Dropbox headless crashes “could not connect to display :1”

[simen1]

I installed dropbox from https://www.dropbox.com/install-linux as described to installed it headless. However when I try to run it I get the following error at the end ouf a list of outputs:

[simernes@simernes ~]$ dropbox start
Starting Dropbox...dropbox: locating interpreter
dropbox: logging to /tmp/dropbox-antifreeze-HaMTae
dropbox: initializing
dropbox: initializing python 3.7.2
dropbox: setting program path '/home/simernes/.dropbox-dist/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-76.4.126/dropbox'
dropbox: setting home path '/home/simernes/.dropbox-dist/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-76.4.126'
dropbox: setting python path '/home/simernes/.dropbox-dist/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-76.4.126:/home/simernes/.dropbox-dist/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-76.4.126/python-packages-37.zip'
dropbox: python initialized
dropbox: running dropbox
dropbox: setting args
dropbox: applying overrides
dropbox: running main script
dropbox: load fq extension '/home/simernes/.dropbox-dist/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-76.4.126/cryptography.hazmat.bindings._constant_time.cpython-37m-x86_64-linux-gnu.so'
dropbox: load fq extension '/home/simernes/.dropbox-dist/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-76.4.126/cryptography.hazmat.bindings._openssl.cpython-37m-x86_64-linux-gnu.so'
dropbox: load fq extension '/home/simernes/.dropbox-dist/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-76.4.126/cryptography.hazmat.bindings._padding.cpython-37m-x86_64-linux-gnu.so'
dropbox: load fq extension '/home/simernes/.dropbox-dist/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-76.4.126/psutil._psutil_linux.cpython-37m-x86_64-linux-gnu.so'
dropbox: load fq extension '/home/simernes/.dropbox-dist/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-76.4.126/psutil._psutil_posix.cpython-37m-x86_64-linux-gnu.so'
dropbox: load fq extension '/home/simernes/.dropbox-dist/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-76.4.126/linuxffi.pthread._linuxffi_pthread.cpython-37m-x86_64-linux-gnu.so'
dropbox: load fq extension '/home/simernes/.dropbox-dist/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-76.4.126/cpuid.compiled._cpuid.cpython-37m-x86_64-linux-gnu.so'
dropbox: load fq extension '/home/simernes/.dropbox-dist/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-76.4.126/apex._apex.cpython-37m-x86_64-linux-gnu.so'
dropbox: load fq extension '/home/simernes/.dropbox-dist/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-76.4.126/linuxffi.resolv.compiled._linuxffi_resolv.cpython-37m-x86_64-linux-gnu.so'
dropbox: load fq extension '/home/simernes/.dropbox-dist/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-76.4.126/tornado.speedups.cpython-37m-x86_64-linux-gnu.so'
dropbox: load fq extension '/home/simernes/.dropbox-dist/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-76.4.126/librsyncffi.compiled._librsyncffi.cpython-37m-x86_64-linux-gnu.so'
dropbox: load fq extension '/home/simernes/.dropbox-dist/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-76.4.126/linuxffi.sys.compiled._linuxffi_sys.cpython-37m-x86_64-linux-gnu.so'
dropbox: load fq extension '/home/simernes/.dropbox-dist/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-76.4.126/posixffi.libc._posixffi_libc.cpython-37m-x86_64-linux-gnu.so'
dropbox: load fq extension '/home/simernes/.dropbox-dist/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-76.4.126/linuxffi.gnu.compiled._linuxffi_gnu.cpython-37m-x86_64-linux-gnu.so'
dropbox: load fq extension '/home/simernes/.dropbox-dist/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-76.4.126/PyQt5.QtCore.cpython-37m-x86_64-linux-gnu.so'
dropbox: load fq extension '/home/simernes/.dropbox-dist/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-76.4.126/PyQt5.QtGui.cpython-37m-x86_64-linux-gnu.so'
dropbox: load fq extension '/home/simernes/.dropbox-dist/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-76.4.126/PyQt5.QtWidgets.cpython-37m-x86_64-linux-gnu.so'
dropbox: load fq extension '/home/simernes/.dropbox-dist/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-76.4.126/PyQt5.QtNetwork.cpython-37m-x86_64-linux-gnu.so'
dropbox: load fq extension '/home/simernes/.dropbox-dist/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-76.4.126/PyQt5.QtDBus.cpython-37m-x86_64-linux-gnu.so'
No protocol specified
b'!! (Qt:Fatal) QXcbConnection: Could not connect to display :1'
Dropbox isn't running!
Done!

I previously had installed Dropbox from the dropbox repository, but I want to run dropbox in a headless user at startup, so I deleted the previously created ~/.dropbox and ~/.dropbox-dist .

Anything I can do? The end goal is that I can run Dropbox as a headless daemon at startup, possibly in a @reboot entry in crontab.

Thanks in advance!

[Walter]

Hey there @simen1 - how are you today?

From what I understand you'd like to run a headless installation of our desktop application on your Linux machine - am I correct?

If that's the case and you’d like to run the Dropbox app “headless” (using the command line only), you only need the Dropbox app essential requirements. Then you can install the app and use the Linux Command Line Interface (CLI) to control the desktop app.

Note that when you're running Dropbox on your server for the first time, you'll be asked to copy and paste a link in a working browser to create a new account or add your server to an existing account. Once you do, your Dropbox folder will be created in your home directory. Download this Python script to control Dropbox from the command line. For easy access, you can put a symlink to the script anywhere in your PATH.

More information about this can be found here:

https://help.dropbox.com/installs-integrations/desktop/system-requirements

Let me know how it goes!

[simen1 · Accepted solution]

Thanks, the python script is definitely helpful, but it's not help with the problem that I had.

The issue has been resolved on askubuntu, so if anyone else has the problem check it out here https://askubuntu.com/questions/1157552/dropbox-headless-crashes-could-not-connect-to-display-1/1157...