Option to disable StatusNotifierWatcher registration in main D-Bus session
Author: creioCreated Sep 13, 2026Updated Sep 19, 2026
LabelsbugLinuxX11auto-triaged
In X11 environments with minimal window managers (Openbox, i3, etc.), the main D-Bus session already has StatusNotifierWatcher running from system tray components (tint2, stalonetray, nm-applet, etc.).
When Vicinae starts, it attempts to register its own StatusNotifierItem in the main session bus. This causes conflicts:
- Multiple launchers competing for StatusNotifierWatcher role
- Icon hijacking from other tray applications
- Crashes when multiple components try to manage the same tray items
Current workaround:
I have to wrap Vicinae with dbus-run-session to isolate it in a separate D-Bus session:
#!/bin/bash
exec dbus-run-session -- /usr/bin/vicinae server --replace "$@"This creates an isolated D-Bus world where:
- Vicinae has its own StatusNotifierWatcher
- It doesn't interfere with the main session
- The main session doesn't interfere with it
Suggested solution: Add a configuration option to disable StatusNotifierItem/StatusNotifierWatcher registration in the main D-Bus session, or make it opt-in rather than default behavior.
Environment:
- OS: Arch Linux
- WM: Openbox (X11/Xorg)
- Vicinae version: v0.28.1
Source: vicinaehq/vicinae