# The terminal and the wol command

> Open Terminal, ask wol for help, read before you change, undo a change, and see why some commands ask for your password. Ten commands worth knowing.

Source: https://wolos.org/manual/wol-basics

## What it is

**Terminal** is the app where you type commands instead of clicking. You never need it for everyday things in WolOS, but it is often the fastest way. `wol` is WolOS's own command: one word in front of everything the system can do, from the theme and the volume to updates, modules, games and Secure Boot. Think of it as a remote control with a button for every setting: Settings, scripts and AI helpers all press the same buttons, so what works in one works in the others.

## Why

One command for the whole system means one place to find help, one set of words to learn, and one gate. A command that only *reads* never asks for anything. A command that changes your own settings just does it, and you can undo it. A command that changes the system for every account asks for an administrator's password, and a helper program can never answer that question for you.

## How

1. **Open Terminal.** Press **Super+Space**, type `te` and press Return. Or press **Super+Enter**.

   ![Search with "te" typed: Terminal is the first result, an Application; Notes and several System Settings pages follow.](/img/manual/searchbar.png)

   You see a Terminal window with a prompt (`~ ❯`): the place to type.

   ![A Terminal window on the WolOS desktop, empty but for the prompt, with the menu bar above and the Dock below. Captured in a virtual machine running WolOS 0.12.0.](/img/manual/vm-terminal.png)
2. **Ask for help.** Type `wol --help` and press Return.
   You see every command with one line on what it does; the list is long, so scroll up for the start. Add `--help` to any command to see what it does without running it: `wol update --help`.
3. **Read something.** Try:

   ```sh
   wol settings
   wol battery
   wol network
   ```

   You see your desktop settings, the battery's charge and health, and whether you are online. Reading never asks for anything.
4. **Change something of yours.** Try:

   ```sh
   wol appearance set dark
   ```

   You see the menu bar and the window title bars turn dark, as if you had chosen Dark in Settings > Appearance, and `ok` for each part of the desktop that switched.
5. **Undo it.**

   ```sh
   wol undo
   ```

   You see the change reversed, and which change was undone with the command that would redo it. `wol history` lists your recent changes, and Settings > Restore shows the same list with an **Undo** button on each.

   ![Terminal after wol undo: the ok lines of each part switching back, then undid #2 (theme); redo: wol undo 3. Captured in a virtual machine running WolOS 0.12.0.](/img/manual/vm-wol-undo.png)

   ![Settings > Restore: Recent Changes (Appearance, Wallpaper, Desktop, Keyboard shortcuts, each with Undo and who made it), and Restore Points before each update with Start From This.](/img/manual/settings-restore-wide.png)
6. **Change the system.** Commands that install for every account, or change how the computer starts, ask for an administrator's password. When the request comes from a program, the sheet names it:

   ![The password sheet: "A program using wol wants to install "gimp" for every account. Enter your password to allow this." with Deny and Allow.](/img/manual/approval-via-wol.png)

### Ten commands worth knowing

| Command | Does |
|---|---|
| `wol --help` | Every group of commands |
| `wol settings` | Your desktop settings |
| `wol appearance set light`, `dark` or `auto` | Light, dark, or following the time of day |
| `wol audio volume 50` | The volume, in percent |
| `wol toggle nightlight` | Warmer colours after dark, on or off |
| `wol undo` | Undo the last change (`wol history` lists them) |
| `wol update status` | What the daily check found: fixes, security fixes, a new release |
| `wol modules list` | The optional modules and their state |
| `wol games doctor` | What games need on this computer, with the fix |
| `wol audio doctor` | A sound check, with the fix |

For example, `wol modules list` prints each optional module with its state and size:

![Terminal after wol modules list: ai-claude, ai-local, ai-sessions, console, creative, dev and gaming, each available, with sizes from 20 MB to 3470 MB and their names. Captured in a virtual machine running WolOS 0.12.0.](/img/manual/vm-modules-list.png)

Add `--json` to a reading command to get data a script can use. The [complete list](/reference/cli) has every command and says which ones helper programs may call.

## A worked example

Alice wants a dark desktop in the evening. She opens Terminal, types `wol appearance set dark` and presses Return: the menu bar and the windows turn dark at once. The next morning she types `wol undo` and the light look is back. No password was asked, because both changes were hers alone.

## If something goes wrong

| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| `command not found` after a word | Check the spelling with `wol --help`. Commands are lowercase. |
| A command asks for a password and you are not an administrator | Ask the person who owns the computer; Settings > Users & Groups shows who is an administrator. |
| Nothing shows while you type a password | That is on purpose. Type it and press Return. |
| A change made from Terminal went wrong | `wol undo`, or Settings > Restore > Recent Changes > **Undo**. |
| A helper program wants to change something | It shows a sheet with its name. **Deny** stops it; **Allow Once** lets it this time only. See [Assistants and automation](/reference/automation). |

## Related

[The wol command (complete list)](/reference/cli) · [Keyboard shortcuts](/reference/keys) · [Assistants and automation](/reference/automation) · [Recovery](/manual/recovery)