## Name

dbus-update-activation-environment — update environment used for D-Bus session services

## Synopsis

`dbus-update-activation-environment` [--systemd] [--verbose] --all | `VAR`... | `VAR`=`VAL`...

## DESCRIPTION

dbus-update-activation-environment updates the list of environment variables used by dbus-daemon --session when it activates session services without using systemd.

With the `--systemd` option, if an instance of systemd --user is available on D-Bus, it also updates the list of environment variables used by systemd --user when it activates user services, including D-Bus session services for which dbus-daemon has been configured to delegate activation to systemd. This is very similar to the `import-environment` command provided by systemctl(1)).

Variables that are special to dbus-daemon or systemd may be set, but their values will be overridden when a service is started. For instance, it is not useful to add `DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS` to dbus-daemon's activation environment, although it might still be useful to add it to systemd's activation environment.

## OPTIONS

`--all`

  Set all environment variables present in the environment used by dbus-update-activation-environment.

`--systemd`

  Set environment variables for systemd user services as well as for traditional D-Bus session services.

`--verbose`

  Output messages to standard error explaining what dbus-update-activation-environment is doing.

`VAR`

  If `VAR` is present in the environment of dbus-update-activation-environment, set it to the same value for D-Bus services. Its value must be UTF-8 (if not, it is skipped with a warning). If `VAR` is not present in the environment, this argument is silently ignored.

`VAR`=`VAL`

  Set `VAR` to `VAL`, which must be UTF-8.

## EXAMPLES

dbus-update-activation-environment is primarily designed to be used in Linux distributions' X11 session startup scripts, in conjunction with the "user bus" design.

To propagate `DISPLAY` and `XAUTHORITY` to dbus-daemon and, if present, systemd, and propagate `DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS` to systemd:

            dbus-update-activation-environment --systemd \
                DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS DISPLAY XAUTHORITY

To propagate all environment variables except `XDG_SEAT`, `XDG_SESSION_ID` and `XDG_VTNR` to dbus-daemon (and, if present, systemd) for compatibility with legacy X11 session startup scripts:

            # in a subshell so the variables remain set in the
            # parent script
            (
              unset XDG_SEAT
              unset XDG_SESSION_ID
              unset XDG_VTNR

              dbus-update-activation-environment --systemd --all
            )

## EXIT STATUS

dbus-update-activation-environment exits with status 0 on success, EX_USAGE (64) on invalid command-line options, EX_OSERR (71) if unable to connect to the session bus, or EX_UNAVAILABLE (69) if unable to set the environment variables. Other nonzero exit codes might be added in future versions.

## ENVIRONMENT

`DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS`, `XDG_RUNTIME_DIR` and/or `DISPLAY` are used to find the address of the session bus.

## LIMITATIONS

dbus-daemon does not provide a way to unset environment variables after they have been set (although systemd does), so dbus-update-activation-environment does not offer this functionality either.

POSIX does not specify the encoding of non-ASCII environment variable names or values and allows them to contain any non-zero byte, but neither dbus-daemon nor systemd supports environment variables with non-UTF-8 names or values. Accordingly, dbus-update-activation-environment assumes that any name or value that appears to be valid UTF-8 is intended to be UTF-8, and ignores other names or values with a warning.

## BUGS

Please send bug reports to the D-Bus bug tracker or mailing list. See https://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/dbus/.

## AUTHOR

See https://dbus.freedesktop.org/doc/AUTHORS

## SEE ALSO

dbus-daemon(1), systemd(1), the `import-environment` command of systemctl(1)