--- title: waybar-pomodoro-not-showing type: note permalink: dotfiles/research/waybar-pomodoro-not-showing tags: - waybar - pomodoro - debugging - risk --- # Waybar Pomodoro Not Showing — Research Findings ## Scope Investigation of why `custom/pomodoro` does not appear on the Waybar status bar. Files inspected: `.config/waybar/config`, `.config/waybar/style.css`, `.config/waybar/scripts/pomodoro-preset.sh`. ## Module Wiring (as configured) ### modules-left (config line 5–9) ```json "modules-left": [ "backlight", "wireplumber", "custom/pomodoro", ], ``` `custom/pomodoro` IS present in `modules-left`. ### custom/pomodoro definition (config lines 133–140) ```json "custom/pomodoro": { "format": "{}", "return-type": "json", "exec": "waybar-module-pomodoro --no-work-icons", "on-click": "waybar-module-pomodoro toggle", "on-click-right": "$HOME/.config/waybar/scripts/pomodoro-preset.sh", "on-click-middle": "waybar-module-pomodoro reset", }, ``` ### CSS selector (style.css lines 106–109) ```css #custom-pomodoro { padding: 0 4px; color: @red; } ``` Selector is correct and present. ### Script (scripts/pomodoro-preset.sh) - Guarded by `command -v waybar-module-pomodoro` check (exits 1 if not installed). - Sets work/short/long durations via `waybar-module-pomodoro set-*` subcommands. - Toggle cycles between preset A (50/10/20) and preset B (25/5/15). - **Script itself is logically correct.** --- ## Root Cause Analysis (ranked by confidence) ### 🔴 #1 — `waybar-module-pomodoro` binary not installed / not on PATH (confidence: ~90%) - The `exec` command is `waybar-module-pomodoro --no-work-icons` — a **bare binary name**, resolved from PATH at Waybar launch time. - Waybar inherits the environment of its launcher (Hyprland `exec-once`), which may NOT include the user's shell PATH (`~/.local/bin`, `/usr/local/bin`, etc.). - `fish/config.fish` adds `/home/alex/dotfiles/.local/bin` to PATH, but that is only set in interactive Fish sessions — **Hyprland's exec-once does not source Fish config**. - No package manager manifest, AUR package list, or install script mentions `waybar-module-pomodoro`. - When `exec` fails to start, Waybar hides the module entirely (no fallback text) — the module disappears silently. - **This is the most likely cause.** Verify with: `which waybar-module-pomodoro` in a non-Fish shell, or check `journalctl --user -u waybar` for "Failed to execute". ### 🟠 #2 — `interval` key absent on custom/pomodoro (confidence: ~65%) - `custom/pomodoro` has NO `interval` key. For a persistent daemon (`waybar-module-pomodoro` runs and writes JSON to stdout continuously), this is correct — Waybar treats it as a long-lived subprocess. - BUT if the binary is supposed to be polled (not a persistent daemon), missing `interval` means Waybar will only run it once and never refresh. - The `return-type: json` combined with no `interval` means Waybar expects the binary to **continuously emit newline-delimited JSON** to stdout. If the binary only emits once and exits, the module will show blank after the first read. - This is a secondary cause contingent on what `waybar-module-pomodoro` actually does. If it is a daemon that stays alive, #1 is the only blocker; if it exits after one line, `interval` is needed. ### 🟡 #3 — Binary exists but crashes on `--no-work-icons` flag (confidence: ~25%) - The `--no-work-icons` flag may not be a valid flag for the installed version of `waybar-module-pomodoro`. - An unrecognized flag causing the binary to exit with a non-zero code would suppress the module. - Check: `waybar-module-pomodoro --help` or `waybar-module-pomodoro --no-work-icons` manually. ### 🟡 #4 — Config JSON parse failure (confidence: ~15%) - The config uses tab-indented lines (lines 134–139 use `\t`) while the rest uses spaces — mixed indentation is cosmetically inconsistent but does NOT cause JSON parse errors. - Waybar's parser accepts JSON5/hjson (trailing commas, `//` comments) — both are used in this config and are fine. - No structural JSON error was found in the config. ### ⚪ #5 — Hyprland not auto-starting Waybar at all (confidence: ~10%) - If `exec-once=waybar` in `hyprland.conf` is missing or commented out, the bar won't show at all (not just the pomodoro module). Not specific to this module. --- ## Concrete Edit Points ### Fix #1 (most likely): Ensure binary is installed and PATH is set in Waybar launch environment **Option A — Install the binary system-wide:** Install `waybar-module-pomodoro` via your package manager (e.g. `paru -S waybar-module-pomodoro` on Arch) so it is in `/usr/bin` or `/usr/local/bin`, which is always in Waybar's inherited PATH. **Option B — Use absolute path in config:** ```diff - "exec": "waybar-module-pomodoro --no-work-icons", - "on-click": "waybar-module-pomodoro toggle", - "on-click-middle": "waybar-module-pomodoro reset", + "exec": "$HOME/.local/bin/waybar-module-pomodoro --no-work-icons", + "on-click": "$HOME/.local/bin/waybar-module-pomodoro toggle", + "on-click-middle": "$HOME/.local/bin/waybar-module-pomodoro reset", ``` File: `.config/waybar/config`, lines 136–139. **Option C — Set PATH in Hyprland env (preferred for Wayland):** Add to `.config/hypr/hyprland.conf`: ``` env = PATH,$HOME/.local/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin ``` ### Fix #2 (if binary is a one-shot, not a daemon): Add `interval` key ```diff "custom/pomodoro": { "format": "{}", "return-type": "json", + "interval": 1, "exec": "waybar-module-pomodoro --no-work-icons", ``` File: `.config/waybar/config`, line 134 (insert after `"return-type": "json",`). --- ## Files Involved | File | Role | |---|---| | `.config/waybar/config` | Module registration in `modules-left`, `custom/pomodoro` definition | | `.config/waybar/style.css` | `#custom-pomodoro` CSS selector (present, correct) | | `.config/waybar/scripts/pomodoro-preset.sh` | Right-click preset toggler (calls binary) | | `.config/hypr/hyprland.conf` | Waybar autostart + env block (outside Waybar dir) | | `waybar-module-pomodoro` binary | External binary — must be installed and on PATH | --- ## Likely Bug Surfaces (Adjacent Risk Areas) 1. **`custom/uptime`** (config line 89–95): Also uses a bare script path `$HOME/.config/waybar/scripts/uptime.sh`. Same PATH-at-launch issue could affect it if shell env is not inherited. The script exists in the repo (`scripts/` dir shows only `pomodoro-preset.sh`) — **`uptime.sh` is missing from the repo**, meaning this module may also be broken. 2. **`custom/music`** (config line 44–52): Uses `playerctl` — same PATH issue; no `playerctl` install evidence in the repo. 3. **`hyprland/workspaces`** (config line 22–28): Defined in config but NOT in any of `modules-left`, `modules-center`, or `modules-right` — it is **a dead definition that never renders**. 4. **`custom/lock`** (config line 127–131): Defined but also absent from all three module lists — another dead definition. 5. **`network`** (config line 60–68): Defined but not in any module list — dead definition. 6. **Trailing comma on line 8** of `modules-left`: Benign in Waybar's parser but would break standard JSON parsers if config is ever processed by tools expecting strict JSON. ## Relations - related_to [[dotfiles/knowledge]]