saphidandClaude Opus 5.5
d4486a7681
Package the Frame Control web UI as an installable Electron Mac app and bring in the tooling built alongside it. - app/: Electron wrapper that starts ui/server.py on a free loopback port, hardened window (sandbox, no navigation, runAsNode fuse off), login-shell PATH so Homebrew tools work from Finder, first-run offer to run connect.sh, ad-hoc signed DMG/zip via electron-builder. - ui/: headset view (OpenVR screenshots), device status, library, Steam "Get games" (owned games, install, store search), Android apps as persistent Lepton instances with a rated F-Droid catalogue and a private compatibility database, Android display controls over ADB, file and clipboard transfer, Flatpaks, remote and power actions. - apk-catalog/, compat-db/, frame/: catalogue build pipeline, Lakebed capsule for compatibility reports, Frame-side launchers. - tests/ and CI: server guard and validation tests plus Steam helper tests, run on Python 3.9 with script and app syntax checks. - Docs: README leads with the Mac app; new Android, panels, Steam games and field-notes docs; security notes on LAN-exposed ADB ports. Screenshot values for the headset's IP and Wi-Fi name are placeholders. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
5.0 KiB
Installing and buying Steam games from the Mac
Frame Control's Get games section lists the games you own with each one's Steam Frame rating, installs them on the Frame, and searches the Steam store. This page covers how it works underneath, so you can do the same from a shell.
How it works
The Frame's Steam client runs with -cef-enable-debugging. So its UI, a
Chromium page, answers the Chrome DevTools protocol on the Frame's loopback,
127.0.0.1:8080. The page titled SharedJSContext holds the client's own
state and API:
| Object | What it gives you |
|---|---|
appStore.allApps |
Every app the account owns (868 games here), with local_per_client_data.installed, playtime, vr_supported/vr_only and steam_hw_compat_category_packed |
downloadsStore.m_DownloadOverview |
A Map keyed by client ID. "0" is this machine: current app, percent, ETA, bytes/s |
SteamClient.Installs.* |
The install wizard: GetInstallManagerInfo, ContinueInstall, CancelInstall, OpenInstallWizard |
SteamClient.User.GetIPCountry() |
The store country (AU here), which store search needs |
ui/frame_steam.py is a stdlib-only WebSocket client for this page. It's piped
over SSH like the other helpers:
ssh frame 'python3 - owned' < ui/frame_steam.py # owned games + download
ssh frame 'python3 - install 274190' < ui/frame_steam.py # install Broforce
ssh frame 'python3 - store 1145360' < ui/frame_steam.py # store page in the headset
The debugger port only listens on the Frame's loopback, so it's reachable over SSH and not from the network.
Installing a game you own
steam steam://install/<appid>, run over SSH, hands the URL to the running
client, which opens its install wizard. The wizard's state
(GetInstallManagerInfo().eInstallState) then tells you what happens next:
| State | Meaning | What frame_steam.py does |
|---|---|---|
| 14 complete | Steam skipped the options dialog and queued the download | Reports "queued" |
| 7 config | The options dialog is showing in the headset (library folder, compatibility note) | Calls ContinueInstall() when the game fits on disk, as the headset's Install button does |
| 3, 4, 6, 8, 13 | Free license, CD key, password, EULA, signup | Leaves them for you to answer in the headset |
| 15 failed | Error | Reports errorDetail |
Verified 2026-09-25 (SteamOS 0.3.0, build 20260922.6101926):
- Balatro (2379780, 67 MB) went straight to state 14 and installed in about 7 s, with nothing to answer in the headset.
- Broforce (274190, 0.6 GB) stopped at state 7. Calling
ContinueInstall()over DevTools queued the download, and the game installed. - Calling
SteamClient.Installs.OpenInstallWizard([appid])directly did nothing: the state stayed at 0. Go through thesteam://installURL instead.
Inferred from the client's JS: Steam skips the options dialog when there's one library folder, the game fits, and there's no compatibility note to show. Broforce is Deck "Playable", which probably explains why it stopped.
Frame ratings
steam_hw_compat_category_packed holds two bits per device. The client decodes
it like this (from steamui/chunk~2dcc5aaf7.js):
| Device | Bits |
|---|---|
| Steam Deck | packed & 3 |
| SteamOS | packed >> 4 & 3 |
| Steam Machine | packed >> 6 & 3 |
| Steam Frame | packed >> 8 & 3 |
The values are 0 unknown, 1 unsupported, 2 playable and 3 verified. On 2026-09-25 this library had 12 Frame Verified, 2 Playable, 6 Unsupported and 848 Unknown games.
For games you don't own, the store's public
saleaction/ajaxgetdeckappcompatibilityreport?nAppID=<id> returns
frame_resolved_category on the same scale, along with resolved_category
(Deck), steamos_resolved_category and machine_resolved_category. No key or
login is needed.
Buying
Frame Control doesn't buy anything. Purchases happen on Steam's own store page, signed in as you:
- Buy on Steam ↗ opens
store.steampowered.com/app/<id>/in the Mac's browser (the Electron app sendstarget=_blanklinks there). - Store on Frame runs
steam steam://store/<id>, which opens the page in the Steam client on the headset. Verified 2026-09-25: a "Hades on Steam" page appeared in the DevTools page list. It wasn't visible in the headset capture because an app was in the foreground; it opens in Steam's dashboard.
After buying, press Refresh in Get games. The game shows up as owned, and Install on Frame installs it.
Store search uses store.steampowered.com/api/storesearch/?term=…&cc=…. It
returns nothing without cc, so Frame Control takes the country from
SteamClient.User.GetIPCountry() on the Frame.
Not yet checked
- Free-to-play games:
steam://installshould stop at state 3 (free license) for you to accept in the headset. Not tried, because it adds a license to the account. - Games with a EULA (state 8).
- Installing when there's more than one library folder, such as a microSD card.
- Uninstalling.
steam://uninstall/<appid>should open a confirmation in the headset.