xdgutils

xdg-utils is a collection of cross-desktop command-line tools designed to simplify common desktop integration tasks on Unix-like systems. Maintained under the Freedesktop.org umbrella, the utilities provide a stable, desktop-agnostic interface for applications to interact with the user’s environment. They enable operations such as opening files or URLs with the default application, querying and setting MIME type associations, and performing basic desktop-related queries and actions without tying software to a specific desktop environment.

The most commonly used tools include xdg-open, which launches the default program for a given file or URL; xdg-mime, which queries or registers handlers for MIME types; and xdg-email, which opens the default mail client with a composed message. Additional helpers such as xdg-settings, xdg-desktop-icon, and xdg-desktop-menu provide access to certain desktop preferences and to the installation of desktop entries and menu items.

xdg-utils is widely distributed with many Linux distributions and is frequently invoked by package managers and installers to ensure consistent behavior across environments. It relies on freedesktop.org specifications for desktop integration and on the system’s installed MIME handlers and desktop entries to determine the appropriate actions.

While useful for interoperability, xdg-utils implementations can vary between environments, and some desktop features may be provided more fully by environment-specific tools. The project remains a reference implementation for basic desktop integration tasks and is updated as standards evolve.