---
name: "propwatch"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "xawtv-tools"
version: "3.107-4"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/propwatch"
---

# propwatch(1)

a tool to monitor X11 properties

## NAME

propwatch - a tool to monitor X11 properties

## SYNOPSIS

**propwatch \[ options \] property-name ...**

## DESCRIPTION

**propwatch** is a tool to monitor window properties of root and application windows.  Nice for debugging property-based IPC of X11 programs.

## OPTIONS

**propwatch** uses the Athena Widgets and accepts the usual toolkit options like -display and -geometry.

Additional options are:

- **-watch display**

  Display to monitor the windows on.  By default the display specified in the DISPLAY environment variable or via -display is used, but it is possible to watch another display instead.

- **-verbose**

  be verbose.

- **-proplog**

  Log property changes to stdout.

- **-kbdlog**

  Log keystrokes to stdout.

All remaining command line arguments are assumed to be property names which should be monitored.  If no property names are specified, a build in default (WM\_COMMAND) will be used.

## ENVIRONMENT

- **DISPLAY**

  specifies the display to use for the propwatch window.

## SEE ALSO

[xprop(1)](/xprop/1.md), [xhost(1)](/xhost/1.md), [xauth(1)](/xauth/1.md), [xwd(1)](/xwd/1.md)

## AUTHOR

Gerd Knorr \<kraxel@bytesex.org\>

## COPYRIGHT

Copyright (C) 1997-2003 Gerd Knorr\
 This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.