Managing services with atomctl

atomctl is how you talk to atom. It mirrors the verbs you already know from systemctl, so most commands read the same way.

atomctl status greetd.service     # is it running, and why
atomctl logs                      # recent system log

Inspecting the system

Command	What it does
atomctl status <unit>	Show a unit’s state, whether it is active, and recent detail.
atomctl is-active <unit>	Print just whether the unit is active (useful in scripts).
atomctl is-enabled <unit>	Whether the unit is enabled to start at boot.
atomctl list-units	The units atom currently knows about and their state.
atomctl list-unit-files	The installed unit files and whether each is enabled.
atomctl logs	The system log from atom’s log core.

Controlling services

Command	What it does
atomctl start <unit>	Start a unit now.
atomctl stop <unit>	Stop a running unit.
atomctl restart <unit>	Stop and start it again.
atomctl daemon-reload	Re-read unit files after you change one on disk.

After editing or adding a unit file, run atomctl daemon-reload so atom picks up the change before you start it.

Enabling and disabling

Enabling a unit links it into its WantedBy target so it starts at boot; disabling removes that link. Masking blocks a unit from ever starting until it is unmasked.

Command	What it does
atomctl enable <unit>	Start it at boot (creates the .wants link).
atomctl disable <unit>	Stop starting it at boot (removes the link).
atomctl mask <unit>	Block the unit entirely.
atomctl unmask <unit>	Undo a mask.

Enabling does not start the unit right now; it takes effect at the next boot, or you can atomctl start it as well.

Powering the system

Command	What it does
atomctl reboot	Restart the machine.
atomctl poweroff	Shut down and power off.
atomctl halt	Stop the system without powering off.

Use atomctl, not systemctl

atom is the init here, not systemd, so atomctl is the tool that actually talks to PID 1. Reach for atomctl for reboots, service control, and status.

Confirming a boot

atom cooperates with Atom Loops for safe updates. After an update, the new image has to prove it can boot before it is kept, or the system rolls back to the previous one.

atomctl boot-confirm

This marks the running system as good, which is the signal Atom Loops waits for before it promotes the new image. On a healthy desktop boot this happens as part of coming up; the command exists for when you want to confirm a boot yourself.