---
name: "xsu"
section: "8"
platform: "linux"
package: "xsu"
version: "0.2.3-1"
release: "Debian 3.0 (Woody)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/xsu"
---

# xsu(8)

'su - username -c command' for GNOME

## NAME

Gnome Xsu - 'su - username -c command' for GNOME

## SYNOPSIS

**xsu** \[ *OPTION*... \]

## DESCRIPTION

**Gnome Xsu**, is an interface for the command \`su - username -c command\` in Gnome. When the user executes **xsu**, he will be prompted for a command, a username and a password. If the username and password are correct xsu will execute the command as the entered user. So if the username was root, then the command will be executed as root.

## SECURITY

**Gnome Xsu** uses the standard su binary to gain it's root access. This way, all security issues should be solved.

The security of all older xsu versions was very bad. With xsu version 0.1.0 I introduced the use of a pipe to a secured non-Gnome SUID application. This has been replaced with a special type of pipe to the standard su application. For example the one from GNU sh-utils can be used with Gnome Xsu.

## ISSUES

**Gnome Xsu** uses the Unix 'su' execute the command. This means that your DISPLAY environment variable of the user must be set correctly. You can put for example **export DISPLAY=:0** in the file **/etc/profile** (bash). You can also use the option --set-display which will set the DISPLAY environment variable to ":0" before starting the command.

## OPTIONS

This program follows the usual GNU command line syntax, with long options starting with two dashes (\`--'). A summary of the options supported by **xsu** is included below.

- **-c, --command** *COMMAND*

  Set the command to be executed

- **-u, --username** *USERNAME*

  Set the username to execute the command as

- **-i, --icon** *FILENAME*

  Load another icon

- **-t, --title** *WINDOWTITLE*

  Set another window title

- **-a, --set-display** OSTNAME:PORT

  Sets the DISPLAY environment variable to :0 before starting the command if no second argument is given  else use HOSTNAME:PORT as XServer host.

- **-m, --message** *MESSAGE*

  Set the message to be displayed; you can use the character ^ in your message if you want to use a new line, and the character ~ if you want to use a tabulation. If no message is set, then the default message will be used

- **-d, --unadaptable**

  **Disables the username and command textboxes** **if possible**

- **-e, --hide**

  **Hides the username and command textboxes** **if possible**

- **--**

  **Stops commandlineparsing and replaces the -c argument.** **All other arguments that are behind the -- argument are** **collected and will be used as the new -c argument.**

## EXAMPLES

**xsu -c** "*gmenu*" **-u** "*root*" **-m** "*To start the Menu Editor^you have* *to enter^the root password^here.*"

## SEE ALSO

**[su(1)](/su/1.md), sudo(1)**

XSU Homepage (Link to *http://xsu.freax.eu.org/*)

## AUTHOR

Philip Van Hoof \<freax@pandora.be\>

This man-page was written by Jan Schaumann \<jschauma@netmeister.org\> as part of "The Missing Man Pages Project (Link to *http://www.netmeister.org/misc/m2p2/index.html*)".