punktfunk/packaging/bazzite

Setting up punktfunk on Bazzite

A step-by-step setup guide for running the punktfunk low-latency streaming host on Bazzite (the immutable, Fedora-Atomic gaming distro). Everything below is grounded in this repo's packaging and ops files; where something is not yet published or not in the repo, it's flagged explicitly. For the higher-level packaging rationale ("why not Flatpak", the build), see ../README.md.

What you get on Bazzite: it already ships the three things punktfunk normally has to fight for — gamescope, PipeWire/WirePlumber, and (on the -nvidia images) the NVIDIA driver with NVENC/EGL. The only genuinely new runtime bits punktfunk adds are ffmpeg-libs (with NVENC, from RPM Fusion nonfree), opus, and libei. Source: packaging/README.md, packaging/rpm/punktfunk.spec.

⚠️ Read this first — the COPR is operator-run, not yet published. Both install paths below pull the punktfunk RPM from a COPR project named enricobuehler/punktfunk. That COPR is a configuration the maintainer has to create and build (see packaging/copr/README.md — it documents how to set it up, not a live repo URL you can assume exists). If rpm-ostree install punktfunk 404s, the COPR hasn't been published yet, and your only path is to build the RPM yourself (see the appendix). The guide flags every command that depends on the COPR being live.

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1. Choose an install path

There are two supported paths on Bazzite, driven by different files in packaging/:

Path	Driven by	What it does	Best for
A — rpm-ostree layering	packaging/copr/README.md + packaging/rpm/punktfunk.spec	Layers the punktfunk RPM onto your existing Bazzite deployment with rpm-ostree install	One host, quick iteration
B — bootc / OCI image	packaging/bootc/Containerfile	Bakes punktfunk into a FROM bazzite-nvidia image once; you bootc switch any number of hosts onto it	Fleets, reproducible appliances, no per-host drift

Trade-off: Path A is a per-host package layer — simple, but each host accumulates its own layered-package state. Path B builds one image (RPM Fusion + COPR + the package + udev rule pre-installed) that you push to a registry and rebase hosts onto atomically — no per-host rpm-ostree install drift, at the cost of running a podman build/push pipeline. Both ultimately install the same RPM and require the same first-run setup (sections 3–6).

Path A — rpm-ostree layering from the COPR

Run on the Bazzite host. (Commands verbatim from packaging/README.md.)

# 1. RPM Fusion (free + nonfree) — provides the NVENC-capable ffmpeg-libs.
#    Usually already enabled on Bazzite; harmless to re-run.
rpm-ostree install \
  https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm -E %fedora).noarch.rpm \
  https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm -E %fedora).noarch.rpm

# 2. Enable the punktfunk COPR repo  ⚠️ requires the COPR to be published (see callout above)
sudo wget -O /etc/yum.repos.d/_copr_punktfunk.repo \
  https://copr.fedorainfracloud.org/coprs/enricobuehler/punktfunk/repo/fedora-$(rpm -E %fedora)/

# 3. Layer punktfunk and reboot to activate the new deployment.
rpm-ostree install punktfunk
systemctl reboot

The reboot is mandatory — rpm-ostree install stages a new deployment that only takes effect on the next boot. This is normal atomic-distro behavior, not a punktfunk quirk.

Path B — bootc image (FROM bazzite-nvidia)

The image is built off-host (on any machine with podman) from packaging/bootc/Containerfile, which bases on ghcr.io/ublue-os/bazzite-nvidia:stable (override with --build-arg BASE_IMAGE=…), enables RPM Fusion free + nonfree, enables the COPR (--build-arg PUNKTFUNK_COPR=…, default enricobuehler/punktfunk), and installs the package.

# Build + push (run from the repo root, on your builder machine):
podman build -t ghcr.io/<you>/bazzite-punktfunk -f packaging/bootc/Containerfile .
podman push  ghcr.io/<you>/bazzite-punktfunk

# On each target Bazzite host:
sudo bootc switch ghcr.io/<you>/bazzite-punktfunk && systemctl reboot

⚠️ The image build runs dnf5 copr enable enricobuehler/punktfunk — so Path B also depends on the COPR being published (or on you pointing PUNKTFUNK_COPR at a COPR you've built yourself). If the COPR doesn't exist, the podman build fails at the install step.

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2. Prerequisites — what Bazzite gives you vs. what you must still do

Already satisfied on Bazzite (-nvidia images):

• NVIDIA driver: libnvidia-encode (NVENC) + libEGL_nvidia for the zero-copy path.
• gamescope — the default compositor backend punktfunk uses on Bazzite.
• PipeWire + WirePlumber — the capture/audio graph.

You must still do (covered below):

1. Reboot after layering / rebasing (section 1).
2. Join the input group and ensure the udev rule is installed (section 3) — required for virtual gamepads / DualSense.
3. Place host.env and enable the systemd user service (sections 4–5).
4. Open firewall ports (section 6).

RPM Fusion's ffmpeg-libs is a weak dependency (Recommends: in the spec) — the package installs without it, but NVENC encoding will fail at runtime if it's missing. The RPM Fusion step in section 1 covers this.

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3. udev rule + the input group

punktfunk creates virtual X-Box-360 gamepads via /dev/uinput and virtual DualSense pads via /dev/uhid (kernel hid-playstation driver — LEDs, adaptive triggers, touchpad, gyro). The udev rule grants the input group access to both nodes.

The RPM already installs the rule to /usr/lib/udev/rules.d/60-punktfunk.rules and its %post reloads udev. So on a packaged install (Path A or B) you only need to join the input group:

ujust add-user-to-input-group     # then LOG OUT and back in (or reboot)

⚠️ On Bazzite use ujust add-user-to-input-group, NOT sudo usermod -aG input $USER. Bazzite is an atomic (rpm-ostree) OS where /etc/group is managed declaratively — a plain usermod either doesn't stick or gets reverted on the next update. The ujust recipe edits the group the immutable-OS-correct way (and reloads udev). (ujust ships with Bazzite; ujust --list shows all recipes.)

🔁 The group change does not apply to your current login session — you must re-login (or reboot). Until then, gamepad creation fails with a permission error on /dev/uinput. This is the single most common "why don't my gamepads work" gotcha.

If you installed from a tarball/source instead of the RPM (so the rule isn't in place), install it manually — the exact commands from the rule file's header (scripts/60-punktfunk.rules):

sudo cp scripts/60-punktfunk.rules /etc/udev/rules.d/
ujust add-user-to-input-group      # NOT `usermod` on Bazzite (see the note above); then re-login
sudo udevadm control --reload-rules && sudo udevadm trigger

The rule contents, for reference:

KERNEL=="uinput", SUBSYSTEM=="misc", OPTIONS+="static_node=uinput", GROUP="input", MODE="0660", TAG+="uaccess"
KERNEL=="uhid",   SUBSYSTEM=="misc", OPTIONS+="static_node=uhid",   GROUP="input", MODE="0660", TAG+="uaccess"

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4. Configure host.env

The systemd user unit reads its environment from ~/.config/punktfunk/host.env (EnvironmentFile=%h/.config/punktfunk/host.env in scripts/punktfunk-host.service). The RPM ships a Bazzite-tuned template at /usr/share/punktfunk/host.env.bazzite. Copy it into place:

mkdir -p ~/.config/punktfunk
cp /usr/share/punktfunk/host.env.bazzite ~/.config/punktfunk/host.env
# then edit ~/.config/punktfunk/host.env

The Bazzite template (packaging/bazzite/host.env) contains:

XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=/run/user/1000
DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS=unix:path=/run/user/1000/bus

# gamescope backend: spawned per session, no compositor login required.
PUNKTFUNK_COMPOSITOR=gamescope
PUNKTFUNK_VIDEO_SOURCE=virtual
PUNKTFUNK_GAMESCOPE_APP=steam -gamepadui

# gamescope hosts its own EIS input socket — input lands in the nested session.
PUNKTFUNK_INPUT_BACKEND=gamescope

# GPU zero-copy capture (dmabuf -> CUDA -> NVENC). Auto-falls back to CPU if unavailable.
PUNKTFUNK_ZEROCOPY=1

#RUST_LOG=info

What each knob means and why these are the Bazzite defaults:

Knob	Value	Meaning
XDG_RUNTIME_DIR / DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS	…/user/1000	Session bus / runtime dir. 1000 assumes your user is UID 1000 — change both if id -u says otherwise.
PUNKTFUNK_COMPOSITOR	gamescope	The Bazzite default. The host spawns a headless gamescope per session at the client's exact resolution/refresh and captures its PipeWire node — so you need no graphical desktop login to stream. Bazzite ships gamescope, so this "just works."
PUNKTFUNK_VIDEO_SOURCE	virtual	Create a per-client virtual output at the client's exact WxH@Hz (the flagship "native resolution, no scaling" mode), vs. portal which captures an existing monitor.
PUNKTFUNK_GAMESCOPE_APP	steam -gamepadui	The command launched inside the nested gamescope — here, a SteamOS-style couch UI. Set it to whatever you want the session to run.
PUNKTFUNK_INPUT_BACKEND	gamescope	Inject mouse/keyboard/gamepad into the nested gamescope via its own EIS socket.
PUNKTFUNK_ZEROCOPY	1	GPU zero-copy capture (dmabuf → CUDA → NVENC). Falls back to CPU automatically if unavailable.
RUST_LOG	(commented)	Uncomment RUST_LOG=info for verbose logs while debugging.

Optional — a real DualSense for clients holding one: add PUNKTFUNK_GAMEPAD=dualsense to present games a virtual Sony DualSense (lightbar, adaptive triggers, touchpad, motion) instead of the default X-Box-360 pad. The feedback flows back to a real DualSense on the client.

Alternative — drive the full Plasma/GNOME desktop instead of a nested gamescope (per the template's footer comment): switch to PUNKTFUNK_COMPOSITOR=kwin and PUNKTFUNK_INPUT_BACKEND=libei, and run the host inside a KDE session with WAYLAND_DISPLAY / XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP set. The full knob list (FEC %, per-stage timing, etc.) is in scripts/host.env.example / /usr/share/punktfunk/host.env.example.

The gamescope default is what makes Bazzite the easy path: it's a headless, per-session compositor — no desktop login, no display manager, no --drm scanout. You don't need any of the headless-KDE bring-up scripts (scripts/headless/run-headless-kde.sh) on Bazzite unless you deliberately switch to the KWin backend.

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5. Enable and start the service

punktfunk runs as a systemd --user service (not root) — it needs your graphical/user session's PipeWire and D-Bus. The unit (scripts/punktfunk-host.service) is installed by the RPM into the user unit directory.

systemctl --user daemon-reload
systemctl --user enable --now punktfunk-host

Check health and logs:

systemctl --user status punktfunk-host
journalctl --user -u punktfunk-host -f

What serve actually starts. The unit's ExecStart runs punktfunk-host serve, which is the GameStream / Moonlight-compatible host (mDNS discovery, pairing, RTSP, the fixed GameStream ports, plus the management REST API on 47990). The native punktfunk/1 (QUIC) host is a separate subcommand — punktfunk-host m3-host — and is not what the bundled systemd unit launches. So out of the box on Bazzite you get the Moonlight-compatible host. (Source: crates/punktfunk-host/src/main.rs — serve → gamestream::serve; m3-host is its own path.)

Unit caveat: scripts/punktfunk-host.service declares only After=pipewire.service and (in the upstream/dev layout) assumes the binary at %h/punktfunk/target/release/punktfunk-host. The RPM-installed binary lives at /usr/bin/punktfunk-host. If systemctl --user cat punktfunk-host shows ExecStart pointing at a missing path in your home dir, drop an override (systemctl --user edit punktfunk-host) setting ExecStart=/usr/bin/punktfunk-host serve.

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6. Firewall

⚠️ There is no firewall script or firewall doc in the repo. The ports below are derived directly from the code constants (crates/punktfunk-host/src/gamestream/mod.rs, mgmt.rs) and the M2 port-map (docs/m2-plan.md). Treat the firewall-cmd lines as recommended-but-verified, not a checked-in script.

GameStream / Moonlight ports (fixed; Moonlight derives them from the HTTP base):

Port	Proto	Purpose
47984	TCP	HTTPS nvhttp (paired, mutual-TLS)
47989	TCP	HTTP nvhttp (/serverinfo, /pair PIN flow)
48010	TCP	RTSP handshake
47998	UDP	Video RTP (+ FEC)
47999	UDP	ENet control stream + remote input
48000	UDP	Audio (Opus)
5353	UDP	mDNS — so Moonlight auto-discovers the host (_nvstream._tcp.local.)

Management REST API: TCP 47990 — but serve binds it to 127.0.0.1 (loopback) by default, so you do not open it in the firewall unless you deliberately move it off loopback with --mgmt-bind IP:PORT (which also requires --mgmt-token). Leave it closed for a normal setup.

Open the GameStream ports with firewalld (Bazzite uses firewalld):

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=47984/tcp \
                  --add-port=47989/tcp \
                  --add-port=48010/tcp
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=47998/udp \
                  --add-port=47999/udp \
                  --add-port=48000/udp \
                  --add-port=5353/udp
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

If you also run the native punktfunk/1 host (punktfunk-host m3-host, not started by the default unit):

• QUIC control plane: UDP 9777 (default --port; change with --port N).
• Data plane: an ephemeral UDP port — m3-host binds 0.0.0.0:0 and tells the client which port it got, so there is no fixed data port to open. For a restrictive firewall you'd need to allow the ephemeral UDP range; the repo does not pin one.

# Only if you run `m3-host`:
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=9777/udp && sudo firewall-cmd --reload

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7. Verify it's working

1. Watch the startup log:

journalctl --user -u punktfunk-host -f

A healthy serve startup logs the punktfunk-host (punktfunk_core ABI v…) banner, then mDNS advertising, and an RTSP listening line on port 48010. No NVENC/EGL errors on the first connection.

2. Pair a stock Moonlight client (recommended first test):

• Open Moonlight on your phone/PC on the same LAN — the host should appear automatically (mDNS).
• Select it; Moonlight shows a 4-digit PIN. The host completes the GameStream pairing handshake (it persists across restarts).
• Launch the app — you should get video at your client's native resolution/refresh, with the nested steam -gamepadui (or whatever PUNKTFUNK_GAMESCOPE_APP you set) running inside gamescope.

3. (Optional) native punktfunk/1 client — only if you're running the separate m3-host. The repo's reference client is punktfunk-client-rs, e.g. punktfunk-client-rs --mode 1280x720x120 --out /tmp/a.h265 (add --pin HEX for PIN pairing). This is a headless/decode-to-file reference, not a desktop viewer.

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8. Troubleshooting (grounded in the repo's real gotchas)

• Gamepads don't appear / permission denied on /dev/uinput or /dev/uhid. Either you haven't joined the input group, or you haven't re-logged-in since. On Bazzite join it with ujust add-user-to-input-group (a plain sudo usermod -aG input doesn't stick on an atomic OS — see section 3), then log out and back in (or reboot): group membership only takes effect on a new session. The host log makes this unambiguous — it prints virtual gamepad created / virtual DualSense created on success, or … creation failed — controller input disabled when the device node isn't writable. (scripts/60-punktfunk.rules, packaging/README.md.)

• No video / NVENC fails to encode. RPM Fusion's ffmpeg-libs (with NVENC) is missing — it's a weak dependency, so the package installed without it. Re-run the RPM Fusion step in section 1. (packaging/rpm/punktfunk.spec: Recommends: ffmpeg-libs.)

• gamescope session won't come up / capture deadlocks. punktfunk needs gamescope ≥ 3.16.22 — older versions (e.g. the broken 3.16.20 some bases shipped) deadlock on PipeWire ≥ 1.6, and a wedged capture link can head-block the whole PipeWire daemon system-wide. Check with gamescope --version. Bazzite tracks recent gamescope, but verify if you hit hangs. (Project notes.)

• NVENC/EGL silently stops working after a system update. punktfunk's reference box uses the NVIDIA open kernel module, and a kernel update can silently drop it. On Bazzite the NVIDIA stack is image-managed (bazzite-nvidia), so this is far less likely — but if NVENC dies right after an rpm-ostree/bootc update, confirm the NVIDIA driver still loads (nvidia-smi) before blaming punktfunk.

• PUNKTFUNK_ZEROCOPY=1 but it falls back to CPU. The zero-copy path needs working EGL/CUDA from the NVIDIA driver. The code falls back to CPU automatically; check the log for the fallback line and verify the -nvidia image / driver is healthy.

• Wrong UID in host.env. XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=/run/user/1000 and the bus path assume UID 1000. Run id -u; if it's different, fix both lines or the host can't reach your session's PipeWire/D-Bus.

• Service ExecStart points at a missing path in $HOME. The dev unit references %h/punktfunk/target/release/.... The RPM binary is /usr/bin/punktfunk-host. Override ExecStart=/usr/bin/punktfunk-host serve if needed (section 5).

• Moonlight can't see the host. Ensure UDP 5353 (mDNS) and the GameStream ports are open (section 6) and client + host are on the same L2 LAN segment.

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Appendix — if the COPR isn't published yet

The COPR (enricobuehler/punktfunk) is operator-run and may not be live. If rpm-ostree install punktfunk can't find the package, build the RPM yourself on a Fedora machine/toolbox (not Debian/Ubuntu — the host links system FFmpeg/PipeWire and won't build there), per packaging/README.md:

git archive --format=tar.gz --prefix=punktfunk-0.0.1/ \
  -o ~/rpmbuild/SOURCES/punktfunk-0.0.1.tar.gz HEAD
rpmbuild -ba packaging/rpm/punktfunk.spec    # needs the spec's BuildRequires + RPM Fusion

To publish the COPR for others (so rpm-ostree install punktfunk / the bootc image work), follow packaging/copr/README.md — create the project, point build-from-SCM at the repo with spec path packaging/rpm/punktfunk.spec, add RPM Fusion nonfree as an external repo, and select chroots matching your Bazzite Fedora base (rpm -E %fedora).

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Accuracy flags

1. The COPR is operator-run / not assumed published — both install paths depend on it.
2. There is no firewall script/doc in the repo — the ports above are derived from the code.
3. The bundled systemd unit runs the GameStream/Moonlight serve host, not the native punktfunk/1 QUIC host (m3-host is separate and unmanaged by the unit).
4. The mgmt port (47990) is loopback-only by default — don't open it.