systemd-tmpfiles is used both during boot and on a timer, but those invocations do different jobs. Boot-time services apply setup rules to create and remove configured paths; a separate clean service, triggered by a timer, handles age-based cleanup. The timer’s cadence depends on the effective unit configuration on your system.
What runs at boot, and what runs on a timer?
systemd-tmpfiles is the utility; its command-line operation determines what it does. The systemd manual gives this boot example: “For example, during boot the following command line is executed to ensure that all temporary and volatile directories are removed and created according to the configuration file:” The command is systemd-tmpfiles --remove --create. These operations apply configured removal and creation rules; they are distinct from age-based cleaning.
| Operation | What it does | Typical invocation |
|---|---|---|
--create |
Creates configured files and directories. | Boot-time setup service |
--remove |
Removes paths specified by applicable configuration rules. | Boot-time setup service |
--clean |
Applies age-based cleanup to configured paths that have an age parameter. | systemd-tmpfiles-clean.service, associated with systemd-tmpfiles-clean.timer |
For exact unit definitions and command behavior, see the systemd-tmpfiles manual and the systemd-tmpfiles-clean service and timer documentation.
When does systemd clean /tmp?
There are two relevant policies: boot-time rules and age-based cleanup. A configured rule may remove or recreate a path during boot; age-based cleanup is performed through the clean service and its timer. Whether a particular file in /tmp is removed, and when, depends on the applicable tmpfiles rules and the system’s unit configuration.
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The Filesystem Hierarchy Standard recommends deleting files and directories in /tmp whenever the system boots, while allowing site-specific deletion policies. That is a recommendation, not a requirement that establishes identical behavior on every Linux distribution. The standard also says that /var/tmp must not be deleted at boot and is intended to retain temporary data across reboots. These filesystem policies do not, by themselves, tell you the exact tmpfiles rules installed by your distribution.
Read the FHS guidance for /tmp and /var/tmp.
How often does systemd-tmpfiles-clean run?
There is no single interval to assume for every host. The timer is the scheduling mechanism, but its effective schedule can be changed by distribution-provided settings or local overrides. To answer for a particular machine, inspect its installed systemd-tmpfiles-clean.timer unit and any overrides rather than relying on a generic interval quoted elsewhere.
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Which rules apply: system or user?
System services read system tmpfiles configuration controlled by the administrator. User services use a separate set of user tmpfiles configuration, so the relevant behavior depends on whether the system or a user instance is running the utility and which rules apply. See the tmpfiles.d documentation.
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