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enricobuehler 1befa8a2c4 docs(nix): bring the Nix docs in line with the module, and fix a stale claim they shared 
There are three places Nix is documented — the public docs-site, packaging/nix/
README.md, and packaging/README.md — plus the changelog. All had drifted.

STALE CLAIM, and not only for Nix. install.md said the plugin runner's "user unit
ships **disabled** — enable it once you have" something to run. That is true only
of Arch and source installs: the deb postinst and RPM %post both
`systemctl --global enable punktfunk-scripting.service`, and the Bazzite sysext
bakes in a default.target.wants symlink (build-sysext.sh:113). bazzite.md carried
the same claim about its own image. Both corrected, per channel, with the reason
the default flipped — the library scanners are plugins, so a host without the
runner can come up with an empty library — and the `mask`-not-`disable` opt-out
the sysext's own comment documents.

docs-site:
  * install.md NixOS — `desktopSession` in the example and explained, the runner
    no longer needs enabling, and the host/console line says what autoStart does.
  * running-as-a-service.md — "Restart the host with your desktop" documented the
    drop-in for packaged installs only; NixOS gets its one-liner beside it.
  * bazzite.md — the runner is started for you, not "isn't started".

packaging/nix/README.md:
  * option tables gain `desktopSession`, `gamescopeHdr`, `gamescopePackage`, and
    the `punktfunk` group next to `input` (both are required — the udev rule
    chgrp's the vhci nodes and fails outright if the group was never created).
  * "what the module configures" gains the security.wrappers entry, and a note on
    why the capability sits on the encode worker and never on the host: a wrapper
    raises it into the ambient set, which lands it in the permitted set and fails
    KWin's /proc/<pid>/exe readlink identically to a file capability.
  * the appliance snippet no longer tells you to put pkgs.gamescope on PATH —
    gamescopeHdr does that with the patched build, and desktopSession is called
    out as the thing to leave off there.
  * a caveat recording that `nix flake check` does not check the module, and the
    two rules for editing module-check.nix (assertions stay pure Nix; assert
    list-valued unit fields on the lists, not the rendered text).

packaging/README.md: the flake ships five packages, not "host + client".

CHANGELOG.md v0.27.0: a NixOS section covering the comm/session-detection fix, the
module changes including the scripting default flip as an explicit behaviour
change, and the flake-check gap — plus the documentation bullets above.
2026-08-10 20:24:21 +02:00

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---
title: Install the Host
description: Install the Punktfunk host — on Linux from its package registry, or on Windows from a signed installer.
---
On Linux, the package registries are the real distribution channel. Pick your distro, add the repo, and
install with your native package manager. Each row links to the full per-distro guide (add the repo,
first-run steps, the web console) — those are the source of truth, so this page doesn't duplicate them.
On **Windows**, the host ships as a signed installer instead — see [Windows](#windows).
> **First, read [Security & Safe Use](/docs/security).** A streaming host is remote control of the
> machine. It's built for trusted local networks — don't expose it to the internet, and be thoughtful
> about which machine you host on (especially on Windows).
## Pick your distro
| Distro | Package manager | One-command happy path | Guide |
|--------|-----------------|------------------------|-------|
| **Ubuntu** | apt | `sudo apt install punktfunk-host` | [Ubuntu](/docs/ubuntu) · [packaging/debian](https://git.unom.io/unom/punktfunk/src/branch/main/packaging/debian/README.md) |
| **Bazzite / Fedora Atomic** | systemd-sysext | `curl -fsSLO https://git.unom.io/unom/punktfunk/raw/branch/main/packaging/bazzite/punktfunk-sysext.sh && sudo bash punktfunk-sysext.sh install` (no layering, no reboot) | [Bazzite](/docs/bazzite) · [packaging/bazzite](https://git.unom.io/unom/punktfunk/src/branch/main/packaging/bazzite/README.md) |
| **Fedora (dnf)** | dnf / rpm-ostree | `sudo dnf install punktfunk` | [Fedora](/docs/fedora) · [packaging/rpm](https://git.unom.io/unom/punktfunk/src/branch/main/packaging/rpm/README.md) |
| **Arch** | pacman | `sudo pacman -Syu punktfunk-host` (binary repo — always a full `-Syu`, never `-Sy`) | [Arch Linux](/docs/arch) · [packaging/arch](https://git.unom.io/unom/punktfunk/src/branch/main/packaging/arch/README.md) |
| **SteamOS (host)** | on-device script | clone the repo, then `bash ~/punktfunk/scripts/steamdeck/install.sh` (builds on-device) | [SteamOS (Host)](/docs/steamos-host) |
| **NixOS / Nix** | nix flake | `nix run git+https://git.unom.io/unom/punktfunk#punktfunk-host -- serve --gamestream` | [NixOS](#nixos) · [packaging/nix](https://git.unom.io/unom/punktfunk/src/branch/main/packaging/nix/README.md) |
Each registry is public — no auth, you just trust the repo's signing key. Adding the repo is a
one-time step covered in the linked guide; after that, normal `apt upgrade` / `dnf upgrade` /
`pacman -Syu` (or `sudo punktfunk-sysext update` on Bazzite) tracks new builds. On **NixOS** there
is no repo to add — you add the flake as an input and enable its module, see [NixOS](#nixos).
> **Stable vs canary.** The repos in the per-distro guides are the **stable** channel — it only
> moves when a `vX.Y.Z` release is cut. For the latest `main` build (fast, possibly broken), point
> at the **canary** channel instead (`canary` apt distribution / `*-canary` rpm group). See
> [Release Channels](/docs/channels).
## Windows
Punktfunk also runs as a native host on **Windows 11 22H2+ (x64)**, shipped as a signed
installer — see [Windows Host](/docs/windows-host) for what it includes and its limitations.
For hardware encode you need a GPU — NVIDIA (NVENC), AMD (AMF), or Intel (QSV); there's a software
fallback without one. More detail — including the CLI `punktfunk-host service install` path — is in
[Running as a Service → Windows](/docs/running-as-a-service#windows).
### winget (recommended)
In an **admin** PowerShell, register the Punktfunk source once, then install:
```powershell
winget source add -n punktfunk https://winget.punktfunk.unom.io -t Microsoft.Rest
winget install unom.PunktfunkHost
```
Later, `winget upgrade unom.PunktfunkHost` updates it in place. Add `--interactive` to get the full
wizard instead (the optional task checkboxes, the web-console password page). winget carries
**stable** releases only — canary builds are not published there.
### Manual download
Download `punktfunk-host-setup-<ver>.exe` and run it elevated. The full procedure — where to get it,
everything the installer puts on the machine, its optional tasks, the console password, and the
`/VERYSILENT` unattended switch — lives on one page: [Windows Host → Install](/docs/windows-host#install).
This is also the path for **canary** builds, which winget doesn't carry — see
[Release Channels](/docs/channels) for that download.
> **About the Unknown Publisher prompt.** The installer is signed with a self-signed certificate, so
> Windows warns before it runs — accepting the prompt is enough, nothing else is required. The winget
> route is no different: it downloads and runs that same installer. If you'd
> rather silence it, the matching **`punktfunk-host-windows_<ver>.cer`** is published next to the
> installer, and it's the **same certificate for every release**, so this is one-time. A self-signed
> certificate is its own root, so it has to go in both stores. In an **admin** PowerShell:
>
> ```powershell
> Import-Certificate -FilePath .\punktfunk-host-windows_<ver>.cer `
> -CertStoreLocation Cert:\LocalMachine\Root
> Import-Certificate -FilePath .\punktfunk-host-windows_<ver>.cer `
> -CertStoreLocation Cert:\LocalMachine\TrustedPublisher
> ```
>
> This is a different certificate from the one the bundled **drivers** are signed with — the
> installer imports that one for you.
## NixOS
The repo's `flake.nix` is a supported install path: it builds `punktfunk-host`, `punktfunk-client`,
`punktfunk-web` and `punktfunk-scripting`, and ships a NixOS module. **`x86_64-linux` only**, and
NixOS **24.11 or newer**.
You can run it straight from the flake without NixOS (on other distros, wrap it in
[nixGL](https://github.com/nix-community/nixGL) so the GPU drivers resolve):
```sh
nix run git+https://git.unom.io/unom/punktfunk#punktfunk-host -- serve --gamestream
```
On NixOS, add the flake as an input, add `punktfunk.nixosModules.default` to your system's modules,
and enable the host:
```nix
services.punktfunk.host = {
enable = true;
users = [ "alice" ]; # added to the `input` group, for virtual gamepads
openFirewall = true;
desktopSession = true; # on a machine you log into — see below
settings = { RUST_LOG = "info"; }; # these become host.env
};
```
The module does declaratively what the deb/RPM scriptlets do — the systemd user service, udev rules,
kernel modules, sysctl tuning, the firewall ports and `input` group membership — and brings in the
web console alongside the host. Because `settings` writes the environment file for you, skip the
`host.env` step in [After installing](#after-installing).
**Set `desktopSession = true` on any machine somebody logs into.** It ties the host to
`graphical-session.target`, so restarting Plasma or GNOME restarts the host with it. Without it the
host keeps running against a compositor that no longer exists — still listening, still answering,
and failing at capture on every session after that. Leave it off for the headless appliance route
(a pinned compositor or a gamescope box), which may never reach that target. Same reasoning, and
the same caveats for Sway and Hyprland, as [Restart the host with your
desktop](/docs/running-as-a-service#restart-the-host-with-your-desktop).
The host and console user services are defined but not started (set `autoStart = true` for an
appliance), so from your graphical session enable them:
```sh
systemctl --user enable --now punktfunk-host punktfunk-web
```
The plugin runner needs no such step — like the deb and RPM, the module starts it for you, because
the game-library scanners ship as plugins. Opt out with
`services.punktfunk.scripting.autoStart = false;`.
The full option reference (client, console and scripting options, GPU driver notes, headless
appliance setup) is in
[packaging/nix](https://git.unom.io/unom/punktfunk/src/branch/main/packaging/nix/README.md). To
update, run `nix flake update punktfunk` in your flake directory, then `sudo nixos-rebuild switch`.
## What the packages are
- **`punktfunk-host`** — the streaming host. Install this on your Linux gaming machine.
- **`punktfunk-web`** — the browser management console (pairing + status). Recommended alongside the
host. On apt and RPM the host package *recommends* it, so your package manager pulls it in by
default, and the Bazzite sysext image already contains it. On **Arch** it's an optional
dependency, so name it yourself: `sudo pacman -Syu punktfunk-web`.
- **`punktfunk-client`** — the GTK4 desktop client, for streaming *to* a Linux box (shipped via
apt / RPM / Arch, and as a Flatpak). On a **Steam Deck** take the Flatpak instead — SteamOS's
`/usr` is read-only, so the native package isn't the path there:
```sh
flatpak install --user https://flatpak.unom.io/io.unom.Punktfunk.flatpakref
```
For Gaming Mode, add the [Decky plugin](/docs/steam-deck) on top of it. Full client instructions
for every device: [Install a Client](/docs/install-client).
- **`punktfunk-scripting`** — the plugin/script runner, behind [plugins](/docs/plugins) and
[automation](/docs/automation). The game-library scanners ship as plugins, so a host without the
runner can come up with an empty library — which is why **apt, dnf, the Bazzite sysext and the
NixOS module all start it for you**. On **Arch** and source installs it is not started, so enable
it yourself:
```sh
systemctl --user enable --now punktfunk-scripting
```
To opt out where it *is* on: `systemctl --user mask punktfunk-scripting` (`mask`, not `disable` —
a plain disable cannot remove a symlink that lives in `/etc` or `/usr`), or on NixOS
`services.punktfunk.scripting.autoStart = false;`.
## After installing
These three steps are for the **Linux packages**. On Windows the installer does the equivalent for
you; on NixOS the module does steps 1 and 2, and [NixOS](#nixos) above has the units to enable.
1. Add yourself to the `input` group — virtual gamepads and [pen
input](/docs/input#pen-and-stylus) both need `/dev/uinput` — then re-login. The exact
command differs per distro — see your guide (`usermod -aG input "$USER"`, or `ujust
add-user-to-input-group` on Bazzite).
Also join `punktfunk` — `sudo usermod -aG punktfunk "$USER"`, then log out and back in — if
**either** of these is true: you want the **virtual Steam Deck controller** (paddles,
trackpads, gyro), or this box autologins into Steam **Gaming Mode** and you want the host to
take that session over at your client's resolution
([gamescope](/docs/gamescope#nobara-and-other-autologin-display-managers)). Your package created
that group at install time and left it empty. It gates the usbip nodes the pad attaches through
*and* the helper that stops the display manager for a takeover, and it is separate from `input`
on purpose, because writing those nodes can present arbitrary emulated USB hardware — so join it
only on a machine you trust. On a plain desktop host that streams no Gaming Mode, skipping it
costs you nothing but that one pad type.
2. Put your `host.env` in place, then start the host. Every Linux package ships a systemd **user**
unit, so you don't run the host by hand — but that unit reads `~/.config/punktfunk/host.env` and
won't start until the file exists. Each package ships a template to copy; your distro and desktop
guides say which one to pick (on Bazzite it's `host.env.bazzite`):
```sh
mkdir -p ~/.config/punktfunk
# /usr/share/punktfunk/ on Fedora/Arch/Bazzite, /usr/share/punktfunk-host/ on Ubuntu
cp /usr/share/punktfunk/host.env.example ~/.config/punktfunk/host.env
systemctl --user enable --now punktfunk-host
```
The shipped unit runs `serve --gamestream` — the native `punktfunk/1` plane **plus** the
GameStream/Moonlight-compatible planes, so stock [Moonlight](/docs/moonlight) clients work out of
the box. Those extra planes are only appropriate on a trusted LAN. To run native-only, drop the
flag with a drop-in (`systemctl --user edit punktfunk-host`):
```ini
[Service]
ExecStart=
ExecStart=/usr/bin/punktfunk-host serve
```
The empty `ExecStart=` is required — without it systemd adds a second command instead of
replacing the first — and the binary path has to match your install (`systemctl --user cat
punktfunk-host` shows it; the distro packages use `/usr/bin`). Save the drop-in, then
`systemctl --user restart punktfunk-host`. For what each mode starts, see
[Host CLI → `serve`](/docs/host-cli#serve).
3. Enable the web console:
```sh
systemctl --user enable --now punktfunk-web
```
Then open `https://<host-ip>:47992`. Reading its [login password](/docs/web-console#login-password)
and [arming PIN pairing](/docs/web-console#arm-pairing) are covered in
[The Web Console](/docs/web-console).
### Configure your desktop
How the virtual display and input work depends on your desktop — see [KDE](/docs/kde),
[GNOME](/docs/gnome), [Steam / gamescope](/docs/gamescope), [Hyprland](/docs/hyprland), or
[Sway](/docs/sway) for the compositor-specific setup.
From there, follow the [Quick Start](/docs/quickstart) to pair your first client. To run the host
automatically at boot, see [Running as a Service](/docs/running-as-a-service). If something doesn't
come up, [Troubleshooting](/docs/troubleshooting) starts from the symptom.
## Updating and removing
The web console's **Host → Updates** card tells you when a newer host is out and shows the exact
command for the way you installed — the full list, plus one-click updating and how to turn the check
off, is on [Updating the Host](/docs/updating).
To take it back off, see [Uninstall](/docs/uninstall) — it covers every install method and what is
deliberately left behind (your `~/.config/punktfunk` — identity certificate, paired devices, console
password — survives package removal).
## Building from source
If no package exists for your platform, you can build from source — see the repository README. Source
builds are a fallback; the registries are the supported path.
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