Shapeshifter - Desktop Environment & Profile Manager

A complete desktop environment switcher and profile manager for Lilith Linux, built with Rust and Slint.

Lilith Linux Integration

Shapeshifter is an official system utility for Lilith Linux, providing desktop environment switching and system profile management.

Part of Lilith Linux

Component	Purpose
COSMIC Desktop	Desktop Environment
Shapeshifter	DE Switching & Profiles
Tweakers	System Optimization
Lilim	AI Assistant

Features

---

Step 1: Install Rust (if not already installed)

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
source $HOME/.cargo/env

---

Step 2: Create the Project

cargo new shapeshifter
cd shapeshifter

---

Step 3: Create the UI Directory

mkdir ui

---

Step 4: Copy the Slint UI File

Copy the entire contents from the "appwindow.slint - UI Definition" artifact into a new file:

nano ui/appwindow.slint
# or use your preferred text editor

Paste the complete Slint code and save the file.

---

Step 5: Copy the Rust Source Code

Copy the entire contents from the "Shapeshifter - Profile Manager" artifact into:

nano src/main.rs
# or use your preferred text editor

Replace the default "Hello, world!" code with the complete Shapeshifter Rust code and save.

---

Step 6: Create build.rs

Create a new file in the project root (same level as Cargo.toml):

nano build.rs

Add this content:

fn main() {
    slint_build::compile("ui/appwindow.slint").unwrap();
}

Save the file.

---

Step 7: Update Cargo.toml

Replace the contents of Cargo.toml with:

[package]
name = "shapeshifter"
version = "1.0.0"
edition = "2021"

[dependencies]
slint = "1.3"
serde = { version = "1.0", features = ["derive"] }
serde_json = "1.0"
chrono = "0.4"
dirs = "5.0"
walkdir = "2.4"
tar = "0.4"
flate2 = "1.0"
reqwest = { version = "0.11", features = ["blocking", "multipart"] }
tokio = { version = "1", features = ["full"] }

[build-dependencies]
slint-build = "1.3"

---

Step 8: Install System Dependencies

Slint requires some system libraries on Debian:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y build-essential libfontconfig1-dev libxcb-render0-dev \
    libxcb-shape0-dev libxcb-xfixes0-dev libxkbcommon-dev libssl-dev \
    libgtk-3-dev

---

Step 9: Build the Project

cargo build --release

This will take several minutes the first time as it downloads and compiles dependencies.

---

Step 10: Run Shapeshifter

./target/release/shapeshifter

Or for development/debugging:

cargo run

---

Your Project Structure Should Look Like This:

shapeshifter/
├── Cargo.toml
├── build.rs
├── src/
│   └── main.rs          (Rust code from artifact)
├── ui/
│   └── appwindow.slint  (Slint UI code from artifact)
└── target/              (created by cargo)

---

Using Shapeshifter

Create Your First Profile:

1. Click "+ New Profile"
2. Enter a name (e.g., "My GNOME Setup")
3. Optionally check "Save to remote backup"
4. Click "Create Profile"

Switch Desktop Environments:

1. Click "🖥️ Switch DE" in the sidebar
2. Click "Switch" on your desired desktop environment
3. Log out and log back in to complete the switch

Apply a Saved Profile:

1. Click "📋 Profiles" in the sidebar
2. Click "Apply" next to any saved profile
3. Follow the instructions in the status bar

Configure Remote Backup:

1. Click "⚙️ Settings"
2. Enter your backup URL (e.g., https://backup.example.com/profiles)
3. Click "Save Remote URL"

---

Troubleshooting

"command not found: cargo"

• Run: source $HOME/.cargo/env
• Or restart your terminal

Build errors about missing libraries

• Make sure you installed all system dependencies in Step 8

UI doesn't appear

• Check that ui/appwindow.slint exists and has the correct content
• Check that build.rs exists in the project root

Permission errors when switching DE

• The app modifies ~/.dmrc which doesn't require sudo
• Modifying /var/lib/AccountsService/ requires sudo (app handles this gracefully)

---

Optional: Create Desktop Launcher

Create ~/.local/share/applications/shapeshifter.desktop:

[Desktop Entry]
Name=Shapeshifter
Comment=Desktop Environment and Profile Manager
Exec=/path/to/shapeshifter/target/release/shapeshifter
Icon=preferences-desktop
Terminal=false
Type=Application
Categories=System;Settings;

Replace /path/to/shapeshifter with your actual project path.