Installing StaffCounter Agent for Linux

Installing the program on computers

Open the Terminal and execute:

sudo apt update

Download and unzip the archive into a new folder. Then, in the same folder, run:

sudo ./install.sh

To launch the StaffCounter Agent, execute:

nohup staffcounter &

Now configure StaffCounter:

  • Enter your account email for the StaffCounter service.
  • Specify the computer name or employee’s name.
  • Click Register.

StaffCounter Agent Linux Setup

Installing via Deb-package

1. Download the .deb package.
2. Open it with the package installer or run in Terminal:

sudo dpkg -i staffcounter.deb

After installation, restart the computer — the StaffCounter Agent will launch automatically.

For Ubuntu 20:
Before installing, update the system:

sudo apt update  
sudo apt upgrade

Then install the .deb package with the package installer (double-click).

Installing on Ubuntu 22

Before installing the StaffCounter Agent on Ubuntu 22, you must switch the display server from Wayland to X11.

Wayland is enabled by default in Ubuntu 22.04 (Jammy Jellyfish), but it can be disabled.

Disabling Wayland

Edit the GDM3 configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/gdm3/custom.conf

Find the line:

#WaylandEnable=false

Uncomment it and set to:

WaylandEnable=false

Save the file and reboot your system for changes to take effect.

Installing on Red Hat

To install the StaffCounter Agent on Red Hat Linux, first switch from Wayland to X11:

– Fedora documentation >>
– Red Hat solution >>

Then:

  1. Connect to the target machine via SSH.
  2. Copy and unzip the archive, edit config (set manager email, auto_connection=1).
  3. Run installation:
sudo ./install.sh

4. Log in via GUI as a normal user (non-admin) — StaffCounter should start, register the device, and begin monitoring.
5. Restart the PC and log in again — StaffCounter will continue working.

Configuring options via conf file

You can configure the agent by editing its .conf file:

  • adminemail – account registration email
  • device_name – computer name shown in the “Employees” section
  • device_id – link to an existing employee (available in web dashboard)
  • url – server address for log uploads (default: data.staffcounter.net; for local server: specify local address)
  • lock=1 – enable Lockscreen functionality
  • idle_time_lock – idle timeout (seconds) before Lockscreen auto-activation (default: 120s)

Remove the # before a line to activate the parameter.
Then install StaffCounter as usual.

Uninstalling StaffCounter

To uninstall StaffCounter:

1. From the installation folder:

sudo ./uninstall.sh

or

2. From anywhere:

sudo dpkg -P staffcounter