How should I start X after ssh'ing into a remote box?

Question

I am trying to syncronize my clipboard with a remote machine using XQuartz and xsel. It works, but only after I run an X windows program:

connecting from Mac OS X with Quartz running and the pasteboard options selected:

ssh user@host -X
ls | xsel -b

(local clipboard is not affected)

xeyes

(close xeyes)

ls | xcel -b

(now local system's clipboard works as you would expect)

it seems that starting any x program, like xeyes or gvim somehow completes the connection.

xsel has an option to specify display - would that affect thing?

I don't have startx or xinit installed (and I don't really want to install those) and this works fine after starting one of these x programs.

I also installed xsm to try and debug or figure out the display name, but running it just tells me:

sh: iceauth: not found
sh: twm: not found
sh: xterm: not found
smproxy: unable to connect to session manager

How can I do whatever xeyes or gvim does so that my X connection 'completes' and the keyboard starts working?

ps: My apologies as I know this is a rather specialized subset of linux knowledge, I've tried to do my best in asking the question though, and I have ordered a book on X.

Answer 1

Easiest is probably to run xset q or xdpyinfo, redirecting the output to /dev/null so that it doesn't puke on your display.

EDIT:

This will run a screensaver, then kill it (change the path and delay as needed):

/usr/libexec/mate-screensaver/popsquares & { sleep 0.01 ; kill $! ; }