boot-inspect

Boot Inspect

Systematic boot-time inspection. Run these in order; stop when you find the cause.

1. Failed units (the cheapest signal)

systemctl --failed --no-pager

For each failed unit, get its log:

journalctl -u <unit> -b --no-pager -p warning

Also check user-scope units (Wayland desktop session services often live here):

systemctl --user --failed --no-pager

2. Boot timing

systemd-analyze
systemd-analyze blame --no-pager | head -20
systemd-analyze critical-chain --no-pager

blame shows per-unit start time. critical-chain shows the dependency path that determined total boot time — fixing the slowest unit on the chain is what actually shortens boot.

3. Kernel ring buffer for this boot

dmesg --level=err,warn --ctime
journalctl -k -b -p warning --no-pager

Look for: firmware errors, ACPI warnings, GPU driver issues (especially relevant on Wayland — amdgpu/i915/nvidia messages), thermal events, USB errors.

4. Compare to previous boot

If a regression appeared after a recent reboot:

journalctl --list-boots --no-pager | head -10
journalctl -k -b -1 -p warning --no-pager > /tmp/prev-boot.log
journalctl -k -b 0 -p warning --no-pager > /tmp/curr-boot.log
diff /tmp/prev-boot.log /tmp/curr-boot.log

Requires persistent journald. If --list-boots only shows one entry, run validate-persistent-journal.

5. Display manager + Wayland session (desktop-specific)

For KDE Plasma on Wayland:

journalctl -u sddm -b --no-pager -p warning
journalctl --user -t plasmashell -b --no-pager -p warning
journalctl --user -t kwin_wayland -b --no-pager -p warning

For GNOME on Wayland:

journalctl -u gdm -b --no-pager -p warning
journalctl --user -t gnome-shell -b --no-pager -p warning

Reporting

Structure findings as:

• Boot time: total + slowest 3 units
• Failures: each failed unit with its key log line
• Kernel concerns: errors/warnings from dmesg, grouped by subsystem
• Regression vs previous boot: yes/no, and diff summary if yes