SteamOS is immutable read-only Arch, and the Deck is AMD (VAAPI) — so none of the
checked-in packaging (arch/sysext is NVENC-first + client-oriented, deb/rpm are
soname-mismatched) actually installs a working host on a Steam Deck. The proven path
(distrobox-built native binary + systemd-run units) was 100% manual. Make it one command.
- scripts/steamdeck/install.sh — idempotent installer: ensure the pf2 Debian-trixie
distrobox + toolchain → build host (+web console) → write config (generated web login
password) → raise UDP buffers to 32 MB + udev + input group (sudo, skipped gracefully
if unavailable) → install + start punktfunk-host / punktfunk-web systemd USER services
with linger. Flags: --open (accept unpaired clients), --no-web, --src=DIR. Builds
on-device so a rebuild always matches the running SteamOS (no prebuilt-binary fragility
across OS updates); VAAPI on the Deck's AMD GPU.
- scripts/steamdeck/update.sh — rebuild from current source + restart (config/pairings persist).
- scripts/steamdeck/README.md — deep reference (why on-device, what's installed, gotchas).
- docs-site: new "Steam Deck (Host)" guide + sidebar entry; install.md splits Arch from the
Steam Deck host path; packaging/arch/README points Deck-host users here and corrects the
stale "NVENC-only" note (VAAPI host encode landed).
Live-validated on the Deck: installer runs clean, both services come up, host listens
(QUIC :9777 + mgmt :47990), web serves (302→login); on a client connect it takes over the
Game-Mode gamescope session at the client's mode, captures via PipeWire, and VAAPI-encodes
(hevc_vaapi) — full pipeline confirmed in the host journal.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
enricobuehler
f85d51b9f9