| tlpctl(1) | Power Management | tlpctl(1) |
NAME
tlpctl - control TLP profiles
SYNOPSIS
tlpctl [-h] command [options] [args]
DESCRIPTION
tlpctl is a command-line utility to control TLP profiles. It allows users to switch between profiles, list available profiles and launch applications with specific profiles. It offers a subset of powerprofilesctl's commands supplemented by TLP-specific shortcuts.
tlpctl communicates with the TLP Profiles Daemon (tlp-pd) which implements the org.freedesktop.UPower.PowerProfiles D-Bus interface similar to power-profiles-daemon.
COMMANDS
Profile Shortcuts
- performance
- Switch to the performance profile (shortcut for tlpctl set performance).
- balanced
- Switch to the balanced profile (shortcut for tlpctl set balanced).
- power-saver
- Switch to the power-saver profile (shortcut for tlpctl set power-saver).
Profile Management
- list
- List available TLP profiles. The active profile is marked with an asterisk (*).
- get
- Print the currently active TLP profile.
- set profile
- Set the active TLP profile. Valid profiles are: performance, balanced and power-saver. This will release all active profile holds.
- launch command [options]
- Run a command and request a specific TLP profile for it ("profile hold").
- -p, --profile profile
- Profile to hold while running the command (default: performance).
- -r, --reason reason
- Reason for the profile hold (default: second and remaining words of the command).
- -i, --appid appid
- Application identifier for the hold (default: first word of command).
- Holds are automatically released, returning to the user's selected profile, when:
- The holding command exits
- The user manually changes the profile (with tlpctl set)
- The application explicitly releases the hold
- list-holds
- List current TLP profile holds (from launch command), showing the profile name, application ID, and reason for each hold.
Diagnostics and Debugging
- loglevel level
- Set the loglevel of the TLP Profiles Daemon (tlp-pd). Valid levels are: info and debug.
Information
- version, --version
- Display version information for both the tlpctl client and the TLP Profiles Daemon.
OPTIONS
- -h, --help
- Show a help message and exit. Can be used with any command to show command-specific help.
AUTHORIZATION
An active, unlocked session is required to perform actions. Changing the loglevel requires root privilege.
POWER PROFILES
- performance
- Optimizes the system for maximum performance at the cost of higher power consumption. Recommended for demanding workloads. TLP default when running on AC power.
- balanced
- Provides a balance between performance and power consumption. Suitable for general-purpose use. TLP default when running on battery power.
- power-saver
- Optimizes the system for maximum battery life at the cost of reduced performance. Recommended for maximizing battery runtime.
EXAMPLES
- List available profiles:
-
$ tlpctl list
- Switch to the power-saver profile:
-
$ tlpctl power-saver
- Get the currently active TLP profile:
-
$ tlpctl get
- Launch a game with the performance profile:
-
$ tlpctl launch --profile performance --reason "Gaming" steam
- Launch a command with default performance hold:
-
$ tlpctl launch make -j8
- List current TLP profile holds:
-
$ tlpctl list-holds
EXIT STATUS
- 0
- Success
- 1
- General error (Invalid arguments, tlp-pd refuses the operation, D-Bus communication failure)
- Other
- When using launch, the exit status of the launched command is returned.
SEE ALSO
tlp(8), tlp-stat(8), tlp-pd(8).
TLP documentation: https://linrunner.de/tlp
BUGS
Report bugs to: https://github.com/linrunner/TLP/issues.
AUTHOR
(c) 2026 Thomas Koch <linrunner at gmx.net>
| 2026-07-06 | TLP 1.10.2 |