mate-screensaver-command(1)

mate-screensaver-command1

Controls mate screensaver

Usage

mate-screensaver-command [OPTION ...]

Overview

mate-screensaver-command is a tool for controlling an already running instance of mate-screensaver.

Options

--exit

Causes the screensaver to exit gracefully

-q, --query

Query the state of the screensaver

-t, --time

Query the length of time the screensaver has been active

-l, --lock

Tells the running screensaver process to lock the screen immediately

-u, --unlock

Tells the running screensaver process to unlock the screen immediately

-c, --cycle

If the screensaver is active then switch to another graphics demo

-a, --activate

Turn the screensaver on (blank the screen)

-d, --deactivate

If the screensaver is active then deactivate it (un-blank the screen)

-p, --poke

Poke the running screensaver to simulate user activity

-i, --inhibit

Inhibit the screensaver from activating. Command blocks while inhibit is active.

-n, --application-name

The calling application that is inhibiting the screensaver

-r, --reason

The reason for inhibiting the screensaver

-V, --version

Version of this application

Releases

7 releases since Debian 8 (Jessie); the text changed 1 time.

  1. 8–9
  2. 10–Arch

--activate since Debian 10 (Buster); --application-name since Debian 10 (Buster); --cycle since Debian 10 (Buster); --deactivate since Debian 10 (Buster); --exit since Debian 10 (Buster); --inhibit since Debian 10 (Buster); --lock since Debian 10 (Buster); --poke since Debian 10 (Buster); --query since Debian 10 (Buster); --reason since Debian 10 (Buster); --time since Debian 10 (Buster); --unlock since Debian 10 (Buster); -V since Debian 10 (Buster); -a since Debian 10 (Buster); -c since Debian 10 (Buster); -d since Debian 10 (Buster); -i since Debian 10 (Buster); -l since Debian 10 (Buster); -n since Debian 10 (Buster); -p since Debian 10 (Buster); -q since Debian 10 (Buster); -r since Debian 10 (Buster); -t since Debian 10 (Buster); -u since Debian 10 (Buster).

--debug until Debian 9 (Stretch); --display until Debian 9 (Stretch); --help until Debian 9 (Stretch); --help-all until Debian 9 (Stretch); --no-daemon until Debian 9 (Stretch); -h until Debian 9 (Stretch).

Authors

This manual page was originally written by Sven Arvidsson <[email protected]> for gnome-screensaver-command.

From mate-screensaver 1.28.1-1 in Arch Linux 2026-11-01. Parsed by carta from the page's man source.