Files
LEDMatrix/systemd/README.md
ChuckandClaude Opus 5.5 64c7289593 feat(display): systemd watchdog and heartbeat for a frozen render loop (#687)
If the render loop gets stuck inside a plugin's display(), ledmatrix.service
stays active and the panel stays frozen. This adds a way to detect that.

- src/display_watchdog.py (standard library only) sends sd_notify over
  $NOTIFY_SOCKET and writes /run/ledmatrix/display-heartbeat.json. Only the
  render thread counts: beats from other threads are ignored.
- ledmatrix.service: WatchdogSec=120, NotifyAccess=main,
  RuntimeDirectory=ledmatrix (0755), RestartSteps=4 and
  RestartMaxDelaySec=2min. It stays Type=simple. run.py widens the watchdog
  to 15 min for start-up, and load_plugin() does the same on the render
  thread. The loop arms after its first frame.
- /api/v3/health adds checks.display_loop: running, stalled (no heartbeat
  for over 60s, which makes the status degraded) or not_reported. With web
  login on, a caller who is not logged in still gets only healthy/degraded,
  and a stall degrades that answer.
- The update verifier requires a fresh heartbeat from the restarted display
  when the display it replaced was writing one. A frozen panel is rolled
  back.
- Existing installs get the systemd watchdog only after install_service.sh
  is re-run. The heartbeat works right away.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-09-30 11:15:31 -04:00

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# Systemd Service Files
This directory contains systemd service unit files for LEDMatrix services.
## Service Files
- **`ledmatrix.service`** - Main LED Matrix display service
- Runs the display controller (`run.py`)
- Starts automatically on boot
- Runs as root for hardware access
- Restarted by systemd's watchdog (`WatchdogSec=120`) when its render loop
stops checking in, e.g. stuck inside a plugin; the loop writes a heartbeat
to `/run/ledmatrix/display-heartbeat.json` (`RuntimeDirectory=`) that the
web interface's health check reads. See `src/display_watchdog.py`
- **`ledmatrix-web.service`** - Web interface service
- Runs the web interface conditionally based on config
- Starts automatically on boot if `web_display_autostart` is enabled
- Uses `scripts/utils/start_web_conditionally.py`
- **`ledmatrix-update-verify.service`** / **`.path`** - Automatic update health check and rollback
- The path unit starts the service when the web interface creates
`data/auto_update_verify.request` after a weekly automatic update
- Installed by the installers, or by the display service when automatic
updates are turned on in the web UI (`src/auto_update_setup.py`)
- Restarts the services, checks they stay up, and otherwise resets to the
previous commit and its dependencies
- Runs `data/auto_update_verifier.py`, a copy of
`scripts/utils/auto_update_verify.py` taken before the update
- **`ledmatrix-wifi-monitor.service`** - WiFi monitor daemon service
- Monitors WiFi/Ethernet connectivity
- Automatically enables/disables access point mode
- Uses `scripts/utils/wifi_monitor_daemon.py`
- **`ledmatrix-dns-fix.service`** - DNS single-request fix (optional)
- Re-applies `options single-request` to the resolver on every boot,
because whatever manages `resolv.conf` regenerates it and drops the
option again
- Works around glibc's parallel A/AAAA lookup stalling ~5s per name on
routers that answer only the A query, which makes any plugin calling an
external API slow or (for Starlark apps, which have a render timeout)
fail outright
- Uses `scripts/utils/apply_dns_single_request.sh`
- Install only if external API calls are timing out; it is not part of a
normal install
- **`ledmatrix-mqtt-bridge.service`** - Home Assistant MQTT bridge (optional)
- Exposes the display to Home Assistant over MQTT Discovery: force a mode,
stop on-demand, toggle power, set brightness
- Uses `integrations/mqtt_bridge/ledmatrix_mqtt_bridge.py`, which drives the
web API rather than the display directly
- Needs `integrations/mqtt_bridge/bridge_config.json`; see that directory's
README
## Installation
These service files are installed by the installation scripts in `scripts/install/`:
- `install_service.sh` installs `ledmatrix.service`, `ledmatrix-web.service`
and the `ledmatrix-update-verify` service and path units, then enables and
starts them
- `install_web_service.sh` installs only `ledmatrix-web.service` and the
`ledmatrix-update-verify` units
- `install_wifi_monitor.sh` installs `ledmatrix-wifi-monitor.service`
- `install_dns_fix.sh` installs `ledmatrix-dns-fix.service` (opt-in, not run
by the normal installer)
- `install_mqtt_bridge.sh` installs `ledmatrix-mqtt-bridge.service` (opt-in)
## Manual Installation
> **Important:** the unit files in this directory contain
> `__PROJECT_ROOT_DIR__` placeholders that the install scripts replace
> with the actual project directory at install time. Do **not** copy
> them directly to `/etc/systemd/system/` — the service will fail to
> start with `WorkingDirectory=__PROJECT_ROOT_DIR__` errors.
>
> Always install via the helper script:
>
> ```bash
> sudo ./scripts/install/install_service.sh
> ```
>
> If you really need to do it by hand, substitute the placeholder
> first:
>
> ```bash
> PROJECT_ROOT="$(pwd)"
> sed "s|__PROJECT_ROOT_DIR__|$PROJECT_ROOT|g" systemd/ledmatrix.service \
> | sudo tee /etc/systemd/system/ledmatrix.service > /dev/null
> sudo systemctl daemon-reload
> sudo systemctl enable ledmatrix.service
> sudo systemctl start ledmatrix.service
> ```
## Service Management
```bash
# Check status
sudo systemctl status ledmatrix.service
# Start/stop/restart
sudo systemctl start ledmatrix.service
sudo systemctl stop ledmatrix.service
sudo systemctl restart ledmatrix.service
# Enable/disable autostart
sudo systemctl enable ledmatrix.service
sudo systemctl disable ledmatrix.service
# View logs
journalctl -u ledmatrix.service -f
```