---
name: "slay"
section: "8"
platform: "linux"
package: "slay"
version: "3.0.2"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/slay/8"
---

# slay(8)

kill all processes belonging to a user

## NAME

slay - kill all processes belonging to a user

## SYNOPSIS

**slay** **\[-signal\]** **name \[name...\]**

## DESCRIPTION

**Slay** sends given signal (KILL by default) to all processes belonging to user(s) given on the command line. When called without arguments it displays short help.

You can use **-clean** as a signal name, in that case a "clean kill" is done, that is processes are first sent **TERM** signal and after 10 seconds those that haven't terminated yet are killed with **KILL**

## OPTIONS

There are no options.

## ENVIRONMENT

**SLAY\_BUTTHEAD** - setting **SLAY\_BUTTHEAD** to *on* puts slay into Butt-head mode (which has different messages than normal mode). Setting it to *off* puts it into normal mode. This environment variable overrides the setting from */etc/slay\_mode*

## FILES

**/etc/slay\_mode** - contains keywords describing the mode slay works in, separated by newlines:

*mean* turns mean mode on. In mean mode attempts to slay people without root privileges are punished. This is the default.

*nice* turns mean mode off.

*butthead* switched slay to Butt-head messages mode.

*normal* switches slay to normal messages mode. This is the default.

You can only use one of mean/nice keywords and one of butthead/normal keywords.

## BUGS

Unknown. If there are any report them to author and/or package maintainer.

## AUTHOR

Slay was written by Chris Ausbrooks \<fish@bucket.ualr.edu\>.

This man page was written by Pawel Wiecek \<coven@debian.org\>.