winget install --id=thereisnotime.xxUSBSentinel -e Map any USB device as a kill-switch key. When it is removed while the sentinel is armed, the machine shuts down immediately. Designed to make recovering encrypted drive keys as hard as possible if someone physically seizes your machine.
| Category | Status |
|---|---|
| CI |   |
| Release |   |
| Distribution |   |
| Quality |    |
| License |  |
| Platform |   |
| Stack |       |
USB kill-switch for Linux and Windows. Map any USB device as a key. When it is removed while the sentinel is armed, the machine shuts down immediately. Designed to make recovering encrypted drive keys as hard as possible if someone physically seizes your machine.
> ⚠️ Warning: This tool does not encrypt your data. Use full-disk encryption (LUKS, VeraCrypt, BitLocker) alongside it.
| Main window (armed) | System tray |
|---|---|
 |  |
# Install system dependencies (Debian/Ubuntu)
sudo apt install libusb-1.0-0-dev libxdo-dev pkg-config \
libgtk-3-dev libxkbcommon-dev libgles2-mesa-dev \
libwayland-dev libxrandr-dev libxi-dev libxcursor-dev
# Clone and install
git clone git@github.com:thereisnotime/xxUSBSentinel.git
cd xxUSBSentinel
just install # builds release and copies to ~/.local/bin
TAG=$(curl -fsSL https://api.github.com/repos/thereisnotime/xxUSBSentinel/releases/latest | grep -o '"tag_name":"[^"]*"' | cut -d'"' -f4)
curl -fsSL "https://github.com/thereisnotime/xxUSBSentinel/releases/download/${TAG}/xxusbsentinel-${TAG}-linux-x86_64" -o ~/.local/bin/xxusbsentinel
chmod +x ~/.local/bin/xxusbsentinel
Or grab the binary directly from the Releases page.
Download xxusbsentinel-vX.Y.Z-windows-x86_64.exe from the Releases page and run it directly — no extraction needed.
PowerShell one-liner:
$tag = (Invoke-RestMethod https://api.github.com/repos/thereisnotime/xxUSBSentinel/releases/latest).tag_name
Invoke-WebRequest "https://github.com/thereisnotime/xxUSBSentinel/releases/download/$tag/xxusbsentinel-$tag-windows-x86_64.exe" -OutFile xxusbsentinel.exe
.\xxusbsentinel.exe
Package managers — Chocolatey and WinGet support coming soon.
| Configuration | Config file reference — all fields and defaults |
| Hooks | Run scripts on USB events |
| Advanced | Autostart, systemd service, headless usage |
See CONTRIBUTING.md for development setup, common tasks, and PR guidelines.
See ROADMAP.md for planned features and ideas.
| Platform | Status |
|---|---|
| Linux (X11 / Wayland) | Supported |
| Windows 10/11 | Supported |
PolyForm Noncommercial License 1.0.0 - free for personal and non-commercial use. Commercial use is prohibited.