Netbird Waybar Manager - Installation Guide

Prerequisites

Linux Install the required dependencies:

sudo pacman -S python-gobject libappindicator-gtk3 gtk3 libnotify

Installation Steps

1. Save the Python Script

# Create a directory for the script
mkdir -p ~/.local/bin

# Save the script (copy the Python code to this file)
nano ~/.local/bin/netbird-manager.py

# Make it executable
chmod +x ~/.local/bin/netbird-manager.py

2. Create Desktop Entry

Create a desktop entry so the app appears in your application menu:

mkdir -p ~/.local/share/applications
nano ~/.local/share/applications/netbird-manager.desktop

Add this content:

[Desktop Entry]
Name=Netbird Manager
Comment=Manage Netbird VPN Profiles
Exec=/home/YOUR_USERNAME/.local/bin/netbird-manager.py
Icon=network-vpn
Terminal=false
Type=Application
Categories=Network;
StartupNotify=false

Replace YOUR_USERNAME with your actual username.

3. Auto-start on Login (Optional)

To start the app automatically when you log in:

mkdir -p ~/.config/autostart
cp ~/.local/share/applications/netbird-manager.desktop ~/.config/autostart/

4. Running the Application

Start the application:

~/.local/bin/netbird-manager.py

Or launch it from your application menu.

Usage

• The app will appear in your system tray (Waybar)
• Right-click on the icon to see the menu
• Select a profile to connect or disconnect
• The icon changes based on connection status:
  • Connected: VPN icon
  • Disconnected: Disconnected VPN icon

Menu Options

• Connect: Hinemoa - Runs netbird up --profile hinemoa
• Connect: Stella - Runs netbird up --profile stella
• Disconnect - Runs netbird down
• Show Status - Displays current Netbird status
• Quit - Closes the application

Troubleshooting

App doesn't appear in system tray

1. Make sure Waybar is configured to show system tray icons
2. Check your Waybar config (~/.config/waybar/config) has a tray module:

"modules-right": ["tray", ...],
"tray": {
    "spacing": 10
}

Permission issues

If you get permission errors running netbird commands, you may need to configure sudo or set up proper permissions for netbird.

Icon not showing

If the VPN icons don't show, install an icon theme:

sudo pacman -S papirus-icon-theme

Customization

You can edit the script to:

• Add more profiles
• Change notification behavior
• Customize menu items
• Add more netbird commands

Just edit ~/.local/bin/netbird-manager.py and restart the application.