How to use i3lock to wake from suspend state

By Raymond Li (Raymo111), September 3^rd, 2019

Last updated 28 August 2021

Table of Contents

Step 0: Preparation
Step 1: Create the lock script
Step 2: Create the systemd module
Step 3: Enable the systemd module

Step 0: Preparation

Disable any preexisting screen locker. I'm using KDE on Arch Linux, so my options for kscreenlocker look like this:

If you don't have it already, make sure you install i3lock. I highly recommend installing i3lock-color.

Step 1: Create the lock script

Create a file at ~/scripts/i3lock.sh, with the following content:

#!/bin/bash
i3lock # Whatever i3lock options you want to use. Use i3lock -h for a list of options

Step 2: Create the systemd module

Create a file using sudo at /etc/systemd/system/wakelock@.service, with the following content:

[Unit]
Description=Lock the screen on resume from suspend
Before=sleep.target suspend.target

[Service]
User=%i
Type=forking
Environment=DISPLAY=:0
ExecStart=/home/%i/scripts/i3lock.sh

[Install]
WantedBy=sleep.target suspend.target

Step 3: Enable the systemd module

Enable the systemd module you just created with:

sudo systemctl enable wakelock@<YOUR-USER-NAME> --now

i3lock will now run once as a demo, then when you wake from suspend, i3lock will automatically start.

That's it! If you make any changes and want them reflected immediately without restart, simply do:

sudo systemctl restart wakelock@<YOUR-USER-NAME>

If my tutorial helped you, or if you encountered any errors or have any suggestions for me, leave a comment below to let me know!