Xlib.error.DisplayConnectionError: Can't connect to display ":0": b'Authorization required, but no authorization protocol specified\n'

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Assessment

Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Newbie friendliness
55/100
Issue type
Bug
Clarity
Mostly clear
Activity status
Active
Tech stack
linux, python
Domain
desktop, documentation

Research direction

The error occurs in aw_watcher_window/xlib.py when connecting to the X11 display. Start by examining the xlib.py module and the get_current_window_linux function in lib.py. Research X11 authorization methods (like xauth) and Wayland compatibility. Check if the issue is specific to Debian/Kali and whether environment variables like DISPLAY or XAUTHORITY need to be set. Testing on a Debian-based system will be necessary to reproduce and fix.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Description

On debian based distros like kali I have a truoble with running tis app. Infinity output:

2026-08-29 19:07:21 [ERROR]: Exception thrown while trying to get active window  (aw_watcher_window.main:133)
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "aw_watcher_window/main.py", line 115, in heartbeat_loop
  File "aw_watcher_window/lib.py", line 64, in get_current_window
  File "aw_watcher_window/lib.py", line 8, in get_current_window_linux
  File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap>", line 1007, in _find_and_load
  File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap>", line 986, in _find_and_load_unlocked
  File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap>", line 680, in _load_unlocked
  File "PyInstaller/loader/pyimod02_importers.py", line 419, in exec_module
  File "aw_watcher_window/xlib.py", line 13, in <module>
  File "Xlib/display.py", line 89, in __init__
  File "Xlib/display.py", line 71, in __init__
  File "Xlib/protocol/display.py", line 166, in __init__
Xlib.error.DisplayConnectionError: Can't connect to display ":0": b'Authorization required, but no authorization protocol specified\n'
2026-08-29 19:07:22 [ERROR]: Exception thrown while trying to get active window  (aw_watcher_window.main:133)
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "aw_watcher_window/main.py", line 115, in heartbeat_loop
  File "aw_watcher_window/lib.py", line 64, in get_current_window
  File "aw_watcher_window/lib.py", line 8, in get_current_window_linux
  File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap>", line 1007, in _find_and_load
  File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap>", line 986, in _find_and_load_unlocked
  File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap>", line 680, in _load_unlocked
  File "PyInstaller/loader/pyimod02_importers.py", line 419, in exec_module
  File "aw_watcher_window/xlib.py", line 13, in <module>
  File "Xlib/display.py", line 89, in __init__
  File "Xlib/display.py", line 71, in __init__
  File "Xlib/protocol/display.py", line 166, in __init__
Xlib.error.DisplayConnectionError: Can't connect to display ":0": b'Authorization required, but no authorization protocol specified\n'

May be need to make wayland support?

Dominant language
Python
Stars
31
Forks
84
Avg merge
11h 45m
Merged PRs (30d)
4

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