systemdmgr

A terminal UI for managing and browsing systemd units.

Warning

This project is a work in progress and features are still incomplete and subject to change.

Features

• Browse systemd units (services, sockets, timers, paths, targets) with status indicators
• Search units by name or description
• Filter by status, file state, and unit type via picker dialogs
• View unit details, properties, and read-only unit file content
• Perform unit actions (start, stop, restart, enable, disable, reload, daemon-reload)
• View focused per-unit or system-wide logs with search, priority filter, and time range filter
• Live tail mode with pause/resume for real-time log monitoring
• Toggle between user and system units
• Remote management via SSH (authenticate once, persistent connection)
• Mouse support (click to select, scroll to navigate)

Installation

Quick Install (Linux)

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/andrewtheguy/systemdmgr/main/install.sh | sudo bash

To install a prerelease version:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/andrewtheguy/systemdmgr/main/install.sh | sudo bash -s -- --prerelease

The installer places the binary in /usr/local/bin, which requires root.

macOS (SSH remote management only)

macOS does not have systemd, but you can use systemdmgr as an SSH client to manage remote Linux servers:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/andrewtheguy/systemdmgr/main/install.sh | sudo bash

The binary is installed to /usr/local/bin. Then connect to a remote host:

systemdmgr --ssh user@server

Usage

systemdmgr

Started without a connection flag, systemdmgr opens a menu asking where to manage services:

Where do you want to manage services?

> Local  this machine
  SSH    a remote host over ssh

Picking SSH lists the Host aliases from your ~/.ssh/config and lets you type any other destination (with ssh options, if needed). ↑/↓ selects, Enter confirms, Esc goes back, q quits. If the connection fails, you land back in the menu with the reason on screen.

Skip the menu with a connection flag:

systemdmgr --local
systemdmgr --ssh user@server

Remote Management

Manage systemd units on a remote server over SSH:

Everything after --ssh is passed to the ssh client, in the form --ssh [ssh-options] destination (options first, destination last):

systemdmgr --ssh user@server
systemdmgr --ssh -p 2222 -i ~/.ssh/deploy_key user@server
systemdmgr --ssh -J bastion user@server

Connectivity is delegated to the system OpenSSH client: authentication (agent, keys, password, OTP/MFA), host key verification, ~/.ssh/config (including ProxyJump and Match), and passphrase prompts all work exactly as they do for plain ssh. A single multiplexed connection (ControlMaster) is reused for all commands. --user mode works over SSH (requires loginctl enable-linger on the remote).

See docs/ssh.md for full details on host resolution, authentication, and troubleshooting.

Version

systemdmgr version
systemdmgr --version

Keyboard Shortcuts

Press ? in the app to see context-sensitive help.

Unit List

Key	Action
Down	Move down
Up	Move up
g / Home	Go to top
G / End	Go to bottom
PgUp / PgDn	Page up / down
/	Search units
s	Status filter picker
f	File state filter picker
t	Unit type picker
i / Enter	Open unit details
v	View unit file
x	Action picker (start/stop/restart/etc.)
R	Daemon reload
l	Open logs
L	Open system-wide logs
p	Log priority filter
T	Log time range filter
r	Refresh units
u	Toggle user/system units
Esc	Clear search or quit
q	Quit
?	Toggle help

Logs View

Key	Action
Down	Scroll down
Up	Scroll up
g / Home	Go to top
G / End	Go to bottom
PgUp / PgDn	Page scroll
Ctrl+u / Ctrl+d	Half page scroll
/	Search logs
n / N	Next / previous match
p	Priority filter
t	Time range filter
x	Action picker
f	Pause/resume live tail
l	Exit logs
L	Toggle system-wide logs
Enter	Open selected unit from paused system-wide logs
Esc	Clear search / exit logs
?	Toggle help

Unit File View

Key	Action
Down / Up	Scroll down / up
g / Home	Go to top
G / End	Go to bottom
PgUp / PgDn	Page scroll
Ctrl+u / Ctrl+d	Half page scroll
/	Search unit file
n / N	Next / previous match
v / Esc / q	Close unit file
?	Toggle help

Documentation

• Specification — architecture, features, and UI details
• SSH Remote Management — host resolution, authentication, and troubleshooting
• Roadmap — planned features and future considerations

Requirements

• Rust 1.85+ (2024 edition)
• Linux: systemd 246+ with systemctl on PATH (local host, or remote host when using --ssh)
• macOS: SSH remote management only (--ssh flag required; the remote host must have systemd)
• OpenSSH client (ssh on PATH) for remote management via --ssh

License

MIT