How I manage Suckless software installations

HOW I MANAGE SUCKLESS SOFTWARE INSTALLATIONS

30 NOVEMBER 2025

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Since suckless software requires users to modify the -source code and recompile to customize, I need a way to maintain patches over -the long term while retaining the ability to upgrade the software as new -versions are released.

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Initial setup

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When using a suckless program, I usually begin by cloning the project and -setting the remote push URL to my own git repository:

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git clone git://git.suckless.org/dwm
-git reset --hard <tag>
-git remote set-url --push origin git@git.asciimx.com:/repos/dwm
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This way, I can pull updates from the upstream project whenever I want, while -committing my changes to my git repository. The git reset command aligns my -branch head with a stable release before applying patches or installing the -software.

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If all I want to do is reconfigure the software (e.g., change key bindings), -which is what I need most of the time, the recommended approach is to modify -the config.h file. If the config.h isn’t yet in the project, the -make clean <target> command will generate it from the defaults and compile -the software. The <target> is the name of the application (e.g., dwm) found -in the Makefile. I modify the resulting config.h file and run make clean -install to install the software before committing and pushing my changes to -the git repo.

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dwm and slstatus

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Since dwm and slstatus are always running, make install will likely fail for -them. The operating system may prevent the installer from replacing running -executables with new ones. Hence, we must first stop the running instances of -these programs (in my case, using Mod + Shift + q). Then, switch to a tty -(Ctrl + Alt + F1), log in, and change the directory to where dwm/slstatus is. -We can run make install to install the software and switch back to the -graphical session (Ctrl + Alt + F5).

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The key combinations for switching to the tty and back may differ across -systems. The ones listed above are for OpenBSD.

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Subsequent upgrades

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When suckless releases a new version, I run git pull --rebase to fetch the -upstream changes and rebase my patches on top of them. Because I tend to use -stable versions, I perform another interactive rebase to drop the commits -between the latest stable version tag and my patch before installing the -software.

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Commit log before upgrading:

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dt236  My patch.
-3fkdf  Version 6.5.
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Commit log after pulling:

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w467d  My patch.
-gh25g  A commit.
-g525g  Another commit.
-3fkdf  Version 6.6.
-vd425  Old commit.
-q12vu  Another old commit.
-3fkdf  Version 6.5.
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Commit log after the interactive rebase:

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h57jh  My patch.
-3fkdf  Version 6.6.
-vd425  Old commit.
-q12vu  Another old commit.
-3fkdf  Version 6.5.
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And finally, I commit and push all the changes to my git repository.

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by W. D. Sadeep Madurange