Network Toolkit

A unified network management hub for Noctalia providing real-time Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Hotspot, Bluetooth, and persistent DNS control from a single interface.

Plugin

Field	Value
ID	autumn/network-toolkit
Entries	Bar widget: widget; shortcut: toggle; panel: panel; service: service

Requirements

Install the following tools on PATH:

• networkmanager (nmcli) — Wi-Fi scanning, connection management, hotspot orchestration, and DNS routing.
• bluez-utils (bluetoothctl) — Bluetooth adapter power, scanning, device pairing, and trust settings.
• ip — Interface address resolution and neighbor discovery.
• iw — Virtual AP interface provisioning (__ap) and wireless client enumeration.
• qrencode (optional) — Generates shareable Wi-Fi QR codes in the panel.

Features

• Wi-Fi & Ethernet: Live access point scanning with signal metrics and security badges; inline password authentication prompt; saved network quick-connect; QR code generator for connected Wi-Fi credentials; network forget capability.
• Concurrent Wi-Fi Hotspot: Dynamically provisions a virtual access point (<interface>-ap, such as wlp3s0-ap or wlan0-ap) alongside active Wi-Fi station mode on supported hardware via scripts/hotspot_helper.sh, allowing you to host a hotspot while remaining connected to your existing Wi-Fi network; live connected client list with hostnames, IP, and MAC addresses.
• Bluetooth Device Manager: Built-in native C BlueZ D-Bus agent (scripts/bluetooth_helper) delivering instant desktop pairing authorization popups with PIN/passkey validation; one-click connect, disconnect, device removal, and auto-reconnect (trust) configuration; adapter discoverability toggle.
• Persistent DNS Switcher: Instant switching between curated providers (Cloudflare, Google, Quad9, AdGuard) and custom DNS servers; automatically re-applies chosen DNS across network switches and system reboots.
• Bar Widget & Shortcut: Highly configurable top bar widget supporting single or multi-domain indicator modes; quick-toggle control center shortcut for one-click hotspot activation. The widget also displays a red dot if the hotspot is active and a green dot if a custom DNS is being used.

Usage

1. Add the Network Toolkit widget to your bar in Settings → Bar Widgets.
2. Add the Hotspot shortcut tile in Settings → Control Center → Shortcuts.
3. Left-click the bar widget to open the main network panel.
4. Right-click the bar widget to trigger the configured quick action (toggle Wi-Fi, Hotspot, or Bluetooth).
5. Right-click any section header icon in the panel (Wi-Fi, Hotspot, Bluetooth, DNS) to quickly toggle its power state on or off.

Open the main panel via IPC:

noctalia msg panel-toggle autumn/network-toolkit:panel

Or bind it to a keybinding in your configuration:

binds {
    Mod+N { spawn-sh "noctalia msg panel-toggle autumn/network-toolkit:panel"; }
}

(Niri configuration example)

Settings

All settings can be configured under Settings → Plugins → Network Toolkit:

Setting	Type	Default	Description
refreshinterval	int	5	Background state refresh interval in seconds (2–60).
color	string	on_surface_variant	Theme color token for widget glyphs.
text_color	string	on_surface_variant	Theme color token for widget labels.
hotspot_ssid	string	Noctalia-Hotspot	Default broadcast SSID for the hotspot.
hotspot_password	string	noctaliapass	WPA2 passphrase for the hotspot (minimum 8 characters).
hotspot_max_connections	int	8	Maximum client connections allowed on the hotspot (1–32).
custom_dns_1	string	""	Custom DNS slot 1 (Name=IP, e.g. NextDNS=45.90.28.0 45.90.30.0).
custom_dns_2	string	""	Custom DNS slot 2.
custom_dns_3	string	""	Custom DNS slot 3.
widget_display_mode	select	network	Display mode: network, bluetooth, dns, network_hotspot, network_bluetooth, network_dns, bluetooth_dns, network_bluetooth_dns, network_hotspot_bluetooth_dns.
widget_indicator_dots	select	hotspot_dns	Status dots shown on widget: hotspot_dns (Hotspot + DNS), hotspot (Hotspot only), dns (DNS only), none (Disabled).
widget_right_click	select	toggle_wifi	Quick action on right-click: toggle_wifi, toggle_hs, or toggle_bt.

IPC

The background service synchronizes state across all entries via network_command and network_state. You can also trigger panel actions directly:

# Toggle panel
noctalia msg panel-toggle autumn/network-toolkit:panel

# Open panel
noctalia msg panel-open autumn/network-toolkit:panel

# Close panel
noctalia msg panel-close autumn/network-toolkit:panel

Notes

• Bluetooth Pairing Agent: Uses a built-in D-Bus agent (scripts/bluetooth_helper) registered under /org/noctalia/bluetooth_helper to handle authorization and passkey requests directly with BlueZ.
• Concurrent Hotspot: Simultaneous Wi-Fi client and AP mode dynamically creates a virtual interface (<interface>-ap) via scripts/hotspot_helper.sh. If the wireless driver does not support multi-VIF concurrency, starting the hotspot will fall back to standard access point mode.
• DNS Configuration: DNS preferences are managed through NetworkManager device connections and persist across network switches.
• Files Written: Runtime pairing and DNS states are stored in /tmp during the active session.

License

MIT