bread/Documentation.md

Bread Documentation

Contents

• Overview
• Getting started
• Your first module
• Run, reload, and watch
• Modules: install and manage
• Sync: snapshot and restore
• Debugging tips
• Dictionary: Lua API
  • Bluetooth
• Dictionary: Built-in modules
• Dictionary: Event reference
• Dictionary: Runtime state schema
• Dictionary: IPC protocol

Overview

Bread is a reactive automation fabric for Linux desktops. The daemon (breadd) normalizes external signals into semantic events, maintains runtime state, and dispatches events to Lua modules that implement automation.

• Daemon (breadd) — long-running Rust process; source of truth for runtime state
• Lua runtime — dedicated thread inside the daemon; automation logic lives here
• CLI (bread) — talks to the daemon over a Unix socket

Adapters currently supported: Hyprland compositor IPC, Linux udev/netlink, UPower/sysfs power, rtnetlink/sysfs network, and BlueZ Bluetooth.

If you are new to Bread, start with the quick walkthrough below, then jump to the full dictionary when you need exact API details.

Getting started

1) Create a minimal config

• Daemon config: ~/.config/bread/breadd.toml (all values optional)
• Lua entry point: ~/.config/bread/init.lua
• Lua modules: ~/.config/bread/modules/

2) Minimal init.lua

bread.on("bread.system.startup", function(event)
    bread.profile.activate("default")
    bread.log("bread started on " .. bread.machine.name())
end)

3) Start the daemon

systemctl --user start breadd

# Or directly:
breadd

4) Check that it's running

bread ping
bread doctor

Your first module

Create a file at ~/.config/bread/modules/hello.lua. It is discovered and loaded automatically after init.lua.

local M = bread.module({ name = "hello", version = "0.1.0" })

function M.on_load()
    bread.log("hello from bread on " .. bread.machine.name())

    bread.on("bread.device.*", function(event)
        bread.log("device event: " .. event.event)
    end)
end

return M

Key rules:

• Every module must call bread.module exactly once at the top level.
• Register subscriptions inside M.on_load so they are cleaned up properly on hot reload.
• Use bread.log early to verify handlers are firing.

Run, reload, and watch

# Hot-reload the Lua runtime after editing config
bread reload

# Watch for file changes and reload automatically
bread reload --watch

If any module fails to load, bread reload prints the error with a full Lua stack trace. The daemon stays running — fix the file and reload again.

Modules: install and manage

Modules are Lua packages installed to ~/.config/bread/modules/. The CLI manages the install lifecycle.

# Install from GitHub (downloads and extracts the default branch tarball)
bread modules install github:someuser/bread-wifi

# Install from a local directory
bread modules install ~/src/my-module

# Install a specific ref
bread modules install github:someuser/bread-wifi@v1.2.0

# List installed modules and their daemon status
bread modules list

# Show full manifest for one module
bread modules info bread-wifi

# Re-install all GitHub-sourced modules (pick up upstream changes)
bread modules update

# Remove a module
bread modules remove bread-wifi
bread modules remove bread-wifi --yes   # skip confirmation

Each installed module has a bread.module.toml manifest:

name = "wifi"
version = "1.0.0"
description = "WiFi management for Bread"
author = "someuser"
source = "github:someuser/bread-wifi"
installed_at = "2026-01-01T00:00:00Z"

Sync: snapshot and restore

Bread sync snapshots your config, dotfiles, and installed packages into a local Git repository. Use export/import to move state between machines — no git remote required.

# First-time setup (remote optional)
bread sync init
bread sync init --remote git@github.com:you/bread-config.git

# Commit local snapshot
bread sync push
bread sync push --message "before reinstall"

# Apply snapshot to this machine
bread sync pull

# Also reinstall packages from snapshot
bread sync pull --install-packages

# See what has changed
bread sync status
bread sync diff

# List known machines
bread sync machines

Portable export/import

export creates a self-contained snapshot directory or .tar.gz — no git auth needed.

# Create a portable snapshot (defaults to ./bread-export-<machine>-<date>.tar.gz)
bread sync export

# Export to a specific path
bread sync export --output ~/backups/bread.tar.gz
bread sync export --output /mnt/usb/bread-snapshot/   # directory

# Apply a snapshot on another machine
bread sync import bread-export-hermes-2026-05-16.tar.gz
bread sync import /mnt/usb/bread-snapshot/

# Also install packages from the snapshot
bread sync import bread-export.tar.gz --install-packages

# Skip cloning git repos back to their original locations
bread sync import bread-export.tar.gz --no-clone-repos

# Skip confirmation prompt
bread sync import bread-export.tar.gz --yes

Each export snapshot includes:

Directory	Contents
bread/	~/.config/bread/ (your Bread config)
configs/	Common app configs (hypr, nvim, kitty, waybar, fish, etc.)
dotfiles/	Individual files: .gitconfig, .zshrc, .zprofile, .zshenv, SSH config, etc.
local-bin/	~/.local/bin/ scripts (non-symlink, <512 KB)
local-fonts/	~/.local/share/fonts/
systemd/	~/.config/systemd/user/ units
system/	System files: udev rules, modprobe, sysctl, NetworkManager, bluetooth (root-only paths skipped unless run with sudo)
packages/	Package lists (pacman.txt, pip.txt, cargo.txt, npm.txt)
machines/	Per-machine profile with tags and last-sync time
manifest.toml	Path map for exact restoration on import
restore.sh	Shell script for manual restore (system files shown as sudo commands)

Git repository tracking: at export time, all git repositories with remotes found under ~, ~/Projects, ~/Documents, and ~/.config are auto-committed and pushed. Their remote URLs and branches are recorded in the manifest. On import, --no-clone-repos suppresses cloning them back.

Configure sync in ~/.config/bread/sync.toml:

[remote]
url = "git@github.com:you/bread-config.git"
branch = "main"

[machine]
name = "hermes"
tags = ["laptop", "battery"]

[packages]
enabled = true
managers = ["pacman", "pip", "cargo"]

[delegates]
include = ["~/.config/nvim", "~/.config/waybar"]
exclude = ["**/.git", "**/*.cache"]

Debugging tips

• Run bread events to see live normalized events.
• Run bread state to see full runtime state as JSON.
• Run bread doctor to check adapter and module health.
• Log event payloads with bread.log(tostring(event.data)).
• Use RUST_LOG=debug breadd for verbose daemon output.

---

Dictionary: Lua API

Every API is exposed through the bread global table.

Module declaration

Every module must call bread.module exactly once at the top level.

local M = bread.module({
    name    = "my.module",
    version = "0.1.0",
    after   = { "bread.devices" },   -- optional: load after this module
})

return M

If a module does not call bread.module, it fails to load and is marked as a load error.

Events

bread.on(pattern, fn) -> id

Subscribe to matching events. Returns a numeric subscription ID.

local id = bread.on("bread.device.*", function(event)
    -- event.event   → the full event name string
    -- event.data    → table of event-specific fields
    -- event.source  → adapter that produced it ("Udev", "Hyprland", etc.)
    bread.log(event.event)
end)

bread.once(pattern, fn) -> id

Subscribe once. The handler is removed after the first match.

bread.filter(pattern, fn, opts) -> id

Subscribe with a predicate. opts must contain a filter function:

bread.filter("bread.device.*", function(event)
    bread.exec("xset r rate 200 40")
end, {
    filter = function(event)
        return event.data and event.data.class == "keyboard"
    end,
})

bread.off(id)

Unsubscribe an event handler or state watch by ID.

bread.emit(event, data)

Emit a custom event into the system pipeline. Useful for cross-module communication.

bread.wait(pattern, opts) -> event | nil

Coroutine-only helper that suspends until a matching event arrives.

bread.spawn(function()
    local event = bread.wait("bread.device.dock.connected", { timeout = 5000 })
    if event then
        bread.log("dock arrived")
    end
end)

bread.spawn(fn)

Spawn a coroutine and surface errors if it fails. Required for using bread.wait.

State

bread.state.get(path)

Read a state subtree by dotted path.

local monitors = bread.state.get("monitors")
local online   = bread.state.get("network.online")

Typed shorthands

bread.state.monitors()
bread.state.active_workspace()
bread.state.active_window()
bread.state.devices()
bread.state.power()
bread.state.network()
bread.state.profile()

bread.state.watch(path, fn) -> id

Watch a state path for changes. The callback receives (new_value, old_value).

bread.state.watch("power.ac_connected", function(new_val, old_val)
    if new_val then
        bread.notify("AC connected")
    end
end)

Profiles

bread.profile.activate(name)

Activate a named profile. Emits bread.profile.activated over IPC.

Execution

bread.exec(cmd)

Run a shell command. Fire-and-forget (async, does not block Lua).

Notifications

bread.notify(message, opts)

Send a desktop notification via notify-send.

Options:

Key	Type	Default
title	string	"bread"
urgency	string	from config
timeout	ms	from config
icon	string	none

Calling bread.notify emits bread.notify.sent with { title, message, urgency }.

Timers

bread.after(delay_ms, fn) -> id

Run once after a delay.

bread.every(interval_ms, fn) -> id

Run on a repeating interval.

bread.cancel(id)

Cancel a timer created by after or every. Timers are also cancelled automatically on reload.

Utilities

bread.debounce(delay_ms, fn) -> wrapped_fn

Returns a wrapper that fires only after delay_ms of quiet time.

local fn = bread.debounce(200, function(event)
    reconfigure_monitors()
end)
bread.on("bread.monitor.**", fn)

bread.log(msg) / bread.warn(msg) / bread.error(msg)

Logging helpers. Accept any Lua value (coerced via tostring).

Machine and filesystem

bread.machine.name() -> string

Returns the machine name from sync.toml. Falls back to the system hostname if sync is not initialized.

bread.machine.tags() -> string[]

Returns the tags array from sync.toml, or {} if sync is not initialized.

bread.machine.has_tag(tag) -> bool

Returns true if the machine has the given tag.

bread.fs.write(path, content)

Write a file. Creates parent directories as needed. ~ is expanded.

bread.fs.read(path) -> string | nil

Read a file. Returns nil if the file does not exist. ~ is expanded.

bread.fs.exists(path) -> bool

Returns true if the path exists. ~ is expanded.

bread.fs.expand(path) -> string

Expand ~ to the home directory.

Hyprland

The bread.hyprland namespace provides compositor bindings.

-- Dispatch a Hyprland command
bread.hyprland.dispatch("workspace", "2")
bread.hyprland.dispatch("exec", "kitty")

-- Set a keyword
bread.hyprland.keyword("monitor", "HDMI-A-1, 2560x1440, 0x0, 1")

-- Query compositor state (returns deserialized Lua tables)
local win        = bread.hyprland.active_window()
local monitors   = bread.hyprland.monitors()
local workspaces = bread.hyprland.workspaces()
local clients    = bread.hyprland.clients()

-- Subscribe to raw Hyprland events (bypasses normalization)
bread.hyprland.on_raw("activewindow", function(raw)
    -- raw payload includes: kind, raw (original string), data
end)

Bluetooth

The bread.bluetooth namespace provides control over the local Bluetooth adapter and its paired devices via BlueZ D-Bus. All functions degrade gracefully when BlueZ is unavailable — control functions log a warning and return nil, query functions return nil.

bread.bluetooth.power(enabled)

Power the Bluetooth adapter on (true) or off (false). Fire-and-forget.

bread.bluetooth.powered() -> bool | nil

Returns the current power state of the adapter, or nil if unavailable.

if bread.bluetooth.powered() then
    bread.log("Bluetooth is on")
end

bread.bluetooth.connect(address)

Connect to a paired device by MAC address. Fire-and-forget — the result is delivered as a bread.device.connected event when the connection succeeds.

bread.bluetooth.connect("AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF")

bread.bluetooth.disconnect(address)

Disconnect from a device by MAC address. Fire-and-forget — delivered as bread.device.disconnected.

bread.bluetooth.scan(enabled)

Start (true) or stop (false) device discovery.

bread.bluetooth.devices() -> table | nil

Returns all devices known to BlueZ as an array of tables. Returns nil if BlueZ is unavailable.

local devs = bread.bluetooth.devices()
if devs then
    for _, dev in ipairs(devs) do
        bread.log(dev.name .. " " .. dev.address
            .. (dev.connected and " [connected]" or ""))
    end
end

Each device table:

Field	Type	Description
address	string	Bluetooth MAC address, e.g. "AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF"
name	string	Device name from BlueZ (Alias or Name property)
connected	bool	Whether the device is currently connected
paired	bool	Whether the device is paired

Example: auto-connect headphones on AC power

local M = bread.module({ name = "headphones", version = "1.0.0" })
local HEADPHONES = "AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF"

function M.on_load()
    bread.state.watch("power.ac_connected", function(ac)
        if ac then
            bread.bluetooth.power(true)
            bread.bluetooth.connect(HEADPHONES)
        end
    end)
end

return M

Example: turn off Bluetooth on battery

bread.state.watch("power.ac_connected", function(ac)
    bread.bluetooth.power(ac)
end)

Module lifecycle hooks

All hooks are optional.

function M.on_load()
    -- Called after the module loads. Register subscriptions here.
end

function M.on_reload()
    -- Called after a hot reload completes across all modules.
end

function M.on_unload()
    -- Called before the Lua instance is dropped.
end

function M.on_error(err)
    -- Called when a subscription handler in this module throws.
    -- Return true to keep the subscription alive, false to cancel it.
    return true
end

Module storage

Survives hot reload; does not survive daemon restart.

M.store.set("last_profile", "docked")
local value = M.store.get("last_profile")

Storage is scoped per module and is not shared across modules.

---

Dictionary: Built-in modules

Built-ins are loaded before user modules. Disable them via [modules].disable in the daemon config.

bread.monitors

High-level declarative monitor event handlers.

local monitors = require("bread.monitors")

monitors.layout("dock", function()
    bread.exec("~/.config/bread/scripts/layout-dock.sh")
end)

monitors.on({
    when     = "connected",
    monitors = { "HDMI-A-1" },
    run      = monitors.apply("dock"),
})

Function	Description
M.on(opts)	Register a monitor workflow. opts: when, monitors (optional list), run (function or shell string)
M.layout(name, fn)	Register a named layout function
M.apply(name) -> fn	Returns a function that calls the named layout

when is one of connected, disconnected, changed.

bread.devices

Device connection rules with name-based matching. This module handles hardware hotplug events from USB devices, monitors, and other peripherals.

Device names are defined in ~/.config/bread/devices.lua — the daemon resolves the name before dispatching events, so modules can match on stable user-defined names rather than raw hardware identifiers.

local devices = require("bread.devices")

devices.on({
    when   = "connected",
    device = "keyboard",
    run    = function(event)
        bread.exec("xset r rate 200 40")
    end,
})

devices.on({
    when   = "connected",
    device = "dock",
    run    = "~/.config/bread/scripts/dock-connected.sh"
})

devices.on({
    when = "disconnected",
    name = "CalDigit",  -- pattern-matched against event.data.name
    run  = function(event)
        bread.log("Dock disconnected: " .. event.data.name)
    end,
})

Functions

Function	Description
M.on(opts)	Register a device rule. See options below.

Device rule options

devices.on({
    when   = "connected",              -- required: "connected" or "disconnected"
    device = "keyboard",              -- optional: device name from devices.lua
    name   = "Keychron",             -- optional: substring matched against device name
    run    = function(event) ... end  -- required: function or shell string
})

• when (required): One of connected or disconnected.
• device (optional): Device name as defined in devices.lua. If specified, the rule only fires for devices with that name.
• name (optional): Pattern that must be found in event.data.name (case-insensitive substring). Can be combined with device (both must match).
• run (required): Function or shell string to run when the rule matches.

The callback receives the full device event:

{
  event = "bread.device.dock.connected",
  data = {
    id = "/sys/...",
    device = "dock",       -- name resolved from devices.lua
    name = "CalDigit TS4", -- raw device name from udev
    subsystem = "usb",
    vendor_id = "0x35f5",
    product_id = "0x0104",
    raw = { ... }          -- full udev properties
  }
}

Example: Keyboard configuration on connect

devices.on({
    when   = "connected",
    device = "keyboard",
    run    = function(event)
        bread.log("Keyboard connected: " .. event.data.name)
        bread.exec("xset r rate 200 40")
    end,
})

Example: Dock-specific setup

-- devices.lua defines: { device = "dock", vendor_id = "35f5" }

devices.on({
    when   = "connected",
    device = "dock",
    run    = function(event)
        bread.log("Dock connected")
        bread.exec("~/.config/bread/scripts/dock-connected.sh")
    end,
})

devices.on({
    when   = "disconnected",
    device = "dock",
    run    = function(event)
        bread.log("Dock disconnected")
        bread.exec("~/.config/bread/scripts/dock-disconnected.sh")
    end,
})

bread.workspaces

Workspace-to-monitor assignment and app pinning.

local workspaces = require("bread.workspaces")

workspaces.assign("1", "HDMI-A-1")
workspaces.pin({ app = "Firefox", workspace = "2" })

Function	Description
M.assign(workspace, monitor)	Assign a workspace to a monitor
M.pin(opts)	Pin an app class to a workspace. opts: app, workspace
M.apply_assignments()	Apply all registered assignments via Hyprland dispatch

bread.binds

Runtime keybind management via Hyprland.

local binds = require("bread.binds")

binds.add({
    mods     = { "SUPER" },
    key      = "Return",
    dispatch = "exec",
    args     = "kitty",
})

Function	Description
M.add(opts)	Add a keybind. opts: mods, key, dispatch, args
M.remove(key)	Remove a keybind by key
M.replace(key, opts)	Remove and re-add a keybind

---

Dictionary: Event reference

Events are delivered as a BreadEvent:

{
  "event": "bread.device.dock.connected",
  "timestamp": 1710000000000,
  "source": "Udev",
  "data": {}
}

Pattern matching

Pattern	Matches
bread.device.dock.connected	Exact match only
bread.device.*	One segment wildcard (does not cross .)
bread.device.**	Any depth under bread.device
bread.monitor.?	Single character within one segment

Normalized events

System

Event	Data
bread.system.startup	{}

Devices (udev / Bluetooth)

Event	Data
bread.device.connected	{ id, device, name, vendor, vendor_id, product_id, subsystem, raw }
bread.device.disconnected	same
bread.device.<device>.connected	{ id, device }
bread.device.<device>.disconnected	{ id, device }

device is the name resolved from ~/.config/bread/devices.lua. Devices that match no rule use "unknown". The generic bread.device.connected event carries the full payload including raw udev properties; the named companion event carries only id and device.

Both USB/udev devices and Bluetooth devices emit bread.device.connected / bread.device.disconnected. They can be distinguished by event.data.subsystem:

subsystem	Source	Unique identifier field
"usb", "input", etc.	udev	vendor_id + product_id
"bluetooth"	BlueZ	address (MAC address)

Bluetooth (BlueZ)

Event	Data
bread.device.connected	{ id, device, name, address, subsystem: "bluetooth", raw }
bread.device.disconnected	same
bread.bluetooth.device.paired	{ id, name, address, subsystem: "bluetooth", raw }
bread.bluetooth.device.unpaired	{ id, address, subsystem: "bluetooth", raw }

bread.bluetooth.device.paired fires when BlueZ first learns about a device (new pairing or adapter restart). It does not mean the device is connected. bread.device.connected fires when the device profile actually connects.

name may be "unknown" on bread.device.connected events emitted from PropertiesChanged signals, since BlueZ only includes changed properties. It is always populated on bread.bluetooth.device.paired and on events from the initial enumeration at startup.

Hyprland

Event	Data
bread.workspace.changed	raw payload
bread.workspace.created	{ workspace }
bread.workspace.destroyed	{ workspace }
bread.monitor.connected	raw payload
bread.monitor.disconnected	raw payload
bread.window.focus.changed	raw payload
bread.window.focused	{ address }
bread.window.opened	{ address, workspace, class, title }
bread.window.closed	{ address }
bread.window.moved	{ address, workspace }
bread.hyprland.event	{ kind, raw, data } (unhandled kinds)

Power

Event	Data
bread.power.ac.connected	{ ac_connected, battery_percent }
bread.power.ac.disconnected	{ ac_connected, battery_percent }
bread.power.battery.low	{ battery_percent }
bread.power.battery.very_low	{ battery_percent }
bread.power.battery.critical	{ battery_percent }
bread.power.battery.full	{ battery_percent }
bread.power.changed	{ ac_connected, battery_percent }

Network

Event	Data
bread.network.connected	{ online, interfaces }
bread.network.disconnected	{ online, interfaces }

System events

Event	Data
bread.profile.activated	{ name }
bread.notify.sent	{ title, message, urgency }
bread.state.changed.<path>	emitted by state watches

---

Dictionary: Runtime state schema

bread state and bread.state.get("") return the full RuntimeState:

{
  "monitors": [
    { "name": "HDMI-A-1", "connected": true, "resolution": null, "position": null }
  ],
  "workspaces": [
    { "id": "1", "monitor": "HDMI-A-1" }
  ],
  "active_workspace": "1",
  "active_window": "0x...",
  "devices": {
    "connected": [
      {
        "id": "/sys/...",
        "name": "CalDigit TS4",
        "device": "dock",
        "subsystem": "usb",
        "vendor_id": "0x35f5",
        "product_id": "0x0104"
      }
    ]
  },
  "network": {
    "interfaces": { "eth0": { "up": true } },
    "online": true
  },
  "power": {
    "ac_connected": true,
    "battery_percent": 87,
    "battery_low": false
  },
  "profile": {
    "active": "default",
    "history": [],
    "profiles": {}
  },
  "modules": [
    {
      "name": "bread.monitors",
      "status": "loaded",
      "last_error": null,
      "builtin": true,
      "store": {}
    }
  ]
}

status values: loaded, load_error, not_found, degraded, disabled.

---

Dictionary: IPC protocol

The daemon exposes a Unix socket at $XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/bread/breadd.sock. Messages are newline-delimited JSON.

Request:

{ "id": "1", "method": "state.get", "params": { "key": "monitors" } }

Response:

{ "id": "1", "result": [ { "name": "HDMI-A-1", "connected": true } ] }

Available methods:

Method	Params	Description
ping	—	Connectivity check
health	—	Version, uptime, PID, adapter status
state.get	key (dotted path)	Read a value from RuntimeState
state.dump	—	Return the full RuntimeState as JSON
modules.list	—	List all loaded modules and their status
modules.reload	—	Hot-reload the Lua runtime
profile.list	—	List defined profiles
profile.activate	name	Switch active profile
events.subscribe	—	Upgrade to streaming mode; pushes events line by line
events.replay	since_ms	Replay buffered events from the last N ms
emit	event, data	Inject a synthetic event into the pipeline
sync.status	—	Return sync init state: { initialized, machine?, remote? }