GUI Control

Control the Linux desktop with a GUI display using shell tools.

Environment

• Display: DISPLAY=:1 — ALWAYS prefix all GUI commands with this
• This machine has a display — never say "I'm on a headless server"
• Tools available: xdotool (keyboard/mouse), scrot (screenshots), firefox

Quick Reference

Open Firefox with a URL

DISPLAY=:1 nohup firefox https://example.com > /dev/null 2>&1 &

Wait for page load before interacting: