate-linux -i
./activate-linux --text-italic

Custom Color (r-g-b-a)

Default color is 1-1-1-0.35 (dimmed white)

./activate-linux -c 0.1-0.1-0.1-0.1
./activate-linux --text-color 0.1-0.1-0.1-0.1

Size and position

Note that message always appears in the top left corner of the overlay.

Custom overlay width

# Default width = 340px
./activate-linux -x 340
./activate-linux --overlay-width 340

Custom overlay height

# Default height = 120px
./activate-linux -y 120
./activate-linux --overlay-height 120

Custom Scaling

./activate-linux -s 1.5
./activate-linux --scale 1.5

Other

Skip compositor (only works for compliant compositors)

./activate-linux -w
./activate-linux --bypass-compositor

Run via SystemD

sudo cp activate-linux /usr/bin/.
sudo cp activate-linux.service /etc/systemd/user/.
sudo systemctl --user --now enable activate-linux.service

Add optional arguments to ~/.config/activate-linux.env like this:

ARGS=-t "Main Text" --gamescope --text-font "Segoe UI"

Run as daemon

./activate-linux -d
./activate-linux --daemonize

Kill running activate-linux instance (currently Windows-only)

Useful to kill running background daemon (started with -d option)

./activate-linux -K
./activate-linux --kill-running

Add verbose level (useful for debugging, shows events received by backend)

# Show only errors
./activate-linux
# Show errors + warnings
./activate-linux -v
./activate-linux --verbose
# Show errors + warnings + information messages
./activate-linux -vv
# Show errors + warnings + information messages + debug info
./activate-linux -vvv

Be quiet, don't spam console

./activate-linux -q
./activate-linux --quiet

List predefined presets

./activate-linux -l
./activate-linux --text-preset-list

Run as an external Gamescope overlay

./activate-linux -G
./activate-linux --gamescope

Force fake transparency rendering using the shaping extension on X11

./activate-linux -S
./activate-linux --force-xshape

Use a configuration file

Config example

./activate-linux -C ~/config.cfg
./activate-linux --config-file ~/config.cfg

Show embedded help

./activate-linux -?
./activate-linux -h
./activate-linux --help