---
name: "systemd-xdg-autostart-generator"
section: "8"
platform: "linux"
package: "systemd"
version: "262.1-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/systemd-xdg-autostart-generator"
---

# systemd-xdg-autostart-generator(8)

User unit generator for XDG autostart files

## NAME

systemd-xdg-autostart-generator - User unit generator for XDG autostart files

## SYNOPSIS

/usr/lib/systemd/user-generators/systemd-xdg-autostart-generator

## DESCRIPTION

systemd-xdg-autostart-generator is a generator that creates .service units for **XDG autostart**\[1\] files. This permits desktop environments to delegate startup of these applications to [**systemd**(1)](/systemd/1.md) .

Units created by systemd-xdg-autostart-generator can be started by the desktop environment using "xdg-desktop-autostart.target". See [**systemd.special**(7)](/systemd.special/7.md) for more details.

XDG autostart may be conditionalized using both standardized and non-standardized keys. In order to handle these, the generator may create one or more *ExecCondition=* entries. For non-standardized keys, well-known helper binaries provided by Desktop Environments are used. All external helpers *must* detect their corresponding desktop environment and *must* return success when run in a different environment. This is important as all *ExecCondition=* directives must succeed for an application to be started.

**Table 1.  Special XDG desktop file entries that are processed**

| | |
| --- | --- |
| **Entry** | **Handling** |
| *Hidden=*, *X-systemd-skip=* | No service will be generated if set to true |
| *OnlyShowIn=*, *NotShowIn=* | *ExecCondition=* using systemd-xdg-autostart-condition |
| *TryExec=* | No service will be generated if the binary does not exist or cannot be executed |
| *AutostartCondition=* (GNOME extension) | *ExecCondition=* using gnome-systemd-autostart-condition |
| *X-GNOME-Autostart-Phase=* | No service will be generated if set to any value |
| *X-KDE-autostart-condition=* | *ExecCondition=* using kde-systemd-start-condition |

systemd-xdg-autostart-generator implements [**systemd.generator**(7)](/systemd.generator/7.md).

## SEE ALSO

[**systemd**(1)](/systemd/1.md), [**systemd.service**(5)](/systemd.service/5.md), [**systemd.target**(5)](/systemd.target/5.md)

## NOTES

- 1\.

  XDG autostart

  https://specifications.freedesktop.org/autostart-spec/autostart-spec-latest.html