---
type: reference
title: Screenshot Matrix
description: "Screenshot setup on blankpad — flameshot retired (all modes hang via portal on 2+ outputs, niri#4313); niri-native binds: all-monitors script, focused-screen capture, interactive UI. Includes the niri spawn-sh PATH trap."
tags:
  - niri
  - flameshot
  - screenshots
  - multi-monitor
  - portal
verified: 2026-10-14
---

# Screenshot Matrix

**Flameshot is retired on this box (2026-10-14).** Every flameshot mode
on Wayland captures through xdg-desktop-portal →
`xdg-desktop-portal-gnome` → niri's GNOME-Screenshot compatibility API,
which is hard-limited to one output. All binds are niri-native now.

## Live binds

| Bind | Action | Output |
|------|--------|--------|
| `Print` / `Ctrl+Shift+1` / `Mod+Shift+S` | `screenshot-desk.sh` — one PNG **per monitor** | `~/Pictures/Screenshots/Screenshot from … <connector>.png` |
| `Alt+Print` / `Ctrl+Shift+2` | `screenshot-screen` — focused monitor | same dir (niri `screenshot-path`) + clipboard |
| `Ctrl+Print` / `Ctrl+Shift+3` | `screenshot` UI — interactive region/window/screen, Space saves, Esc cancels | same dir + clipboard; single-output selection by design |

Noctalia settings lives on `Mod+Shift+O` (moved off Mod+Shift+S).

## Why flameshot died (and not just `full`)

- Portal chain: flameshot 14 → `xdg-desktop-portal-gnome` → niri D-Bus
  API → `screenshot_all_outputs` → `ensure!(outputs.len() == 1)`
  (FIXME upstream).
- `flameshot full` on 2 outputs: each press emits **3 refusals**
  (composited screen + per-output) — `WARN niri::niri: error taking a
  screenshot: Condition failed: outputs.len() == 1 (2 vs 1)` in
  `journalctl --user -u niri`; bubbles arrive after the portal
  round-trip ("bunch of errors after a delay").
- `flameshot screen` is NOT exempt: live test docked, 2026-10-14 —
  `flameshot full` and `flameshot screen` both hang ~15 s, exit 124
  under timeout, **no file written**.
- Upstream: [niri#4313](https://github.com/niri-wm/niri/issues/4313)
  (closed duplicate, unfixed in 26.04/8ed0da4),
  [flameshot#4449](https://github.com/flameshot-org/flameshot/issues/4449).
- Portable desk (1 output): flameshot would work again — that is the
  portal's only supported shape.

## The all-monitor path: `scripts/screenshot-desk.sh`

- Per active output (`niri msg --json outputs`): `focus-monitor` →
  `screenshot-screen --path` (absolute) → restore prior focus.
- All niri-native; no grim, no portal. `SCREENSHOT_DIR` overrides the
  output dir.

## The spawn-sh PATH trap (why "it works in the shell" lies)

niri's environment `PATH` is the **system** path — `~/.local/bin` is
**absent** (`tr '\0' '\n' < /proc/$(pidof niri | awk '{print $1}')/environ`).
`spawn-sh "some-user-script"` fails silently. Rules:

- Keybinds use **absolute** script paths
  (`/home/blank/.omp/scripts/…`). Applies to `desk.sh` too — its bare
  bind was dead for the same reason.
- A bare script name in a keybind is a bug on this box.

## Census commands

```bash
niri msg outputs                                     # how many outputs live
journalctl --user -u niri --since today | grep -i screenshot   # WARN vs DEBUG saves
tr '\0' '\n' < /proc/$(pgrep -x niri | head -1)/environ | grep ^PATH   # spawn-sh environment
```

## See Also

- [[displays|displays.md]] — desk profiles: 1 output portable vs 2 docked
- [[keybindings|keybindings.md]] — generated cheat sheet (source of the binds)
- [[noctalia-shell|noctalia-shell]] — shell settings on Mod+Shift+O