A native Linux process manager for Debian-based desktops (Mint first): live process table and tree, signals and renice, resource history, PSI, and a searchable, organizable systemd-journal log viewer with pattern frequency analysis. GTK3 + Python, fully offline.
Status: in development (Phase 2 of 8 — data core and sampler shipped; live table landing; logs and frequency analysis designed). Docs are the contract: what's described there is what gets built and tested.
LinProcessManager is a desktop process manager and system monitor for Linux — everything in one window, fully offline, no root required:
- Live process table — every process, updated in place; filter by name (plain or regex), scope to your own processes, hide kernel threads.
- 25 sortable columns — CPU, memory, swap, per-process disk I/O and network rates, threads, nice, OOM score, start time, cgroup unit and more; pick your columns with a right-click on the headers.
- Signals and priorities — Stop, Continue, End, Kill, any signal from a picker; renice presets; CPU affinity. Destructive actions confirm inline and the app verifies the outcome and reports it.
- Group termination — end or kill a process and its entire descendant tree, with per-step verification.
- Process preview sidebar — ancestry, children, resource consumption, dependencies, and per-process network attribution for the selected row.
- Graphs — six system dashboards (CPU, Memory, Swap, Disk I/O, Network, Pressure, Load) with per-metric detail pages and 5-minute history, plus the Basics cards: a one-glance "am I OK?" view.
- Disks — per-filesystem capacity with zone-colored usage bars, inode pressure, and per-device read/write rates.
- Network — which apps are talking to the network right now, how much, and (tracked) whether their pattern is steady, bursty, or small-regular-upload.
- Peripherals — connected USB devices and hardware sensors (temperatures, fans, CPU frequency, GPU).
- Logs — the systemd journal with presets, unit/priority filters, and severity coloring (saved views and frequency analysis in development).
All pages, captured live from the running application:
Processes — the live table, metric band, and the per-process preview sidebar:
Graphs — the Basics summary cards and the chart hub:
Disks — capacity, usage bars, and per-device I/O:
Network — per-app traffic with the Tx←→Rx bars:
Peripherals — USB devices and hardware sensors:
Logs — the journal viewer:
Settings — interval, scope, and baseline recalibration:
Built Mint-first on Linux Mint 22 (Ubuntu 24.04 base) — verified on this machine — and designed to run on the whole Debian/Ubuntu family:
| Base (representative distros) | Python | GTK 3 | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux Mint 22 · Ubuntu 24.04 | 3.12 | 3.24.41 | verified on this machine |
| Linux Mint 21.x · Ubuntu 22.04 · Pop!_OS 22.04 | 3.10 | 3.24.33 | supported floor |
| Debian 12 · LMDE 6 | 3.11 | 3.24.3x | supported floor |
| Debian 13 · LMDE 7 | 3.13 | 3.24.4x | supported |
Runtime needs are four system packages — no pip, no venv, no compiled
components: python3-gi, gir1.2-gtk-3.0, python3-cairo, python3-pil
(Python ≥ 3.10). Fedora, Arch, and openSUSE ship the same stack and are
expected to work (untested — reports welcome).
Also by design: fully offline (reads /proc, /sys, and the local
journalctl — makes no network connections of its own), unprivileged
(no root, no elevation paths), and degrades visibly instead of crashing on
hardened kernels (hidepid, Yama, dmesg_restrict). Details and the version
matrix: docs/debian-compatibility.md.
- Fully offline. Every datum from the local kernel (
/proc,/sys) and local binaries (journalctl). No network, ever — enforced by test gates (AST import allowlist + subprocess argv allowlist). - Local assets only. Icons are Phosphor (MIT), copied from the local
master library into
resources/icons/(manifest is the contract). - Modular and universal. Core modules import no UI; runs on any Debian-based build (floors: docs/debian-compatibility.md); degrades visibly, never crashes, on hardened kernels (hidepid, Yama, dmesg_restrict).
- Unprivileged. No elevation paths, v1 and beyond.
./run.sh # == python3 src/main.py (system python, no pip/venv)System packages needed: python3-gi gir1.2-gtk-3.0 python3-cairo python3-pil.
Python floor: 3.10 (authoritative — dev machine runs 3.12; see docs/debian-compatibility.md §2).
python3 -m pytest tests/ -q # unit + gate suite
python3 -m pytest -m live -q # opt-in live-kernel tier
DISPLAY=:0 python3 tests/live_gui_walk.py # live navigation walk + screenshotsWorkflow, gates, task contracts, and the ZCode⇄Claude collaboration: docs/DEVELOPMENT.md.
The live app (Phase 2 — real process table; sidebar 170 px, mockup palette):
Design mockups by feature (HTML sources in docs/mockups/, each with rendered PNG):
| Feature | Mockup |
|---|---|
| Live process table + details pane (primary) | A |
| Process tree + kernel-thread grouping | B |
| Resources: per-core CPU, memory, network, PSI | C |
| Actions: kill / renice / signal / status results | D |
| Logs: journal view, search, follow | E |
| Logs: saved views + flags (organize) | F |
| Logs: context menu + Frequency analytics | G |
| Sidebar width study (170 px adopted) | H |
| Extended columns (22-metric chooser, I/O + net) | I |
| Graphs hub + per-metric detail pages | L |
| Process preview pane + context menu | J |
Feature-to-spec mapping lives in the module docs (docs/modules/); mockups are the visual contract for each.
docs/USER_MANUAL.md — the complete end-user guide: every page, the right-click menus (signals, priorities, importance marks, tracking), sorting and columns, the color system, keyboard shortcuts, and troubleshooting.
| Doc | What it holds |
|---|---|
| docs/process-manager-concept.md | overview + module index + phased roadmap |
| docs/build-principles.md | binding mandates + compliance checklist |
| docs/modules/ | 10 module specs — the engineering contracts |
| docs/mockups/ | 8 UI mockups + rendered PNGs |
| docs/executor-collaboration.md | ZCode⇄Claude Code build collaboration |
| docs/gtk4-port.md | GTK3→GTK4 port strategy |
| docs/upgrade-architecture.md | compat layer + upgrade runbooks |
| docs/debian-compatibility.md | distro matrix, floors, packaging |
| docs/modules/graphs-hub.md | Graphs sidebar feature: hub + per-metric chart pages |
| docs/DEVELOPMENT.md | day-to-day development guide |
| .zcode/tasks/QUEUE.md | orchestration queue + task states |
LinProcessManager is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC 4.0, see LICENSE).
You are welcome to use, modify, and distribute the application and its source freely, for personal and non-commercial purposes — attribution is appreciated. Commercial use is not permitted without prior permission from the author (MensuraMedia); please reach out to discuss terms.
Icons: Phosphor, MIT —
see resources/icons/manifest.txt. Built on the
gtk-python-dashboard-starter (vendored; starter terms in
docs/starter-README.md).