notify2
Python interface to DBus notifications
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you are maintaining legacy Python 2/3 code on Linux that already uses notify2 or pynotify and need minimal notification support. No, if you are starting a new project—the package is abandoned and will not receive security or compatibility updates. Consider alternatives if you need active maintenance or support for modern Python versions.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires a running DBus session and a notification server (typically provided by the desktop environment on Linux).
- Package is abandoned as of 2017-04-28 with no recent maintenance.
- Install friction is low (pure Python, no runtime dependencies), but the lack of active development means security issues and compatibility problems with modern Python or desktop environments will not be addressed.
License · maintenance · safety
permissive license (permissive) — Licensed under BSD (permissive), so you can use, modify, and distribute it freely with minimal restrictions.
last release 2017-04-28 (3395 days)
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 175,932 downloads/mo, #10,258 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install notify2
import notify2
notify2.init('app name')
n = notify2.Notification('Summary', 'Body text', 'notification-message-im')
n.show()- Whether notify2 works reliably with modern Python versions (3.9+) given the 2017 last release date.
- Current compatibility with contemporary desktop notification servers and DBus implementations.
- Whether the package's callback mechanism still works with modern Gtk 3 and Qt 4 versions.
What it is and what it does
notify2 is a pure-Python library for sending desktop notifications through DBus, the standard notification mechanism on Linux and other freedesktop-compliant systems. It replaces the older pynotify library and provides a simpler, more direct interface to the notifications server without requiring gobject bindings. You initialize it once with your application name, then create Notification objects with a summary, body text, and optional icon, and call show() to display them.
The package supports callbacks for user interactions with notifications if you tell it about your event loop (by passing 'glib' or 'qt' to init), making it suitable for desktop applications that need to respond to notification clicks or dismissals. However, the project has been abandoned since 2017 with no active maintenance, so it may have compatibility issues with modern Python versions or contemporary desktop environments.
Use it for
- Send system notifications from a Python desktop or server application running on Linux.
- Display user alerts or status updates in the notification area without requiring a GUI window.
- Handle notification callbacks in Gtk 3 or Qt 4 applications to respond to user clicks.
- Replace pynotify in legacy applications while maintaining DBus-based notification delivery.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you are maintaining legacy Python 2/3 code on Linux that already uses notify2 or pynotify and need minimal notification support.
No, if you are starting a new project—the package is abandoned and will not receive security or compatibility updates. Consider alternatives if you need active maintenance or support for modern Python versions.
Install
notify2 on PyPI
Before you install
Package is abandoned as of 2017-04-28 with no recent maintenance. Install friction is low (pure Python, no runtime dependencies), but the lack of active development means security issues and compatibility problems with modern Python or desktop environments will not be addressed.
Requires a running DBus session and a notification server (typically provided by the desktop environment on Linux).
License in practice
Licensed under BSD (permissive), so you can use, modify, and distribute it freely with minimal restrictions.
Quickstart
pip install notify2
import notify2
notify2.init('app name')
n = notify2.Notification('Summary', 'Body text', 'notification-message-im')
n.show()Verify before relying
- Whether notify2 works reliably with modern Python versions (3.9+) given the 2017 last release date.
- Current compatibility with contemporary desktop notification servers and DBus implementations.
- Whether the package's callback mechanism still works with modern Gtk 3 and Qt 4 versions.
Package facts
| License | permissive license permissive |
| Python support | Not specified |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Abandoned 3,395 days since the last release |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 175,932 / month, #10,258 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | License :: OSI Approved :: BSD LicenseProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 2Programming Language :: Python :: 3Topic :: Desktop EnvironmentTopic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Python Modules |
Evidence: notify2-0.3.1-py2.py3-none-any.whl
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See also desktop-notifier · notify_py · dbus-next · dbus-python · infi.systray · pystray · notifiers · streamlit-notify · PyGObject · dbus-fast