Nova Bluetooth

A modern, native Bluetooth indicator plugin for the XFCE4 panel. Built with Vala and GTK3, it communicates directly with BlueZ over D-Bus without relying on any external programs.

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Features

• Native XFCE4 panel plugin -- loads as a shared module, integrates with panel appearance
• Direct BlueZ D-Bus backend -- no dependency on blueman, blueberry, or any external tool
• Device discovery -- scan for nearby Bluetooth devices with auto-stop after 30 seconds
• Connect / Disconnect / Pair -- manage devices from the popover menu
• Live status updates -- reacts to BlueZ property changes in real time via D-Bus signals
• Battery level display -- shows battery percentage for devices that support Battery1
• Adaptive panel icon -- changes appearance based on Bluetooth state (off, on, connected)
• Modern popover UI -- clean design with smooth transitions, respects the active GTK theme
• Sorted device list -- connected devices first, then paired, then available

Screenshots

Main popup with device list	Device info popover	How it Looks on Panel

Dependencies

Package	Minimum version
glib-2.0	2.56
gtk+-3.0	3.22
libxfce4panel-2.0	4.14
libxfce4ui-2	4.14
libxfconf-0	4.14
valac	0.40
meson	0.56.0
BlueZ	5.x (running via D-Bus)

Install dependencies (Debian/Ubuntu)

sudo apt install valac meson libglib2.0-dev libgtk-3-dev \
  libxfce4panel-2.0-dev libxfce4ui-2-dev libxfconf-0-dev

Install dependencies (Fedora)

sudo dnf install vala meson glib2-devel gtk3-devel \
  xfce4-panel-devel libxfce4ui-devel xfconf-devel

Install dependencies (Arch Linux)

sudo pacman -S vala meson glib2 gtk3 xfce4-panel libxfce4ui xfconf

Building

meson setup build
meson compile -C build

Installation

sudo meson install -C build

After installation, right-click the XFCE panel, select Panel > Add New Items, and add Nova Bluetooth.

Uninstallation

sudo ninja -C build uninstall

Project structure

nova-bluetooth/
  meson.build                  Root build definition
  CHANGELOG.md                 Release history
  LICENSE                      GPL-2.0-or-later license
  README.md                    This file
  .github/workflows/
    build.yml                  CI for Debian, Fedora, Arch Linux
  data/
    meson.build                Data file installation rules
    nova-bluetooth.css         GTK3 stylesheet for the plugin UI
    nova-bluetooth.desktop.in  XFCE panel plugin descriptor template
  debian/                        Debian packaging files
  pkg/
    archlinux/PKGBUILD         Arch Linux package build script
    fedora/nova-bluetooth.spec Fedora RPM spec file
  src/
    meson.build                Source build definition
    plugin.vala                XFCE panel plugin entry point and registration
    bluetooth/
      dbus_interfaces.vala     D-Bus interface definitions for BlueZ and freedesktop
      manager.vala             Central BlueZ coordinator (ObjectManager watcher)
      adapter.vala             BlueZ Adapter1 wrapper (power, discovery)
      device.vala              BlueZ Device1 wrapper (connect, pair, properties)
    widgets/
      indicator_button.vala    Panel button with adaptive Bluetooth icon
      popover_menu.vala        Dropdown popover with power toggle and device list
      device_list.vala         Scrollable, sorted list of device rows
      device_row.vala          Single device row with status and action button
    utils/
      css_loader.vala          Loads the custom CSS stylesheet at runtime

How it works

1. The plugin registers itself with the XFCE panel via xfce_panel_module_init.
2. On load, it connects to BlueZ through org.freedesktop.DBus.ObjectManager to enumerate adapters and devices.
3. It listens for InterfacesAdded / InterfacesRemoved signals to track devices appearing and disappearing.
4. Each adapter and device has a PropertiesChanged listener for live state updates.
5. The UI is a GTK3 popover with a power switch, scan controls, and a sorted device list.
6. All styling uses GTK3 CSS with @theme_* color references so the plugin matches the active panel theme.

Support

If you find Nova Bluetooth useful, consider supporting development:

Author

Kamil 'Novik' Nowicki

• Website: noviktech.com
• GitHub: novik133
• Repository: NovaBluetooth

License

This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v2.0 or later.