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Unattended Access

"Unattended access" means the host is reachable without anyone at the keyboard — it boots, logs in, and WayLo is running and able to capture the session even while it sits locked. Three pieces make that work: a service, auto-login, and locked-screen capture.

The fastest path is to tick Configure system for unattended access on the login screen (or run the installer), which configures all three. Once you're connected, a banner at the bottom of the screen says whether it worked, and gives the reason if it didn't. This page explains what each piece does.

The service​

WayLo installs as a systemd user service so it runs inside your graphical session, where Mutter's D-Bus APIs and PipeWire live.

The installer does this for you, and every update rewrites the unit (~/.config/systemd/user/waylo.service). The port and HTTPS setting live in ~/.config/waylo/waylo.env; see Configuration.

The unit is bound to graphical-session.target, so it starts with your session and stops when it ends. An update applied while nobody is logged in waits for the next login to start. Check it with:

systemctl --user status waylo
journalctl --user -u waylo -f

To keep the service running after you log out (needed for true from-boot access), enable linger:

loginctl enable-linger "$USER"

Auto-login​

For the host to reach the desktop after a reboot, GDM must log the user in automatically. WayLo's unattended setup writes the auto-login keys into the display manager's config (GDM or LightDM) and installs a startup entry that locks the screen immediately after login — so the machine boots straight to a locked, capturable session.

You can also configure this by hand; see Configuration.

Locked-screen capture​

By default GNOME's Mutter refuses to start a screen-capture session while the screen is locked — the D-Bus call fails with Session creation inhibited. WayLo handles this two ways:

Preferred: the extension​

The allow-locked-remote-desktop GNOME extension (UUID allowlockedremotedesktop@kamens.us) tells Mutter to permit capture while locked, so WayLo streams the session while it stays locked — the ideal security posture for an unattended box. Unattended setup installs and enables it automatically; it activates on the next login. To install it yourself:

bash ~/.local/share/waylo/current/scripts/install-extension.sh
# then log out and back in (on Xorg: Alt+F2 → r → Enter) so GNOME loads it
gnome-extensions info allowlockedremotedesktop@kamens.us   # should read State: ACTIVE

Fallback: automatic unlock​

When the extension isn't loaded yet, WayLo recovers automatically: on hitting Session creation inhibited it drops the lock (via the screensaver's SetActive(false)) and retries, so the connection still succeeds — the screen is briefly unlocked rather than streamed locked. This means a locked screen never wedges an otherwise-valid, authenticated connection.

Locking behavior​

  • Lock on disconnect — an optional login toggle re-locks the desktop when your session ends, so the box returns to a locked state behind you.
  • Lock button — the toolbar can lock the remote session at any time without disconnecting; because WayLo keeps capturing and injecting, you can type the password remotely to unlock.
tip

On a machine that captures an xrdp session, WayLo and xrdp share the same GNOME session — a single stale lock can block both. WayLo's auto-unlock clears that; see Troubleshooting.