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fedora-tools/README.md
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Fedora tools

Small utilities for Fedora Linux, distributed as RPM packages through a Gitea package registry. Installed tools receive updates through DNF and compatible graphical software managers.

These tools are developed with the help of AI.

Repository

sudo dnf config-manager addrepo \
  --from-repofile=https://git.ajpanton.se/ajp_anton/fedora-tools/raw/branch/main/fedora-tools.repo
sudo dnf install touchpad-hold-tap
sudo dnf install plasma-always-show-unlock
sudo dnf install plasma-task-group-shortcuts
sudo dnf install plasma-fingerprint-workaround
sudo dnf install fedora-tools-settings

Compatibility

The primary test environment is a Framework Laptop 13 Pro running Fedora Linux 44 on x86_64, with KDE Plasma 6.7 and a Wayland session using KWin. Compatibility with other Fedora releases, desktop environments, display systems, architectures, or distributions may be limited.

Tools

Fedora Tools settings

The optional fedora-tools-settings package adds a Fedora Tools page to Plasma System Settings. It discovers tools from this RPM repository, shows which are installed, and can install available tools after administrator authorization. Installed tools can also be removed, and supported tools expose their settings there. Individual tools do not require the settings module.

Touchpad hold-tap

Experimental. Recognizes a one-finger hold followed by a quick tap from a second finger and emits a middle click. The held finger may move between taps. Repeating the tap while holding the first finger produces repeated clicks, including double middle clicks.

The minimum anchor age, required stationary time, tap durations, and emitted mouse button or keyboard event can be changed through Fedora Tools settings or with touchpad-hold-tap-config. A stationary time of zero allows recognition while the anchor is moving. Custom plugin settings are stored under /etc and survive package updates. Log out and back in after changing them.

The touchpad-hold-tap package requires libinput 1.30 or newer and a compositor that enables libinput plugins. Log out and back in after installation or an update so the compositor reloads the plugin.

Always-visible Plasma unlock prompt

The plasma-always-show-unlock package keeps Plasma's password and fingerprint prompt visible from the moment the lock screen appears, including after the display is turned off or the system resumes from sleep.

The package applies a narrow patch to Plasma 6.7's lock-screen QML and reapplies it after plasma-desktop updates. An unknown future layout is left unchanged instead of being modified speculatively. Removing the package restores Plasma's original behavior. It retries lock-screen authentication after resume and the automatic-lock grace period, but does not modify kscreenlocker authentication code or fprintd.

Plasma task-group shortcuts

The plasma-task-group-shortcuts package makes Meta+1 through Meta+9 address application groups instead of individual taskbar buttons. It follows the launchers, ordering, filters, and grouping exceptions of the Task Manager on the primary screen. Pressing a launcher opens the application; pressing an application group starts with its first window, then advances through its windows while Meta remains held. Holding Shift after starting a cycle moves backward instead. Shift on the first press launches a new instance. Releasing Meta—or pressing a different number—ends the current cycle. The shortcuts follow the physical number-row keys for every keyboard layout configured in KWin, including layouts where those keys do not produce digits without Shift.

With Keep launchers separate disabled, a pinned launcher and its running application share one shortcut position. When enabled, the launcher is its own position and the application's windows form another. Hide launcher when application starts determines whether that separate launcher remains while the application is running. Other groups retain the Task Manager's sort order.

The first-window behavior and both Shift behaviors can be changed through Fedora Tools settings. Changes take effect with the next shortcut press.

If application grouping is disabled—or an application is excluded from grouping—each of its windows remains a separate shortcut position. Only group when the Task Manager is full does not alter shortcut groups; that would make the numbers change merely because the panel changed size.

The utility starts with Plasma and records the shortcuts it replaces. Before removing it, restore them with:

plasma-task-group-shortcuts --restore-shortcuts

Plasma fingerprint workaround

Experimental and unaudited. The plasma-fingerprint-workaround package is an inert controller for installing a patched Fedora KScreenLocker build that recovers fingerprint authentication after suspend. It makes no lock-screen changes when installed and must be enabled explicitly:

sudo plasma-fingerprint-workaround enable

The patched build is not present in the DNF repository and therefore cannot be selected by a normal system update. The controller can also install a locally built RPM and restore Fedora's original package. See the tool's README for the security warning, build instructions, version checks, and force-downgrade option.