Monitor is enabled after saving the config

[sand4rt]

I’m trying to mimic macOS lid behavior on my laptop:

1. Suspend the laptop if the lid is closed and no external monitors are connected.
2. Disable laptop screen and keyboard backlight if the lid is closed and external monitors are connected.
3. Re-enable laptop screen and keyboard backlight when the lid is opened.

To avoid conflicts, i had to disable the default HandleLidSwitch systemd actions:

# /etc/systemd/logind.conf
[Login]
HandleLidSwitch=ignore
HandleLidSwitchExternalPower=ignore
HandleLidSwitchDocked=ignore

This is my hyprland config:

# hyprland.conf

# Lid closed
bindl =, switch:on:Apple SMC power/lid events, exec, if [[ $(hyprctl monitors | grep -c "Monitor") -eq 1 ]]; then systemctl suspend; fi
bindl =, switch:on:Apple SMC power/lid events, exec, if [[ $(hyprctl monitors | grep -c "Monitor") -gt 1 ]]; then hyprctl keyword monitor ", disable"; fi
bindl =, switch:on:Apple SMC power/lid events, exec, if [[ $(hyprctl monitors | grep -c "Monitor") -gt 1 ]]; then brightnessctl -sd kbd_backlight set 0; fi

# Lid opened
bindl =, switch:off:Apple SMC power/lid events, exec, hyprctl keyword monitor ", highres, auto, 1.5"
bindl =, switch:off:Apple SMC power/lid events, exec, brightnessctl -rd kbd_backlight

Everything works fine except for one issue: when I disable the laptop monitor and then save the Hyprland config, the monitor gets re-enabled automatically, which is not the desired behavior.

To reproduce:

1. Run hyprctl keyword monitor ", disable"
2. Save hyprland.conf

After this, the disabled monitor turns back on..

Is there any way to prevent this? Also, if anyone knows of a better approach to achieve this setup, I’d love to hear it!

Perhaps there should be a warning that systemd conflicts with: https://wiki.hypr.land/Configuring/Binds/#switches ?

[vaxerski]

this is expected behavior. Any hyprctl keyword is temporary until a config reload.

[vaxerski]

I don't know about waybar. Without a specific point of failure within hyprland I can't do much

[sand4rt]

Any hyprctl keyword is temporary until a config reload

Fair enough. I’ve submitted hyprwm/hyprland-wiki#1218 and hyprwm/hyprland-wiki#1217. If there’s a better solution, I’m all ears.

[vaxerski]

with the recent adding of conditionals, I think a file with settings would make sense. For example:

# settings.conf
$ENABLE_LAPTOP = 1
$ENABLE_DESKTOP =

# hyprland.conf
source = ./settings.conf

# hyprlang if ENABLE_LAPTOP
monitor = eDP-1, ....
# hyprlang endif

# hyprlang if !ENABLE_LAPTOP
monitor = eDP-1, disable
# hyprlang endif

# ... other monitors similarly

then you can have a watcher script / toggle / whatever that writes to settings.conf. These changes will be dynamically picked up

[sand4rt]

Thanks for the reply. What if the user reboots when $ENABLE_LAPTOP = 0? Then I’d probably need to run a script at startup to check if external monitors are connected and the lid is open to cover that case..

This is starting to get overly complicated for something every laptop user needs. Doesn’t it make more sense to build something into hyprland to properly deal with laptop lid closing/opening?

config that i was working with:

source = ./settings.conf

# hyprlang if ENABLE_LAPTOP
monitor = eDP-1, ....
# hyprlang endif

# hyprlang if !ENABLE_LAPTOP
monitor = eDP-1, disable
# hyprlang endif


# Laptop lid close event
bindl =, switch:on:Apple SMC power/lid events, exec, if [[ $(hyprctl monitors | grep -c "Monitor") -gt 1 ]]; then hyprctl keyword monitor ", disable"; fi
#  to persist the hyprctl state:
bindl =, switch:on:Apple SMC power/lid events, exec, if [[ $(hyprctl monitors | grep -c "Monitor") -gt 1 ]]; then echo '$ENABLE_LAPTOP = 0' > "$HOME/.config/hypr/settings.conf"; fi

# Laptop lid open event
bindl =, switch:off:Apple SMC power/lid events, exec, hyprctl keyword monitor ", highres, auto, 1.5"
#  to persist the hyprctl state:
bindl =, switch:off:Apple SMC power/lid events, exec, echo '$ENABLE_LAPTOP = 1' > "$HOME/.config/hypr/settings.conf";

[vaxerski]

Doesn’t it make more sense to build something into hyprland to properly deal with laptop lid closing/opening?

How would you even want the syntax for that to look like? One that isnt giga restricting.

Thanks for the reply. What if the user reboots when $ENABLE_LAPTOP = 0? Then I’d probably need to run a script at startup to check if external monitors are connected and the lid is open to cover that case..

You can exec-once = myWatcher.sh and watch the state there.

Or you can use kanshi / shikane...?