What is wlgblock?

A Wayland session locker that replaces password entry with a Gameboy puzzle. The lock screen runs a patched Pokémon Crystal ROM through the gbcc emulator, where users must enter specific Pokémon nicknames to unlock. It uses the ext-session-lock-v1 protocol for secure locking on compatible compositors like sway. The project builds a custom Wayland window with EGL and keyboard handling, avoiding toolkits such as SDL or GTK. The ROM patch adds assembly logic that sets a success flag when the correct nickname sequence is detected. Installation requires Nix and compiling the patched game from source. The software is experimental and not intended as a strong security boundary.

Should you self-host wlgblock?

wlgblock scores 34/100 on selfhost.directory (how scoring works) and ranks #72 of 78 in Security. It has 177 GitHub stars.

There was no stable release in the past 12 months, so check the repository's recent activity before you rely on it.

Setup is advanced: plan for several services and some ongoing maintenance. It is Other-licensed and written mostly in C.

Its closest alternative on selfhost.directory is pentagi (83/100, 32 639 stars). It scores higher overall, so compare the two before you pick. See wlgblock vs pentagi side by side.