Files
saphid--frame-control/README.md
T
saphidandClaude Opus 5.5 dd9c009206 Install links for websites: frame-control://install
A site can link to frame-control://install?manifest=URL (or ?url=URL) to
install a title with Frame Control. Manifests use FrameDrop's format, so
framedrop.install/v1 is accepted as well as frame-control.install/v1.

- app/install-link.js parses links; main.js registers the scheme (plus
  electron-builder protocols for Info.plist and the .desktop file), takes
  links from open-url, second-instance argv and the first argv, and holds
  them until the page asks for them through preload's onInstallLink.
- ui/frame_webinstall.py checks the URLs (HTTPS only; localhost over http
  only when the link itself is local; no userinfo; every address public,
  rechecked on redirects and pinned for the connection), reads the
  manifest, downloads with a size cap and sha256 check, and dispatch()
  sends .apk to frame_android and .zip/.exe to frame_titles when present.
- server.py adds /api/webinstall/check, start, job and cancel behind the
  existing Host and X-Frame-UI guards; a start needs a one-time id from
  check. Downloads stop on cancel and on shutdown, and leftovers from a
  killed server are swept by PID.
- index.html asks before anything downloads (name, source host, file,
  type, size, whether a sha256 was given) and shows progress.
- docs/web-install.md, docs/install.html (landing page, unpublished).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-09-26 20:18:39 +10:00

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<div align="center">
<img src="docs/img/icon.png" width="112" alt="Frame Control icon">
# Frame Control
**Manage your Valve Steam Frame from your computer.**<br>
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)
[**Download**](#install) · [Features](#features) · [Set up the headset](#set-up-the-headset) · [Feedback](#feedback) · [Docs](#going-further)
<br>
<img src="docs/img/frame-control.png" alt="Frame Control showing the headset view, battery and status, and the Steam library" width="900">
<sub>Unofficial hobby project, not affiliated with Valve. Free and open source.</sub>
</div>
---
## Features
<table>
<tr>
<td width="50%" valign="top">
**👓 Headset view**<br>
Live video of what the lenses show (about 30 fps), or a still of both eyes. Zoom, pan, full screen, save as PNG.
</td>
<td width="50%" valign="top">
**🔋 Battery and status**<br>
Charge, charging watts and time left, storage, memory, temperature, Wi-Fi, and what's running.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top">
**🎮 Steam games**<br>
Everything you own with its Steam Frame rating. Install onto the headset with live progress, and search the store.
</td>
<td valign="top">
**🤖 Android apps**<br>
About 4,500 F-Droid apps rated for the Frame. One click installs each as its own app in your Steam library.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top">
**📁 Files and clipboard**<br>
Drag files onto the window to send them. Send text or your clipboard straight to the headset's desktop.
</td>
<td valign="top">
**📸 Screenshots**<br>
Browse the shots you take in the headset and save them to your Pictures folder.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top">
**🧩 Flatpaks and display**<br>
Install desktop apps like Moonlight or VLC, and set each Android app's resolution and text size.
</td>
<td valign="top">
**⚡ One-click tools**<br>
SSH, SFTP, Steam Link, remote desktop, volume, sleep, restart and shut down.
</td>
</tr>
</table>
Nothing is installed on the Frame for any of this: the app uses what SteamOS
already ships. [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`) |
The app brings its own Python and `adb`; SSH is built into macOS and Windows.
Google doesn't publish `adb` for arm64 Linux, so that build uses your
distribution's. If you already have `adb`, the app uses yours.
<details>
<summary><b>macOS: the app isn't notarized</b></summary>
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).
</details>
<details>
<summary><b>Windows: SmartScreen warning</b></summary>
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`.
</details>
<details>
<summary><b>Linux: running the AppImage</b></summary>
```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`.
</details>
## 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.
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), and nothing
needs `sudo` except the power buttons. On your computer it adds a `Host frame`
entry to `~/.ssh/config` and a key at `~/.ssh/id_ed25519_frame`.
## Feedback
This is a first public test, so reports are really useful, especially from
Windows and Linux. Please [open an issue](https://github.com/saphid/steam-frame/issues/new)
with:
- 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
## 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 |
| [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 |
| [Open questions](docs/open-questions.md) | What's still unchecked |
<details>
<summary><b>Security notes</b></summary>
- 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).
</details>
## Development
```sh
python3 -m unittest discover -s tests # server tests; no headset needed
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 the release. See [building](docs/frame-control.md#building).
## License
[MIT](LICENSE). Steam, Steam Frame and SteamVR are trademarks of Valve
Corporation. This project isn't affiliated with or endorsed by Valve.