<varlistentry>
<term><varname>PIDFile=</varname></term>
- <listitem><para>Takes a path referring to the PID file of the service. Usage of this option is recommended for
- services where <varname>Type=</varname> is set to <option>forking</option>. The path specified typically points
- to a file below <filename>/run/</filename>. If a relative path is specified it is hence prefixed with
- <filename>/run/</filename>. The service manager will read the PID of the main process of the service from this
- file after start-up of the service. The service manager will not write to the file configured here, although it
- will remove the file after the service has shut down if it still exists. The PID file does not need to be owned
- by a privileged user, but if it is owned by an unprivileged user additional safety restrictions are enforced:
- the file may not be a symlink to a file owned by a different user (neither directly nor indirectly), and the
- PID file must refer to a process already belonging to the service.</para>
+ <listitem><para>Takes a path referring to the PID file of the service. Usage of this option is
+ recommended for services where <varname>Type=</varname> is set to <option>forking</option>. The path
+ specified typically points to a file below <filename>/run/</filename>. If a relative path is
+ specified for system service, then it is hence prefixed with <filename>/run/</filename>, and prefixed
+ with <filename>$XDG_RUNTIME_DIR</filename> if specified in a user service. The service manager will
+ read the PID of the main process of the service from this file after start-up of the service. The
+ service manager will not write to the file configured here, although it will remove the file after
+ the service has shut down if it still exists. The PID file does not need to be owned by a privileged
+ user, but if it is owned by an unprivileged user additional safety restrictions are enforced: the
+ file may not be a symlink to a file owned by a different user (neither directly nor indirectly), and
+ the PID file must refer to a process already belonging to the service.</para>
<para>Note that PID files should be avoided in modern projects. Use <option>Type=notify</option>,
<option>Type=notify-reload</option> or <option>Type=simple</option> where possible, which does not