enricobuehler
ac5299d4ce
The plugin's settings tab, fullscreen page, host editor and games picker are gone, and the
docs described all four in detail. Sweeps clients/decky/README.md and the docs site.
steam-deck.md gains a **Request access** section — the no-PIN path where the host's operator
approves the Deck, which is the one genuinely new thing a user gets — and says plainly where
the settings went: **Open Punktfunk → Settings**, the same rows over the same store, one tap
from the same panel. A removal that reads as a regression is worth a sentence, not a silence.
The troubleshooting table drops the rows for surfaces that no longer exist and gains the two
questions the new path will actually raise ("request access isn't offered", "the stream just
sits there").
client-settings.md claimed ~18 settings were "offered by … and Decky". None are; the console
home offers them. Its intro now names the console home's real sections (Stream, Video,
Presentation, Audio, Controller, Touchscreen, Interface, Profiles) instead of describing the
deleted sidebar.
Three claims in that file turned out to be wrong ALREADY, independent of this rework, and are
fixed here because verifying against crates/pf-console-ui/src/screens/settings.rs is what
found them:
• "Render scale — offered everywhere except the console home's list". RowId::RenderScale has
been in the console's ROWS since 2026-07-31.
• wake-on-lan.md: "Punktfunk Console has no auto-wake setting of its own". It does —
RowId::AutoWake, "Wake hosts automatically". Its Wake & Connect BUTTON is independent of
the setting, which is the true half that sentence was built on.
• The console home's Library button was documented as gated on the "Show game library"
toggle. It isn't — `library_enabled` appears nowhere in pf-console-ui outside the toggle
row itself; home.rs offers Library on any paired, saved host.
Also updated: support-matrix (Decky's Profiles and Game library go ✅/❌ → ⚠️ — the panel shows
pinned profile cards but creates none, and the library lives in the console home),
wake-on-lan (the plugin no longer fires its own packet or stretches the connect budget — the
CLI runs the real wake-and-wait), pairing, game-library, profiles-and-links, input, clipboard
and install-client.
220 lines
14 KiB
Markdown
220 lines
14 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: Steam Deck (Decky)
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description: Install the Punktfunk Decky plugin to discover, pair, and stream from the Steam Deck's Gaming Mode — no drop to Desktop.
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---
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The **Decky plugin** adds a **Punktfunk** panel to the Steam Deck's Quick Access Menu (the `…`
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button), so you can find a host, pair, and start streaming **without leaving Gaming Mode**. It's the
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couch-friendly front end for the Steam Deck — built from real Steam UI, gamepad-navigable end to end.
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The plugin is a **launcher**, not a second client. It doesn't decode video, browse your library or
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hold settings of its own — it starts the regular
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[Linux client](/docs/clients#linux-desktop-client-gtk4) (usually the `io.unom.Punktfunk` Flatpak)
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the way gamescope needs so it fullscreens correctly. Everything the panel doesn't do is one tap
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away in that client's own gamepad UI. So the Deck has two ways to stream, and they share one
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client + one paired identity:
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- **Gaming Mode** → the **Decky plugin** (this page).
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- **Desktop Mode** → run the [Flatpak](/docs/install-client#steam-deck) directly, like any Linux app.
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## Before you start
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You need three things on the Deck:
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1. **Decky Loader** — the plugin loader. Install it from [decky.xyz](https://decky.xyz/) if you
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haven't already.
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2. **A Punktfunk client on the Deck** — the plugin doesn't decode video itself, it launches a
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client. On a normal Deck that's the Flatpak, installed once in **Desktop Mode**:
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```sh
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flatpak install --user https://flatpak.unom.io/io.unom.Punktfunk.flatpakref
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```
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(Full options: [Install a Client → Steam Deck](/docs/install-client#steam-deck).) If you have
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no Flatpak but a native `punktfunk-client` — a sysext, a distro package, a nix profile, your own
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build — the plugin uses that instead; with both installed the Flatpak wins, unless
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`PF_DECKY_CLIENT=native` (or `flatpak`) is set in the plugin backend's environment. Both kinds
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share `~/.config/punktfunk`, so your identity, known hosts and settings are the same either way.
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**The client must be v0.22.0 or newer.** The panel drives everything through the client's
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headless `punktfunk` command, which shipped in that release. An older client says so in the
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panel, with the update button that fixes it right there.
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3. **A Punktfunk host** running on your LAN — see [Install the Host](/docs/install). The Deck finds
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it automatically over mDNS, so nothing to configure here.
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## Install the plugin
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The plugin is published as a ready-to-install zip on every build. You don't need the Decky CLI or a
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developer toolchain — just paste a URL into Decky:
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1. On the Deck, open the **Quick Access Menu** (`…`) → the **plug** icon (Decky) → the **gear**
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(Settings) → enable **Developer Mode**.
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2. Open the new **Developer** tab and choose **Install Plugin from URL**.
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3. Paste the **stable** link and confirm:
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```
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https://unom.io/pf-decky
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```
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The **Punktfunk** panel appears in the Quick Access Menu right away — no Deck restart needed.
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> **Channels.** `https://unom.io/pf-decky` is a short link to the **stable** channel (moves on
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> `vX.Y.Z` releases), currently
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> `https://git.unom.io/api/packages/unom/generic/punktfunk-decky/latest/punktfunk.zip`. For the
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> latest `main` build use the **canary** zip —
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> `https://git.unom.io/api/packages/unom/generic/punktfunk-decky/canary/punktfunk.zip` — or pin an
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> exact version with `https://git.unom.io/api/packages/unom/generic/punktfunk-decky/<version>/punktfunk.zip`.
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> See [Release Channels](/docs/channels).
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## Use it
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Open the **Punktfunk** panel from the Quick Access Menu. It has one list — the hosts you can
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stream — plus a door into the client's own gamepad UI for everything else.
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- **Hosts** — hosts on your network appear automatically (mDNS), alongside the ones you've already
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saved. A saved host is also probed directly, so a box reached over a VPN or Tailscale shows as
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online even though it never advertises. Tap **Refresh** to rescan. The list sorts online hosts
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first, then whichever you streamed most recently. A lock icon means the host still has to let
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this Deck in.
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- **Let a host in** — tapping a locked host opens a small sheet with two ways through:
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- **Request access** — no PIN at all. See [Request access](#request-access) below.
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- **Use a PIN instead** — [arm pairing on the host](/docs/pairing) (its console or web console
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shows a 4-digit PIN), then enter it on the Deck's keypad.
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Either way the host is remembered, so the next connection is silent.
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- **Stream** — tap a host and the stream launches fullscreen in Gaming Mode. The plugin drives a
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hidden Steam shortcut behind the scenes so gamescope focuses and fullscreens it.
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- **Sleeping host?** Streaming sends a [Wake-on-LAN](/docs/wake-on-lan) packet and waits for the
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host to actually come back before dialling, so a stream survives a resume from sleep. Nothing to
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enable — it's a no-op until the client has learned that host's MAC address, and the packet only
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lands if the host machine is armed to wake in its BIOS and its network card.
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- **Pinned cards** — a host with pinned [settings profiles](/docs/client-settings) shows them
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nested underneath it as `▸ <Profile name>`. Tapping one streams that host with that profile
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applied — your "4K on the TV" and "battery saver" presets, one tap each. Pins are made in the
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Punktfunk app (or any other client) and shared across all of them; the panel shows them, it
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doesn't create them.
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- **Open Punktfunk** — opens the client's console home: the host picker, adding a host by address,
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pairing, browsing a host's [game library](/docs/game-library), and the **full settings screen**.
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This is where resolution, bitrate, codec, audio, controllers and the stats overlay live.
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- **Library entry** — a visible, branded **Punktfunk** app also appears in your Steam library, and
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launching it opens that same console home — it does not resume a stream. If it ever disappears,
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the Quick Access Menu panel has a button to put it back.
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> **Where did the plugin's settings tab go?** Into the app, at **Open Punktfunk → Settings** — the
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> same rows over the same settings, gamepad-navigable, and one tap from the same panel. The plugin
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> used to carry its own copy of that screen, which meant two places to change one setting and a
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> copy that fell behind. There is now one.
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With **Controller type** on *Automatic* the Deck's built-in controller is forwarded as a **Steam
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Deck** pad (paddles, both trackpads, gyro) — that needs Steam Input set to **Off** for Punktfunk
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(game page → ⚙ → Controller Settings), else Steam keeps those controls and only sticks + buttons
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reach the host.
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### Request access
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**Request access lets you in without typing a PIN**: instead of the host showing you a code, you
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ask, and whoever is at the host approves the Deck in its [web console](/docs/web-console) or on
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screen.
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Tap the host → **Request access**. The Deck says *"Approve this Deck in <host>'s console — the
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stream starts by itself"*, and the stream opens and waits. The moment somebody approves it, the
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picture comes up — no going back to the panel, nothing else to tap. If nobody approves within
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about three minutes, it gives up like any failed connection and you can try again or use a PIN.
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It's the better option when you're not the person sitting at the host, or when reading a PIN off
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another screen is awkward. Two things to know:
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- The host must be **advertising on your network** for this to be offered. A host you added by
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address (a VPN box, another subnet) has no advertised identity for the Deck to pin, so the sheet
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offers the PIN path only and says so. That's a safety rule, not a limitation to work around:
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pinning the advertised identity is what stops something else answering in the host's place while
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the Deck waits.
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- Once approved, the host shows as **paired** and every later stream connects silently.
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> **Steam Input off is a trade-off, not a free win.** The plugin installs a Steam Input layout
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> called **Punktfunk** and points its shortcuts at it, and that layout's whole job is making the
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> Deck's touchscreen arrive at the stream as *real touch*. Leaving Steam Input **On** with that
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> layout gives you native touch plus a standard gamepad; setting it **Off** gives you the full Steam
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> Deck pad — paddles, both trackpads, gyro — but the touchscreen stops working as touch. Pick per
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> game, on the game page → ⚙ → **Controller Settings**.
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To **leave a stream**: **hold [L1 + R1 + Start + Select](/docs/input#leaving-with-a-controller)**
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for about a second and a half, or close the "game" from the Steam overlay. Either ends the session
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and drops you straight back to Gaming Mode. A quick press of the same four only releases captured
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input, so it is safe to hit by accident.
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## Updating
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The plugin **checks for updates itself** — no Decky store needed. It covers **both** the plugin *and*
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the streaming client (they version independently), so when either has a newer build the panel shows an
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**Update** button at the top of the panel. Tap it: the client updates in place, and if the plugin
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itself changed it downloads, verifies, replaces itself, and reloads — all without leaving Gaming
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Mode.
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One exception: if your client isn't one the plugin can install for you (a sysext, a nix profile, a
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source build), the panel shows you the update **command** instead of a button — tap-to-install would
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only fail. A pending plugin update still gets its button.
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The plugin check follows the [channel](/docs/channels) you installed from: a plugin installed from the
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**stable** link tracks stable releases; one installed from the **canary** link tracks `main` builds.
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> **Updating the client from the terminal?** The Flatpak client is installed **per-user**, so run
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> `flatpak update --user io.unom.Punktfunk` — **without `sudo`**. `sudo flatpak update` only touches
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> the *system* installation and silently skips the client. (Un-sudo'd `flatpak update` updates both
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> scopes, so it's the safe default.)
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> If the plugin **Update** button never appears (an older Decky Loader, or no network), update the
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> plugin manually: Decky → **Developer** → **Install Plugin from URL**, and paste the same channel
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> link again. Decky replaces the installed copy in place.
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## Troubleshooting
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| Symptom | Fix |
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|---|---|
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| The panel says **"Update the Punktfunk client"** | The installed client predates v0.22.0 and has no `punktfunk` command to drive. Tap the update button in the same panel, or update it in Desktop Mode. |
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| The stream never starts, or the panel can't reach the client | Install the client Flatpak in Desktop Mode (see [Before you start](#before-you-start)). |
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| No hosts listed | Make sure the host is running and on the **same LAN**. Tap **Refresh**. For a host mDNS can't reach, add it by address in **Open Punktfunk → Add host**. |
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| Pairing fails / "not armed" | The PIN is shown only after you **arm pairing on the host**. Arm it, then enter the PIN within the window — or use **Request access** instead, which needs no PIN. |
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| **Request access** isn't offered | The host isn't advertising on this network, so there's no identity to pin. Use the PIN path. |
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| A request-access stream sits there | That's it waiting — somebody has to approve the Deck on the host. It gives up after about three minutes. |
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| Stream launches but doesn't focus | Start it from the panel (not by launching the client by hand) so Steam/gamescope focuses it. |
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| The stream wedges — black, or won't close | Panel → **About** → **Force-stop**, then start it again. |
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| The **Punktfunk** library entry disappeared | Panel → **Recreate library shortcut**; it puts the entry back in place. |
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| You want a clean slate | **Open Punktfunk → Settings** for stream settings, or `punktfunk reset` in Desktop Mode to forget every saved host. Your paired identity is kept either way. |
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Nothing here matching? The problem is probably on the host side — start at
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[Troubleshooting](/docs/troubleshooting), which is organised by symptom (host not found, pairing
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rejected, black picture).
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## Uninstalling
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Removing the plugin through Decky removes the plugin and nothing else, so do these in order:
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1. **Remove the plugin.** Quick Access Menu (`…`) → the **plug** icon (Decky) → the **gear**
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(Settings) → **Plugins** → **Punktfunk** → **Uninstall**.
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2. **Remove the Steam shortcuts it created.** The plugin adds two non-Steam entries, both named
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**Punktfunk** — the one you see in your library, and a second one it keeps hidden to carry the
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stream. Decky removes neither. In your library, right-click a **Punktfunk** entry →
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**Manage → Remove non-Steam game from your library**, and repeat for the hidden one once you've
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let the library show hidden games.
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3. **Remove the client**, if you're done streaming on this Deck. In Desktop Mode:
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```sh
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flatpak uninstall --user --delete-data io.unom.Punktfunk
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```
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Your identity and saved hosts live in `~/.config/punktfunk` and survive that — delete the
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directory too for a clean slate. See
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[Removing a client](/docs/install-client#removing-a-client).
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4. **Revoke the pairing on the host.** The host still trusts this Deck until you remove it from its
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[web console](/docs/web-console) — see
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[Managing paired devices](/docs/pairing#managing-paired-devices).
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The Steam Input layout the plugin installed also stays behind as a selectable template named
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*Punktfunk* (`~/.local/share/Steam/controller_base/templates/punktfunk.vdf`), along with the
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per-account configset entry pointing at it. Leave them — with the shortcuts gone they apply to
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nothing — or delete the file if you'd rather not see it offered as a template.
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The plugin source lives in
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[`clients/decky`](https://git.unom.io/unom/punktfunk/src/branch/main/clients/decky/README.md).
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