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Version: 2.1 (dev)

Frequently Asked Questions

General​

What is SomeWM?​

SomeWM is AwesomeWM ported to Wayland. It aims for 100% Lua API compatibility with AwesomeWM, letting you use your existing rc.lua configuration.

Why "SomeWM"?​

It's a play on "AwesomeWM" - if Awesome is great, Some is... adequate? The name reflects that it's a port, not a reimagining.

Can I use my existing AwesomeWM config?​

Yes! Most configs work with minimal changes. See Migrating from AwesomeWM for details.

Is SomeWM stable?​

SomeWM is in active development. Most AwesomeWM functionality works, but some features are still being implemented. See Current Limitations.

Configuration​

Where is my config file?​

~/.config/somewm/rc.lua (with ~/.config/awesome/rc.lua as an AwesomeWM-compatibility fallback). The Troubleshooting guide has the full search order including the system paths.

How do I reload my config?​

Press Mod4 + Ctrl + r to reload your Lua configuration without restarting.

Can I restart SomeWM like AwesomeWM?​

Yes. awesome.restart() works: it hot-reloads the Lua state in process, and clients survive. What SomeWM can't do is the X11-style exec-self restart, which would disconnect every client. See Why SomeWM for the mechanism.

Compatibility​

Will all AwesomeWM widgets work?​

Yes, all wibox widgets work because the Lua libraries are identical to AwesomeWM.

What about third-party libraries like bling?​

Most work without changes. Some may need adjustments if they use X11-specific features.

Why don't X11 tools work?​

Tools like xdotool, xrandr, xprop are X11-specific. See Wayland vs X11 for alternatives.

Features​

Does the systray work?​

Yes, but differently. SomeWM uses the SNI D-Bus protocol instead of X11 embed. Most modern apps support this.

Can I take screenshots?​

Yes! Use awful.screenshot or external tools like grim and slurp. See Screenshots.

Does multi-monitor work?​

Yes. Screens are detected automatically and you can configure them per-screen in your rc.lua.

Troubleshooting​

SomeWM won't start​

See Troubleshooting for common issues.

My config isn't loading​

Run somewm --check ~/.config/somewm/rc.lua to check for errors.

Widgets aren't rendering​

Usually means LGI isn't found. See Installation - LGI Troubleshooting.

My widget ignores my theme​

The widget module was required before beautiful.init(). See Troubleshooting.