PlebMachine Mission Control (v3.0)

2026-09-18

The Heart Of PlebMachine

This Python script is the GTK3-based desktop interface for PlebMachine Mission Control (v3.0). It acts as a workspace and environment orchestrator designed to switch desktop modes and handle wallpapers based on system states and time-of-day settings.

mission-control.py

🔑 Status: WORKING 📅 Verified: 2026-09-18 💻 Tested on: MX Linux / SparkyLinux 🧩 Language: Python 📍 Installed path: /opt/plebmachine/control-center/mission-control.py 📝 Purpose: Main PlebMachine Mission Control interface ⚠️ Experimental versions: Keep out of this section.

📄 Full source: mission-control.py

Key Functionality

Workspace & Mode Management: Maps 12 distinct functional modes (Everyday, Author, Study, Research, Graphics, Music, Video, Broadcast, AI Helpers, Developer, Accounting, Leisure) across 12 desktop workspaces.

System States:

OFF: Disables active modes, locking all workspaces to an “OFF” background layout.

COGNITIVE: Prompts the user before switching modes (via cognitive-pause.sh) to prevent accidental loss of unsaved work.

AUTOMATIC: Instantly switches workspaces and triggers associated software launching scripts.

Dynamic Wallpaper Engine: Automatically selects and sets wallpapers matching the specific active mode and time of day (morning, afternoon, evening, or night).

Single Instance Enforcer: Uses file locking (/tmp/plebmachine-gui.lock) via fcntl to guarantee only one GUI instance runs at a time.

Persistent Configuration: Stores system state, active modes, and timestamps in ~/.config/plebmachine/state.conf. Logs actions to /tmp/plebmachine-gui.log.

Dependencies

System & Python Libraries Python 3

PyGObject (python3-gi): Python bindings for GTK 3+ libraries.

GTK+ 3 (libgtk-3-dev / gir1.2-gtk-3.0): Provides the graphical widget framework.

GdkPixbuf (gir1.2-gdkpixbuf-2.0): Image scaling and rendering library.

Standard Python Modules: os, sys, subprocess, datetime, fcntl, logging.

External Scripts & Binaries

The script assumes the existence of several helper executables and assets:

bash: Required to invoke background shell tasks via subprocess.Popen.

Workspace Switcher: /opt/plebmachine/bin/workspace-switch.sh

Cognitive Pause Prompt: /opt/plebmachine/bin/cognitive-pause.sh

Wallpaper Manager: /opt/plebmachine/bin/wallpaper-apply.sh

Mode-Specific Tools: Tool launcher scripts matching /opt/plebmachine/bin/{mode_id}-tools.sh (e.g., author-tools.sh).

File Assets & Paths

Icons: /opt/plebmachine/icons/128x128/plebmachine.png and /opt/plebmachine/icons/state/*

Wallpapers: /usr/local/share/plebmachine-wallpapers/{mode_id}-{time_of_day}.jpg (or .png)

Review — 2026-09-20

Review subject: Mission Control

• Documentation review: Complete for the version currently preserved in this article.
• Description: The article identifies the script’s role, execution flow, dependencies, and/or configuration where those details are available.
• Code preservation: The working code is stored as a separate file in this directory (mission-control.py) and linked above. This review does not replace or rewrite the script itself.
• PlebVox: None. Script/code articles in the PlebMachine Working Code Library are intentionally kept free of PlebVox markers.
• Runtime verification: This repository review is not a substitute for running the script on the current PlebMachine test system. Runtime status should only be marked WORKING when the current installed copy has been tested successfully.
• Maintenance note: If the installed PlebMachine implementation changes, this article should be reviewed and updated so the documented code, paths, dependencies, and behaviour remain aligned with the tested version.

Review date: 2026-09-20
Review scope: Documentation, code preservation, description quality, and PlebVox exclusion.