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Troubleshooting

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Bobby Comet edited this page Aug 8, 2026 · 3 revisions

Troubleshooting

Quick checklist

  1. Tools → Hardware & Session; display server, desktop, Conky installed/version/Wayland build, sensors, GPU, net iface
  2. Confirm Conky runs from a terminal (conky -v / a minimal conf)
  3. Confirm Live Preview vs Manager Start (preview uses generated files; Manager runs installed start.sh)
  4. Note X11 vs Wayland and compositor name

Conky missing or wrong build

Symptom Try
Preview never starts Install Conky; ensure it is on PATH
Wayland session, nothing on screen Need a Conky build with Wayland support; some packages (e.g. certain conky-all builds) are X11-only
Works on X11 session only Expected on some distros — use X11 for HUDs or install a Wayland-capable Conky

Wayland

Environment Typical outlook
wlroots (Sway, Hyprland, Wayfire, …) Usually workable for overlays
KDE Plasma (Wayland) Often workable
GNOME (Mutter) Poor fit for this class of overlay — Conky + Mutter limitation, not a Studio toggle
Mir-based Often discussed as supported in product docs

Studio can detect and warn; it cannot add protocol support that the compositor lacks.

Live Preview issues

Symptom Try
Status says failed/no window Read preview logs; check Conky install; try Build to a folder and run ./start.sh manually
Delayed data (weather, sensors) Wait for script cache; check network / lm-sensors
Wrong size or position Canvas width/height, alignment, gap_x/gap_y on the Canvas node
Looks fine in preview, wrong in Manager Re-Build & Install; confirm you started the same theme name

Studio/graph issues

Symptom Try
Property panel empty Select a node; open the Properties dock
Cannot connect sockets Kind mismatch (e.g., text into a pure number input); use Logic to convert or pick a compatible visual input
Plugin node missing/broken Install the pack (Plugins); reload project
Graph very busy Group nodes, collapse groups, labels (editor-only)

Fonts

Tools → Install Font helps register fonts for themes that need them. After installation, set the font on Text/related nodes and rebuild.

Troubleshooting: Shell errors and BadWindow hints

Conky Studio turns your node graph into real Conky configs, Lua, and shell scripts. Two messages show up often for new users—especially with Theme Wizard starters. They look scary; both are usually easy to fix.

These are intentional. The Theme Wizard is a learning scaffold, not a finished theme. It leaves a few sharp edges on purpose so you learn how Conky Studio works: proper naming/syntax, how themes are installed, and when to use Background daemon instead of Simple (execi). Hitting the error once and fixing it is part of the lesson.

sh: 1: Syntax error: Unterminated quoted string

What it means

Conky tried to run an external script (via Simple/execi polling), and the shell rejected the command because of broken quoting.

Usual cause

The theme folder name contains a space (or a quote character).

The Theme Wizard names projects like:

  • Sci-Fi HUD
  • Minimal HUD
  • Gaming HUD

After Build & Install, the theme lives under something like:

~/.config/conky/Sci-Fi HUD/

Scripted sources that use execi end up as Conky commands roughly like:

${execi 2 "/home/…/Sci-Fi HUD/scripts/gpu_stats.sh" --key gpu_util}

Many Conky builds pass that through the shell in a way that breaks on the inner quotes when the path has spaces → Unterminated quoted string.

Why the Wizard does this

Starter themes are meant to teach:

  • Theme name = install folder; spaces and special characters matter in real shell/Conky syntax
  • Execi runs the script through Conky’s shell path (simple, but quoting-sensitive)
  • Daemon runs the script from start.sh and only feeds Conky a cache (robust for GPU, sensors, weather)

You are expected to rename the HUD or switch the source to daemon—and understand why.

How to fix it

Option A: Rename the HUD (recommended)

  1. Give the project a name without spaces (e.g., SciFi-HUD or Sci_Fi_HUD).
  2. Build & Install again (or Build to Folder).
  3. Restart Live Preview or start from Manager.

Option B: Use Background daemon for that source

  1. Select the source node (GPU util, CPU temp, etc.).
  2. Set Polling mode → Background daemon.
  3. Rebuild/restart preview if needed.

[hint] X BadWindow (error_code 3)

What it means

Conky (or Studio’s log helper) queried an X11 window that no longer exists. The hint often mentions own_window_type (desktop/dock) or xinerama_head.

What it often is in practice

On a single-monitor system with window type set to Normal, this is frequently noise from Live Preview restarting Conky—or it shows up next to scripted sources that are still on execi.

For many users, the message quiets down when GPU utilization (and similar sensors) is switched to Background daemon, because Conky no longer runs those scripts through the fragile ${execi …} path.

Why the Wizard leaves sensors on execi

Wizard themes often default GPU and other external sources to execi so you discover the two modes yourself:

Mode Who runs the script When to use it
Simple (execi) Conky, each interval Lightweight, built-in-style polling; avoid if the path has spaces or the log fills with shell errors
Background daemon start.sh + cache file GPU, weather, sensors, anything that should not stutter or fight shell quoting

Learning when and where to prefer daemon over execi is a core Conky Studio skill. The Wizard forces that lesson early.

What to check

  1. Select the noisy source (e.g., GPU util) → Polling mode → Background daemon.
  2. Canvas and Windows dock → Window type = Normal, monitor Auto.
  3. Stop Live Preview → Start again (clears a stale process).

If the HUD draws and sensors work, a lone BadWindow line during preview is usually safe to ignore. If the window never appears or sits on the wrong monitor, use Tools → Hardware & Session.

Quick checklist (Wizard themes)

  1. Rename the project so the folder name has no spaces (proper install-path syntax).
  2. For GPU/temp/other external scripts that misbehave: Polling mode → Background daemon (learn when daemon wins over execi).
  3. Canvas + Windows: Window type = Normal, monitor Auto.
  4. Rebuild/reinstall, then Stop → Start Live Preview (or Manager).

Design note

The Theme Wizard is a teaching tool, not a polish pass.

It deliberately keeps:

  • Names with spaces
  • Some sources on execi

So, you practice:

  • How themes are named and installed
  • Real shell/Conky quoting constraints
  • When and where to use daemon instead of execi

Once that is clear, you can refine the graph into a finished HUD with intentional choices instead of surprises.

Still stuck

Gather: Studio version, distro, X11/Wayland, compositor, Conky version (conky -v), and whether the failure is Preview or Manager. Ask on Discord or see Support.

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