XDG Base Directory

This article summarizes the XDG Base Directory specification in #Specification and tracks software support in #Support.

Specification

Please read the full specification. This section will attempt to break down the essence of what it tries to achieve.

Only XDG_RUNTIME_DIR is set by default through pam_systemd. It is up to the user to explicitly define the other variables according to the specification.

See Environment variables#Globally for information on defining variables.

User directories

XDG_CONFIG_HOME
- Where user-specific configurations should be written (analogous to /etc).
- Should default to $HOME/.config.

XDG_CACHE_HOME
- Where user-specific non-essential (cached) data should be written (analogous to /var/cache).
- Should default to $HOME/.cache.

- Where user-specific data files should be written (analogous to ).
- Should default to .

- Where user-specific state files should be written (analogous to /var/lib).
- Should default to $HOME/.local/state.

XDG_RUNTIME_DIR
- Used for non-essential, user-specific data files such as sockets, named pipes, etc.
- Not required to have a default value; warnings should be issued if not set or equivalents provided.
- Must be owned by the user with an access mode of .
- Filesystem fully featured by standards of OS.
- Must be on the local filesystem.
- May be subject to periodic cleanup.
- Modified every 6 hours or set sticky bit if persistence is desired.
- Can only exist for the duration of the user's login.
- Should not store large files as it may be mounted as a tmpfs.
- pam_systemd sets this to .

System directories

- List of directories separated by (analogous to PATH).
- Should default to .

- List of directories separated by (analogous to PATH).
- Should default to .

Support

This section exists to catalog the growing set of software using the XDG Base Directory Specification introduced in 2003. This is here to demonstrate the viability of this specification by listing commonly found dotfiles and their support status. For those not currently supporting the Base Directory Specification, workarounds will be demonstrated to emulate it instead.

The workarounds will be limited to anything not involving patching the source, executing code stored in environment variables or compile-time options. The rationale for this is that configurations should be portable across systems and having compile-time options prevent that.

Hopefully this will provide a source of information about exactly what certain kinds of dotfiles are and where they come from.

Contributing

When contributing make sure to use the correct section.

Nothing should require code evaluation (such as vim and VIMINIT), patches or compile-time options to gain support and anything which does must be deemed hardcoded. Additionally, if the process is error prone or difficult, it should also be classified as hardcoded.

The first column should be either a link to an internal article, a Template:Pkg or a Template:AUR.
The second column is for any legacy files and directories the project had (one per line), this is done so people can find them even if they are no longer read.
In the third, try to find the commit or version a project switched to XDG Base Directory or any open discussions and include them in the next two columns (two per line).
The last column should include any appropriate workarounds or solutions. Please verify that your solution is correct and functional.

Supported

Application	Legacy Path	Supported Since	Discussion	Notes

ALSA		577df36 1.2.3
Android Studio		Android Studio 4.1		XDG_CONFIG_HOME/Google/AndroidStudioX.X XDG_DATA_HOME/Google/AndroidStudioX.X XDG_CACHE_HOME/Google/AndroidStudioX.X Location overview by Google does not mention XDG - paths could be hardcoded instead of using the proper variable, though that is unlikely as Intellij IDEA, which Android Studio is based on, implements it properly as well
Anki	,			Uses as default if no older location exists, can be changed by using `anki -b <anki_dir>`
	`~/.antimicro`,	edba864
				Uses now if it exist.
aria2		8bc1d37		XDG_CONFIG_HOME/aria2/ XDG_CACHE_HOME/aria2/
	`~/.asunder_album_genre` `~/.asunder_album_title`	2.9.0		Uses for and for the other 3 files. Legacy paths are not removed after migration, they have to be deleted manually.
		3.2.0		XDG_CONFIG_HOME/audacity XDG_DATA_HOME/audacity
		2051757
	`~/.config/Bitwarden CLI`	1.7.1		XDG_CONFIG_HOME/Bitwarden CLI XDG_DATA_HOME/audacity The `BITWARDENCLI_APPDATA_DIR` environment variable takes precedence. Currently contains a single file with all the vault data, so it ought to belong in
Blender		4293f47
		4.17		Legacy path takes precedence if present, or if `XDG_CONFIG_HOME` is not set.
cabal		9f7dc55
	`~/.calcurse`	04162d		XDG_CONFIG_HOME/calcurse XDG_DATA_HOME/calcurse If the legacy path `~/.calcurse` is present, it will take precedence.

	`~/.ccache`	4.0		XDG_CACHE_HOME/ccache XDG_CONFIG_HOME/ccache/ccache.conf
		f7c3193
clangd		fdf7dcc		Project specific configuration can be specified in `proj/.clangd`. Configuration is combined when this is sensible. In case of conflicts, user config has the highest precedence, then inner project, then outer project.
Composer		1.0.0-beta1
cURL		7.73.0
d-feet		7f6104b

Dolphin emulator		a498c68
		7e777ca
dunst		78b6e2b
Emacs		27.1		Legacy paths have precedence over XDG paths. Emacs will never create . Workaround for 26.3 or older: It's possible to set , but it has unexpected side effects.
fish
fltk		7308bcd		Only supported in version 1.4.0, which hasn't been released yet (as of 9-July-2022)
fontconfig		8c255fb,		Config goes in `XDG_CONFIG_HOME/fontconfig/fonts.conf` or , fonts are stored in
		e4c2cc7
	`~/.FreeCAD`	e7e2994ba 0.20.0		Defaults to XDG_CONFIG_HOME/FreeCAD XDG_DATA_HOME/FreeCAD XDG_CACHE_HOME/FreeCAD legacy path can be used with
		edf6e72
Gajim		3e777ea
gconf^AUR		fc28caa
GDB	,	11.1		,
GIMP		60e0cfe 483505f
Git	`~/.gitconfig`	0d94427
gops		71c4255
gnuplot		a5562b1
goobook^AUR		3.5
Godot Engine		73049d1 3.0-stable
GStreamer		4e36f93
GTK 3
		3.0.0
htop		93233a6
		5af0874
i3		7c130fb
i3blocks,
i3-gaps
		c3f7fc4

imagemagick
Inkscape		0.47
ipython		8.0.0		The default dotfile path is still $HOME but xdg directories (or ~/.config/ipython if XDG_* vars are unset) are supported and work correctly.
iwd / iwctl		d3e00d7f
/	`~/.IntelliJIdeaXXXX.X`	2020.1		XDG_CONFIG_HOME/JetBrains/IntelliJIdeaXXXX.X XDG_DATA_HOME/JetBrains/IntelliJIdeaXXXX.X XDG_CACHE_HOME/JetBrains/IntelliJIdeaXXXX.X
		11162
jupyter		opt-in in 5.0, opt-out in 6.0, compulsory in 7.0 (changelog)		`XDG_CONFIG_HOME/jupyter`
Kakoune

less	,	590 full support in 600		The environment variables `XDG_CONFIG_HOME` and must be set in version 590. This is no longer necessary when version 600 lands.
latexmk (in texlive-core)
	`~/.lftp`	21dc400
		d430af6
LibreOffice		a6f56f7 25bd2ee
		cd16cdd		XDG_CONFIG_HOME/luarocks XDG_CACHE_HOME/luarocks If the legacy path is present, it will take precedence.
NSS		3.42
Streamlink		ea80591
mc	`~/.mc`	1b99570 0b71156 ce401d7
Mercurial		3540200 4.2		.
msmtp	`~/.msmtprc`	af2f409 v1.6.7+		.
		87ab26b
		eb487c5
mozc		91cc1e1
mpd	`~/.mpdconf`	87b7328
mpv		cb250d4
mutt		b17cd67
		cf723b7
nano		c16e79b
ncmpcpp	`~/.ncmpcpp`	38d9f81 27cd86e		should be set to avoid an file in `~/.ncmpcpp`.
Neovim		1ca5646
Nestopia UE	`~/.nestopia/`	610c008 1.51.0
newsboat	`~/.newsboat`	3c57824		It is required to create both directories :
node-gyp		2b5ce52a
	`~/.config/xnp2kai`	56a1cc2
notmuch
		4593e72		does not recognize workarounds for ipython/jupyter
OfflineIMAP	`~/.offlineimaprc`	5150de5
		39559c3
	`~/.osc_cookiejar`	6bc2d3f ebcf3de	github.com/openSUSE/osc/pull/940 github.com/osc/pull/940	Legacy path takes precedence if it exists
pam-u2f		ad52dd8
		0bed0ab
PCManFM		1.3.2
		87f1e8f a9020c6 3b22f0f 0a012ae
pdfsam^AUR
Pry	`~/.pryrc`	a0be0cc7 15e1fc92 e9d1be0e
		2.10		Formerly , global config still needs:
	`~/.pip`	6.0
				Still creates according to
powershell^AUR		6.0
		132fe47
		af53e17
pacman		80eca94
	`~/.panda3d`	2b537d2

PulseAudio		59a8618 87ae830 9ab510a 4c195bc
pyroom^AUR
		3.10.0
qutebrowser
qtile		fd8686e 66d704b 51cff01		Some optional bar widgets can create files and directories in non-compliant paths, but most often these are still configurable.
		9d36258

		02e7d41
RSpec	`~/.rspec`	5e395e2
rTorrent	`~/.rtorrent.rc`	6a8d332
RuboCop		6fe5956
Ruby#RubyGems		3.0.0 (5c6269c)		XDG_CONFIG_HOME/gemrc XDG_CONFIG_HOME/irb XDG_DATA_HOME/gem XDG_DATA_HOME/rdoc
sandboxd
		1.5.3
	`~/.scummvm/`	7d014be		It is required to migrate data by hand. `mv ~/.scummvmrc "$XDG_CONFIG_HOME"/scummvm/scummvm.ini`
		958ec35
		8.0
	`~/.snes9x`	93b5f11		By default, the configuration file is left blank with intention that the user will fill it at their will (through the gui or manually).
spectrwm		a30bbb
		build 4105		Prior to build 4105, the cache was placed in .
surfraw	`~/.surfraw.bookmarks`	3e4591d bd8c427 f57fc71
sway		614393c
sxhkd
systemd

termite
tig	,	2.2		directory must exist, writes to otherwise.
tmux		3.1		3.1 introduced `~/.config/tmux/tmux.conf` and in 3.2 was added
tmuxp		1.5.0		Fixed in 1.5.2
		2636923
Transmission	`~/.transmission`	b71a298
		570b321
Uzbl		c6fd63a

VirtualBox		4.3
		68a25c7 d138908
VLC		16f32e1
warsow		98ece3f
WeeChat		3.2		XDG_CONFIG_HOME/weechat XDG_CACHE_HOME/weechat XDG_DATA_HOME/weechat
Wireshark		b0b53fa^{[dead link 2022-09-23 ⓘ]}
wxWidgets
Xsettingsd		b4999f5
xmobar		7b0d6bf 9fc6b37 eaccf70
xmonad		40fc10b		All of these must exist, otherwise it gives up and falls back to for each: XDG_CACHE_HOME/xmonad XDG_CONFIG_HOME/xmonad XDG_DATA_HOME/xmonad Alternatively, it always respects , , and .
	`~/.xournalpp`	20db937f 1.1.0
xsel		ee7b481
Zim		e42b8b0
		0.3.0

Partial

Application	Legacy Path	Supported Since	Notes

	, `~/.conda/condarc`, ,		`export CONDARC="$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/conda/condarc"`

	,		, `export ASDF_DATA_DIR=${XDG_DATA_HOME}/asdf"`
aspell
Atom			`export ATOM_HOME="$XDG_DATA_HOME"/atom`
		1.7.45	,
	`~/.bash_completion`
			Like documented at , you can specify a file to run commands from. Thus, move the init file to and create an alias `alias bashdb='bashdb -x ${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-$HOME/.config}/bashdb/bashdbinit'`. Unfortunately the history file is hardcoded .
bazaar	,	2.3.0	Discussion in upstream bug states that bazaar will use if it exists. The logfile might still be written.
	`~/.btpd/`
			export CALCHISTFILE="$XDG_CACHE_HOME"/calc_history
Rust#Cargo
cataclysm-dda		0.D-1	partial support due to required compile time option
cd-bookmark			or use the fork that has native XDG support:
cgdb		[On master branch, but no release yet]	Set and move the config file to

Chromium	,	23057
cinelerra	`~/.bcast5`
conky		00481ee
	`~/.claws-mail`
coreutils
crawl			The trailing slash is required: `export CRAWL_DIR="$XDG_DATA_HOME"/crawl/`
			Despite this, clusterssh will still create .
CUDA			`export CUDA_CACHE_PATH="$XDG_CACHE_HOME"/nv`
dict
Docker			`export DOCKER_CONFIG="$XDG_CONFIG_HOME"/docker`

DOSBox
	`~/.dub`	v1.30.0-beta.1	Dub uses the `~/.dub` directory for both user settings and caching downloaded packages. The directory can only be moved as a whole, using .
Electrum Bitcoin Wallet		c121230
ELinks			`export ELINKS_CONFDIR="$XDG_CONFIG_HOME"/elinks`
		afaf889	Elixir do not fully conform to XDG specs, it will use XDG only if the environment variables are present, otherwise it will by default use legacy path.
Elm
			`export FCEUX_HOME="$XDG_CONFIG_HOME"/fceux`. Fceux will create directory inside .
FFmpeg
flutter^AUR	, ,
	`~/.fzf.bash, ~/.fzf.zsh`		The shell init files will be installed to if the installation script is called with for example .
	, , , `~/.emscripten_cache__last_clear`		, `export EM_CACHE="$XDG_CACHE_HOME"/emscripten/cache`, ,

getmail
			Supported upstream from 9.4.1 , but as of 2022-09-24 Arch package is 9.0.2 and not yet up-to-date.
ghcup-hs-bin^AUR			The environment variable can be set to any non-empty value. See .
gliv^AUR

GnuPG			, `gpg2 --homedir "$XDG_DATA_HOME"/gnupg` Note that this currently does not work out-of-the-box using systemd user units and socket-based activation, since the socket directory changes based on the hash of . You can get the new socket directory using and have to modify the systemd user units to listen on the correct sockets accordingly.
Go
Google Earth			Some paths can be changed with the `KMLPath` and options in
			Override settings in `~/.config/gopass/config.yml`:
			sets the download folder. `GPODDER_HOME` - where config and database files are stored, downloads also if is not set.
GQ LDAP client	,	1.51	, , `mkdir -p "$(dirname "$GQSTATE")"`
Gradle
GTK 1
GTK 2
	`~/.hledger.journal`
Houdini			`export HOUDINI_USER_PREF_DIR="$XDG_CACHE_HOME"/houdini__HVER__` The value of this variable must include the substring , which will be replaced at run time with the current version string.

IPFS
irb	`~/.irbrc`
irssi			`irssi --config="$XDG_CONFIG_HOME"/irssi/config --home="$XDG_DATA_HOME"/irssi`
isync
Java#OpenJDK
jupyter		5.0.0rc0	< v5.0.0: `export JUPYTER_CONFIG_DIR="$XDG_CONFIG_HOME"/jupyter` v5.0.0 <= < v6.0.0: (see ) >= v6.0.0: full support (via ) enabled by default
		0.20.4	`export K9SCONFIG="$XDG_CONFIG_HOME"/k9s`
KDE	,
	`~/.keychain`

			`export KSCRIPT_CACHE_DIR="$XDG_CACHE_HOME"/kscript`
ledger	,		`ledger --init-file "$XDG_CONFIG_HOME"/ledgerrc`
Leiningen	,		to change the m2 repo location used by leiningen look here: Leiningen#m2_repo_location

	`~/.ICEauthority`		Make sure `XDG_CACHE_HOME` is set beforehand to directory user running Xorg has write access to. Do not use `XDG_RUNTIME_DIR` as it is available after login. Display managers that launch Xorg (like GDM) will repeatedly fail otherwise.
libx11	,		`export XCOMPOSEFILE="$XDG_CONFIG_HOME"/X11/xcompose`,


m17n-db	`~/.m17n.d`
			However, no way to change the location of this configuration file.
			and set `<localRepository>` as appropriate in settings.xml
Mathematica
			`export MAXIMA_USERDIR="$XDG_CONFIG_HOME"/maxima`

			`export MINIKUBE_HOME="$XDG_DATA_HOME"/minikube` Creates a further directory in for whatever reason.
	`~/.mitmproxy`		,
MOC			,
monero
	`~/.mostrc`
MPlayer
			`export MYPY_CACHE_DIR="$XDG_CACHE_HOME"/mypy`
MySQL	, ,		`~/.my.cnf` only supported for mysql-server, not mysql-client unsupported
			You can run MySQL Workbench with the flag, such as . The directory needs to be created manually, since MySQL Workbench default location is .
ncurses			Precludes system path searching: ,
n
			`ncmpc -f "$XDG_CONFIG_HOME"/ncmpc/config`
Netbeans
Node.js
npm	,		is unnecessary (and unsupported) if Node.js is installed by nvm^AUR. If you want to configure this system-wide, the file to edit is , not . You can confirm that the config is loaded by running
	`~/.opam`		Both configuration and state data are stored in , so this solution is not fully compliant.
			Add the line `store-dir=${XDG_DATA_HOME}/pnpm-store` to your .
PuTTY		9952b2d	Will use if it already exists. Creates if not. Prioritises if both exist. Tested in 0.74
			`export NUGET_PACKAGES="$XDG_CACHE_HOME"/NuGetPackages`
NVIDIA			Uses `XDG_CACHE_HOME` if set, otherwise improperly falls back to instead of .

nvm^AUR			`export NVM_DIR="$XDG_DATA_HOME"/nvm`
Octave	, ,		, `export OCTAVE_SITE_INITFILE="$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/octave/octaverc"` The option must be given an absolute path.
	`~/.OpenSCAD`	7c3077b0f	Does not fully honour XDG Base Directory Specification, see Currently it hard-codes .
OpenSSL			Seeding file 's location can be set with environment variable per FAQ.
	`~/.parallel`	20170422
pass
Pidgin
PostgreSQL	`~/.psqlrc`, , ,	9.2	, , `export PGPASSFILE="$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/pg/pgpass"`, It is required to create both directories:
PulseAudio			Very likely generated by the module. It can be configured to use a different location but it makes much more sense to just comment out this module in or `"$XDG_CONFIG_HOME"/pulse/default.pa`.

	`~/.azure`

			`export PYTHON_EGG_CACHE="$XDG_CACHE_HOME"/python-eggs`
	,		`export PLTUSERHOME="$XDG_DATA_HOME"/racket`


readline	`~/.inputrc`

redis	`~/.rediscli_history`,		,

rlwrap
			`export SOLARGRAPH_CACHE=$XDG_CACHE_HOME/solargraph`
Rust#Rustup
			`sbt -ivy "$XDG_DATA_HOME"/ivy2 -sbt-dir "$XDG_DATA_HOME"/sbt` (beware )
SageMath
GNU Screen
	`~/.ssr/`	0.4.3	Will use ONLY if it already was created otherwise defaults to
spacemacs	, `~/.spacemacs.d`		Move the file. , Other files need to be configured like Emacs.
Haskell#Stack
	, `~/.cache/starship`	(v0.2.0), (v0.45.0)	,
subversion			`alias svn="svn --config-dir \"$XDG_CONFIG_HOME\"/subversion"`
		1.9.6	Only present when activated at compile-time (default none). An admin_flag parameter can be used in /etc/sudoers since 1.9.6.
	,		Fully supported in version 2.6 (note $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/task/taskrc must exist, otherwise taskwarrior will offer to create sample config in legacy $HOME/.taskrc location, even if $XDG_CONFIG_HOME is set )
Local TeX Live TeXmf tree, TeXmf caches and config	, ,		`export TEXMFHOME=$XDG_DATA_HOME/texmf`, ,
TeXmacs
tiptop^AUR			This will still expect the file.
			`export TRAVIS_CONFIG_PATH=$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/travis`

Unison			`export UNISON="$XDG_DATA_HOME"/unison`

urxvtd			`export RXVT_SOCKET="$XDG_RUNTIME_DIR"/urxvtd`
Vagrant	,		,
virtualenv			`export WORKON_HOME="$XDG_DATA_HOME/virtualenvs"`
Visual Studio Code			You can use , which is not documented and might break unexpectedly. Setting this makes the editor look for the contents of in . You can also run Visual Studio with the flag, such as `code --extensions-dir "$XDG_DATA_HOME/vscode"`. This is documented and probably will not break as unexpectedly, as it is .
			You can run VSCodium with the flag, such as . This however won't prevent the creation of directory.
wakatime	, , ,		The directory needs to be created manually `mkdir "$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/wakatime"`
wget	,		and add the following as an alias for wget: , or set the variable with an absolute path as wgetrc does not support environment variables:
wine	`~/.wine`		Winetricks uses XDG-alike location below for WINEPREFIX management: ,
xbindkeys	`~/.xbindkeysrc`
			Note that LightDM does not allow you to change this variable. If you change it nonetheless, you will not be able to login. Use startx instead or configure LightDM. According to SLiM has hardcoded. The SDDM Xauthority path can be changed in its own configuration files as shown below. Unfortunately, it is relative to the home directory.
xinit	, `~/.xserverrc`		, Note that these variables are respected by xinit, but not by startx. Instead, specify the filename as an argument:
	`~/.Xresources`,		Ultimately you should be using and since these resources are loaded via you can specify a path such as `xrdb -load ~/.config/X11/xresources`.
Xorg	, , ,		These can be added as part of your Xorg init script () or Xsession start script (which will often be based on ). Depending on where you have configured your , you made need to expand the paths yourself. # xsession start script USERXSESSION="$XDG_CACHE_HOME/X11/xsession" USERXSESSIONRC="$XDG_CACHE_HOME/X11/xsessionrc" ALTUSERXSESSION="$XDG_CACHE_HOME/X11/Xsession" ERRFILE="$XDG_CACHE_HOME/X11/xsession-errors" Unlike most other examples in this table, actual X11 init scripts will vary a lot between installations.
			`export _Z_DATA="$XDG_DATA_HOME/z"`
	, , ,	2d454b5

Hardcoded

Application	Legacy Path	Discussion	Notes
adb & Android Studio	`~/.android/`		Despite appearances otherwise, adb will always generate , though it will try keys in as well.
	`~/.aegisub/`
alpine	, , , , , ,		`alias alpine="alpine -p $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/alpine/pinerc"` In the above config file, some locations can be customized using options like and .
Ansible	`~/.ansible`
aMule
anthy
Apache Directory Studio
ARandR
Arduino	,	won't fix
arduino-cli			Specify the new directories used by Arduino CLI in arduino-cli.yaml as mentioned in the documentation here.
Avidemux
Bash	, , , `~/.bash_login`,	won't fix	`export HISTFILE="$XDG_STATE_HOME"/bash/history` can be sourced from a different location in . Specify as an alternative to for interactive shells.
Berkshelf

	`~/.cmake/`		Used for the user package registry , detailed in and the Package registry wiki page. Looks like it's hardcoded, for example in cmFindPackageCommand.cxx.
Cinnamon	`~/.cinnamon/`
			will set the directory in which is created. It was designed to simplify CI, but can be used here too.

ctags (universial-ctags)
CUPS
cVim
darcs	`~/.darcs/`
	,
dbus			Consider using , as it does not create or use this directory.
devede			Hardcoded here
Dia

dropbox
Eclipse			Option overrides but must be added to `"$ECLIPSE_HOME"/eclipse.ini"` rather than command line which means you must have write access to . (Arch Linux hard-codes in )
Fetchmail
Firefox	`~/.mozilla/`
Flatpak		won't fix
freesweep
			Following the XDG spec is planned for gftp.


GoldenDict	`~/.goldendict/`

	`~/.gramps/`		2022 Support XDG base directory specification (for next release Gramps 5.2 ) - Patch https://github.com/gramps-project/gramps/pull/1368



gtk-recordMyDesktop	`~/.gtk-recordmydesktop`


idris	`~/.idris`
		won't fix	You can move the Game install location in the app settings.
Jmol
	`~/.lbdbrc, ~/.lbdb/`
llpp			Added in 3ab86f0 but subsequently reverted in e253c9f1
Java OpenJDK
Java OpenJFX
	`~/.jgmenu-lockfile`
julia	, ,		The trailing is necessary. See `export JULIA_DEPOT_PATH="$XDG_DATA_HOME/julia:$JULIA_DEPOT_PATH"`

			Related Konan issue:
Kubernetes
	`~/.librewolf`
lldb	, `~/.lldbinit`
LMMS
mathomatic	,		History can be moved by using with the environment set appropriately.
Minecraft		won't fix
Minetest		won't fix
minicom			Upstream has a TODO entry for supporting configuration files under .
Mono
mongodb	`~/.mongorc.js`,		This Stack Overflow thread suggests a partial workaround using command-line switch .
			Like , many programs expect this file to be here. These include projects like curl (), ftp (), s-nail (), etc. While some of them offer alternative configurable locations, many do not such as w3m, wget and lftp.
nmcli	`~/.nmcli-history`		Hardcoded to
Networkmanager-openvpn
	`~/.utop-history`		There's an open PR to move to
OpenSSH		won't fix	Assumed to be present by many ssh daemons and clients such as DropBear and OpenSSH.
palemoon

	`~/.pcsxr`		A flag exists, but can only be set relative to `~/.pcsxr`.
perf			Hardcoded in tools/perf/util/config.c. Commit:
perl	,		Perl5's CPAN expects
	`~/.PortfolioPerformance/`
various shells and display managers

python	`~/.python_history`		All history from interactive sessions is saved to `~/.python_history` by default since version 3.4. This can still be customized the same way as in older versions (see this example), including to use a custom path or disable history saving. PYTHONPYCACHEPREFIX: PYTHONUSERBASE:
			The issues is for module

Qt Designer
RedNotebook	`~/.rednotebook`
Remarkable
		won't fix
Ren'Py	`~/.renpy`	won't fix
repo
rpm		Backlog	Workaround is to use --rcfile and --macros however this come with sideeffects.
SANE			creates a file there
sbcl			Note that this requires root privileges and will change the location of for all users. This can be mitigated by checking for an existing inside the form.
SeaMonkey	`~/.mozilla/seamonkey`
Signal Desktop			Currently keeps messages in
Snap
Solfege	, ,
SpamAssassin	`~/.spamassassin`
SQLite	,		,
Steam	`~/.steam`, ,		Many game engines (Unity 3D, Unreal) follow the specification, but then individual game publishers hardcode the paths in Steam Auto-Cloud causing game-saves to sync to the wrong directory.

TeamSpeak			`export TS3_CONFIG_DIR="$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/ts3client"`


Thunderbird	`~/.thunderbird/`
TigerVNC
tllocalmgr
			Use fork urlview-xdg-git^AUR instead. The fork will use
		won't fix
vim	, ,		Since 7.3.1178 vim will search for `~/.vim/vimrc` if is not found. environment variable will also affect Neovim. If separate configs for Vim and Neovim are desired then the following will be a better choice: export GVIMINIT='let $MYGVIMRC = !has("nvim") ? "$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/vim/gvimrc" : "$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/nvim/init.gvim" \| so $MYGVIMRC' export VIMINIT='let $MYVIMRC = !has("nvim") ? "$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/vim/vimrc" : "$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/nvim/init.vim" \| so $MYVIMRC' https://blog.joren.ga/vim-xdg https://tlvince.com/vim-respect-xdg
vimperator			`export VIMPERATOR_INIT=":source $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/vimperator/vimperatorrc"`


wpa_cli	`~/.wpa_cli_history`


xdg-utils			For some reason the script hard-codes . This is used by chromium among others. Bug discussion has moved to gitlab and PR with fix exists, however it is not merged yet.
xpdf
			For the directory , you may consider editing and modifying the section following the example config.
XVim2
YARD	`~/.yard`		Would accept Pull Request if anyone want to implement it.
zenmap
zoom^AUR			Unrecommended: setting the following variable moves the contents of .zoom but the directory itself always gets created. Moreover, it breaks some functionalities eg. being able to start a meeting.

zsh	, , `~/.zshenv`, , , , `~/.zcompdump`,		Consider exporting in `~/.zshenv` (this is hardcoded due to the bootstrap problem). You could also add this to and avoid the need for any dotfiles in your . Doing this however requires root privilege which may not be viable and is system-wide. /!\ The folder needs to exist

Libraries

C: libXDGdirs; libxdg-basedir; C99: Cloudef's simple implementation.

C++: xdg-utils-cxx; xdgpp

Go: adrg/xdg; go-appdir (deprecated, archived); configdir (deprecated, abandoned); kyoh86/xdg (deprecated, archived)

Haskell: Officially in directory since 1.2.3.0 ab9d0810ce.; xdg-basedir

JVM: Java, Kotlin, Clojure, Scala, ...; directories-jvm

Perl: File-BaseDir

Python: pyxdg

Ruby: bkuhlmann/xdg; rubyworks/xdg (deprecated, abandoned)

Rust: directories-rs; rust-xdg

Vala: Builtin support via GLib.Environment.; See get_user_cache_dir, , , etc.

gollark: Saying you can never be convinced of something is kind of bad in my opinion.

gollark: Because I'm very indecisive and it probably depends since healthcare encompasses a lot of stuff.

gollark: I'd say "maybe".

gollark: Yes, the US does seem to have excessive military spending.

gollark: I generally do not agree, personally, with making things "free" by pushing the costs onto other people.