linux observer
Cross-DE tray polish: plain-text tooltips, GNOME install docs, menu tweak
- Strip HTML from tooltips — use plain text for KDE/GNOME compatibility
- INSTALL.md: add GNOME AppIndicator extension instructions (step 6)
with distro-specific install commands and verification steps
- Move "open journal" to top level above settings/about submenus
- Update activity detection note (works on KDE too now)
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
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INSTALL.md
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INSTALL.md
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solstone-linux install-service
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```
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the system tray indicator appears automatically when the observer starts on a graphical session with a StatusNotifierWatcher (KDE Plasma, GNOME with AppIndicator extension). no separate install step needed.
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the system tray icon appears automatically when the observer starts in a graphical session. on KDE Plasma this works out of the box. on GNOME, the AppIndicator extension is required — see step 6.
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6. **GNOME only:** install the AppIndicator extension for tray icon support. KDE users can skip this.
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GNOME removed native system tray support. the AppIndicator extension restores it via the same StatusNotifierItem protocol KDE uses. without it, the observer runs fine but has no tray icon.
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**ubuntu:** already installed and enabled by default — skip this step.
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6. verify it's running and connected:
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**fedora:**
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```
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sudo dnf install gnome-shell-extension-appindicator
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```
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then log out and back in, or restart GNOME Shell (Alt+F2, type `r`, enter). enable the extension in GNOME Extensions app if not auto-enabled.
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**arch:**
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```
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sudo pacman -S gnome-shell-extension-appindicator
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```
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to check if it's working: `gnome-extensions list | grep appindicator` should show it. if the tray icon still doesn't appear, verify it's enabled: `gnome-extensions enable appindicatorsupport@rgcjonas.gmail.com`
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7. verify it's running and connected:
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```
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systemctl --user status solstone-linux
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sol remote list
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## notes
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- activity detection (idle timeout, screen lock, power save) requires a GNOME desktop. other desktops capture screen and audio fine but won't get activity-based segment boundaries.
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- activity detection (idle timeout, screen lock, power save) works on both GNOME and KDE. other desktops capture screen and audio fine but may not get activity-based segment boundaries.
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- if pipx is not installed: `pip install --user pipx` or install via your package manager.
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- the tray icon uses the StatusNotifierItem (SNI) D-Bus protocol. it works on KDE natively and GNOME with the AppIndicator extension. if no SNI host is available, the observer runs normally without a tray icon.
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src/solstone_linux/tray.py
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src/solstone_linux/tray.py
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children_display="submenu",
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)
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settings_submenu.children = [
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open_journal,
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settings_open_config,
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settings_copy_agent,
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]
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self._pause_submenu,
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self._resume_item,
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separator(),
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open_journal,
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settings_submenu,
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about_submenu,
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separator(),
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self._resume_item.label = new_resume
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def _build_tooltip(self) -> str:
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"""Build rich tooltip body (HTML on KDE)."""
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"""Build plain-text tooltip body (cross-DE compatible)."""
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parts = []
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status_html = {
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"recording": "<b>observing</b>",
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"paused": "<b>paused</b>",
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status_labels = {
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"recording": "observing",
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"paused": "paused",
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"idle": "idle (screen inactive)",
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"stopped": "<font color='#cc3333'>not running</font>",
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"stopped": "not running",
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}
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parts.append(status_html.get(self.status, self.status))
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parts.append(status_labels.get(self.status, self.status))
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if self.sync_status == "synced":
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parts.append("all segments synced")
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parts.append(f"sync: {self.sync_status}")
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if self.error:
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parts.append(f"<font color='#cc3333'>{self.error}</font>")
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parts.append(self.error)
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return "<br>".join(parts)
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return "\n".join(parts)
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# ── Menu callbacks ──
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tests/test_tray.py
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tests/test_tray.py
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assert len(app._pause_submenu.children) == 4
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assert app._resume_item.visible is False
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assert app.menu._root.children[1].item_type == separator().item_type
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assert len(app.menu._root.children) == 9
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assert len(app.menu._root.children) == 10
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class TestUpdateStatus:
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tooltip = app._build_tooltip()
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assert "<b>observing</b>" in tooltip
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assert "observing" in tooltip
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assert "all segments synced" in tooltip
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def test_build_tooltip_stopped(self):