Frame Control icon # Frame Control **Manage your Valve Steam Frame from your computer.**
See what the headset sees, install games and Android apps, move files and text across, and check battery and status, all over SSH. [![Latest release](https://img.shields.io/github/v/release/saphid/steam-frame?label=release&color=1a9fff)](https://github.com/saphid/steam-frame/releases/latest) [![Platforms](https://img.shields.io/badge/macOS%20%7C%20Windows%20%7C%20Linux-2a475e?label=runs%20on)](#install) [![Checks](https://img.shields.io/github/actions/workflow/status/saphid/steam-frame/checks.yml?branch=main&label=checks)](https://github.com/saphid/steam-frame/actions/workflows/checks.yml) [![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-MIT-66c0f4)](LICENSE) [**Website**](https://frame-control.pages.dev) · [**Download**](#install) · [Trailer](#trailer) · [Features](#features) · [Set up the headset](#set-up-the-headset) · [Feedback](#feedback) · [Docs](#going-further)
Frame Control's Games tab: installed games, sideloaded titles, and your Steam library with Frame ratings Watch the Frame Control trailer The trailer: 66 seconds, with sound. Downloads the MP4 from the trailer release. Unofficial hobby project, not affiliated with Valve. Free and open source.
--- ## Features
**👓 Headset view**
Live video of what the lenses show (about 30 fps), or a still of both eyes. Zoom, pan, full screen, save as PNG. 		**🔋 Battery and status**
Charge, charging watts and time left, storage, memory, temperature, Wi-Fi, and what's running.
**🎮 Steam games**
Everything you own with its Steam Frame rating. Install onto the headset with live progress, and search the store. 		**🤖 Android apps**
About 4,500 F-Droid apps rated for the Frame. One click installs each as its own app in your Steam library.
**📁 Files, games and clipboard**
Drag files onto the window to send them. Drop a game's .zip, folder or .exe to add it to the Steam library, with Proton or the Linux runtime picked for you. Send text or your clipboard straight to the headset's desktop. 		**📸 Screenshots**
Browse the shots you take in the headset and save them to your Pictures folder.
**🧩 Flatpaks and display**
Install desktop apps like Moonlight or VLC, and set each Android app's resolution and text size. 		**⚡ One-click tools**
SSH, SFTP, Steam Link, remote desktop, volume, sleep, restart and shut down.
Nothing is installed on the Frame for any of this: the app uses what SteamOS already ships (sideloading a game copies Valve's own devkit scripts to `~/devkit-utils`, as Valve's Devkit Client does). [How each feature works](docs/frame-control.md). ## Install | | Download | Needs | |---|---|---| | **macOS** (Apple Silicon) | [Frame-Control-mac-arm64.dmg](https://github.com/saphid/steam-frame/releases/latest/download/Frame-Control-mac-arm64.dmg) | Nothing extra | | **Windows** 10 / 11 (x64) | [Frame-Control-Setup-x64.exe](https://github.com/saphid/steam-frame/releases/latest/download/Frame-Control-Setup-x64.exe) · [portable .zip](https://github.com/saphid/steam-frame/releases/latest/download/Frame-Control-win-x64.zip) | Nothing extra | | **Linux** (x64) | [AppImage](https://github.com/saphid/steam-frame/releases/latest/download/Frame-Control-linux-x86_64.AppImage) · [.deb](https://github.com/saphid/steam-frame/releases/latest/download/Frame-Control-linux-amd64.deb) | `ssh` (most desktops have it) | | **Linux** (arm64) | [AppImage](https://github.com/saphid/steam-frame/releases/latest/download/Frame-Control-linux-arm64.AppImage) · [.deb](https://github.com/saphid/steam-frame/releases/latest/download/Frame-Control-linux-arm64.deb) | `ssh`, and `adb` for Android apps (`sudo apt install adb`) | **iPhone and iPad:** the same features from your phone, with nothing to install on a computer. Build it from [`ios/`](ios) in Xcode; see [docs/iphone.md](docs/iphone.md). The app brings its own Python and `adb`; SSH is built into macOS and Windows. From 0.4 it updates itself: when a new version is published, a banner offers **Update and restart**. It sends anonymous usage statistics, which you can turn off. Sharing compatibility results and error details is opt-in. See [docs/privacy.md](docs/privacy.md). Google doesn't publish `adb` for arm64 Linux, so that build uses your distribution's. If you already have `adb`, the app uses yours.
macOS: the app isn't notarized There's no paid Apple developer account behind it, so macOS says the app is damaged or can't be checked. Drag it to Applications, then clear the download quarantine once: ```sh xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "/Applications/Frame Control.app" ``` The first time, macOS also asks to allow local network access (for SSH) and control of Terminal (for the password prompts).
Windows: SmartScreen warning The installer isn't code-signed, so Windows SmartScreen may say it protected your PC. Choose **More info → Run anyway**. The portable `.zip` avoids the installer: unzip it anywhere and run `Frame Control.exe`.
Linux: running the AppImage ```sh chmod +x Frame-Control-linux-*.AppImage && ./Frame-Control-linux-*.AppImage ``` If it complains about FUSE, install `libfuse2` (Ubuntu 24.04+: `libfuse2t64`), or run it with `--appimage-extract-and-run`.
## Set up the headset You type one password on the headset, once. Everything else happens on your computer. 1. **On the Frame:** Steam Settings → System → **Enable Developer Mode**, then in the Developer section, **Set User Password**. Pick something short: you'll type it once more on your computer and then never again. 2. **On your computer:** open Frame Control. It offers to **Set Up Connection**, which finds the headset, creates an SSH key, and asks for that password once in a terminal window. If it can't find the Frame, type the IP address from the Frame's Quick Settings. Before asking for the password it tries Valve's SteamOS devkit pairing: in the headset, open Steam Settings → Developer → **Pair new host** and approve the request, and no password is needed. (The service and the pairing-mode step are verified on a Frame; the approval itself isn't yet. See [SSH](docs/ssh.md#password-free-pairing-steamos-devkit-service).) 3. That's it. The app now reaches the headset whenever it's awake and on the same network. For anywhere else, see [Tailscale](docs/tailscale.md). **What it changes:** only what you click. Installs go to your user account on the Frame (`--user` Flatpaks, Lepton instances, Steam downloads, sideloaded games in `~/devkit-game`), and nothing needs `sudo` except the power buttons. On your computer it adds a `Host frame` entry to `~/.ssh/config` and keys at `~/.ssh/id_ed25519_frame` and `~/.ssh/id_rsa_frame_devkit` (the pairing service only takes RSA keys). ## Feedback This is a first public test, so reports are really useful, especially from Windows and Linux. The quickest way is **Report a problem** in the app (the warning-sign button at the top, or **Help → Report a Problem…**). It adds diagnostics with personal details removed, shows you exactly what's included, and opens an issue here. You don't need a GitHub account. Without the app, use the [feedback form](https://frame-control.pages.dev/feedback/). Please include: - what you tried and what happened - your computer's OS and your SteamOS build (Steam Settings → System) - the server log: **Frame → Show Server Log** in the app Issues and PRs opened directly on GitHub by new contributors are auto-closed until a maintainer approves them; see [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md). ## Going further This repo also holds the scripts behind the app and field notes on how the Frame's software fits together, all checked against a real headset and labelled **verified** or **inferred**. | | | |---|---| | [Frame Control in detail](docs/frame-control.md) | Every feature, how it works, per-platform notes, building | | [Scripts and headset setup](docs/scripts.md) | The command-line helpers, minimum typing, streaming options, floating panels | | [How the Frame works](docs/how-the-frame-works.md) | SteamVR → gamescope → Plasma, verified facts, debugging | | [Android apps (Lepton)](docs/apks.md) | Sideloading, the rated F-Droid catalogue, per-app instances | | [Sideloading Linux and Windows games](docs/sideloading.md) | A .zip, folder or .exe as a Steam Devkit Game, runtime detection | | [Install links for websites](docs/web-install.md) | `frame-control://install` links and manifests, the rules, a button to paste | | [Steam games](docs/steam-games.md) · [VR video](docs/vr-video.md) · [WebXR in Chromium](docs/webxr-chromium.md) | Installing and buying, watching VR180/360, the Chromium build | | [SSH](docs/ssh.md) · [Streaming](docs/streaming.md) · [Files](docs/file-transfer.md) · [Panels](docs/panels.md) · [Tailscale](docs/tailscale.md) | Topic notes | | [Frame Control for iPhone](docs/iphone.md) | The iPhone and iPad app, how it runs the server on the Frame, pairing | | [Recovery and OS images](docs/recovery-and-images.md) | Where to download the Frame's OS, what's inside, testing without the headset | | [Testing](docs/testing.md) | Unit tests, end-to-end tests against a fake Frame in Docker, and the headset smoke test | | [Open questions](docs/open-questions.md) | What's still unchecked |
Security notes - With Developer Mode on, `sshd`, ADB and xrdp are all reachable on your LAN. Each running Lepton (Android) instance opens its own ADB port in 5555–5599, listening on `0.0.0.0` rather than only loopback. This was seen on the device on 2026-09-25, so anyone on the network can reach it. Use trusted networks only, and turn Developer Mode off when you don't need it. - Frame Control reaches ADB and the Steam client's DevTools port (Frame loopback `127.0.0.1:8080`) only through SSH tunnels. The compatibility database key (maintainer-only) is never written to the repo. - `steamos` has `sudo`, protected by the same Developer Mode password. Once you've switched to key auth, a short password still protects `sudo` and RDP, so pick one that isn't trivially guessable. - Don't port-forward 22, 3389, or 5555–5599 from your router. For remote access, use Tailscale: `scripts/tailscale-on-frame.sh` (no sudo). In its userspace mode **every** Frame port is reachable from your tailnet, including Steam's DevTools on loopback 8080; see [docs/tailscale.md](docs/tailscale.md).
## Development ```sh python3 -m unittest discover -s tests # server tests; no headset needed scripts/e2e.sh # end-to-end against a fake Frame (Linux with Docker) cd app && npm install && npm start # run the app from the checkout ``` The server is Python stdlib only; the app is Electron. GitHub Actions runs the tests on macOS, Windows and Linux, and a `v*` tag builds all three installers into a draft release, which reaches users once published. See [building](docs/frame-control.md#building) and [releasing](docs/releasing.md). ## License [MIT](LICENSE). Steam, Steam Frame and SteamVR are trademarks of Valve Corporation. This project isn't affiliated with or endorsed by Valve.