tlpctl(1) Power Management tlpctl(1) NAME tlpctl - control TLP power profiles SYNOPSIS tlpctl [-h] command [options] [args] DESCRIPTION tlpctl is a command-line utility to control TLP power profiles. It allows users to switch between power profiles, list available profiles and launch applications with specific power 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 performance profile (shortcut for tlpctl set performance). balanced Switch to balanced profile (shortcut for tlpctl set balanced). power-saver Switch to power-saver profile (shortcut for tlpctl set power- saver). Profile Management list List available power profiles. The active profile is marked with an asterisk (*). get Print the currently active power profile. set profile Set the active power 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 power 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: o The holding command exits o The user manually changes the profile (with tlpctl set) o The application explicitly releases the hold Multiple holds can be active simultaneously. list-holds List current power 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 power-saver profile: $ tlpctl power-saver Get the currently active profile: $ tlpctl get Launch a game with performance profile: $ tlpctl launch --profile performance --reason "Gaming" steam Launch a command with default performance hold: $ tlpctl launch make -j8 List active 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: BUGS Report bugs to: AUTHOR Copyright (C) 2025 Thomas Koch and contributors. TLP 1.9.0 2025-12-01 tlpctl(1)