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lhns--steam-frame-nix/docs/session.md
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Pierre Kisters 0d9a238e5a Launchers: apps' own desktop entries, rewritten; keyring moves into them
steamFrame.launchers.<desktop ID> takes the app's own entry (a Flatpak's
export, a Nix package's or a host file) and rewrites only its command lines
(hostEnv, env, flatpakArgs, args, wrappers) and the keys asked for
(mimeTypes, defaultFor, settings), so name, icon, translations and actions
stay the app's and follow its updates.

- Package entries are rewritten at build time; Flatpak/host file entries at
  runtime by steam-frame-nix-launchers into
  <session.runtimeDir>/steam-frame-nix/applications (tmpfs), on switch, at
  login and when Flatpak installs/updates apps (path unit); the Home Manager
  links point there.
- keyring.{enable,electron} replaces steamFrame.keyring.{flatpaks,programs}
  (clean break: the old options fail with the new form).
- Firefox's launcher is the Flatpak's entry with the profile wrapper in
  front (no --profile for the profile manager); Jellyfin's hardware
  decoding sets flatpakArgs and env.
- cleanup --all removes the tmpfs entries.
- Check on copies of the real Element, KRDC, Firefox, gedit, Jellyfin and
  Claude entries, quoting and generator behaviour.
2026-09-29 02:05:06 +02:00

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Session fixes

Four fixes for the Frame's two graphical sessions: session settings and services, the portal, the keyboard layout and the clipboard. Options: README, Options (session.*, keyboard.layout, keyboard.variant, clipboardSync.*).

Session settings and services

Module session (session.nix), used by the other modules; normally nothing to set.

Problem: the nested desktop can't see the Steam session's runtime dir and bus (services, KDE wallet), and switching from the nested desktop, Home Manager can't reach the service manager ("User systemd daemon not running") and skips reloadSystemd.

What you get:

  • session.runtimeDir / session.bus point at the Steam session's runtime dir and bus; session.busEnv is a launcher prefix to reach them.
  • After every switch this module reloads the Steam session's user manager and applies session.services.start / stop / restart, which other modules fill (you can add your own units).

Configuration: apps that keep secrets in the wallet get a launcher with keyring.enable. Another app that must reach the outer session (its bus, services or wallet) gets the bus through its launcher's hostEnv; a hand-written entry uses the prefix session.busEnv:

{ config, ... }: {
  steamFrame.launchers."org.example.App".hostEnv.DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS =
    config.steamFrame.session.bus;
  # or, in an entry of your own:
  # Exec=${config.steamFrame.session.busEnv} flatpak run org.example.App %U
}

Portal fix

session.portalFix.enable, module portal. On by default.

Problem: the Frame image (SteamOS 0.3.0, build 20260922) points the Steam session's xdg-desktop-portal at /usr/share/xdg-desktop-portal/gamescope-portals, which lacks gamescope-portals.conf: no backend, no OpenURI, so no app in the Steam session can open links.

What you get: a working OpenURI portal in the Steam session; the desktop's portal is unaffected.

Remove when SteamOS ships gamescope-portals.conf.

How it works: a portal dir in ~/.local/share linking Valve's .portal files plus a config (default=holo;gamescope), and a drop-in on xdg-desktop-portal.service.

Keyboard layout

keyboard.layout, keyboard.variant, module keyboard-layout.

Problem: gamescope and its Xwayland displays use US unless XKB_DEFAULT_* is set; KDE's layout only affects the nested desktop, and ~/.config/environment.d isn't read on the Frame.

What you get: the layout in the Steam session, from the next Steam session start. The layout also picks the VR keyboard's default dictionary language.

Configuration: keyboard.variant picks a variant of the layout, e.g. for de: null (standard, with dead keys: ^, `, ´ wait for the next key), "nodeadkeys" (those are typed immediately), "mac", "neo", "e1", "us" (German letters on a US layout). List them with localectl list-x11-keymap-variants <layout>.

steamFrame.keyboard = { layout = "de"; variant = "nodeadkeys"; };

Remove when SteamOS applies a layout setting to gamescope.

How it works: a drop-in on gamescope-session.service setting XKB_DEFAULT_LAYOUT/VARIANT.

Clipboard sync

clipboardSync.enable, module clipboard-sync. On by default.

Problem: the Steam session's X displays and the nested desktop have separate clipboards.

What you get: one clipboard: copy in one session, paste in the other.

Configuration: clipboardSync.package replaces the package. Switch from a desktop terminal: each switch restarts clipboard-sync if outdated, and it must restart with the desktop's environment.

How it works: clipboard-sync, built from source (its flake is x86-only), started via KDE autostart (the desktop can't reach the user manager, and :2 must exist first).