saphid--frame-control/docs/open-questions.md

# Open questions and on-device checks

Research as of 2026-09-25, eight days after the Frame's retail release
(2026-09-18). Most first-party detail comes from Valve's Steamworks developer
pages. Searches of Reddit and the Steam forums turned up **almost no
end-user reports** about SSH, desktop streaming, or macOS. Treat that as
"not documented yet", not "doesn't work".

## Verified on device (2026-09-25)

Checked over SSH from the Mac, read-only, on SteamOS 0.3.0 (`VARIANT_ID=vr`,
build 20260922.6101926, kernel 6.18, aarch64):

- **1–2.** Developer Mode + Set User Password gave working SSH with no terminal
  steps. `sshd` is enabled and active. The user is `steamos` (in `wheel`) and
  the hostname is `frame`.
- **3.** `frame.local` resolves from the Mac; `avahi-daemon` is active.
- **5.** `/etc/ssh/sshd_config` has `Include /etc/ssh/sshd_config.d/*.conf`.
  The existing drop-ins are `20-systemd-userdb.conf` and `99-archlinux.conf`, so
  `01-frame-keys-only.conf` would sort first as intended. (`--harden` itself
  hasn't been run.)
- **8.** The in-headset desktop is `kwin_wayland` + `plasmashell` nested
  inside gamescope (1280×800), with `XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=/run/user/1000/nested_plasma`,
  `WAYLAND_DISPLAY=wayland-0`, `DISPLAY=:2` and a private D-Bus bus. SteamVR
  (`vrserver`, `vrcompositor`) and `xrdp` are running.
- **9.** `rsync`, `flatpak`, `python3`, `git`, `qdbus6` and `xrdp` are present.
  `wl-copy`, `xclip`, `xsel`, `kdeconnect-cli`, `tailscale`, `krfb` and `wayvnc`
  are **not** (Tailscale can be added in `~`; see [tailscale.md](tailscale.md)). `paste-to-frame.sh` now uses Klipper over D-Bus and round-trips
  text correctly.
- Flathub is already configured as a **system** remote; Chromium is the only
  installed Flatpak. `/` is 10 GB (42% used); `/home` is 929 GB.
- `push.sh` copied a test file with rsync.
- **10.** `install-apps.sh remmina --vnc-host <mac>.local` installed Remmina as
  a `--user` Flatpak over SSH and wrote the profile. The desktop's
  `XDG_DATA_DIRS` includes the user Flatpak exports, so it shows up in the menu.
  The Frame can reach the Mac's Screen Sharing port (5900). The Remmina
  connection itself hasn't been tried in the headset yet (part of 11).

- **Panels.** An X11 window on gamescope's `:0` with its own `STEAM_GAME` id
  gets its own SteamVR overlay (`valve.steam.desktopgame.<id>`). Three were
  created side by side with `panel-on-frame.sh`. See [panels.md](panels.md).

Still open: 4, 6, 7, 11 (in-headset connect), 12–15, 16 (off-LAN and after a reboot), 17–21.

## Check on the headset (in order)

1. **Is Developer Mode available on a retail unit?** Valve's pages are aimed at
   developers. Confirm that **Steam Settings → System → Enable Developer Mode**
   and **Developer → Set User Password** both exist on your OS channel (Stable
   vs Beta).
2. **Does SSH work straight after that, with no terminal steps?** From the Mac,
   run `nc -z frame.local 22`, then `./scripts/connect.sh`.
3. **Does `frame.local` resolve from the Mac (mDNS/Avahi)?** If not, use the IP
   and set up a DHCP reservation.
4. **Does SSH stay enabled after a reboot and after an OS update?** Also check
   that `~/.ssh/authorized_keys` survives an update.
5. **Is the `sshd_config.d` include present?** Check before `--harden`:
   `ssh frame 'grep -n Include /etc/ssh/sshd_config'`.
6. **What does Steam Link on macOS show when connected to `frame`?** Is it the
   VR view, a flat mirror, or the desktop? Does keyboard/mouse input reach the
   headset?
7. **Does the xrdp session work from Microsoft Windows App on macOS?** Valve
   only documents Windows Remote Desktop Connection. Is clipboard sync
   supported?
8. **What kind of session is the in-headset Linux desktop?** It could be a
   normal Plasma Wayland session (with a `wayland-*` socket in
   `/run/user/$(id -u)`), X11, or something nested in SteamVR. This decides
   whether `paste-to-frame.sh` works. `ssh frame 'ls /run/user/$(id -u); loginctl list-sessions'`.
9. **Are `wl-copy`, `xclip`, and `rsync` present on the image?**
   `ssh frame 'command -v wl-copy xclip rsync flatpak'`.
10. **Can Flatpaks be installed `--user` over SSH, and do they appear in the
    headset's desktop?** Test with `./scripts/install-apps.sh remmina`.
11. **Remmina → macOS Screen Sharing:** does it connect, and is it usable at
    Retina resolutions? Is the pre-seeded profile path
    (`~/.var/app/org.remmina.Remmina/data/remmina/`) the one Remmina
    actually reads?
12. **Moonlight Flatpak (aarch64) + Sunshine on macOS:** worth trying only if
    VNC is too slow.
13. **KDE Connect**: is it preinstalled or installable on the Frame, and does
    it pair with KDE Connect for macOS?
14. **Bluetooth keyboard pairing** on the Frame, for the rare times you do need
    to type locally.
15. **ADB**: does `adb shell` over USB-C from a Mac (not just a Windows PC)
    reach the Linux side? Does USB power from the Mac cope?
16. ~~**Tailscale**~~: answered 2026-09-25. A userspace `tailscaled` in `~`
    runs as a lingering user service with no sudo; see [tailscale.md](tailscale.md).
    Still open: reaching the Frame from outside the home network, and the service
    starting after a reboot.
17. **Floating panels in the headset** (see [panels.md](panels.md)): do the
    panels from `panel-on-frame.sh` show up, take input, and offer **Float in
    World** / **Move** / **Size**? Do floating positions survive closing and
    reopening the app, or a reboot?
18. **`LEPTON_NO_CLEANUP=1 %command%`** as Lepton Development's launch
    option: do ADB-installed apps survive closing and reopening it?
19. **Typing in Android apps:** Lepton has no IME installed. Does the SteamVR
    keyboard or a Bluetooth keyboard reach Android text fields, or does an
    F-Droid keyboard (installed and enabled with `ime enable`/`ime set`) work?
20. **F-Droid 2.0** (Compose 1.12): does it run? If so, the catalogue can
    install it instead of 1.17.2.

21. **DeoVR local files:** does DeoVR's file browser show `Videos → VR`
    (the symlink from `push-vr-video.sh`) or `Z:\home\steamos\Videos\VR`, and do
    the colour-coded test clips play in 3D (red left eye, cyan right) for both
    H.264 and H.265? Does the DLNA browser find a server on the Mac?

## Verified 2026-09-27

- **Recovery images exist** for the Frame at
  `https://steamdeck-images.steamos.cloud/recovery/`; the root filesystem inside
  is btrfs and runs, as a userland, on ARM64 Linux. See
  [recovery-and-images.md](recovery-and-images.md).
- **Frame Control's server runs on the Frame itself** (the iPhone app does
  this), including headset capture, 31 fps live video and file uploads. See
  [iphone.md](iphone.md).
- **Password pairing and `sudo -S`** work against the recovery image's own
  sshd and sudo (not yet against the headset, whose password we don't hold).

## Still open (2026-09-27)

- Does `podman exec <lepton container> /system/bin/sh -c 'wm size'` change an
  instance's display the way `adb shell wm size` does?
- Can the recovery image, or its kernel, boot in a VM at all?
- Does a real sleep, restart or shut down from the iPhone app work (via
  `sudo -S systemctl`)?
- The Mac EDL flashing script in `~/Downloads/steam-frame-recovery/` hasn't
  been run against a Frame.

## Unconfirmed claims made in these docs

- `/home` and `/etc` persist across Frame OS updates. This is inferred from
  Steam Deck behaviour.
- The whole Mac → Frame desktop path (VNC → Remmina). Each part is documented
  separately, but the combination is untested.
- Steam Remote Play with a Mac as host is broken. That's based on community
  reports, not tested with the Frame.
- `connect.sh --harden`, `serve-bootstrap.sh` and
  `bootstrap-on-frame.sh` haven't run against real hardware.