How to Enable Theme Autostart on Popular Linux Desktop Environments

This guide will help you set up automatic startup for my Conky themes on various Linux desktop environments.

With a simple setup using the included start.sh script, your selected theme will launch automatically each time you log in—no system changes required.

Note: This guide is intended for my Conky themes and may not apply to themes created by other authors.

This article explains how to make my Conky themes start automatically when you log in. All methods below use the provided start.sh script included in each theme package.

Cinnamon autostart

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Before You Start

Make sure the start.sh script is executable:

chmod +x start.sh

The script only runs Conky in user space and does not modify any system files.

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1. GNOME (Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian, Pop!_OS)

Method A — Startup Applications (GUI)

1. Open Startup Applications.
2. Click Add.
3. Fill in the following:

Name: Conky Theme
Command: /home/USERNAME/.config/conky/THEMENAME/start.sh
Comment: Start Conky theme on login

Save and log out.

Method B — Autostart Desktop File (Manual)

mkdir -p ~/.config/autostart
nano ~/.config/autostart/conky-theme.desktop

[Desktop Entry]
Type=Application
Name=Conky Theme
Exec=/home/USERNAME/.config/conky/THEMENAME/start.sh
X-GNOME-Autostart-enabled=true

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2. KDE Plasma

1. Open System Settings → Startup and Shutdown → Autostart.
2. Click Add → Add Application.
3. Select Add Command and enter:

/home/USERNAME/.config/conky/THEMENAME/start.sh

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3. XFCE (Xubuntu, Manjaro XFCE)

1. Open Settings Manager → Session and Startup.
2. Go to the Application Autostart tab.
3. Click Add and set:

Name: Conky Theme
Command: /home/USERNAME/.config/conky/THEMENAME/start.sh

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4. Cinnamon (Linux Mint)

1. Open System Settings → Startup Applications.
2. Click Add → Custom command.
3. Enter:

Name: Conky Theme
Command: /home/USERNAME/.config/conky/THEMENAME/start.sh

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5. MATE

1. Open Startup Applications.
2. Click Add.
3. Command:

/home/USERNAME/.config/conky/THEMENAME/start.sh

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6. i3 / Sway (Window Managers)

i3

exec --no-startup-id ~/.config/conky/THEMENAME/start.sh

Sway

exec ~/.config/conky/THEMENAME/start.sh

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Common Troubleshooting

• Theme does not start: Make sure start.sh is executable.
• Starts too early: Add a delay inside start.sh:

  sleep 5

• Multiple Conky instances: Ensure killall conky exists in the script.

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Final Notes

• Replace USERNAME with your Linux username.
• Replace THEMENAME with the theme folder name.
• This documentation is intended for licensed users of my themes.