Mac in the headset: USB route keeps a configured host-key alias and falls back to the network

Review round 12: a failed USB-C tunnel now retries the normal path; an
existing HostKeyAlias wins; --host with --usb is rejected; the Steam
desktop-streaming claim is now 'untested' (Valve documents the desktop
showing when a game loses focus); the Show/cleanup overlap test blocks
for real (it fails without the lock). Verified live: with the cable out,
the route is the normal path.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
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saphidandClaude Opus 5.5 committed 2026-09-28 21:39:40 +10:00
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@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ Checked 2026-09-28.
| Goal | First-party option | Chosen? | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| One Mac screen in the headset | **Apple Screen Sharing** (VNC) → Remmina (Remmina 1.4.43 is already installed on this Frame) | Kept as the fallback (`panel-on-frame.sh mac-screen`) | It's the closest to first-party and needs nothing new. But VNC sends compressed tiles rather than video, so moving content is slow: noticeable lag even on a good 5 GHz link (**verified** 2026-09-27, see [streaming.md](streaming.md)), and the Mac's pointer isn't in the picture without a helper. It shows only whole screens |
| One Mac screen | **Steam Remote Play**, Mac as host (Valve) | For Mac games only; see [Steam's own streaming](#steams-own-streaming) | The Mac's and the Frame's Steam clients already find each other (**verified**), but Remote Play streams a game, not the desktop or a window, and a Mac can't host the Frame's VR streaming |
| One Mac screen | **Steam Remote Play**, Mac as host (Valve) | For Mac games only; see [Steam's own streaming](#steams-own-streaming) | The Mac's and the Frame's Steam clients already find each other (**verified**). But Remote Play streams a game (the whole desktop only while the game is out of focus, untested from a Mac), never single windows, and a Mac can't host the Frame's VR streaming |
| One Mac screen | **AirPlay** (Apple) | No | Apple licenses AirPlay receivers only to TV and speaker makers, and nothing official runs on Linux. UxPlay is an unofficial receiver, and it mirrors a whole screen, not single windows |
| One Mac screen | **Sidecar / Mac Virtual Display** (Apple) | No | These work only with an iPad or Apple Vision Pro |
| **Each Mac window as its own panel** | None | – | No first-party way does this: Apple's per-app streaming is only for Vision Pro, and Valve's desktop streaming needs a Windows SteamVR host. So Frame Control does it itself |
@@ -68,11 +68,14 @@ The Frame is built around Steam streaming, so this was checked first
closing as the game loads
([Steam forum](https://steamcommunity.com/groups/homestream/discussions/1/574921459914429988/),
**reported**).
- **The Mac desktop or single windows through Steam: no known way.** Remote
Play streams a running game. The desktop trick people use on Windows (a
non-Steam shortcut to `explorer.exe`) has no known Mac equivalent
(**reported**; nothing found for macOS). So Frame Control's own stream
stays the way to see Mac windows.
- **The Mac desktop through Steam: untested; single windows: no.** Valve
says Remote Play shows the host's desktop when the game loses focus
([Steam Remote Play FAQ](https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/0689-74B8-92AC-10F2),
**documented**), so a whole Mac screen may be reachable by starting a
game, then switching away from it. Nobody has tried that from a Mac
host. It would still be one screen in one panel: Remote Play has
nothing like one panel per Mac window, so Frame Control's own stream
stays the way to see separate windows.
- **What Steam's work did give us: the USB-C link.** Plugged into the Mac,
the Frame appears as a network port called "Steam Frame". Steam's Remote
Play discovery uses it, and so does Frame Control's stream now (see
@@ -84,7 +87,10 @@ Next steps, once Steam on the Frame is healthy:
library, over Wi-Fi and over USB-C.
2. Record whether it starts, how it's shown, and its latency. Steam's
streaming overlay shows this; our benchmark can't measure it.
3. If it works, Frame Control's Games page could offer "Stream from the
3. While streaming, switch away from the game on the Mac, and see whether
the Mac's desktop appears in the headset, and whether its keyboard and
pointer work.
4. If it works, Frame Control's Games page could offer "Stream from the
Mac" for Mac-installed games.
## How it works