docs: USB passthrough is a plugin now, not a recipe you assemble
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Adds a VirtualHere section to the plugins page — what it is, that both halves of VirtualHere
are yours to install and licence, that the Devices tab writes a name-based rule so it survives
the couch rebooting, and that Diagnostics is where to look when nothing happens.

States the coverage limit up front rather than letting somebody discover it: there is no
VirtualHere server for iOS or tvOS, so those clients cannot pass devices through, and nothing
on our side can change that.

Cuts the automation.md recipe from 75 lines to a pointer. It now leads with "use the plugin"
and keeps only the zero-code two-hook version for people who would rather not install one —
with its trade-offs stated instead of implied: the address is hard-coded so it breaks when the
couch reboots, and an abnormal stream end strands the device on the host. Those two failures
are exactly what the plugin exists to fix, so the reader gets to make an informed choice.

Not build-verified: docs-site does not build standalone in this checkout. Checked by hand that
Callout is in fumadocs' default MDX components with a valid `warn` type, that the JSX balances,
and that the cross-page anchor matches github-slugger of the heading.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
This commit is contained in:
2026-07-30 22:07:14 +02:00
co-authored by Claude Opus 5
parent ef2bb56251
commit c04c5be224
2 changed files with 67 additions and 56 deletions
+22 -54
View File
@@ -193,29 +193,25 @@ The canonical "decide, don't just observe" pattern — approve pairing from your
## Recipe: full controller passthrough (VirtualHere)
To get a controller's *native* features on the host — DualSense gyro, touchpad, adaptive
triggers, USB rumble — instead of the emulated pad, hand the physical device from the couch to the
host over [VirtualHere](https://www.virtualhere.com/) (USB-over-IP), bound only while a client is
connected so the couch keeps its own controller the rest of the time.
triggers, USB rumble — or to use a device no emulation can stand in for, like a racing wheel or a
HOTAS, hand the physical device from the couch to the host over
[VirtualHere](https://www.virtualhere.com/) (USB-over-IP) while you play.
**The two sides.** VirtualHere is a server/client pair, and you run both:
**Use the plugin.** [VirtualHere passthrough](/docs/plugins#virtualhere-usb-passthrough) does all of
this for you: it finds the device by name (so it survives the couch rebooting), brackets it around
the session, gives it back if anything crashes, and tells you which half of the setup is broken when
it isn't working. That is the supported route, and the rest of this section is only for people who
would rather not install a plugin.
- **Server — on the couch** (where the pad is physically plugged in). Run the VirtualHere USB
Server there; it shares the pad on the LAN. Leave it running.
- **Client — on the host** (where the game and this automation run). Install the VirtualHere
Client (as a service, or the tray app). It auto-discovers the couch's shared pad on the same
LAN; across subnets, add it once with `<VH_CLIENT> -t "MANUAL HUB ADD,<couch-ip>:7575"`. The
client binary is `vhclientx86_64` on Linux, `vhui64.exe` on Windows, `vhclientosx` on macOS,
`vhclientarm64` on ARM Linux.
The client's `-t` flag is a one-shot IPC to the already-running client: `-t LIST` prints every
visible device with its address (`server.port`, e.g. `couch-deck.11`); `-t "USE,<addr>"` mounts it
onto the host; `-t "STOP USING,<addr>"` hands it back. The automation just brackets
`USE` / `STOP USING` around a session.
**The two sides.** VirtualHere is a server/client pair, and you run both: the **server on the couch**
(where the device is plugged in) shares it, and the **client on the host** mounts it. The client's
`-t` flag is a one-shot IPC to the already-running client — `-t LIST` prints every visible device
with its address (`server.port`, e.g. `couch-deck.11`), `-t "USE,<addr>"` mounts it, and
`-t "STOP USING,<addr>"` hands it back.
### Zero-code: two hooks
Bracket it on the stream with two [hooks](#hooks-hooksjson) — mount when video starts, release
when it stops. This is all most setups need:
Bracket it on the stream with two [hooks](#hooks-hooksjson):
```json
{
@@ -226,42 +222,14 @@ when it stops. This is all most setups need:
}
```
`couch-deck.11` is the device's VirtualHere address from `vhclientx86_64 -t LIST`.
`couch-deck.11` is the device's address from `vhclientx86_64 -t LIST`.
### Scripted: resolve by name, release on shutdown
The hooks above hard-code the address, and can strand the pad on the host if it's stopped
mid-stream (the `stream.stopped` hook never fires). The
Know what this trades away, because the plugin exists to fix exactly these: the address is
hard-coded, so it breaks when the couch reboots or the device moves port; and if the stream ends
abnormally the `stream.stopped` hook never fires, leaving the device stranded on the host until
somebody notices. There is also a
[`virtualhere-dualsense.ts`](https://git.unom.io/unom/punktfunk/src/branch/main/sdk/examples/virtualhere-dualsense.ts)
SDK example is the robust version: it resolves the device by **name substring** (survives the
address changing), can filter to **one couch** in a multi-client setup, and **releases the pad on
a clean shutdown** (`systemctl stop`, ^C) so the couch always gets its controller back.
SDK example if you want a worked script to build your own on.
It's a standalone [`@punktfunk/host` script](https://git.unom.io/unom/punktfunk/src/branch/main/sdk#running-a-single-script-as-a-service)
— run it in its own directory. The one edit is its import: the in-repo copy imports from
`../src/index.js`; outside the repo it's the published package:
```sh
mkdir ~/punktfunk-scripts && cd ~/punktfunk-scripts
bun init -y
bun add @punktfunk/host # point the @punktfunk scope at the registry first — see the SDK README
# save the example as virtualhere-dualsense.ts, and change its first import to the package:
# - import { connect } from "../src/index.js";
# + import { connect } from "@punktfunk/host";
VH_DEVICE=DualSense bun virtualhere-dualsense.ts
```
`VH_DEVICE` is required — a VirtualHere address (`couch-deck.11`) or a device-name substring
(`DualSense`). Optional: `VH_CLIENT` overrides the client binary (default `vhclientx86_64`);
`VH_ONLY_CLIENT` binds only for one punktfunk client label. Running on the host box the SDK needs
no token or URL — it reads the host's loopback credentials itself (see
[Connection resolution](https://git.unom.io/unom/punktfunk/src/branch/main/sdk#connection-resolution)).
Keep it running as a
[systemd user unit](https://git.unom.io/unom/punktfunk/src/branch/main/sdk#running-a-single-script-as-a-service)
(its default `SIGTERM` triggers the script's own release step — so `systemctl stop` hands the pad
back), or drop it under the [scripting runner](/docs/plugins) with your other units.
> The example brackets on `client.connected` / `client.disconnected` — the pad returns to the
> couch the moment they disconnect. Switch to `stream.started` / `stream.stopped` if you'd rather
> pass it through only while video is actually flowing; both are noted in the file's header.
> VirtualHere is a commercial product, sold separately by VirtualHere Pty. Ltd. — free for one
> shared device, licensed beyond that. Punktfunk is not affiliated with it.
+45 -2
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@@ -1,18 +1,19 @@
---
title: Plugins
description: First-party plugins that sync your ROM collection or your Playnite library into the game library — and how to install them.
description: First-party plugins sync your ROM collection or Playnite library into the game library, or hand a real USB device on the couch to the host — and how to install them.
---
Plugins extend the host through the **scripting runner** (see [Events & hooks](/docs/automation)). A
plugin runs alongside the host, reconciles titles into your **game library** as a provider — so they
appear in the grid on every client — and can add its own page to the [web console](/docs/web-console).
Two first-party plugins today:
Three first-party plugins today:
| Plugin | What it does |
|---|---|
| **ROM Manager** | Scans your ROM directories, matches each platform to an installed emulator, and syncs them into the library with box art. |
| **Playnite** | Mirrors your [Playnite](https://playnite.link) library — every store and emulator it manages — into the library, launched back through Playnite. |
| **VirtualHere** | Hands a real USB device on the couch — wheel, HOTAS, pad — to the host while you play, and gives it back after. Needs [VirtualHere](https://www.virtualhere.com/), sold separately. |
## Installing from the console
@@ -200,6 +201,48 @@ seconds of any library change. Filters (installed-only, per-store, hidden) live
`%ProgramData%\punktfunk\playnite\config.json`. Details are in
[the plugin's repo](https://git.unom.io/unom/punktfunk-plugin-playnite).
## VirtualHere (USB passthrough)
`@punktfunk/plugin-virtualhere` — hands a **physical USB device** on your couch machine to the
host while you play, and gives it back afterwards. The game sees the real device, so this is the
answer for a racing wheel, a HOTAS, pedals, an arcade stick, or any controller whose value is that
it is not emulated.
<Callout type="warn">
This plugin drives [VirtualHere](https://www.virtualhere.com/), a commercial USB-over-IP product
**sold separately** by VirtualHere Pty. Ltd. Nothing from VirtualHere is bundled or downloaded by
Punktfunk — you install and license it yourself. The plugin is not affiliated with or endorsed by
VirtualHere.
</Callout>
You need both halves of VirtualHere running before the plugin is any use:
- **The USB Server on the couch**, sharing the device. Free for one device; beyond that, and to run
the client as a service, VirtualHere requires a purchased licence.
- **The USB Client on the host**, ideally installed as a service so it survives logging out.
Servers exist for Windows, Linux, macOS and Android couches. **There is no VirtualHere server for
iOS or tvOS**, so iPhones, iPads and Apple TVs cannot pass devices through — nothing on the
Punktfunk side can change that.
```sh
punktfunk-host plugins add virtualhere
punktfunk-host plugins enable
```
Then open the console's **VirtualHere** page. The **Devices** tab lists whatever the couch is
sharing; pick one and it writes a rule matching the device *by name*, which keeps working after the
couch reboots or the device moves to another port. By default the device is handed over when video
starts and returned when it stops, so the couch keeps its own controller the rest of the time —
you can widen that to the whole session, or to the entire time a client is connected.
If nothing happens, the **Diagnostics** tab walks the whole two-sided setup and tells you which
part to fix. The same checks are available as `punktfunk-plugin-virtualhere doctor`, which is the
useful thing to paste into a support thread.
Full configuration is in
[the plugin's repo](https://git.unom.io/unom/punktfunk-plugin-virtualhere).
## Troubleshooting
**`punktfunk-host: command not found`** — on Windows, open a new terminal so it picks up the