the font server can be referenced as ':-1', e.g. "fsinfo -s :-1" or "fslsfonts -s :-1". but xset won't accept this form of name when specifying font sources: % xset +fp ':-1' xset: bad font path element (#38), possible causes are: Directory does not exist or has wrong permissions Directory missing fonts.dir Incorrect font server address or syntax %
bug #2759 (which indicates that xfs has been intentionally TCP-crippled) contains the answer. the syntax to work with xset is 'unix/:-1', not ':-1'. i guess i should have looked at the source. thus this bug becomes not a code bug but a documentation bug.