Linux Sleep Server Mod

Keep your Linux laptop running when you close the lid - lock the screen without suspending.

Overview

This solution configures your Linux laptop (GNOME-based) to lock the screen when you close the lid, without suspending the system. All services, SSH connections, and background processes continue running.

Perfect for:

• 🖥️ Server laptops that need to stay accessible
• 💻 Development machines running services/containers
• 🌐 Remote workstations accessed via SSH
• 🎬 Media servers or home automation systems
• ⚙️ Long-running computations

Installation

One-Command Install (Easiest)

Download and install in one command:

Lock Screen Only (default):

curl -L https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Genaker/LinuxSleepServerMod/main/install.sh | bash -s lock

Lock Screen + Stop GUI:

curl -L https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Genaker/LinuxSleepServerMod/main/install.sh | bash -s gui-stop

Or using wget:

Lock Screen Only:

wget -qO- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Genaker/LinuxSleepServerMod/main/install.sh | bash -s lock

Lock Screen + Stop GUI:

wget -qO- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Genaker/LinuxSleepServerMod/main/install.sh | bash -s gui-stop

This will automatically:

• Download the repository
• Extract files
• Run the appropriate setup script (lock or gui-stop)
• Clean up temporary files

Quick Install from Git (wget/curl)

Using wget:

# Download and extract
wget https://github.com/Genaker/LinuxSleepServerMod/archive/refs/heads/main.zip -O lockscreen.zip
unzip lockscreen.zip
cd LinuxSleepServerMod-main
chmod +x setup-lock.sh setup-gui-stop.sh uninstall.sh

# Run setup
./setup-lock.sh

Using curl:

# Download and extract
curl -L https://github.com/Genaker/LinuxSleepServerMod/archive/refs/heads/main.zip -o lockscreen.zip
unzip lockscreen.zip
cd LinuxSleepServerMod-main
chmod +x setup-lock.sh setup-gui-stop.sh uninstall.sh

# Run setup
./setup-lock.sh

Or clone with git:

git clone https://github.com/Genaker/LinuxSleepServerMod.git
cd LinuxSleepServerMod
chmod +x setup-lock.sh setup-gui-stop.sh uninstall.sh
./setup-lock.sh

Quick Start

Automated Setup (Recommended)

Option 1: Lock Screen Only

./setup-lock.sh

Option 2: Lock Screen + Stop GUI

./setup-gui-stop.sh

These scripts will:

• Configure GNOME power settings
• Install daemon scripts (bash and Go if available)
• Set up autostart
• Start the daemon

Uninstall

To remove everything:

./uninstall.sh

Manual Setup

Step 1: Configure GNOME Power Settings

gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.power lid-close-ac-action 'nothing'
gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.power lid-close-battery-action 'nothing'

and this sudo nano /etc/systemd/logind.conf

HandleLidSwitch=ignore
HandleLidSwitchExternalPower=ignore
HandleLidSwitchDocked=ignore

Step 2: Install the Lock Daemon

Option A: Using Bash Scripts

# Create script directory
mkdir -p ~/.local/bin

# Copy the daemon script
cp lid-lock-daemon.sh ~/.local/bin/
chmod +x ~/.local/bin/lid-lock-daemon.sh

Option B: Using Go (Recommended for better performance)

# Install Go if not already installed
# Ubuntu/Debian: sudo apt install golang-go
# Fedora: sudo dnf install golang

# Build and install
make install

# Or manually:
go build -o lid-lock-daemon lid-lock-daemon.go
cp lid-lock-daemon ~/.local/bin/
chmod +x ~/.local/bin/lid-lock-daemon

Step 3: Configure Autostart

# Create autostart directory
mkdir -p ~/.config/autostart

# Copy autostart file (edit YOUR_USERNAME first)
cp lid-lock.desktop ~/.config/autostart/
# Edit ~/.config/autostart/lid-lock.desktop and replace YOUR_USERNAME with your username

Step 4: Start the Daemon

Bash version:

nohup ~/.local/bin/lid-lock-daemon.sh > /dev/null 2>&1 &

Go version:

nohup ~/.local/bin/lid-lock-daemon > /dev/null 2>&1 &

What It Does

• ✅ Locks screen when lid closes (within 1 second)
• ✅ System keeps running - no suspend
• ✅ All services active - SSH, web servers, containers
• ✅ Network stays connected - remote access available
• ✅ Background processes continue - no interruptions

Files Included

Bash Scripts

• lid-lock-daemon.sh - Main daemon script that monitors lid state
• lid-lock-stop-gnome.sh - Advanced version that also stops GUI
• setup-lid-gui-sudo.sh - Helper script for sudo configuration
• lid-lock.desktop - Autostart configuration file

Go Versions

• lid-lock-daemon.go - Go version of the main daemon
• lid-lock-stop-gnome.go - Go version with GNOME stop/start
• go.mod - Go module definition
• Makefile - Build and install automation

Advanced: Stop GUI When Lid Closes

For maximum resource savings, use the version that also stops GNOME GUI:

Setup Sudo Access

sudo bash setup-lid-gui-sudo.sh

Use Enhanced Script

Bash version:

cp lid-lock-stop-gnome.sh ~/.local/bin/
chmod +x ~/.local/bin/lid-lock-stop-gnome.sh
# Update autostart file to use lid-lock-stop-gnome.sh instead

Go version:

go build -o lid-lock-stop-gnome lid-lock-stop-gnome.go
cp lid-lock-stop-gnome ~/.local/bin/
chmod +x ~/.local/bin/lid-lock-stop-gnome
# Update autostart file to use lid-lock-stop-gnome instead

Behavior:

• Lid closes → Locks screen → Stops GNOME → Logs out
• Lid opens → Starts GNOME → Shows login screen

Verification

Check if daemon is running:

ps aux | grep lid-lock-daemon

Check lid state:

dbus-send --system --print-reply --dest=org.freedesktop.login1 /org/freedesktop/login1 org.freedesktop.DBus.Properties.Get string:org.freedesktop.login1.Manager string:LidClosed

Customization

Change Check Interval

Bash scripts: Edit the script and modify sleep 1:

• sleep 0.5 - Faster response (more CPU)
• sleep 2 - Slower response (less CPU)

Go versions: Edit the Go source and modify checkInterval := 1 * time.Second:

• 500 * time.Millisecond - Faster response (more CPU)
• 2 * time.Second - Slower response (less CPU)

Stop Daemon

# Stop bash version
pkill -f lid-lock-daemon.sh

# Stop Go version
pkill -f lid-lock-daemon

Disable Autostart

rm ~/.config/autostart/lid-lock.desktop

Troubleshooting

Screen Doesn't Lock

1. Check daemon is running: ps aux | grep lid-lock-daemon
2. Check permissions: ls -l ~/.local/bin/lid-lock-daemon.sh
3. Test lock manually: gnome-screensaver-command -l

System Still Suspends

1. Verify settings: gsettings get org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.power lid-close-ac-action
2. Should return 'nothing'

How It Works

The daemon monitors lid state via D-Bus (org.freedesktop.login1.Manager.LidClosed) every second. When it detects lid closing, it locks the screen. GNOME power settings are configured to do 'nothing' when lid closes, so the system never suspends.

Bash vs Go Versions

Both versions provide the same functionality:

• Bash versions: Simple, no compilation needed, easy to modify
• Go versions: Better performance, single binary, easier to distribute

Choose based on your preference. The Go versions are recommended for production use due to better resource usage and performance.

Requirements

• Linux with GNOME desktop environment
• systemd (most modern distributions)
• Tested on: Ubuntu 22.04+, Fedora, Debian with GNOME

For Go versions:

• Go 1.21 or later (for building from source)
• Or use pre-built binaries (if available)

Security Notes

• Screen locks when lid closes
• System stays powered on - configure firewall properly
• SSH access remains - use key-based authentication
• Consider full disk encryption for additional security

License

Free to use and modify as needed.

Contributing

Feel free to submit issues or pull requests with improvements!

Author

Created to solve the problem of keeping Linux laptops running while maintaining screen security.