Xholdkey is a program, that works in an x11 session on a posix os like Linux, that every 50 milliseconds (by default) queries the keyboard to check if a key is pressed or released and if so executes a user specified command.

xholdkey [-p <polling rate>] <X11 KeySym[s]> <program: in keypress> [program: in keyrelease]

Set the polling rate in milliseconds.
Default: 50

One or more X11 keysyms to listen for.

• Without the XK_ prefix (e.g., use Super_L for the left Windows key).
• For a full list of keysyms, see /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h or use the xev utility (arch linux package: xorg-xev).
• To specify multiple keysyms, separate them with commas (e.g., Super_L,Super_R).

The command to execute when any of the specified keys is pressed.

• Commands run via sh, so you can chain multiple commands with ;, but remember to wrap the argument in quotes for that to work.
• The shell receives two positional parameters:
  • $1: the keysym that triggered the event (e.g., Super_L).
  • $2: an integer flag: 1 if the key was pressed, 0 otherwise (for release events).

The command to execute when any of the specified keys is released.

• Acts the same as the argument before, but can be _ to copy the keypress program for the release action.

To build you must have an odin compiler (dev-2026-06 was used in the project). First, clone the project somewhere with:

git clone https://github.com/Buldogghi/xholdkey

Then cd into the project's root directory and execute:

odin build .

A file called xholdkey will be created, to run it type

./xholdkey

If you want to have it in yout environment you can manually move or copy it to ~/.local/bin:

mkdir -p ~/.local/bin # Make sure that the directory exists
mv xholdkey ~/.local/bin

Now in any shell you can type xholdkey to use it.