🖥️ x-resize

If you install any Linux system with the XFCE or MATE desktop environment in KVM using VirtManager, install Spice Agent and QEMU Guest Agent, and configure everything correctly, but the screen scaling still doesn't work after hours of Googling and making configuration changes, you almost start crying, you will be relieved to come across this repository. Wipe away your tears and sweat, read on, and you won't be disappointed!

💡 What it does

x-resize automatically adjusts your guest screen resolution when you resize the Virt-Manager window.

This repo provides three installers, kept stylistically consistent:

• Kali XFCE: dynamic resize + absolute pointer fix (evdev calibration).
• Parrot MATE: simple and fast RandR auto-resize.
• Generic XFCE/MATE (Xorg): portable RandR auto-resize (no evdev tweaks).

🧩 Requirements

Make sure your VM guest (Kali / Parrot / Debian / Ubuntu / etc.) has:

• spice-vdagent
• qemu-guest-agent
• SPICE channel added in Virt-Manager (com.redhat.spice.0)
• In Virt-Manager window:
  ✔️ View → Auto resize VM with window = ON
  ✔️ View → Scale Display = ON

Works on Xorg. The scripts exit cleanly if a desktop ever switches to Wayland.

⚙️ Install (choose your desktop)

🐉 Kali Linux (XFCE) with evdev calibration

Recommended for 2025 builds.

Run the following as your normal user:

wget -O setup-x-resize-xfce-kali.sh https://raw.githubusercontent.com/h0ek/x-resize/refs/heads/main/setup-x-resize-xfce-kali.sh
chmod +x setup-x-resize-xfce-kali.sh
./setup-x-resize-xfce-kali.sh

🪄 This script:

• Installs (if missing): x11-xserver-utils, x11-utils, xinput, xserver-xorg-input-evdev
• Creates:
  • ~/.local/bin/x-resize-xfce
  • ~/.config/systemd/user/x-resize-xfce.service
  • /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/70-tablet-evdev.conf (maps QEMU/SPICE tablets to evdev in Absolute mode)
• On each resize:
  • Runs xrandr --auto
  • Reads current WxH
  • Sets Evdev Axis Calibration (0..W-1, 0..H-1) to keep the pointer perfectly aligned
  • Applies a no-op transform to force Xorg to re-evaluate maps
• Enables a systemd user service (autostarts after login)

After install: log out/in (or reboot) so Xorg loads the evdev InputClass.

🦜 Parrot OS (MATE)

Run as your normal user:

wget -O setup-x-resize-mate.sh https://raw.githubusercontent.com/h0ek/x-resize/refs/heads/main/setup-x-resize-mate.sh
chmod +x setup-x-resize-mate.sh
./setup-x-resize-mate.sh

🪄 This script:

• Installs (if missing): x11-xserver-utils, x11-utils
• Creates:
  • ~/.local/bin/mate-x-autoresize
  • ~/.config/systemd/user/mate-x-autoresize.service
• On each resize: xrandr --auto on the active output
• Exits cleanly on Wayland
• Enables a systemd user service

🐧 Generic XFCE / MATE on Xorg (Debian/Ubuntu/etc.)

Run as your normal user:

wget -O setup-x-resize-xfce.sh https://raw.githubusercontent.com/h0ek/x-resize/refs/heads/main/setup-x-resize-xfce.sh
chmod +x setup-x-resize-xfce.sh
./setup-x-resize-xfce.sh

🪄 This script:

• Installs (if missing): x11-xserver-utils, x11-utils
• Creates:
  • ~/.local/bin/x-resize
  • ~/.config/systemd/user/x-resize.service
• On each resize: xrandr --auto on the active output
• No device reconfiguration (portable, minimal)
• Enables a systemd user service

🔍 How to check that it works

After installation:

systemctl --user status x-resize-xfce         # Kali XFCE variant
systemctl --user status mate-x-autoresize     # Parrot MATE variant
systemctl --user status x-resize              # Generic variant

Expected output:

Active: active (running)

Live logs:

journalctl --user -u x-resize-xfce -f
journalctl --user -u mate-x-autoresize -f
journalctl --user -u x-resize -f

On resize you should see e.g.:

[x-resize-xfce] xrandr --output Virtual-1 --auto
[x-resize-xfce] Calibrate QEMU QEMU USB Tablet -> 1809x1055

---

📜 What exactly is created

Variant	File / Package	Purpose
Kali XFCE	~/.local/bin/x-resize-xfce	RandR listener + evdev axis calibration per resize
Kali XFCE	~/.config/systemd/user/x-resize-xfce.service	systemd user unit
Kali XFCE	/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/70-tablet-evdev.conf	Force SPICE/QEMU tablets to evdev (Absolute)
Kali XFCE	xserver-xorg-input-evdev	Required to expose Evdev Axis Calibration
Parrot MATE	~/.local/bin/mate-x-autoresize	RandR listener (xrandr --auto)
Parrot MATE	~/.config/systemd/user/mate-x-autoresize.service	systemd user unit
Generic	~/.local/bin/x-resize	RandR listener (xrandr --auto)
Generic	~/.config/systemd/user/x-resize.service	systemd user unit
All	x11-xserver-utils, x11-utils, xinput (Kali variant)	Installed if missing

🧠 Troubleshooting

1. Session must be Xorg:

   echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE   # should be x11

2. SPICE agent running:

   pgrep -a spice-vdagent

3. SPICE channel exists:

   ls -l /dev/virtio-ports | grep com.redhat.spice.0

4. Manual test:

   OUT="$(xrandr | awk '/ connected primary/{print $1;exit} / connected/{print $1;exit}')"
   xrandr --output "$OUT" --auto

5. Pointer offset on Kali XFCE (odd modes like 1809x1055):

   • Use the Kali XFCE installer (evdev). It calibrates:
     Evdev Axis Calibration = 0..W-1, 0..H-1 after each resize.

   • Verify props after a resize:

     for d in "QEMU QEMU USB Tablet" "spice vdagent tablet"; do
       xinput --list-props "$d" | grep -E "Evdev Axis Calibration|Evdev Axis Inversion"
     done

🧰 Service management

Check service status:

systemctl --user status x-resize-xfce
systemctl --user status mate-x-autoresize
systemctl --user status x-resize

Restart:

systemctl --user restart x-resize-xfce
systemctl --user restart mate-x-autoresize
systemctl --user restart x-resize

Stop:

systemctl --user stop x-resize-xfce
systemctl --user stop mate-x-autoresize
systemctl --user stop x-resize

Disable (uninstall):

# Kali XFCE
systemctl --user disable --now x-resize-xfce
rm -f ~/.config/systemd/user/x-resize-xfce.service ~/.local/bin/x-resize-xfce
systemctl --user daemon-reload

# Parrot MATE
systemctl --user disable --now mate-x-autoresize
rm -f ~/.config/systemd/user/mate-x-autoresize.service ~/.local/bin/mate-x-autoresize
systemctl --user daemon-reload

# Generic
systemctl --user disable --now x-resize
rm -f ~/.config/systemd/user/x-resize.service ~/.local/bin/x-resize
systemctl --user daemon-reload

The Kali variant also installs /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/70-tablet-evdev.conf. Remove it only if you know you won’t need evdev calibration anymore:

sudo rm -f /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/70-tablet-evdev.conf

🧑‍💻 Credits & Inspiration

The solution is based on modifying and adapting what other people smarter than me have come up with:

• https://superuser.com/questions/1183834/no-auto-resize-with-spice-and-virt-manager
• https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/117083/how-to-get-the-list-of-all-active-x-sessions-and-owners-of-them
• https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/xorg/app/xrandr/-/issues/71
• https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/614027/how-to-enable-automatic-change-of-guest-resolution-to-fit-boxes-window
• https://nodal-notebook.aria-network.com/technical_advice/auto-adjusting-screen-resolutions-kvm-qemu-udev-spice/
• https://gitlab.xfce.org/xfce/xfce4-settings/-/issues/142
• https://gitlab.com/apteryks/x-resize
• https://github.com/seife/spice-autorandr
• https://logos-red.com/blog/how-to-fix-kali-linux-qemu-resize-issue/

🔎 Tested

Distribution	Version	Kernel	Desktop environment
Parrot OS	6.4	6.12.x	MATE 1.26
Kali Linux	2025.3	6.12.x	XFCE 4.20
Whonix	17.4.4.6	6.12.x	XFCE 4.20
Debian	13.1	6.12.x	XFCE 4.20