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docs: restructure host setup by distro, configuration by compositor
Split the docs' single distro×desktop axis (ubuntu-gnome / ubuntu-kde / fedora-kde) into two,
which deduplicates the shared mechanics and scales to distros that run several desktops (Arch):

- Install the host — per distro/OS (ubuntu, fedora, arch, bazzite, steamos-host, windows-host):
  GPU driver + package + input group, then a canonical "Configure your desktop" funnel.
- Configure your desktop — per compositor (kde, gnome, gamescope, sway): host.env, compositor
  quirks, the headless session, and starting the host.

New shared web-console page (enable · login password · arm pairing) removes the console/password
block that was copy-pasted across all seven host pages. Merged ubuntu-gnome + ubuntu-kde into
ubuntu; renamed fedora-kde to fedora; kept bazzite and steamos-host as dedicated appliance guides
(trimmed of duplication). Moved the KWin headless session, the GNOME EGL/lock traps, and the
gamescope attach/managed model out of the distro pages onto their compositor pages.

Fixed while restructuring: distro-specific paths on kde (kde-desktop-setup.sh is Fedora/Bazzite-only;
the .deb ships host.env.kde under /usr/share/punktfunk-host), the interactive "start the host" step
that was lost in the merge, sway over-claiming Hyprland, and a pre-existing broken anchor in
how-it-works.

Removal of the three old pages was captured by the preceding commit 8ebb614 (a concurrent commit
swept up the staged git-rm); the net docs tree is correct. Fumadocs build + internal link/anchor
check green.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-05 21:04:31 +00:00

3.4 KiB

title, description
title description
GNOME (Mutter) Configure a punktfunk host for GNOME — host.env, the EGL/lock traps, and a headless session.

Configure a host running GNOME. The host drives GNOME's Mutter compositor to create a per-client virtual display over D-Bus (RecordVirtual), zero-copy. This page assumes the host is already installed — see Ubuntu, Fedora, or Arch.

New here? Read Security & Safe Use first — a streaming host is remote control of the machine, so keep it on a trusted LAN or VPN and require pairing.

host.env

Write ~/.config/punktfunk/host.env with the GNOME settings. The host auto-detects the compositor from your session, so the explicit PUNKTFUNK_COMPOSITOR is belt-and-braces:

# ~/.config/punktfunk/host.env
WAYLAND_DISPLAY=wayland-0
XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP=GNOME
PUNKTFUNK_COMPOSITOR=mutter
PUNKTFUNK_VIDEO_SOURCE=virtual
PUNKTFUNK_ZEROCOPY=1
PUNKTFUNK_INPUT_BACKEND=libei

You must be on a Wayland session (not X11), and Mutter must be ≥ 48. See the Configuration reference for every option.

The GL/EGL userspace

On NVIDIA, gnome-shell fails to start — or the host logs "GPU … not supported by EGL" — when the NVIDIA GL/EGL userspace is missing. The base driver package doesn't always pull it in. Install your distro's NVIDIA GL/EGL userspace package — on Ubuntu/Debian it's libnvidia-gl-<version> matching your driver; on Fedora/Arch it ships with the RPM Fusion / repo driver — then confirm the glvnd vendor file exists:

ls /usr/share/glvnd/egl_vendor.d/10_nvidia.json    # must exist

Installing the driver itself is covered on your distro's install page (Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch).

Do not lock the session

A locked GNOME session blocks screen capture — the host fails with "Session creation inhibited". On an always-on or headless host there's no one to unlock it, so disable the lock:

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.screensaver lock-enabled false
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.session idle-delay 0

Start the host

With host.env in place, start the host from inside your GNOME session:

systemctl --user enable --now punktfunk-host
journalctl --user -u punktfunk-host -f   # watch it come up and print its identity fingerprint

Then bring up The Web Console to arm pairing and connect a client. For an always-on box, see the headless session below.

Headless session

To run with no monitor and no login, keep a GNOME Wayland session up at all times and start the host without a login. Have GDM auto-login your user:

# /etc/gdm3/custom.conf  (Ubuntu)   ·   /etc/gdm/custom.conf  (Fedora)
[daemon]
AutomaticLoginEnable = true
AutomaticLogin = your-user

Disable the lock (see above), then enable the host user service and let it linger past logout:

systemctl --user enable --now punktfunk-host
sudo loginctl enable-linger "$USER"

Reboot and the host comes up on the auto-login session. Full walkthrough: Running as a Service.

Troubleshooting

More fixes — black screen, discovery, pairing — in Troubleshooting.

Once the host is up, bring the console up and pair — see The Web Console.