docs(DE): full redesign sweep — desk profiles, keybinds, noctalia v5, handy fleet wiring, incident log
- niri: index/config-tree rework, displays.md desk-profile rewrite, tips/action-reference/default-bindings refresh (26.04), generated keybindings.md (119 bindings) - noctalia-shell.md: settings.toml lives in ~/.local/state, taskbar widget, v5 keybind table (Mod+D/Mod+V/Alt+Tab) - handy.md: NEW; live nested store shape, fleet endpoint, known thinking-model empty-content breaker + verified cure - log.md: DE redesign entry + pam_faillock sudo-lockout incident
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---
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type: reference
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title: Display Configuration
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description: Niri output configuration for a multi-monitor desk rig — portrait transforms, position pinning, scale, and iGPU display ownership.
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description: Niri output configuration on blankpad — EDID-identity-keyed desk profiles, hotplug auto-switching, portrait transforms, position pinning, and GPU notes (AMD Cezanne now; Intel Arc render-node pin is dankware-legacy).
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tags:
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- niri
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- display
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- monitors
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- rotation
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verified: 2026-08-28
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- desk-profiles
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verified: 2026-10-09
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---
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# Display Configuration
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How a multi-monitor desk rig is configured in niri: portrait external panels
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flanking a laptop panel, positions pinned by hand, and the integrated GPU kept
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as the display owner.
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Niri output config on **blankpad** is a **desk-profile system**: the laptop
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travels between desks, connector names (`DP-2`, `HDMI-A-1`) reshuffle per
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dock, so panels are configured by **EDID identity** (manufacturer model
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serial), and *positions* live in per-desk files. A hotplug watcher and a
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manual picker keep the live layout matched to reality.
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**Config:** `~/.config/niri/cfg/display.kdl`
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**Probe:** `wlr-randr` (installed by CachyOS) reports what the compositor
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actually committed — connectors, preferred modes, transforms, scale, positions.
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**Mechanism:** `~/.config/niri/cfg/display.kdl` is a **symlink** to the
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active profile (`desk-1-home.kdl`, `desk-2-portable.kdl`, …).
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`config.kdl` includes it with `include optional=true` so a missing link is a
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warning, not a parse failure.
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**Probe:** `niri msg outputs` is authoritative (connector, full EDID long
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name, modes, transform, scale, position, VRR). `wlr-randr` remains available.
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---
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## The rig
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Three outputs in a row: two external monitors rotated to portrait, one
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internal laptop panel in landscape at the right.
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## The desk-1 rig (home)
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```
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┌──────────────┬──────────────┬──────────────┐
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│ │ │ │
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│ DP-1 │ DP-3 │ eDP-1 │
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│ external │ external │ internal │
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│ 1920x1200 │ 1920x1200 │ 2560x1600 │
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│ Portrait │ Portrait │ Landscape │
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│ 90° rotate │ 270° rotate │ 1.5x scale │
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│ │ │ │
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└──────────────┴──────────────┴──────────────┘
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x=0,0 x=1200,0 auto-placed
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┌──────────────┬──────────────────────────────┬──────────┐
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│ PM1601 │ Sceptre M34 ultrawide │ eDP-1 │
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│ portrait │ 3440x1440 @ 239.999 │ 1920x1080│
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│ 1200x1920 │ landscape, scale 1 │ scale 1 │
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│ rot 90 │ position 1581,-600 │ 5021,-240│
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└──────────────┴──────────────────────────────┴──────────┘
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HDMI-A-1 DP-2 (focus-at-startup) eDP-1 (fallback focus)
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```
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| Output | Role | Transform | Position | Scale |
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|--------|------|-----------|----------|-------|
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| `DP-1` | External, left | `90` (portrait) | `x=0 y=0` | 1.0 |
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| `DP-3` | External, center | `270` (portrait) | `x=1200 y=0` | 1.0 |
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| `eDP-1` | Internal panel | none (landscape) | auto-placed | 1.5 |
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| Panel | EDID long name | Keyed by | Notes |
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|-------|----------------|----------|-------|
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| Sceptre M34 ultrawide | `Sceptre Tech Inc Sceptre M34 Unknown` | identity | `mode "3440x1440@239.999"`, `focus-at-startup` |
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| PM1601 portrait | *not captured* | connector `HDMI-A-1` | dock-dependent; run `desk.sh capture` when plugged in, then re-key |
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| eDP-1 laptop panel | `Lenovo Group Limited 0x40A9 Unknown` | identity | scale **1.0** (deliberate; Ghostty grid at 1.25 rejected 2026-10-09), second `focus-at-startup` |
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The two portrait panels are 1200 px wide after rotation, which is why the
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second one starts at `x=1200`. The internal panel declares no position at
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all — niri auto-places it to the right of the explicitly positioned outputs.
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That is the only reliable way to keep a third panel from landing on top of
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the rig when a cable is re-seated.
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VRR: DP-2 supports it; **left disabled by decision** (2026-10-09). Add
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`variable-refresh-rate` per output if that ever changes.
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---
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`focus-at-startup` on both M34 and eDP-1: niri focuses in config order, so
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the ultrawide wins when present and the laptop panel is the fallback.
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## Desk switching
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```mermaid
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graph LR
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P[plug / unplug] --> E[niri event-stream<br/>OutputsChanged]
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E --> M[desk-autoswitch.sh<br/>debounced matcher]
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M --> R{profile requires<br/>subset of connected?}
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R -->|best match| A[desk.sh apply:<br/>validate - relink - reload - notify]
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R -->|none| K[keep current + notify]
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D[Mod+Shift+D] --> C[desk.sh cycle] --> A
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```
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- **Matcher:** each profile declares `// requires: <long name>` (all must be
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connected) and `// optional:` comment lines; the most-specific eligible
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profile wins.
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- **Apply order is load-config-safe:** `niri validate` the *current* config
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first, relink `display.kdl`, then `niri msg action load-config-file`,
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then a noctalia notification names the active desk. A profile that fails
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validation can never go live.
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- **Manual override:** `Mod+Shift+D` cycles profiles (wrong auto-pick, or
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same panels, new layout).
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- **New desk:** `desk.sh capture` prints connected long names → copy into a
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new `desk-N-<name>.kdl` (see `desk-2-portable.kdl` skeleton, portable
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monitor EDID pending first capture).
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- Unit: `blankpad-desk-autoswitch.service` (systemd user,
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`ConditionHost=blankpad`).
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## The config pattern
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```kdl
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output "DP-1" {
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transform "90"
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position x=0 y=0
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}
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output "DP-3" {
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transform "270"
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position x=1200 y=0
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}
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output "eDP-1" {
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// no position — auto-placed to the right of the DP-* outputs
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scale 1.5
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// desk-1-home.kdl — one block per panel, keyed by identity
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output "Sceptre Tech Inc Sceptre M34 Unknown" {
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mode "3440x1440@239.999"
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scale 1
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transform "normal"
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position x=1581 y=-600
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focus-at-startup
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}
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```
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Three rules learned the hard way:
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Four rules learned the hard way:
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1. **One output, one block.** A second block keyed by the make/model string
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(`output "Samsung Electric Company …"`) that also sets `transform` fights
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the connector-keyed block. Use the make/model form only to pin a `mode`
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for an output whose connector name is unstable across boots, and never
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set a transform in both places.
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2. **Positions are absolute, not relational.** Niri does not reflow the rig
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when one panel is disconnected — a missing output leaves a hole at its
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coordinates. Verify with `wlr-randr` after any cable or dock change.
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3. **Re-assert rotation after a config reload, then confirm.** A transform
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silently reverting to landscape is the usual symptom of a duplicate
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output block, not of a failed reload.
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Modes must match what the panel reports. Check `wlr-randr` for the preferred
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mode before writing a `mode` line; a `mode` the panel cannot drive leaves the
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output dark or drops it.
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---
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1. **One output, one block.** Two blocks matching the same output (connector
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name *and* long name) fight over properties — transform reverts are the
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classic symptom. Desk profiles are self-contained: a panel's identity,
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mode, transform, **and** position live in exactly one block per file.
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2. **Key by EDID identity, not connector.** Connector names swap between
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docks; the EDID long name travels with the panel. Serials on these panels
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read `Unknown`, so the full long name (manufacturer model serial) is the
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match string — copy it verbatim from `niri msg outputs`.
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3. **Positions are absolute, not relational.** A disconnected panel leaves
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a hole; that is exactly why positions belong to the *desk profile*, not a
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global file.
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4. **Modes must match what the panel reports** (`niri msg outputs` →
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`Mode: current …`). A mode the panel cannot drive leaves the output dark.
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## GPU assignment
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The integrated GPU drives all display output; the discrete GPU is available
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for compute but must not take the outputs. Pin the render node explicitly in
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`~/.config/niri/cfg/misc.kdl`:
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blankpad is a **single AMD Cezanne iGPU** (`/dev/dri/renderD128`, PCI
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`07:00.0`). No render-node pin exists in `misc.kdl` — and must not: the
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blankpad override file deliberately deletes the pin.
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```kdl
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environment {
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render-node "/dev/dri/renderD129"
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}
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```
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Without the pin, the session's render node follows probe order and can land
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on the discrete GPU — which costs display-linked copies and, on hybrid
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graphics laptops, is a common trigger of the suspend/resume deadlock covered
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in the sleep-wake investigation report.
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---
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The `environment { render-node "/dev/dri/renderD129" }` pin found in the
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*base* `misc.kdl` is **dankware-legacy** (Intel Arc iGPU + discrete GPU
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hybrid; pin kept the iGPU as display owner and sidesteps the suspend/resume
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deadlock documented in the sleep-wake investigation). Deploying that base
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file on blankpad pins a render node that does not exist — this is why
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blankpad runs the `zz-blankpad` override layer (see [[index|the per-host
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symlink matrix]]).
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## Reload
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`niri msg action load-config-file` reloads live. Never `SIGHUP` the process
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— see [[tips]].
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---
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## See Also
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- [Niri](/tools/niri/index.md) — compositor overview and config layout
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- [[tips|tips]] — reload path and other gotchas
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- [[tips|tips]] — reload path, `niri msg layers/casts`, includes
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- [[noctalia-shell|noctalia-shell]] — notification shown on desk switch
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- [[cachyos|cachyos]] — operating system, including `wlr-randr`
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