enricobuehlerandClaude Fable 5
6617275387
Field triage (Nobara, Discord): the kde.md starter host.env told desktop users to set PUNKTFUNK_COMPOSITOR=kwin, which PINS the backend — detect() short-circuits and the capture-loss rebuild never re-detects — so a mid-stream switch to Game Mode killed the stream instead of following it. A follow-up hardcoded XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=/run/user/1000 anchor broke PipeWire for any non-1000 uid (pw audio connect: Creation failed). Revamp across every starter/example/reference: - Desktop starters (kde/gnome/hyprland/sway) shrink to PUNKTFUNK_VIDEO_SOURCE=virtual + an explicit warning that pinning disables session-following; forcing a backend is CI/appliance-only. - host.env.example: rewritten around auto-detection; anchors demoted to a commented ssh/cron-only block with the uid trap spelled out; the gamescope ATTACH/MANAGED knobs documented (previously missing); case-sensitivity called out. - packaging/bazzite/host.env + README: drop the uid-1000 anchors (a systemctl --user service inherits/derives them); README's stale PUNKTFUNK_COMPOSITOR=gamescope-era template synced to the real one. - packaging/kde/host.env: loud APPLIANCE-ONLY header (it pins on purpose). - configuration.md: session-anchors section inverted to "leave unset", compositor row states the pin consequence, case-sensitivity note. - troubleshooting.md: new "session fails right after editing host.env" section (case, wrong-uid anchors, stale pin, restart-to-apply). - gamescope.md/bazzite.md: attach/managed descriptions match current behavior (managed is the infra-detected default; attach re-modes a box-owned session to the client's resolution). Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
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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
The host auto-detects the compositor from your live session on every connect, so the starter
~/.config/punktfunk/host.env is one line:
# ~/.config/punktfunk/host.env (keys are case-sensitive)
PUNKTFUNK_VIDEO_SOURCE=virtual
# GPU zero-copy (dmabuf → CUDA → NVENC) is ON by default; auto-falls back to CPU. Set =0 to force CPU.
Don't set
PUNKTFUNK_COMPOSITOR,WAYLAND_DISPLAY, orXDG_CURRENT_DESKTOPhere. Pinning the compositor turns auto-detection off — per connect and mid-stream — so the host stops following session switches, and stale session values point it at dead sockets. Forcing a backend is a CI / dedicated-appliance posture, not desktop configuration.
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.
Display scaling you set while streaming sticks per client: the host remembers each device's scale and reapplies it on reconnect — see Persistent scaling.
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.