Troubleshooting

Common issues and solutions for Config-Sway

Troubleshooting

This guide covers common issues you might encounter with Config-Sway and their solutions.

General Issues

Sway won't start or crashes on startup

Symptoms: Black screen, immediate crash to TTY, or error messages on startup.

Solutions:

1. Check for syntax errors in your configuration:

   sway -C ~/.config/sway/config
   

2. Start Sway with debug logging:

   sway -d 2> ~/sway.log
   

   Then check ~/sway.log for error messages.

3. Verify required environment variables are set:

   export XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP=sway
   export XDG_SESSION_TYPE=wayland
   export XDG_SESSION_DESKTOP=sway
   

4. Check if required programs are installed:

   which sway waybar mako kitty rofi swaybg
   

5. Try running Sway with a minimal config:

   sway -c /dev/null
   

If Sway starts with -c /dev/null, the issue is in your configuration file. Comment out sections systematically to find the problematic line.

Configuration changes not taking effect

Symptoms: You edit config files but see no changes in Sway.

Solutions:

1. Reload Sway configuration:

   swaymsg reload
   # or press Super+Shift+R
   

2. For theme changes, the theme file is included, so reload works. But verify the include:

   grep "include.*theme.conf" ~/.config/sway/config
   

3. For Waybar changes, restart Waybar:

   killall waybar
   waybar -c ~/.config/waybar/config-sway.jsonc &
   

4. Check if you’re editing the correct file:

   # Theme colors are in theme.conf, not main config
   cat ~/.config/sway/theme.conf
   

5. Some changes (like input devices) require a full Sway restart:

   # Save your work, then:
   swaymsg exit
   # Then restart Sway
   

High CPU or memory usage

Symptoms: System feels sluggish, fans spinning up, or high resource usage.

Solutions:

1. Check for multiple swaybg processes:

   ps aux | grep swaybg
   # Kill duplicates
   killall swaybg
   ~/.config/scripts/setwallpaper.sh
   

2. Check for zombie Waybar processes:

   ps aux | grep waybar
   killall waybar
   waybar -c ~/.config/waybar/config-sway.jsonc &
   

3. Disable expensive Waybar modules:

   // Temporarily disable in ~/.config/waybar/config-sway.jsonc
   "modules-right": [
     // "cpu",  // Comment out CPU monitoring
     "network",
     "battery",
     "clock"
   ]
   

4. Reduce wallpaper resolution:

   # Convert large wallpapers to reasonable size
   convert input.jpg -resize 1920x1080 output.jpg
   

5. Check for runaway processes:

   htop
   # or
   btop
   

Keybinding Issues

Keybindings not working

Symptoms: Pressing key combinations does nothing.

Solutions:

1. Verify the keybinding exists in config:

   grep "Super+A" ~/.config/sway/config
   # Should show: bindsym $mod+a exec ...
   

2. Check for conflicting keybindings:

   # List all keybindings
   grep "bindsym" ~/.config/sway/config
   

3. Test if the program exists:

   # For Super+F (Firefox)
   which firefox
   
   # For Super+Z (Flameshot)
   which flameshot
   

4. Verify script permissions:

   ls -l ~/.config/rofi/scripts/*.sh
   # Should show: -rwxr-xr-x (executable)
   
   # Fix permissions if needed:
   chmod +x ~/.config/rofi/scripts/*.sh
   chmod +x ~/.config/scripts/*.sh
   

5. Test the command directly:

   # Run the command that should execute
   ~/.config/rofi/scripts/theme-switcher.sh
   

Multimedia keys not working

Symptoms: Volume, brightness, or media keys don’t respond.

Solutions:

1. Check if required services are running:

   # For volume keys (WirePlumber/PipeWire)
   wpctl status
   
   # For brightness
   brightnessctl g
   
   # For media keys
   playerctl status
   

2. Test commands manually:

   # Volume
   wpctl set-volume @DEFAULT_AUDIO_SINK@ 5%+
   
   # Brightness
   brightnessctl set 5%+
   
   # Media
   playerctl play-pause
   

3. Add your user to required groups:

   sudo usermod -aG video,audio,input $USER
   # Log out and back in
   

4. Install missing packages:

   # Arch Linux
   sudo pacman -S wireplumber pipewire brightnessctl playerctl
   

Display and Graphics Issues

Screen tearing or artifacts

Symptoms: Visual glitches, tearing during window movement or video playback.

Solutions:

1. Check if you’re using proprietary GPU drivers (if applicable):

   # For NVIDIA
   nvidia-smi
   
   # Check loaded modules
   lsmod | grep nvidia
   

2. Set environment variables for better compatibility:

   # Add to ~/.config/environment.d/sway.conf
   WLR_NO_HARDWARE_CURSORS=1
   WLR_DRM_NO_ATOMIC=1
   

3. Try different rendering backends (for specific applications):

   # Firefox
   export MOZ_ENABLE_WAYLAND=1
   
   # Chromium/Electron apps
   export ELECTRON_OZONE_PLATFORM_HINT=wayland
   

4. Check Sway logs for GPU issues:

   journalctl --user -u sway -b
   

External monitors not detected or wrong resolution

Symptoms: External displays don’t show up or use incorrect resolution.

Solutions:

1. List all outputs:

   swaymsg -t get_outputs
   

2. Manually configure outputs in ~/.config/sway/config:

   # Add output configuration
   output HDMI-A-1 resolution 1920x1080 position 1920,0
   

3. Force display detection:

   swaymsg output HDMI-A-1 enable
   

4. Check available modes:

   swaymsg -t get_outputs | grep -A 20 "HDMI-A-1"
   

5. Try disabling and re-enabling:

   swaymsg output HDMI-A-1 disable
   sleep 1
   swaymsg output HDMI-A-1 enable
   

Wallpaper not displaying or wrong wallpaper

Symptoms: Black screen background or incorrect wallpaper.

Solutions:

1. Check saved wallpaper path:

   cat ~/.config/sway/wallpaper
   # Verify the file exists
   ls -l "$(cat ~/.config/sway/wallpaper)"
   

2. Manually set wallpaper:

   killall swaybg
   swaybg -i ~/.config/wallpapers/your-wallpaper.jpg -m fill &
   

3. Check for multiple swaybg processes:

   ps aux | grep swaybg
   killall swaybg
   ~/.config/scripts/setwallpaper.sh
   

4. Verify wallpaper file is not corrupted:

   file "$(cat ~/.config/sway/wallpaper)"
   # Should show: JPEG/PNG/WebP image data
   

5. Check setwallpaper.sh script:

   bash -x ~/.config/scripts/setwallpaper.sh
   # Shows execution trace for debugging
   

Application-Specific Issues

Rofi menus not appearing or crashing

Symptoms: Pressing Super+D, Super+Q, or other Rofi shortcuts does nothing.

Solutions:

1. Test Rofi directly:

   rofi -show drun
   

2. Check for Rofi configuration errors:

   rofi -dump-config > /dev/null
   

3. Verify theme files exist:

   ls ~/.config/rofi/styles/_core/
   # Should include palette.rasi
   

4. Test specific Rofi scripts:

   bash -x ~/.config/rofi/scripts/selector-app.sh
   

5. Check for missing dependencies:

   # Rofi may need these
   which rofi fd rg
   

6. Regenerate Rofi palette:

   # Re-apply current theme to regenerate palette
   ~/.config/rofi/scripts/theme-switcher.sh
   

Waybar not appearing or showing incorrectly

Symptoms: No status bar visible or modules showing errors.

Solutions:

1. Check Waybar logs:

   killall waybar
   waybar -c ~/.config/waybar/config-sway.jsonc -l debug
   

2. Verify config file syntax:

   jsonlint ~/.config/waybar/config-sway.jsonc
   # or
   jq . ~/.config/waybar/config-sway.jsonc
   

3. Check if config file exists:

   ls -l ~/.config/waybar/config-sway.jsonc
   # If missing, re-apply theme or copy from theme directory
   

4. Disable problematic modules:

   // Comment out failing modules in config-sway.jsonc
   "modules-right": [
     // "custom/broken-module",
     "network",
     "clock"
   ]
   

5. Restart with default config:

   killall waybar
   waybar  # Uses default config
   

Flameshot screenshots not working

Symptoms: Pressing Super+Z does nothing, or Flameshot shows errors.

Solutions:

1. Verify xdg-desktop-portal-wlr is installed and running:

   # Check installation
   pacman -Q xdg-desktop-portal-wlr
   
   # Restart portal services
   systemctl --user restart xdg-desktop-portal xdg-desktop-portal-wlr
   

2. Check portal configuration:

   cat ~/.config/xdg-desktop-portal/sway-portals.conf
   

   Should contain:

   [preferred]
   default=wlr;gtk
   org.freedesktop.impl.portal.Screenshot=wlr
   org.freedesktop.impl.portal.ScreenCast=wlr
   

3. Verify environment variables are set:

   echo $WAYLAND_DISPLAY
   echo $SWAYSOCK
   # Both should have values
   

4. Check Flameshot window rule:

   grep flameshot ~/.config/sway/config
   # Should show: for_window [app_id="flameshot"] ...
   

5. Try alternative screenshot tool:

   # Using grim + slurp
   grim -g "$(slurp)" ~/screenshot.png
   

Kitty terminal not launching or crashing

Symptoms: Pressing Super+Enter does nothing or Kitty crashes immediately.

Solutions:

1. Test Kitty from command line:

   kitty
   # Check for error messages
   

2. Check Kitty configuration:

   kitty --config ~/.config/kitty/kitty.conf
   

3. Try with default config:

   kitty --config NONE
   

4. Verify font is installed:

   # Check for Nerd Font
   fc-list | grep -i "jetbrains\|nerd"
   

5. Check for conflicting themes:

   # Temporarily rename Kitty config
   mv ~/.config/kitty/kitty.conf ~/.config/kitty/kitty.conf.bak
   kitty  # Test with default
   

Theme Switching Issues

Theme switcher not showing themes

Symptoms: Theme menu is empty or shows no themes.

Solutions:

1. Check themes directory:

   ls -la ~/.config/themes/
   # Should show theme directories
   

2. Verify theme structure:

   # Each theme needs at minimum:
   ls ~/.config/themes/Anime/sway/theme.conf
   ls ~/.config/themes/Anime/wallpaper.*
   

3. Check script permissions:

   ls -l ~/.config/rofi/scripts/theme-switcher.sh
   chmod +x ~/.config/rofi/scripts/theme-switcher.sh
   

4. Run script with debug output:

   bash -x ~/.config/rofi/scripts/theme-switcher.sh
   

Theme applied but colors wrong

Symptoms: Theme switches but colors don’t match or look broken.

Solutions:

1. Reload Sway after theme switch:

   swaymsg reload
   

2. Check theme.conf colors:

   cat ~/.config/sway/theme.conf
   # Verify color values are valid hex codes
   

3. Restart Waybar:

   killall waybar
   waybar -c ~/.config/waybar/config-sway.jsonc &
   

4. Verify CSS color variables:

   cat ~/.config/waybar/colors.css
   

5. Re-apply the theme:

   ~/.config/rofi/scripts/theme-switcher.sh "ThemeName"
   

Performance Optimization

Slow window animations or lag

Solutions:

1. Reduce gaps and borders (in theme.conf):

   gaps inner 0
   gaps outer 0
   default_border pixel 1
   

2. Disable transparency in Kitty:

   # In ~/.config/kitty/kitty.conf
   background_opacity 1.0
   

3. Use simpler Waybar modules:

   // Remove CPU/memory monitoring
   "modules-right": ["network", "battery", "clock"]
   

4. Reduce Waybar update intervals:

   "cpu": {
     "interval": 10  // Update every 10 seconds instead of 1
   }
   

Getting Help

If these troubleshooting steps don’t resolve your issue:

1. Check Sway logs:

   journalctl --user -u sway -b
   

2. Check system logs:

   journalctl -b | grep -i error
   

3. Collect system information:

   # System info
   uname -a
   
   # GPU info
   lspci | grep VGA
   
   # Installed packages
   pacman -Q | grep -E "sway|waybar|rofi|kitty|mako"
   

4. Test with minimal config: Create a minimal test configuration to isolate the issue.

5. Check upstream documentation:

   • Sway Wiki
   • Waybar Wiki
   • Sway FAQ

Before reporting issues, ensure you’re running the latest versions of all components:

sudo pacman -Syu