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Runtime Control

EasyBar exposes three runtime control actions because they solve different problems.

Refresh

Use:

easybar --refresh

This:

  • refreshes the bar and widgets using the currently loaded config
  • pulls fresh data from agents
  • re-emits refresh-style state so widgets can update immediately
  • does not reread config.toml from disk
  • does not restart the Lua runtime

Use this when the config is already correct and you want fresh UI state or fresh agent-backed data.

Restart Lua runtime

Use:

easybar --restart-lua-runtime

This:

  • stops the current Lua runtime
  • starts a fresh Lua runtime process
  • reloads Lua widget files
  • resets Lua-side widget state
  • does not reread config.toml from disk

Use this when the Lua side is stuck, stale, or needs a full runtime reset.

Reload config

Use:

easybar --reload-config

This:

  • reloads config.toml from disk
  • rebuilds EasyBar using the new config
  • reapplies native widgets and Lua runtime state against the updated configuration

Use this when you changed the config file itself.