Bring the GameStream/Moonlight plane up to the native plane's capability parity. HDR (Windows only): - New host_hdr_capable() gate (Windows + PUNKTFUNK_10BIT, matching the native policy). serverinfo layers SCM_HEVC_MAIN10 onto the probed/static codec mask, so Moonlight finally offers its HDR toggle (live: mask 0x10101 -> 0x10301). - Parse the client's dynamicRangeMode into StreamConfig.hdr and pass it through to OutputFormat::resolve, so a client HDR request proactively enables advanced color on the per-session virtual display (PQ flows even from an SDR desktop). The encoder bit depth now derives from the captured frame format (gs_bit_depth) rather than a hard-coded 8 that mislabeled the already-Main10 HDR stream. Game library in /applist: - The catalog now layers library::all_games() (Steam/Epic/GOG/Xbox/custom) on top of Desktop/apps.json, each with a STABLE GameStream id (FNV-1a, dedup-probed) and the store-qualified library id. Launch routes through the existing security-reviewed launch_title/launch_command via library::launch_gamestream_library — a client can only pick an existing title, never inject a command. - /appasset cover proxy: Moonlight fetches per-app covers from the host, so resolve appid -> library cover URL and proxy the bytes (portrait -> header -> hero -> logo; data: + bounded http(s) fetch), on a blocking thread. IsHdrSupported reflects the host HDR capability. 4:4:4 stays off on GameStream by design: stock Moonlight is 4:2:0 and the Windows IDD-push capturer can't deliver full chroma yet (capturer_supports_444() == false); the gate is documented so it lights up once IDD-push full-chroma capture lands. Validated live (Moonlight -> Windows NVENC host): HDR advertised, the Epic library shows with covers, launch works. clippy clean; apps/serverinfo/library unit tests cover the HDR mask, stable-id, dedup, and data-URL paths. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Low-latency desktop and game streaming with first-class Linux and Windows hosts.
Run the host on a Linux machine or a Windows PC, connect from a Mac, PC, phone, tablet, or TV, and stream your desktop or games — each device at its own native resolution and refresh rate, over your local network.
📖 Documentation: docs.punktfunk.unom.io — start with How It Works or the Quick Start.
💬 Community: Discord — chat, support, and Android beta access · r/Punktfunk.
punktfunk pairs a virtual-display streaming host with native clients on every platform. It speaks
the existing GameStream protocol, so any Moonlight client works
day one — and adds its own faster punktfunk/1 protocol that breaks the ~1 Gbps FEC wall with a
GF(2¹⁶) Leopard-RS transport. A single shared Rust core (punktfunk-core) holds the
protocol, FEC, and crypto, linked into the host and every client over a stable C ABI.
What makes it different
- Your device's exact mode. For each client that connects, the host spins up a virtual display sized to that device — 1080p60 to a laptop, 1440p120 to a desktop, 4K to a TV, all at once. No letterboxing, no scaling, no rearranging your real monitors.
- A real virtual display on Windows, too. On Linux the host uses per-compositor virtual outputs; on Windows you get the same on-the-fly virtual display — at the client's exact mode, no physical monitor or dummy HDMI plug, even on the secure desktop (UAC / lock screen). It also has its own indirect display driver (IDD) the host pushes finished frames straight into, rather than scraping a screen — tight, push-based integration that's unusual for a Windows streaming host.
- Low latency, GPU end to end. Frames go straight from the compositor to the NVENC encoder with zero CPU copies (dmabuf → CUDA/Vulkan → NVENC), over a transport tuned for responsiveness rather than throughput. Stable 240 fps at 5120×1440; sub-millisecond capture-to-reassembly on a LAN.
- Works with what you already have. Any Moonlight/Artemis client connects over GameStream — and
native apps for macOS, Linux, Windows, and Android use the lower-latency
punktfunk/1protocol. - Secure by default. Hosts require a one-time SPAKE2 PIN pairing; after that, devices reconnect on a pinned identity. No accounts, no cloud. Hosts auto-advertise over mDNS, so clients find them on the network without typing an IP.
Status
| Component | State |
|---|---|
Core — punktfunk-core + C ABI (protocol · FEC · crypto · QUIC) |
✅ Complete & hardened |
| GameStream host → stock Moonlight | ✅ Live end-to-end: pairing, RTSP, audio, per-client virtual output at native resolution, GPU zero-copy NVENC, gamepads |
Native protocol — punktfunk/1 |
✅ Validated live: QUIC control + GF(2¹⁶) FEC/AES-GCM data plane, PIN pairing, mDNS discovery, mid-stream mode renegotiation |
| Windows host (x64) | 🟡 Implemented & shipping as a signed installer: DXGI/WGC capture · its own all-Rust IddCx virtual display (secure-desktop capable) · GPU encode (NVENC on NVIDIA, AMF/QSV on AMD/Intel) · WASAPI audio · bundled virtual-gamepad drivers (no ViGEmBus) · HDR incl. Vulkan-game HDR. NVIDIA live-validated; AMD/Intel CI-green |
macOS / iOS / tvOS client (clients/apple) |
✅ Streaming live: VideoToolbox decode, controllers incl. DualSense, discovery, pairing, speed test |
Linux client (clients/linux, GTK4) |
✅ Streaming live: FFmpeg + VAAPI zero-copy decode, PipeWire audio, SDL3 controllers; ships as Flatpak/apt/rpm/Arch |
Android client (clients/android, phone + TV) |
✅ Streaming live: AMediaCodec decode + HDR10, Oboe audio, controllers, discovery, pairing |
Windows client (clients/windows, WinUI 3) |
🟡 Stage 1 complete, ships as signed MSIX (x64 + ARM64); D3D11VA decode + HDR present pending on-glass validation |
Web console + management API (web/) |
✅ TanStack console over the OpenAPI mgmt API: host status, paired devices, on-demand PIN pairing |
The GameStream host works with a stock Moonlight client — validated live on NVIDIA hardware
(RTX 5070 Ti, RTX 4090): PIN pairing that persists across restarts, an app catalog, RTSP/ENet/audio,
and video at the client's exact resolution and refresh via a per-session virtual output (KWin,
gamescope, Mutter, and Sway/wlroots backends), encoded with GPU zero-copy (dmabuf → CUDA/Vulkan →
NVENC) up to 5120×1440@240. The native punktfunk/1 protocol adds a QUIC control plane and a
GF(2¹⁶) Leopard-FEC + AES-GCM data plane (p50 ~0.8 ms capture→reassembled at 720p120), with
mid-stream mode renegotiation and a wall-clock skew handshake so latency stays valid across machines.
Both run from one process: bare punktfunk-host serve is the secure native-only default
(punktfunk/1 + the management API/web console), and serve --gamestream additionally enables the
GameStream/Moonlight-compat planes (opt-in, trusted-LAN only — GameStream has inherent on-path
weaknesses). The host is managed through a REST API and web console. Builds against FFmpeg 7 or 8.
Full milestone status: docs.punktfunk.unom.io/docs/status · roadmap: /docs/roadmap.
Install the host
Pick your platform and install from its package registry — the per-platform guide covers adding the repo, first run, and the web console. The Linux host is the primary, most battle-tested path; a Windows host also ships as a signed installer (all-vendor: NVIDIA, AMD, Intel).
| Platform | Install | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu / Debian (apt) | sudo apt install punktfunk-host (after adding the repo) |
Ubuntu — GNOME · KDE |
| Fedora / Bazzite (rpm-ostree) | rpm-ostree install punktfunk punktfunk-web (or the bootc image) |
Fedora — KDE · Bazzite |
| Arch / Steam Deck (PKGBUILD / sysext) | makepkg -si (Arch) · sysext .raw (SteamOS) |
packaging/arch |
| Windows (x64) | signed setup.exe from the package registry |
Windows Host |
punktfunk-host is the streaming host; punktfunk-web is the browser console (pairing + status).
After install, run punktfunk-host serve inside your desktop session (the secure native default;
add --gamestream on a trusted LAN if you also want stock Moonlight clients), then pair from the web
console. Full instructions: docs.punktfunk.unom.io/docs/install.
Connect a client
| Streaming to… | Use |
|---|---|
| Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV | The Apple app (clients/apple) — also on TestFlight |
| Linux desktop / laptop, Steam Deck | punktfunk-client (Flatpak / apt / rpm / Arch) |
| Android phone or TV | The Android app (clients/android) |
| Windows | Native punktfunk-client (signed MSIX) or Moonlight |
| Anything else (browser, old phone, smart TV) | Moonlight over GameStream |
Each client discovers hosts on the network automatically and does a one-time PIN pairing. Per-device install steps: /docs/install-client.
Build & test (from source)
For development, or as an install fallback where no package is available:
cargo build --workspace # the Rust core, host, Linux client, and probe (Linux & macOS)
cargo test --workspace # unit + loopback + proptest + C ABI harness
cargo clippy --workspace --all-targets -- -D warnings
cargo fmt --all --check
cargo run -p loss-harness # FEC loss-resilience sweep (no network needed)
bash crates/punktfunk-core/tests/c/run.sh # standalone C-ABI link + round-trip proof
The C header regenerates from crates/punktfunk-core/src/abi.rs on every build (cbindgen via
build.rs) into include/punktfunk_core.h. The Apple, Android, and Windows clients have their own
toolchains (Xcode/swift build, Gradle, and cargo on the MSVC target) — see each client's README
and the docs site.
Layout
crates/
punktfunk-core/ protocol · FEC · pacing · crypto · QUIC control plane — the C ABI (lib + cdylib + staticlib)
punktfunk-host/ the host (Linux + Windows): virtual displays · capture · encode · input · GameStream · punktfunk/1 · mgmt
clients/
apple/ macOS / iOS / tvOS app (Swift · VideoToolbox · Metal · GameController)
linux/ Linux desktop app (Rust · GTK4/libadwaita · FFmpeg/VAAPI · PipeWire · SDL3)
windows/ Windows desktop app (Rust · WinUI 3 · D3D11 · WASAPI · SDL3)
android/ Android phone + TV app (Kotlin · Rust JNI core · AMediaCodec · Oboe)
probe/ headless reference / measurement client for punktfunk/1
decky/ Steam Deck Decky plugin
web/ web console (TanStack) over the management API — status · devices · pairing
packaging/ apt · rpm / COPR · Arch · Flatpak · Bazzite bootc image
docs-site/ public documentation site (Fumadocs) — https://docs.punktfunk.unom.io
design/ design notes & deep-dive plans (index: design/README.md)
include/punktfunk_core.h cbindgen-generated C header (checked in)
tools/ latency-probe · loss-harness (measurement)
Design invariants
- One core, linked everywhere. Protocol, FEC, and crypto live in
punktfunk-coreexactly once, exposed over a stable, versioned C ABI (punktfunk_abi_version(),PunktfunkConfigcarries its ownstruct_size). Every native client links the same core. - No async on the hot path. The per-frame pipeline uses native threads only;
tokio/quinnare gated behind the off-by-defaultquicfeature (control plane only). - Native client resolution, no scaling. Each session gets a virtual output at exactly the
client's WxH@Hz; each compositor keeps its own backend behind a shared
VirtualDisplaytrait. - FEC is the wall-breaker. GF(2⁸) (≤255 shards/block) for Moonlight compatibility; GF(2¹⁶)
(≤65535 shards/block, SIMD, O(n log n)) for
punktfunk/1to push past ~1 Gbps.
License
Licensed under either of
- Apache License, Version 2.0 (LICENSE-APACHE or https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0)
- MIT license (LICENSE-MIT or https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT)
at your option — SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT OR Apache-2.0.
Contribution
Unless you explicitly state otherwise, any contribution intentionally submitted for inclusion in the work by you, as defined in the Apache-2.0 license, shall be dual licensed as above, without any additional terms or conditions. See CONTRIBUTING.md.
Third-party components
punktfunk's own source is MIT/Apache-2.0. Shipped binaries additionally link third-party components
under their own (permissive) licenses — see THIRD-PARTY-NOTICES.txt
(regenerate with scripts/gen-third-party-notices.sh). The Windows host and client builds also
bundle FFmpeg under the LGPL v2.1+ (dynamically linked, replaceable DLLs; the license text and
notice ship in the installed licenses/ folder).
Trademarks
punktfunk is an independent project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NVIDIA, Microsoft, Sony, Valve, or the Moonlight project. "GameStream", "Moonlight", "Xbox", "DualSense", "DualShock", and "PlayStation" are trademarks of their respective owners and are used here only to describe interoperability.