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How to install backend for Safe Eyes tray icon

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Archisman Panigrahi edited this page Nov 1, 2024 · 29 revisions

Budgie/Cinnamon/KDE/LxQt/XFCE/Sway

Works out of the box. If it does not work, please create an issue, and add details about your system.

GNOME

If you are using GNOME, install the AppIndicator and KStatusNotifierItem Support extension, and Safe Eyes should work immediately afterward. This extension is preinstalled in Ubuntu, where the tray icon works out of the box.

LXDE/Pixel Desktop/Openbox/i3/other WMs

You will have to install snixembed. Here is how to.

Note: In i3, some distros add out-of-box support for the tray icon backend we are using. If it does not work, you will have to install snixembed.

Pantheon (Elementary OS)

This method was tested in Elementary OS 7.

According to this, Pantheon does not currently support a system tray out of the box. You will have to use Wingpanel Comminity Indicators

Enter the following commands one by one to download and install it, and add it to startup applications.

wget https://github.com/MvBonin/wingpanel-community-indicators/releases/download/2.0.10/com.github.mvbonin.wingpanel-community-indicators_2.0.10_amd64.deb
sudo apt install ./com.github.mvbonin.wingpanel-community-indicators_2.0.10_amd64.deb
mkdir -p ~/.config/autostart
cp /etc/xdg/autostart/indicator-application.desktop ~/.config/autostart/
sed -i 's/^OnlyShowIn.*/OnlyShowIn=Unity;GNOME;Pantheon;/' ~/.config/autostart/indicator-application.desktop

Reboot, and Safe Eyes should work!

MATE

While Safe Eyes tray icon works out of the box in Ubuntu MATE (thanks to Ayatana indicators), it may not work outside Ubuntu MATE.

There are two options.

  1. Use snixembed, which acts as a bridge between the new status notifier and the legacy tray icon system. Here is how to install snixembed.
  2. Alternatively, install the Ayatana Indicator plugin used in Ubuntu MATE. Reboot.

Installation of snixembed

Debian/Ubuntu/Mint/Raspberry Pi OS

To install it in debian based systems (e.g. Raspberry Pi OS), run the following command (as a normal user, without sudo - it will automatically ask for your password). It will install snixembed, and will automatically add it to startup applications.

wget https://gist.githubusercontent.com/archisman-panigrahi/cd571ddea1aa2c5e2b4fa7bcbee7d5df/raw/setup-snixembed-debian.sh && sudo bash setup-snixembed-debian.sh

Now reboot, and Safe Eyes should work!

In case you are curious to know what the above command does, here is the installation script it executes.

Arch/Gentoo/Void

These operating systems already have a packaged version. Please use your package manager.

Packaging status

You will have to add snixembed --fork to startup applications (see this for how to).

Finally, reboot, and Safe Eyes should work.

Nix with Home Manager

You just have to add the following to your Home Manager configuration file:

{
  ...
  safeeyes.enable = true;
  snixembed = {
    enable = true;

    beforeUnits = [
      # https://github.com/slgobinath/SafeEyes/wiki/How-to-install-backend-for-Safe-Eyes-tray-icon
      "safeeyes.service"
    ];
  };
}

Now reboot, and Safe Eyes should work!

Other operating systems

Here is how to compile and install from source. Finally add snixembed --fork to startup applications, and reboot.

Still did not work?

Please create an issue, and add details about your system, and what you have tried.

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