Omarchy Desktop Recipes: Capture Folders, Idle Lock, Gestures, Hooks and Menus

These 10 desktop recipes fill gaps in our power-user guide and shell workflows. They were checked on 2026-10-26 against the official manual stored in the v4.0.6 tag. Verification here means checking documentation and sources; these procedures have not all been tested on physical Omarchy hardware.

1. Choose separate screenshot and recording folders

Create both destinations and the session environment directory:

mkdir -p "$HOME/Pictures/Screenshots" "$HOME/Videos/Recordings"
mkdir -p "$HOME/.config/uwsm/env.d"

Edit ~/.config/uwsm/env.d/capture, preserving existing settings, and add:

export OMARCHY_SCREENSHOT_DIR="$HOME/Pictures/Screenshots"
export OMARCHY_SCREENRECORD_DIR="$HOME/Videos/Recordings"

Save work and log back into the desktop, or reboot if necessary. Take one screenshot and a short recording through Capture, then inspect both directories. The recording directory must already exist, or recording can refuse to start.

An export in one terminal or only in .bashrc does not establish the environment of desktop hotkey processes. To undo, remove the two exports and log in again. Existing media stays where it was saved.

Sources: v4.0.6 FAQ, capture manual.

2. Set independent screensaver and lock deadlines

For a screensaver at five minutes and locking at ten, merge this top-level block into ~/.config/omarchy/shell.json without duplicating an existing idle key:

"idle": {
  "screensaver": 300,
  "lock": 600
}

This is a JSON fragment; include commas as required by neighboring fields. Both values count seconds from the last activity. The lock deadline is ten minutes, rather than ten minutes after the screensaver. The shell reads changes on save.

Disable Stay Awake before testing, save work, then leave the machine idle. Check that manual locking with Super + Ctrl + L still works. Restore the previous field values to undo. Version 4.0.5 fixed an immediate-lock bug involving 0; prefer the explicit Stay Awake mode for temporarily suppressing idle locking.

Sources: v4.0.6 idle behavior, v4.0.5 fixes.

3. Schedule warm evenings and normal mornings

Back up ~/.config/hypr/hyprsunset.conf. Replace its identity example with a paired schedule, rather than adding competing profiles to an existing schedule:

profile {
    time = 07:00
    identity = true
}

profile {
    time = 20:00
    temperature = 4000
}

Add this once to ~/.config/hypr/autostart.lua:

o.launch_on_start("hyprsunset")

Log in again and check the process and display at the relevant times. Check night light before color-sensitive work. The manual Super + Ctrl + N switch uses fixed 4000K/6500K values and can temporarily change the scheduled state. Restore the original file and remove your startup line to undo, then log in again.

Sources: v4.0.6 night light, official Hyprsunset configuration.

4. Keep mode indicators discoverable

Find the existing omarchy.indicators widget in shell.json and set its alwaysShow setting to true, keeping its placement and other settings. Inactive modes remain discoverable without hovering. Restore the previous value to undo.

Read mode state before using it in automation:

omarchy toggle idle status
omarchy-toggle-enabled screensaver-off && echo "Idle screensaver is disabled"

The first reports Stay Awake state. The second tests an off-state flag: success means the idle screensaver is disabled. A bare toggle flips state, so repeatedly running it is not an idempotent way to ensure a feature is enabled.

Source: v4.0.6 Toggles.

5. Swipe between workspaces with three fingers

Open Setup → Input, check for an existing equivalent rule, and add to ~/.config/hypr/input.lua:

hl.gesture({ fingers = 3, direction = "horizontal", action = "workspace" })

Save and exit the menu-launched editor, then test between two workspaces with visibly different contents. Check hardware recognition before changing direction preferences. Browser two-finger navigation is a separate gesture.

Remove the added line to undo. If parsing fails, restore the file first. This is Quattro's Lua form; older gesture = ... examples belong to a different configuration format.

Source: v4.0.6 input manual.

6. Tune terminal scrolling separately

If browser scrolling feels right but terminal logs move too slowly, merge or adjust these rules in input.lua:

hl.config({
  input = {
    touchpad = {
      natural_scroll = true,
      scroll_factor = 0.3,
    },
  },
})

o.window("(Alacritty|kitty|foot)", { scroll_touchpad = 1.5 })

The first sets general touchpad behavior; the second changes scrolling for the named terminal applications. Keep your preferred direction while testing speed. Ghostty is not included in this matcher. Compare a long terminal log with a browser page, then restore your previous rules to undo.

Source: v4.0.6 input examples.

7. Record update events with a user hook

Official events include post-boot, post-update, pre-refresh-pacman, theme-set, font-set, and battery-low. Read the .sample files under ~/.config/omarchy/hooks/<event>.d/ first. Theme/font events pass the name as the first argument; battery-low passes the percentage.

Save this small local script as ~/omarchy-update-note.sh:

#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -eu
task_log_dir="${XDG_STATE_HOME:-$HOME/.local/state}/omarchy-notes"
mkdir -p "$task_log_dir"
date -Is >> "$task_log_dir/updates.log"

Review it, then install it:

omarchy hook install post-update "$HOME/omarchy-update-note.sh"

Check the timestamp after the next normal update. A hook timestamp only proves the hook ran; inspect the full update result too. Hooks execute code. Keep them local, short, and noninteractive before adding complexity; avoid indefinite retries or large uploads in an update path.

To undo, locate your installed file in the event directory and remove only that hook, preserving other scripts and samples.

Source: v4.0.6 Dotfiles / Hooks.

8. Add personal notes to the menu

Merge these members into ~/.config/omarchy/extensions/omarchy-menu.jsonc, following its existing comments:

"personal": {"icon":"", "label":"Personal"},
"personal.notes": {
  "icon":"", "label":"Notes",
  "action":"omarchy-launch-editor ~/notes"
}

These are object members, not a complete file. Create ~/notes first, search the menu for Notes, and check that the editor receives the right directory. Dotted IDs define hierarchy; reusing an existing ID overrides that entry. Use a distinct prefix for personal items.

Remove your two entries to undo. If they do not appear, check JSONC structure, IDs, and the user file path before changing system files under /usr/share/omarchy.

Source: v4.0.6 menu extensions.

9. Distinguish Chromium account login from website login

If Google websites load but Chromium's browser account cannot sign in, the official FAQ identifies missing OAuth configuration in the open-source Chromium build. Use Install → Service → Chromium Account, fully restart the browser, then test browser account sign-in.

Use this only when you need the browser account feature. It does not resolve every website login, synchronization restriction, or organization policy. On failure, record the error and check clock, network, and browser version instead of repeatedly deleting the profile. Back up browser data and inspect the installed service instructions before undoing its configuration.

Source: v4.0.6 Chromium Account FAQ.

10. Add and verify a network printer

Open Print Settings → Add in the app launcher. Select the USB or network printer if found. Otherwise choose Network Printer → Internet Printing Protocol (ipp) and enter the address and queue shown by your printer's panel or management page.

Try IPP Everywhere for a modern printer; older models may require their own driver. Set the default printer, A4/Letter, and duplex settings, then print one test page. Printing to PDF checks layout but does not test the physical connection.

The v4.0.6 FAQ says automatic discovery is being reworked, so an absent automatic queue does not establish that printing services are missing. Delete the newly added queue in Print Settings to undo; there is no need to uninstall the whole printing stack.

Source: v4.0.6 printing FAQ.

Continue with hardware workflows

See laptop and network recipes for ten more procedures covering connectivity, power, sleep, and authentication. Before reading source, use the CLI reference to identify the installed interface and choose the matching tag.