No mockups. No fake canvas. No runtime lock-in.
Build desktop HUDs visually with a node-based workflow, then export standard Conky themes that run without Conky Studio.
1.1.0 isn't Conky Studio becoming a different application. It's Conky Studio becoming the application it was designed to be.
This release completes the original Studio architecture rather than replacing it. The node graph is still the foundation; 1.1.0 builds the surrounding UX needed to make that architecture practical from creation through preview, packaging, export, installation, and reuse.
The result is a more complete authoring environment without abandoning the design that has powered Studio from the beginning.
1.1.0 highlights
- Multi-window / multi-monitor projects with shared data and per-window scenes
- Portable
.cstudiosource packages with bundled project assets - Position Stage built directly on Studio's existing X/Y property system
- Scale % for uniform visual scaling
- Expanded Cairo visuals and effects
- Theme Vault + Node Vault
- Simple / Full / Showcase Theme Wizard
- 1.0.x-compatible project migration
- Guided learning tours
- Plugin Creation: promote Custom Nodes into validated, portable plugins
- A complete theme lifecycle from authoring → preview → build → install → manage
- Use Studio as the editor, use any manager, even if it is not Studio's
Conky is extremely powerful, but creating advanced HUDs traditionally means:
| Traditional workflow | Conky Studio |
|---|---|
| Edit Lua → restart → repeat | Change properties and preview instantly |
Manually position ${goto} and drawing code |
Arrange elements visually |
| Connect scripts by hand | Use sources as nodes |
| Risk breaking existing themes | Import, edit, and rebuild safely |
The goal is simple:
Make Conky as easy to design as it is powerful to run.
- No Lua editing (unless you want to)
- No restart loops
- No fake previews (real Conky process refreshes as you edit)
- Advanced options for power users
- Build simple, or build something complex
Conky Studio is a visual authoring tool for Conky, not a replacement runtime.
Your designs are converted into normal Conky files:
conky.confrender.luastart.sh- custom scripts
- assets and resources
Exported themes run independently using Conky’s normal pipeline.
Live preview = export.
The preview uses the same build path as the final theme — what you see is what you ship.
| Capability | Raw Lua/Text Editing | Conky Manager | Conky Studio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visual Node Authoring | None | None | Yes (Sources → Logic → Visuals) |
| Real Process Live Preview | Manual terminal reloads | None | Yes (~350 ms feedback) |
| Multi-monitor / Multi-window | Manual | Limited | Yes (separate processes + scene filters) |
| Portable Projects | None | None | Yes (.cstudio packages) |
| Procedural Animation (PAS) | Hand-coded Cairo | None | Yes (Sensor rate, Draw FPS, Smooth nodes) |
| Theme Lifecycle Manager | Manual | Basic toggle | Yes (Start/Stop, Zip, Duplicate, monitor pin) |
| No Runtime Lock-In | Native | Native | Yes (standard Conky output) |
| Plugin Ecosystem | None | None | Yes (Node Vault + local creation) |
| Theme Wizard | None | None | Yes (learning + starter graphs) |
| Community Stores | None | Limited | Yes (Theme Vault + Node Vault) |
- Drop a CPU source
- Drop a gauge, bar, or text node
- Connect them
- Enable live preview
That is a real Conky widget, not a mockup.
From there you can build complete HUDs with:
- Logic chains and smoothing
- Gradients and Scale %
- Multi-window layouts
- Custom scripts and Custom Lua
- 98+ built-in nodes + community plugins
- Newest decorative nodes: holographic globe, holographic DNA strand, morphing neon geometry
Check 
- Visual node editor — Sources → Logic → Visuals
- Position Stage — drag visual proxies on a true window-sized plane
- Scale % — uniform scaling of geometry, text, strokes, and images
- Live Preview — real Conky process
- Multi-window / multi-monitor — each window is an independent Conky process with optional scene filters
.cstudioprojects — portable packages containing the graph, assets, and fonts- Theme Wizard — Simple / Full / Showcase complexity tiers
- Theme Manager — Start/Stop, install, duplicate, export, monitor pinning
- Theme Vault — community theme catalog
- Node Vault — community plugin catalog
- Plugin Creation tool — turn Custom Lua / Custom Script into distributable plugins
- Legacy importer — convert existing themes into editable graphs
- Guided tours — Learn Studio, Theme Wizard, and Full Tour
- Clean exports — standard Conky theme folders that run without Studio
Combine with the 
| Store | Purpose | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Theme Vault | Browse and install community themes | Theme Community Store |
| Node Vault | Browse and install community plugins | Community Plugins |
Both stores are also available inside Conky Studio (Store tab and Tools → Plugins).
Full guide and dependencies:
Before running the AppImage, make it executable:
chmod +x Conky-Studio-1.0.3_x84_64.AppImage
./Conky-Studio-1.0.3_x84_64.AppImage- Right-click the AppImage → Properties
- Permissions tab → “Allow executing file as program”
- Double-click to run
Source releases include the full tree. Place the packaging folder inside the conkystudio directory when building from source.
| Studio | Live Preview | Theme Manager | Starter Theme |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Gamer Theme | Colour | Speed | Undocking |
| :-----------: | :------: | :-----: | :---------: |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Click an image, download the zip, drop into Manager
| Skyrim Vanilla | Skyrim Parchment | CorePulse | Batman |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
 |
The Manager runs any Conky theme that provides a working start.sh (or lets Studio generate a minimal one). This includes:
- Themes created with Conky Studio
- Manually written Conky themes
- Third-party themes from Pling / openDesktop / GitHub
Studio does not need to stay open after you Start a theme.
You can also launch manually:
cd ~/.config/conky/<theme-folder>
./start.shSee 
Full details:
GLIBC 2.38+ is required for the AppImage.
| Environment | Notes |
|---|---|
| X11 (any WM) | Most predictable |
| Sway / Hyprland / other wlroots | Layer-shell supported |
| KDE Plasma (Wayland) | Supported path |
| GNOME Wayland (Mutter) | Limited — no reliable desktop overlays |
Live Preview intentionally uses normal window type. Final exported themes follow the window type you set (auto / desktop / dock).
Conky Studio is an authoring tool. The node graph is converted into ordinary Conky files at build time. The exported theme runs independently of Studio. Performance is determined by the generated Lua, update intervals, and normal Conky execution — not by the number of nodes in the editor.
Conky Studio is an independent project that generates and manages HUDs for Conky. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the official Conky project.
IMPORTANT: Report Conky Studio bugs to the Conky Studio project, not to the Conky maintainers.
If an exported theme fails outside Studio, test it directly:
./start.sh- Sharing Projects & JSON
- Position Stage
- Scale Percent
- Architecture, Nodes, Legacy Import, Requirements, Starter Themes
Full technical documentation: