hyprland-wiki/pages/Useful Utilities/Systemd-start.md

---
weight: 12
title: Systemd startup
---

## UWSM

- [Universal Wayland Session Manager](https://github.com/Vladimir-csp/uwsm) is a recommended way to start Hyprland session on systemd distros. uwsm wraps standalone Wayland compositors into a set of Systemd units and provides robust session management including environment, XDG autostart support, bi-directional binding with login session, and clean shutdown.

## Installation

{{% details title="Arch" closed="true" %}}

uwsm is available in AUR. You can install it either with an AUR helper, or build PKGBUILD manually. Here's an example for yay.

```sh
yay -S uwsm
```

{{% /details %}}

{{% details title="Nix/NixOS" closed="true" %}}

```nix
programs.uwsm = {
  enable = true;
  waylandCompositors.hyprland = {
    binPath = "/run/current-system/sw/bin/Hyprland";
    comment = "Hyprland session managed by uwsm";
    prettyName = "Hyprland";
  };
};
```

The above option generates a new desktop entry, `hyprland-uwsm.desktop`, which will be available in display managers.

For more info, read the [option](https://search.nixos.org/options?channel=unstable&show=programs.uwsm.enable&from=0&size=50&sort=relevance&type=packages&query=uwsm).

{{< callout >}}

If you use the [Home Manager module](../../Nix/Hyprland-on-Home-Manager), make sure to disable the systemd integration, as it conflicts with uwsm.

```nix
wayland.windowManager.hyprland.systemd.enable = false;
```

{{< /callout >}}

{{% /details %}}

{{< callout type=info >}}

For instructions for other distros and manual building, see [building and installing](https://github.com/Vladimir-csp/uwsm?tab=readme-ov-file#installation) section on the project's page.

{{< /callout >}}

## Launching Hyprland with uwsm

{{< callout type=info >}}

Pay attention to the warnings in [Environment variables](../../Environment-variables#xdg-specifications) and [Dispatchers](../../Dispatchers) sections.

{{< /callout >}}

### In tty

To launch Hyprland with uwsm, add this code in your shell profile.

```
if uwsm check may-start && uwsm select; then
	exec systemd-cat -t uwsm_start uwsm start default
fi
```

This will bring uwsm compositor selection menu after you log in tty1. Choose Hyprland entry and you're good to go.

If you want to bypass compositor selection menu and launch Hyprland directly, use this code in your shell profile, instead.

```
if uwsm check may-start; then
    exec uwsm start hyprland.desktop
fi
```

### Using a display manager

If you use a display manager, choose `hyprland (uwsm-managed)` entry in a display manager selection menu.

## Launching applications inside session

The concept of a session managed by Systemd implies also running applications as units. Uwsm [provides](https://github.com/Vladimir-csp/uwsm#3-applications-and-slices) a helper to do it.

Prefix application startup commands with `uwsm app --`. It also supports launching Desktop Entries by IDs or paths. See `man uwsm` or `uwsm app --help`.

Examples for autostart and bind entries:

```
exec-once = uwsm app -- mycommand --arg1 --arg2
bind = SUPER, E, exec, uwsm app -- pcmanfm-qt.desktop
```

Running applications as child processes inside compositor's unit is discouraged.