---
layout: post
title: XDG_RUNTIME_DIR on non-systemd systems
category: GNU/Linux
tags:
  - systemd
  - gentoo
---

On systemd/ConsoleKit systems this variable is set when the user logs in, if
neither is used and you need `XDG_RUNTIME_DIR` for some reason (eg Flatpak), it
can be easily set adding some lines to your `.bash_profile`:

```bash
if test -z "${XDG_RUNTIME_DIR}"; then
    export XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=/tmp/${UID}-runtime-dir
    if ! test -d "${XDG_RUNTIME_DIR}"; then
        mkdir "${XDG_RUNTIME_DIR}"
        chmod 0700 "${XDG_RUNTIME_DIR}"
    fi
fi
```

---

**Sources**:

- [Weston](https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Weston)