asusctl Runtime Usage Guide

Overview

After asusctl (the suite) is built and installed via make + sudo make install, the main executables are:

• asusd — system daemon (must be running; auto-started via udev rule + systemd unit)
• asusctl — primary CLI for querying and controlling hardware features
• rog-control-center — GUI (tray + full interface)
• asusd-user — user-level daemon for custom per-key / anime effects (optional but powerful)

asusctl queries the daemon for the laptop's supported features and only exposes relevant commands. Most features (LEDs, fans, charge limit, profiles, BIOS settings) are exposed safely over D-Bus.

The skill focuses on using the compiled binaries.

When to Use

• Daily hardware control on ASUS ROG / TUF / Zephyrus laptops (profiles, fan curves, RGB, battery limit, MUX switch, etc.).
• Binding Fn keys or creating scripts/aliases.
• Setting up custom LED sequences or AniMe animations.
• Checking what the current laptop actually supports.
• Troubleshooting "feature not available" or daemon issues after a build/install.

Do not use for:

• Building or installing the tools themselves (refer to the project README and Makefile for build instructions).
• Distro-packaged versions (commands are the same, but paths may differ slightly).

Prerequisites

• asusd daemon running:

  systemctl status asusd
  

  If not: sudo systemctl enable --now asusd

• asusctl and rog-control-center in PATH (installed to /usr/bin by sudo make install).

• For full features: recent kernel (latest recommended), correct udev rules and D-Bus policy installed.

asusctl CLI Structure

asusctl \x3Ccommand> [subcommand] [options]

Get help anywhere:

asusctl --help
asusctl \x3Ccommand> --help
asusctl \x3Ccommand> \x3Csubcommand> --help

Top-level commands (from source):

• profile — thermal/fan profiles (Balanced, Performance, Quiet, ...)
• fan-curve — custom fan curves per profile/CPU/GPU
• aura — RGB keyboard, lightbar, logo, lid, etc. (effect, power)
• anime — AniMe Matrix display control (on supported G14/G16/M16 etc.)
• battery — charge limit + one-shot full charge
• armoury — firmware/BIOS attributes (POST sound, GPU MUX, etc.)
• brightness (or leds) — keyboard backlight brightness
• backlight — screenpad brightness / gamma / sync (on supported models)
• slash / scsi — device-specific (ROG Slash, SCSI Aura on some models)
• info — version + asusctl info --show-supported (critical for discovering available features)

Default command is info.

Most Useful Everyday Commands

Profiles (Fn+F5 keybind classic)

asusctl profile list
asusctl profile get
asusctl profile next          # cycle
asusctl profile set Performance
asusctl profile set Quiet -a   # set for AC power
asusctl profile set Balanced -b  # set for battery

Fan Curves (on supported laptops)

asusctl fan-curve --get-enabled
asusctl fan-curve --mod-profile Balanced --fan CPU --data "30c:0%,40c:5%,50c:10%,60c:20%,70c:35%,80c:55%,90c:65%,100c:65%"
asusctl fan-curve --mod-profile Performance --default   # reset to EC default
asusctl fan-curve --mod-profile Balanced --enable-fan-curves true

Data format: temp:percent% or raw 0-255 values. Order is fixed low-to-high.

Aura / RGB LEDs

asusctl aura effect --help
asusctl aura -n          # next built-in mode (great for keybind)
asusctl aura -p          # previous

# Power control (newer models)
asusctl aura power ...

# Older/TUF models
asusctl aura power-tuf --awake true --keyboard --lightbar ...

Keyboard brightness (separate from aura modes):

asusctl leds set high
asusctl leds get
asusctl leds next

Battery / Charge Limit

asusctl battery limit 80
asusctl battery info
asusctl battery oneshot 100   # one-time full charge

Armoury Crate BIOS settings (asus-armoury)

asusctl armoury list
asusctl armoury get \x3Cproperty>
asusctl armoury set \x3Cproperty> \x3Cvalue>

# Common examples (model-dependent):
# asusctl armoury set post_sound 0
# asusctl armoury set gpu_mux_mode 0   # or 1 for discrete only

AniMe Matrix (lid display on supported models)

asusctl anime --help
asusctl anime --brightness high
asusctl anime --clear

Info & Discovery (always run first on new hardware)

asusctl info
asusctl info --show-supported   # shows exactly what this laptop exposes

GUI

rog-control-center

Launches the full Slint-based interface with tabs for System, Aura, Fans, Anime, GPU, etc. Also provides tray icon + notifications.

Advanced: User Daemon Custom Effects (asusd-user)

For per-user custom Aura sequences and AniMe without affecting system defaults, edit ~/.config/rog/rog-user.cfg and individual .ron / .json files in the same directory.

See MANUAL.md (installed or in source) for full RON/JSON examples of Breathe, Static, DoomFlicker, ImageAnimation, AsusAnimation, Pause, etc.

After editing:

# Restart user daemon if needed
systemctl --user restart asusd-user   # or just log out/in

Recommended Keybinds (Sway/i3/Hyprland/GNOME etc.)

• Fan profile cycle: asusctl profile -n
• Aura next/prev: asusctl aura -n / asusctl aura -p
• Keyboard brightness: asusctl leds next

Verification & Health Checks

After any change or on login:

systemctl status asusd
asusctl info --show-supported
asusctl profile get
asusctl battery info
asusctl leds get

Check logs for daemon issues:

journalctl -u asusd -b -f
journalctl --user -u asusd-user -b

Common Pitfalls & Fixes

• "Command not found" or limited options → asusctl info --show-supported (your model may not support the feature, or daemon not running / udev rules missing).
• Changes don't persist → Restart daemon after major upgrades: sudo systemctl daemon-reload && sudo systemctl restart asusd
• Fan curves ignored → Ensure --enable-fan-curves true and the profile is active.
• No RGB or partial zones → Use asusctl aura power ... or check laptop is in aura_support.ron.
• GUI won't start → Missing runtime deps for Slint/GTK (rare after proper make install).
• Permission denied on hardware → Usually fixed by correct udev rule + D-Bus policy from the install step.

Always start with asusctl info --show-supported on a new machine or after kernel update.

One-Shot Recipes

Cycle profile + verify:

asusctl profile next && asusctl profile get

Set aggressive fan curve on Performance + charge limit:

asusctl profile set Performance
asusctl fan-curve --mod-profile Performance --fan CPU --data "30c:10%,50c:30%,70c:60%,90c:100%"
asusctl battery limit 60

Discover + control everything available:

asusctl info --show-supported
asusctl armoury list
asusctl aura effect --help

References

• asusctl --help and per-command help (the source of truth after install)
• MANUAL.md (in source or /usr/share/doc/...) — detailed config file formats and user-daemon examples
• README.md — high-level feature list
• Source (for exact flags): asusctl/src/cli_opts.rs, fan_curve_cli.rs, aura_cli.rs, anime_cli.rs, etc.

This skill ensures agents (and users) get the most out of the compiled asusctl / rog-control-center executables using the real command surface and best practices.