feat(power): lower refresh rate on battery (#1203)

Add a Power & Sleep setting that lowers eligible displays to 60 Hz on battery and restores their previous mode on AC power.

Skip displays without an available 60 Hz mode, displays with a single refresh-rate option, current modes at or below 60 Hz, and VRR-enabled outputs.
Apply niri changes at runtime through output commands and use wlr-output-management as fallback.

Author: atimofeev

quickshell/Common/SettingsData.qml

@@ -540,6 +540,7 @@ Singleton {
     property string batteryProfileName: ""
     property int batteryPostLockMonitorTimeout: 0
     property int batteryChargeLimit: 100
+    property bool lowerDisplayRefreshRateOnBattery: false
     property bool lockBeforeSuspend: false
     property bool loginctlLockIntegration: true
     property bool fadeToLockEnabled: true
@@ -735,6 +736,7 @@ Singleton {
     property var hyprlandOutputSettings: ({})
     property var displayProfiles: ({})
     property var activeDisplayProfile: ({})
+    property var activeDisplayProfileModes: ({})
     property bool displayProfileAutoSelect: false
     property bool displayShowDisconnected: false
     property bool displaySnapToEdge: true

quickshell/Common/settings/SettingsSpec.js

@@ -272,6 +272,7 @@ var SPEC = {
     batteryProfileName: { def: "" },
     batteryPostLockMonitorTimeout: { def: 0 },
     batteryChargeLimit: { def: 100 },
+    lowerDisplayRefreshRateOnBattery: { def: false },
     lockBeforeSuspend: { def: false },
     loginctlLockIntegration: { def: true },
     fadeToLockEnabled: { def: true },

quickshell/Modules/Settings/DisplayConfig/DisplayConfigState.qml

@@ -258,6 +258,26 @@ Singleton {
             callback(true);
     }
 
+    function publishActiveProfileModes() {
+        const compositor = CompositorService.compositor;
+        const profileId = SettingsData.getActiveDisplayProfile(compositor);
+        const profile = profileId ? validatedProfiles[profileId] : null;
+        const outputs = profile?.outputs || {};
+        const modes = {};
+
+        for (const outputId in outputs) {
+            const mode = outputs[outputId]?.mode;
+            if (mode)
+                modes[outputId] = {
+                    "mode": mode
+                };
+        }
+
+        const updated = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(SettingsData.activeDisplayProfileModes || {}));
+        updated[compositor] = modes;
+        SettingsData.activeDisplayProfileModes = updated;
+    }
+
     function generateProfileId() {
         return "profile_" + Date.now() + "_" + Math.random().toString(36).slice(2, 9);
     }
@@ -356,6 +376,7 @@ Singleton {
                 };
                 validatedProfiles = updated;
                 matchedProfile = findMatchingProfile();
+                publishActiveProfileModes();
                 profileSaved(profileId, profileName);
             });
         });
@@ -495,6 +516,7 @@ Singleton {
         };
         const onWriteSuccess = () => {
             SettingsData.setActiveDisplayProfile(CompositorService.compositor, configId);
+            publishActiveProfileModes();
             if (isManual) {
                 profilesLoading = false;
                 profileActivated(configId, profileName);
@@ -569,6 +591,7 @@ Singleton {
                 writeMonitorsJson(data, null);
             validatedProfiles = validated;
             matchedProfile = findMatchingProfile();
+            publishActiveProfileModes();
             if (!profilesReady) {
                 profilesReady = true;
                 applyAutoConfig();
@@ -616,6 +639,7 @@ Singleton {
                 currentOutputSet = buildCurrentOutputSet();
                 matchedProfile = findMatchingProfile();
                 SettingsData.setActiveDisplayProfile(CompositorService.compositor, id);
+                publishActiveProfileModes();
                 profileSaved(id, profileName);
             });
         });
@@ -661,6 +685,7 @@ Singleton {
                 delete updated[profileId];
                 validatedProfiles = updated;
                 matchedProfile = findMatchingProfile();
+                publishActiveProfileModes();
                 profileDeleted(profileId);
             });
         });
@@ -838,6 +863,14 @@ Singleton {
         target: CompositorService
         function onCompositorChanged() {
             root.checkIncludeStatus();
+            root.publishActiveProfileModes();
+        }
+    }
+
+    Connections {
+        target: SettingsData
+        function onActiveDisplayProfileChanged() {
+            root.publishActiveProfileModes();
         }
     }
 
@@ -2031,6 +2064,13 @@ Singleton {
         };
 
         if (profileId) {
+            const updated = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(validatedProfiles));
+            if (updated[profileId]) {
+                updated[profileId].outputs = outputConfigs;
+                validatedProfiles = updated;
+                publishActiveProfileModes();
+            }
+
             readMonitorsJson(data => {
                 const match = findConfigEntryById(data, profileId);
                 if (match) {

quickshell/Modules/Settings/PowerSleepTab.qml

@@ -187,6 +187,16 @@ Item {
                     }
                 }
 
+                SettingsToggleRow {
+                    settingKey: "lowerDisplayRefreshRateOnBattery"
+                    tags: ["power", "battery", "display", "refresh", "rate", "60hz", "hz"]
+                    text: I18n.tr("Lower display refresh rate on battery")
+                    description: I18n.tr("Switch displays with an available 60 Hz mode to 60 Hz on battery and restore the previous mode on AC. Skips displays with VRR enabled.")
+                    checked: SettingsData.lowerDisplayRefreshRateOnBattery
+                    visible: BatteryService.batteryAvailable
+                    onToggled: checked => SettingsData.set("lowerDisplayRefreshRateOnBattery", checked)
+                }
+
                 Rectangle {
                     width: parent.width
                     height: 1

quickshell/Services/BatteryService.qml

@@ -19,7 +19,10 @@ Singleton {
         interval: 500
         repeat: false
         running: true
-        onTriggered: root.suppressSound = false
+        onTriggered: {
+            root.suppressSound = false;
+            DisplayService.syncRefreshRates(root.isPluggedIn, "startup");
+        }
     }
 
     readonly property string preferredBatteryOverride: Quickshell.env("DMS_PREFERRED_BATTERY")
@@ -83,9 +86,40 @@ Singleton {
             }
         }
 
+        DisplayService.syncRefreshRates(root.isPluggedIn, "power-change");
+
         previousPluggedState = isPluggedIn;
     }
 
+    Connections {
+        target: SettingsData
+        function onLowerDisplayRefreshRateOnBatteryChanged() {
+            DisplayService.syncRefreshRates(root.isPluggedIn, "setting-change");
+        }
+
+        function onActiveDisplayProfileChanged() {
+            DisplayService.syncRefreshRates(root.isPluggedIn, "profile-change");
+        }
+
+        function onActiveDisplayProfileModesChanged() {
+            DisplayService.syncRefreshRates(root.isPluggedIn, "profile-change");
+        }
+    }
+
+    Connections {
+        target: NiriService
+        function onOutputsChanged() {
+            DisplayService.syncRefreshRates(root.isPluggedIn, "output-change");
+        }
+    }
+
+    Connections {
+        target: WlrOutputService
+        function onStateChanged() {
+            DisplayService.syncRefreshRates(root.isPluggedIn, "output-change");
+        }
+    }
+
     // Aggregated charge/discharge rate
     readonly property real changeRate: {
         if (!batteryAvailable)