Battery charge threshold manager for Linux laptops
Installation • Usage • Hardware • Presets • Persistence
batctl is a terminal UI and CLI tool that lets you control battery charge thresholds on Linux. Set start/stop charge levels to extend battery lifespan, choose from built-in presets, and persist your settings across reboots — all from a single, zero-dependency binary.
Most laptops support charge thresholds in hardware, but the Linux interface is fragmented: each vendor exposes different sysfs paths, value ranges, and quirks. Tools like TLP are powerful but heavy and config-file-driven.
batctl gives you:
- One binary, zero config — auto-detects your hardware and shows what's possible
- Interactive TUI — see battery health, adjust thresholds with arrow keys, pick presets
- Scriptable CLI —
batctl set --stop 80for automation and dotfiles - 16+ vendor backends — from ThinkPad to Apple Silicon, with a generic fallback
- Persistence — survives reboots and suspend/resume via systemd
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Ooooze/batctl/master/install.sh | sudo bashTo uninstall:
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Ooooze/batctl/master/install.sh | sudo bash -s -- --uninstallgit clone https://github.com/Ooooze/batctl.git
cd batctl
make
sudo make installyay -S batctl-tuiOr manually:
makepkg -siDownload from Releases, then:
chmod +x batctl
sudo cp batctl /usr/bin/Launch the full terminal interface (requires root for write operations):
sudo batctlControls:
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
↑ ↓ / j k |
Navigate between fields |
← → / h l |
Adjust value (±1) |
H L |
Adjust value (±5) |
Enter |
Toggle edit mode |
Esc |
Cancel edit |
p |
Open preset picker |
a |
Apply current thresholds |
s |
Save config + enable persistence |
r |
Refresh battery info |
q |
Quit |
# Show battery info, thresholds, and persistence status
batctl status
# Detect hardware and show capabilities
batctl detect
# Set thresholds directly
sudo batctl set --start 40 --stop 80
# Apply a built-in preset
sudo batctl set --preset max-lifespan
# Apply thresholds from config (used by systemd on boot)
sudo batctl apply
# Enable persistence (systemd services: boot + resume)
sudo batctl persist enable
# Check persistence status
batctl persist status
# Disable persistence and clean up
sudo batctl persist disableBackend: ThinkPad
BAT0 (Sunwoda 5B10W51867)
Status: Charging
Capacity: 85%
Health: 103.6%
Cycles: 54
Energy: 48.3 / 52.8 Wh (design: 51.0 Wh)
Power: 20.1 W
Thresholds: start=40% stop=80%
Behaviour: auto (available: auto, inhibit-charge, force-discharge)
Persistence: boot=true resume=true
Vendor: LENOVO
Product: 21AH00FGRT
Backend: ThinkPad
Capabilities:
Start threshold: true (range: 0..99)
Stop threshold: true (range: 1..100)
Charge behaviour: true
Batteries: [BAT0]
Built-in presets adapt automatically to your hardware's supported value ranges:
| Preset | Start | Stop | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
max-lifespan |
20% | 80% | Best for battery longevity. Ideal if you're mostly plugged in. |
balanced |
40% | 80% | Good mix of available capacity and long-term health. |
plugged-in |
70% | 80% | Narrow band for always-connected workstations. |
full-charge |
0% | 100% | No restrictions. Use when you need maximum runtime. |
sudo batctl set --preset balancedOn hardware with limited options (e.g. Samsung with only 80/100), presets snap to the nearest supported value.
batctl auto-detects your laptop vendor via DMI and probes sysfs for the right driver.
If no specific backend matches, the generic fallback is used for any laptop
exposing standard charge_control_{start,end}_threshold files.
| Vendor | Start | Stop | Behaviour | Kernel Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acer | — | 80 or 100 | — | acer-wmi-battery |
| Lenovo ThinkPad | 0–99 | 1–100 | ✓ | thinkpad_acpi |
| ASUS | — | 0–100¹ | — | asus_wmi |
| Dell | 50–95 | 55–100 | — | dell_laptop |
| Lenovo IdeaPad | — | on/off² | — | ideapad_laptop |
| Huawei MateBook | 0–99 | 1–100 | — | huawei_wmi |
| Samsung | — | 80 or 100 | — | samsung_laptop |
| LG Gram | — | 80 or 100 | — | lg_laptop |
| MSI | auto³ | 10–100 | — | msi_ec |
| Framework | 0–99⁴ | 1–100 | ✓ | cros_charge-control |
| System76 | 0–99 | 1–100 | — | system76_acpi |
| Sony VAIO | — | 50/80/100 | — | sony_laptop |
| Toshiba/Dynabook | — | 80 or 100 | — | toshiba_acpi |
| Tuxedo (Clevo) | discrete⁵ | discrete⁵ | — | clevo_acpi |
| Apple Silicon | auto³ | 80 or 100 | — | macsmc_power |
| Microsoft Surface | 0–99⁶ | 1–100 | — | surface_battery |
| Generic fallback | 0–99 | 1–100 | ✓ | any sysfs |
¹ Some ASUS models only accept 40, 60, or 80
² Conservation mode: fixed threshold (usually 60%)
³ Start threshold is computed by hardware from stop value
⁴ Start threshold requires EC firmware v3
⁵ Tuxedo start: 40/50/60/70/80/95 — stop: 60/70/80/90/100
⁶ Requires linux-surface kernel; start threshold availability varies by model
By default, charge thresholds reset on reboot or resume from suspend. batctl solves this with a one-command setup:
sudo batctl persist enableThis installs:
| Component | Path | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Config file | /etc/batctl.conf |
Stores your threshold values |
| Boot service | /etc/systemd/system/batctl.service |
Applies thresholds on boot |
| Resume service | /etc/systemd/system/batctl-resume.service |
Restores thresholds after suspend/resume |
To disable and remove everything:
sudo batctl persist disablebatctl
├── Reads /sys/class/dmi/id/sys_vendor → identifies laptop vendor
├── Probes sysfs paths → confirms driver availability
├── Selects matching backend (or generic fallback)
├── Reads/writes /sys/class/power_supply/BAT*/charge_control_*
└── Manages systemd services for persistence
All operations go through the kernel's standard sysfs interface. No direct hardware access, no custom kernel modules required.
batctl/
├── cmd/batctl/ → CLI entry point (cobra)
├── internal/
│ ├── backend/ → 16 vendor backends + generic + auto-detection
│ ├── battery/ → sysfs read/write helpers, battery info
│ ├── persist/ → systemd services, config file
│ ├── preset/ → built-in presets with hardware adaptation
│ └── tui/ → bubbletea TUI (dashboard, presets, styles)
├── configs/ → systemd service templates
├── Makefile
└── PKGBUILD → Arch Linux package
- Linux with a kernel that includes your laptop's battery driver
- Root access (
sudo) for writing thresholds and managing persistence - No runtime dependencies — single static binary
- threshpad — GNOME Shell extension for batctl
Contributions are welcome! Areas where help is especially appreciated:
- New vendor backends — if your laptop isn't detected, check
batctl detectoutput and open a PR - Testing — try batctl on your hardware and report what works
- Packaging — help with Fedora, Debian, NixOS packages
If batctl saved your battery some cycles, consider buying me a coffee in crypto:
| Currency | Network | Address |
|---|---|---|
| BTC | Bitcoin | bc1qflyxz75wkcyet89cttanyv7ws98lf8wjezdydq |
| ETH | Ethereum | 0xAfAA1CEdb10ECfC696C9984e857c813CB1871b4C |
| USDT | TRC-20 | TSgwHUf6tiuJgFmaerb3TyTjggoP5cPecb |
| TON | TON | UQA1SYTIdmH7iPNcUtbOtQXtCLPzTYeR8YxCdxksU8HMhkSe |
MIT