Optional desktop features for GNOME Shell, each one a switch away
Aurora Shell adds dock and panel controls, appearance tweaks, window behavior and clipboard tools to GNOME Shell. Every feature is a separate module: turn on the ones you want in a single preferences window and the rest stay out of the way.
Most modules are enabled by default. Auto Theme Switcher, Vela VPN Quick Settings and External Display Brightness are opt-in.
| Area | Modules |
|---|---|
| Dock and panel | Dock, Aurora Menu, Power Menu Avatar, Volume Mixer, External Display Brightness, Low Battery Percentage, Lock Key Indicators, Bluetooth Menu, Weather Clock, Calendar Reminders, Tray Icons |
| Appearance | Theme Changer, Icon Weave, App Search Tooltip, Auto Theme Switcher |
| Behavior | Skip Overview on Login, Pip On Top, Focus Launched Windows, Capture Tools, XWayland Indicator, Vela VPN Quick Settings |
| Privacy and clipboard | Privacy, Clipboard History |
Low Battery Percentage shows GNOME's battery percentage while the battery discharges below 30%, and leaves it alone if you already turned it on. Vela VPN Quick Settings routes the Quick Settings VPN toggle through Vela's D-Bus API; its fallback to GNOME Shell's own VPN handling is off by default.
The module reference lists every module's settings key, default, dependencies, runtime policy and where its code and tests live.
Install Aurora Shell from extensions.gnome.org, with the browser or an app such as Extension Manager.
Important
Aurora Shell supports only the GNOME Shell versions listed in metadata.json. Shell internals change between releases, so do not force-install it on another version.
To install a release by hand, download aurora-shell@luminusos.github.io.shell-extension.zip from the releases page and run:
gnome-extensions install --force aurora-shell@luminusos.github.io.shell-extension.zip
gnome-extensions enable aurora-shell@luminusos.github.ioNote
On Wayland, GNOME Shell only loads a newly installed extension after you log out and back in.
Releases also include a .development.shell-extension.zip with tools for contributors and QA sessions.
Some modules need software that may not be installed:
| Module | Needs |
|---|---|
| Weather Clock | GNOME Weather |
| Capture Tools text recognition | Tesseract |
| Vela VPN Quick Settings | Vela |
| External Display Brightness | ddcutil and ddcutil-service |
To update, install a newer ZIP with the same --force command. Your settings stay in the extension's GSettings schema unless you reset them.
To remove Aurora Shell:
gnome-extensions disable aurora-shell@luminusos.github.io
gnome-extensions uninstall aurora-shell@luminusos.github.ioIf installation, loading or a module fails, see Troubleshooting.
Open the preferences from the Extensions app, or run:
gnome-extensions prefs aurora-shell@luminusos.github.ioEach module has its own switch, and modules with options show them below it.
The development guide covers the tools you need and the test environments you can use. Commands run through just, the Yarn version is pinned in package.json, and Containerfile defines the GNOME environment that CI and Toolbox share.
just deps
just validate
just test unit
just package checkThe documentation index links to the architecture, the edit-run-debug loop, writing modules, choosing tests, troubleshooting and releases. Read CONTRIBUTING.md before opening a pull request.
Aurora Shell includes and adapts work from the GNOME extension community. CREDITS.md records every source, license and inspiration.