A systemd-tmpfiles rule has seven fields, in this order: Type Path Mode User Group Age Argument. The type selects the operation; the remaining fields describe its target and, where that operation uses them, its permissions, ownership, cleanup age, or extra data. A dash (-) generally means a field is unspecified—not that a value should be cleared.
The seven fields, from left to right
Rules are defined in tmpfiles.d configuration. The Debian testing tmpfiles.d(5) manual documents this layout. Which fields matter depends on the rule’s type, so do not assume every column affects every operation.
| Field | Meaning | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
Type |
Operation selector | A letter such as d or L, sometimes with modifiers. Consult the manual installed on the target system for supported types and modifier behavior. |
Path |
Target in the filesystem | The file or directory the rule acts on. Some applicable types accept glob patterns; do not assume every path is treated as a pattern. |
Mode |
Access permissions | An octal mode such as 0755, when the type uses it. - leaves the field unspecified; effects and defaults depend on the type. |
User |
Owner user | A user name for operations that set ownership. - leaves it unspecified. |
Group |
Owner group | A group name for operations that set ownership. - leaves it unspecified. |
Age |
Cleanup threshold | Used by applicable rules during cleanup; it is not a timer that applies to every rule. |
Argument |
Type-specific extra data | For example, a symlink destination or content to write. It is the seventh field and has special whitespace parsing. |
How the fields work in two examples
Directory rule
d /run/user 0755 root root 10d -d selects directory creation or management, and /run/user is the target. The rule specifies mode 0755 and owner root:root. The 10d age is relevant to applicable cleanup behavior; it does not mean every action on the directory happens on a ten-day schedule. The final dash leaves the argument unused. This is a syntax example in the Debian testing manual, not a claim about a measured duration or a recommended setting.
Symbolic-link rule
L /tmp/foobar - - - - /dev/nullL selects the symlink operation, and /tmp/foobar is the link path. The four dashes leave mode, user, group, and age unspecified. The final field, /dev/null, supplies the link destination.
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Parsing details that affect the last field
- Lines are separated by newlines, and fields are separated by whitespace.
- Fields can use C-style escapes. Fields other than the seventh may be quoted.
- Once the seventh-field argument starts, the remaining text—including whitespace—belongs to it. To begin an argument with a space, use a C-style escape such as
x20. - A type that does not define an argument rejects a non-empty one; use
-where the argument is unused.
What age means when tmpfiles runs
The systemd-tmpfiles manual describes the utility as creating, deleting, and cleaning up files and directories using the configuration format and locations specified by tmpfiles.d(5). Its --create, --remove, and --clean options select operation sets. Cleanup applies to entries with relevant age parameters; an age value is not a universal expiry instruction for every type.
System and user services use separate configuration contexts. User services read user configuration locations and do not control global cleanup performed by the system instance.
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How to compare or verify two rules
When two rules look similar, compare their fields in order: type first, then path, metadata, age, and argument. A different type may change how the other fields are interpreted, so comparing only the numbers or paths can be misleading.
Because systemd versions and distribution builds can differ, verify exact type and modifier semantics on the host that will process the file. Check man tmpfiles.d and systemd-tmpfiles --version there; the Debian testing manual is a moving reference and may describe a different version.
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