dunstctl

runtime control interface for dunst

TLDR

Show notification history
$ dunstctl history-pop
Close current notification
$ dunstctl close
Close all notifications
$ dunstctl close-all
Toggle do-not-disturb
$ dunstctl set-paused toggle
Check if paused
$ dunstctl is-paused
Show notification count
$ dunstctl count
Export history as JSON
$ dunstctl history-export
Clear notification history
$ dunstctl history-clear
Reload configuration
$ dunstctl reload

SYNOPSIS

dunstctl command [args]

DESCRIPTION

dunstctl is the command-line control interface for the dunst notification daemon. It provides runtime management capabilities without requiring configuration file changes or daemon restarts.The tool allows closing notifications programmatically, managing notification history, toggling pause state (do-not-disturb mode), and reloading dunst's configuration. It's commonly used in window manager keybindings and scripts for notification management.Key features include history navigation (pop the most recent notification from history), pause state management for temporarily suppressing notifications, and live configuration reloading. The close commands can target specific notifications or clear all visible ones at once. Pause levels (0-100) can be combined with per-notification overridepauselevel for selective display during do-not-disturb mode.

SUBCOMMANDS

close

Close current notification.
close-all
Close all notifications.
history-pop
Show notification from history.
set-paused state
Set pause state (true, false, toggle).
is-paused
Check pause state.
count [displayed|history|waiting]
Show notification count (all categories if no argument given).
history-export
Export notification history as JSON.
history-clear
Delete all notifications from history.
reload
Reload configuration.
rule NAME enable|disable|toggle
Enable, disable, or toggle a named rule.
action [N]
Perform default action on notification at position N (0 = top).
get-pause-level
Get current pause level (0 = not paused, 100 = fully paused).
set-pause-level LEVEL
Set pause level (0-100), combines with notification overridepauselevel.
debug
Print debug information.
context
Open context menu with actions/URLs for open notifications.

INSTALL

sudo apt install dunst
sudo dnf install dunst
sudo pacman -S dunst
sudo apk add dunst
sudo zypper install dunst
nix profile install nixpkgs#dunst

SEE ALSO

dunst(1), dunstify(1), notify-send(1)