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I have a short Python script that needs to run at startup - Ubuntu 13.10. I have tried everything I can think of but can't get it to run. The script:

#!/usr/bin/python
import time
with open("/home/username/Desktop/startup.txt", 'a') as f:
    f.write(str(time.time()) + " It worked!")

(The actual script is a bit different, as I'm just using this for testing purposes, but you get the idea.)

I've tried all of the following, with no luck:

  • Put the command python startuptest.py in crontab, as @reboot python /home/username/Documents/startuptest.py, both as the regular user and as sudo

  • Put the command python /home/username/Documents/startuptest.py in /etc/rc.local

  • Opened Ubuntu's Startup Applications and put the command there

  • Done all of the preceding, putting the command into a shell script and calling that shell script instead

Nothing works. I get the feeling I'm missing something simple. Any ideas? (The script runs fine if I just run the command from a terminal.)

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6
  • On /etc/rc.local, did you try to give the full python path there? And add a simple '/usr/bin/date >> /tmp/date.stamp' to rc.local for checking if the script is run. Commented Jul 1, 2014 at 20:19
  • 1
    Can you verify rc.local has +x privileges? What happens if you just try and run /etc/rc.local after startup with the Python script included? Commented Jul 1, 2014 at 20:19
  • 1
    with crontab you don't get your environment setup so it probably can't find python try qualifying python using the whole path /usr/bin/python or similar Commented Jul 1, 2014 at 20:24
  • rc.local has +x privileges; if I run it after startup the scripts runs. Still no dice on startup, though. Commented Jul 1, 2014 at 20:54
  • 1
    Robert - using /usr/bin/python in crontab seems to work. Thank you! Commented Jul 1, 2014 at 20:56

6 Answers 6

Reset to default
59

Instructions

  • Copy the python file to /bin:

    sudo cp -i /path/to/your_script.py /bin

  • Add A New Cron Job:

    sudo crontab -e

    Scroll to the bottom and add the following line (after all the #'s):

    @reboot python /bin/your_script.py &

    The “&” at the end of the line means the command is run in the background and it won’t stop the system booting up.

  • Test it:

    sudo reboot

Practical example:

  • Add this file to your Desktop: test_code.py (run it to check that it works for you)

    from os.path import expanduser
import datetime

file = open(expanduser("~") + '/Desktop/HERE.txt', 'w')
file.write("It worked!\n" + str(datetime.datetime.now()))
file.close()

  • Run the following commands:

    sudo cp -i ~/Desktop/test_code.py /bin

    sudo crontab -e

  • Add the following line and save it:

    @reboot python /bin/test_code.py &

  • Now reboot your computer and you should find a new file on your Desktop: HERE.txt

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8 Comments

Is /bin the only place where a python script can be run?
It needs to be in a directory where scripts run as root when the system starts. So for example inside /boot or /etc ... should also work.
I think stackoverflow.com/a/25805612/1964109 is simpler and more elegant. Using crontab feels so 2000.
@MaxN yeah, you are right. Anyway, crontab has some really nice features as, for example, you can make the script run at specific times.
When using crontab -e, the file gets saved in /tmp folder. Is that normal? Shouldn't such a file be saved in a more reliable folder like /usr or /home or /etc or /opt? Why is it stored in /tmp? It's not some temporary file that I'm creating. Couldn't it be saved in some other folder?
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37

Put this in /etc/init (Use /etc/systemd in Ubuntu 15.x)

mystartupscript.conf

start on runlevel [2345]
stop on runlevel [!2345]

exec /path/to/script.py

By placing this conf file there you hook into ubuntu's upstart service that runs services on startup.

manual starting/stopping is done with sudo service mystartupscript start and sudo service mystartupscript stop

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7 Comments

mystartupscript.conf: unrecognized service
@ProGirlXOXO Ubuntu 15.x switched from /etc/init to /etc/systemd
it is really helpful ..bt stop is not working ....when i was doing ==>sudo service startpy stop ...it is giving me an error like this ===> stop: Unknown instance: .... can u tell me what is the problem??
@SudipDas then it was not running. Either it completed ok on its own, or there is an error in the startup script that prevents it from running. Logfiles are at /var/log/upstart/[servicename]. Or you can run the command after exec in a terminal to see what happens.
I got this error: Failed to start mystartupscript.service: Unit notifyIP.service not found.
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22

If you are on Ubuntu you don't need to write any other code except your Python file's code , Here are the Steps :-

  • Open Dash (The First Icon In Sidebar).
  • Then type Startup Applications and open that app.
  • Here Click the Add Button on the right.
  • There fill in the details and in the command area browse for your Python File and click Ok.
  • Test it by Restarting System . Done . Enjoy !!
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4 Comments

by far the best method on ubuntu
What if the python script is running on virtualenv ? ie ; if you have to activate virutualenv before running the script ?
In Lubuntu I had to add python /path/to/script.py & to the Default Applications in LXSession. The & is running the script in background. Check if running with ps ax | grep python.
although, if sudo is required, it might not work
14

Create file ~/.config/autostart/MyScript.desktop with 

[Desktop Entry]
Encoding=UTF-8
Name=MyScript
Comment=MyScript
Icon=gnome-info
Exec=python /home/your_path/script.py
Terminal=false
Type=Application
Categories=

X-GNOME-Autostart-enabled=true
X-GNOME-Autostart-Delay=0

It helps me!

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5 Comments

I tried this in Ubuntu it was working perfectly but I tried it in orange Pi it is not working. There was no ~/.config/autostart/ directory. I created first and did same as mentioned above but it did not work. Any solution
The "autostart" directory in .config does not exist on my ubuntu system. Ubuntu 18.04.5 LTS (Bionic Beaver)
@cheesus I wonder if apt install gnome-tweaks would create it for you? I'm also on 18.04 and I do have the folder which contains a couple *.desktop files which I know I added through the Tweaks GUI as startup applications
Similar end result as @Aditya Argawal's answer above, just via the CLI instead of GUI
This is the only thing that worked for me! All other suggestion in other discussion threads failed. I had almost given up and was trying to add a desktop icon. Thanks a lot!
2

nano /etc/rc.local

and edit in

python ~/path-to-script.py

worked for me

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Comments

1

In similar situations, I've done well by putting something like the following into /etc/rc.local:

cd /path/to/my/script
./my_script.py &
cd -
echo `date +%Y-%b-%d_%H:%M:%S` > /tmp/ran_rc_local  # check that rc.local ran

This has worked on multiple versions of Fedora and on Ubuntu 14.04 LTS, for both python and perl scripts.

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1 Comment

I have tried the method here posted by jazcap53 as well as a version of the one here by RickyA and another one in which I modified the /etc/rc.local file. My pyhton script works to create the HERE.txt file but in none of these cases does it make that file on reboot.

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