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Remote Control (IPC)

Control a running Aether instance from another terminal, a shell script, or an AI coding assistant.

When Aether starts, it listens on a Unix domain socket at ~/.config/aether/aether.sock. CLI subcommands connect to this socket to send commands and receive state back.

Quick Start

# Check what the editor currently has
aether status

# Load a wallpaper and extract colors into the editor
aether extract ~/Wallpapers/forest.jpg

# Adjust the palette (moves the sidebar sliders)
aether adjust --vibrance 20 --contrast 10

# Apply the current theme to the system
aether apply

Editor Commands

These commands control the running GUI editor in real time. The palette grid, sliders, and wallpaper preview all update instantly.

Status

aether status              # human-readable
aether status --json       # machine-readable

Returns the current palette (16 colors), extraction mode, light/dark mode, and wallpaper path.

Extract Colors

Load a wallpaper into the editor and extract its palette:

aether extract /path/to/wallpaper.jpg
aether extract /path/to/wallpaper.jpg --mode pastel
aether extract /path/to/wallpaper.jpg --mode analogous --light-mode

Set Individual Color

Change a single color in the palette grid by index (0-15):

aether set-color 0 "#0a180a"    # background
aether set-color 4 "#53ba97"    # blue slot
aether set-color 7 "#a5baa7"    # foreground

Set Entire Palette

Replace all 16 colors at once with a JSON array:

aether set-palette '["#0a180a","#a8ad42","#7cd480","#a0c877","#53ba97","#7cc094","#8fd7b0","#a5baa7","#39513c","#a8ad42","#7cd480","#a0c877","#53ba97","#7cc094","#8fd7b0","#bed3c0"]'

Adjust Palette

Apply adjustment sliders to the palette. Values work the same as the sidebar sliders in the GUI. Adjustments are always applied to the base palette (non-destructive), so calling --vibrance 10 then --vibrance 20 gives you vibrance 20, not 30.

aether adjust --vibrance 20
aether adjust --saturation -10 --contrast 15
aether adjust --temperature 30 --tint -5
aether adjust --brightness 10 --shadows 5 --highlights -5
aether adjust --hue-shift 45
aether adjust --gamma 1.2 --black-point 5 --white-point -3

All 12 adjustment flags:

Flag Range Description
--vibrance -100 to 100 Additive saturation boost
--saturation -100 to 100 Multiplicative saturation
--contrast -100 to 100 Expand/compress lightness around midpoint
--brightness -100 to 100 Shift lightness up or down
--shadows -100 to 100 Adjust dark colors only (L < 30)
--highlights -100 to 100 Adjust light colors only (L > 70)
--hue-shift -180 to 180 Rotate all hues
--temperature -100 to 100 Warm (positive) or cool (negative)
--tint -100 to 100 Magenta (positive) or green (negative)
--gamma 0.1 to 3.0 Gamma correction (default 1.0)
--black-point -50 to 50 Raise or lower the black floor
--white-point -50 to 50 Lower or raise the white ceiling

Set Extraction Mode

aether set-mode pastel
aether set-mode colorful

Toggle Light/Dark Mode

aether toggle-light-mode

Set Wallpaper

Change the wallpaper path without extracting colors:

aether set-wallpaper /path/to/wallpaper.jpg

Apply Theme

Apply the current editor state to the system (generates templates, symlinks, restarts apps):

aether apply

Blueprints

aether load-blueprint "Nord"       # load into editor
aether apply-blueprint "Nord"      # apply directly to system
aether list-blueprints             # list available blueprints

Headless CLI Commands

These commands work without a running Aether GUI. They are useful for scripts, pipelines, and AI tools that need color data without side effects.

All headless commands support --json for machine-readable output.

Color Utilities

# Get all representations of a color
aether --color-info "#7cd480"
aether --color-info "#7cd480" --json

# Convert between formats
aether --color-convert "#7cd480" --to hsl
aether --color-convert "#7cd480" --to oklch

# Check WCAG contrast ratio
aether --contrast "#0a180a" "#a5baa7"

# Adjust a single color
aether --adjust-color "#7cd480" --vibrance 20 --saturation -10

# Darken or lighten
aether --darken "#7cd480" 70
aether --lighten "#7cd480" 20

Palette Operations

# Extract palette from wallpaper (read-only, no side effects)
aether --extract-palette ~/wallpaper.jpg
aether --extract-palette ~/wallpaper.jpg --extract-mode pastel --json

# Generate palette from a single color
aether --palette-from-color "#7cd480"

# Generate a gradient
aether --gradient "#0a180a" "#bed3c0"
aether --gradient "#0a180a" "#bed3c0" --steps 8

# Adjust an entire palette
aether --adjust-palette '["#0a180a","#a8ad42","#7cd480"]' --vibrance 20

# Analyze a palette
aether --palette-info '["#0a180a","#a8ad42","#7cd480","#a0c877","#53ba97","#7cc094","#8fd7b0","#a5baa7","#39513c","#a8ad42","#7cd480","#a0c877","#53ba97","#7cc094","#8fd7b0","#bed3c0"]'

Palette arguments accept either a JSON array or a blueprint name:

aether --palette-info "Nord"

Blueprint Management

aether --list-blueprints
aether --show-blueprint "Nord"
aether --show-blueprint "Nord" --json
aether --delete-blueprint "Old Theme"
aether --export-blueprint "Nord"
aether --export-blueprint "Nord" --output ~/themes/nord.json

Inspection

# List supported applications
aether --list-apps

# List extraction modes with descriptions
aether --list-modes

# Show all template variables for a source
aether --show-variables ~/wallpaper.jpg
aether --show-variables "Nord" --json

# Show the currently applied theme
aether --current-theme
aether --current-theme --json

# Preview what a specific app template would look like
aether --preview-template kitty ~/wallpaper.jpg
aether --preview-template alacritty "Nord"

Wallpapers

aether --list-wallpapers
aether --random-wallpaper
aether --search-wallhaven "dark forest" --sorting relevance
aether --search-wallhaven "mountains" --purity 100 --at-least 1920x1080 --json

Favorites

aether --list-favorites
aether --toggle-favorite ~/Wallpapers/forest.jpg
aether --is-favorite ~/Wallpapers/forest.jpg

JSON Output

All commands support --json for machine-readable output. This is the primary interface for AI tools and scripts.

aether status --json
{
  "ok": true,
  "palette": ["#0a180a", "#a8ad42", ...],
  "light_mode": false,
  "mode": "normal",
  "wallpaper": "/home/user/Wallpapers/forest.jpg"
}

Error responses:

{"error": "blueprint not found"}

IPC Protocol

The protocol is newline-delimited JSON over a Unix domain socket. Each request is a single JSON object followed by a newline. The server responds with a single JSON object followed by a newline.

Request Format

{"cmd": "status"}
{"cmd": "extract", "path": "/path/to/wallpaper.jpg", "mode": "pastel"}
{"cmd": "set-color", "index": 4, "value": "#53ba97"}
{"cmd": "adjust", "vibrance": 20, "contrast": 10}
{"cmd": "set-palette", "palette": ["#0a180a", ...]}
{"cmd": "apply"}
{"cmd": "load-blueprint", "name": "Nord"}
{"cmd": "toggle-light-mode"}

Response Format

{"ok": true, "palette": [...], "light_mode": false, "mode": "normal", "wallpaper": "..."}
{"ok": true}
{"ok": false, "error": "blueprint not found"}

Socket Details

  • Path: ~/.config/aether/aether.sock
  • PID file: ~/.config/aether/aether.sock.pid
  • Permissions: 0600 (owner only)
  • Created: when the GUI starts
  • Removed: when the GUI exits cleanly
  • Stale detection: if Aether crashes, the next instance detects the stale socket via the PID file and cleans it up automatically

Using with AI Assistants

Aether's CLI and IPC are designed to be used by AI coding assistants like Claude Code. An AI agent can:

  • Query the current theme state with aether status --json
  • Extract and analyze palettes from wallpapers without opening the GUI
  • Adjust colors programmatically using perceptual color science (OKLab/OKLCH)
  • Control the running editor in real time (change colors, move sliders, apply themes)
  • Check accessibility compliance with aether --contrast
  • Build complete themes from scratch using --palette-from-color or --gradient

Example: AI-driven theme creation

# Extract colors from a wallpaper
aether extract ~/Wallpapers/sunset.jpg

# Check the result
aether status --json

# Boost warmth and vibrancy
aether adjust --temperature 15 --vibrance 10

# Verify contrast is accessible
aether --contrast "#1a1a2e" "#e0d4c8"

# Apply when satisfied
aether apply

Example: Headless palette analysis

# Get color info in all formats
aether --color-info "#7cd480" --json

# Analyze a full palette
aether --palette-info "My Blueprint" --json

# Check which apps are supported
aether --list-apps --json

Error Handling

If Aether is not running:

$ aether status
aether is not running (no socket at /home/user/.config/aether/aether.sock)

If a command fails:

$ aether load-blueprint "nonexistent"
Error: blueprint "nonexistent" not found

Scripting Examples

# Extract and apply in one go
aether extract ~/wallpaper.jpg && aether apply

# Random wallpaper theme
aether extract "$(aether --random-wallpaper)" && aether apply

# Warm up the current palette
aether adjust --temperature 20 --vibrance 5

# Export current theme for sharing
aether --current-theme --json > my-theme.json