Files
punktfunk/crates/punktfunk-host
enricobuehlerandClaude Fable 5 c1d54b835b fix(encode/nvenc): cache the level ceiling, expose the applied bitrate, force 2-way split at 4K120
Three encode-time fixes from the 4K120 field analysis (sessions pinned ~107 of
120 fps, 14-15 ms reported encode):

- Ceiling truth: the codec-level bitrate clamp (binary search at session open)
  now records its result in a process-lifetime advisory cache keyed by
  GPU/config, so an ABR overshoot opens — or in-place reconfigures — straight
  AT the ceiling instead of re-running the ~6-open search (and a full rebuild
  + IDR) on every overshoot. New `Encoder::applied_bitrate_bps()` exposes the
  post-clamp rate so the session loop can stop pacing/acking a phantom
  requested rate (consumed host-side in a follow-up).

- Clamp-search hygiene: only NVENC parameter/caps rejections steer the search
  now (`NvCallError` keeps the raw status downcastable); a transient failure
  (busy engine, session limit, OOM, driver skew) propagates instead of
  shrinking into — and now caching — a bogus ceiling. The floor fallback also
  records the split mode it actually opened with, so a later reconfigure
  re-presents the real session params.

- Split-frame selection: one shared `resolve_split_mode` replaces the two
  byte-identical direct-SDK copies; the force-2-way threshold moves to
  `SPLIT_FORCE_PIXEL_RATE` (950 Mpix/s, shared with the libav path) because
  4K120 = 995,328,000 px/s missed the old `> 1e9` gate by 0.47% and stayed on
  AUTO — which never engages at 2160 px height, leaving the second NVENC
  engine idle in exactly the mode the threshold existed for. The Linux
  session-ready info! line now carries the final split mode (journals are
  INFO+; this was undiagnosable from user logs).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-25 01:44:54 +02:00
..

punktfunk-host

The streaming host — the program you run on the machine whose desktop or games you want to stream. For each client that connects, it spins up a virtual display sized to that device, captures it on the GPU, encodes with hardware NVENC/VAAPI/AMF/QSV, and sends it out over a low-latency transport — no physical monitor, no letterboxing, no rearranging your real screens.

It speaks two protocols from one process:

  • GameStream — so any Moonlight / Artemis client works day one.
  • punktfunk/1 — punktfunk's own faster protocol (QUIC control plane, GF(2¹⁶) FEC + AES-GCM data plane) that the native clients use.

Runs on Linux (the primary, most battle-tested path) and Windows (x64). The shared protocol, FEC, and crypto live in punktfunk-core; this crate is everything platform-facing around it.

What it does

  • Per-client virtual displays at the exact WxH@Hz. Linux uses per-compositor backends — KWin, gamescope, Mutter, and Sway/wlroots; Windows uses its own all-Rust IddCx virtual display, even on the secure desktop (UAC / lock screen).
  • GPU zero-copy capture → encode. dmabuf → CUDA/Vulkan → NVENC on Linux; on Windows the host pushes frames straight into its own IDD (sealed IDD-push, no screen-scraping) → GPU encode. Encoders auto-select by GPU vendor: NVENC (NVIDIA), VAAPI (Linux AMD/Intel), AMF/QSV (Windows AMD/Intel), or software H.264 as a floor. HDR/10-bit and HEVC 4:4:4 supported.
  • Input injection. Mouse/keyboard (libei / gamescope EIS / wlr / Windows SendInput) and virtual gamepads — Xbox 360/One, DualSense, DualShock 4 — with rumble and HID feedback back-channels.
  • Audio both ways. Opus audio host→client, plus a virtual microphone the client can talk into.
  • Trust & discovery. A persistent host identity, SPAKE2 PIN pairing (default) or TOFU, and mDNS auto-advertisement so clients find the host without typing an IP.
  • Management API + web console. A REST API (mgmt.rs, OpenAPI at api/openapi.json) drives status, paired devices, and on-demand pairing; the browser UI is in web/.

Run it

punktfunk-host serve runs inside your desktop session. Bare serve is the secure native-only default (punktfunk/1 + the management API); add --gamestream on a trusted LAN to also accept stock Moonlight clients.

# Linux, from the repo root (see the repo README "Running on this box" for the headless recipe):
cargo run -rp punktfunk-host -- serve                 # native-only (secure default)
cargo run -rp punktfunk-host -- serve --gamestream    # + Moonlight compatibility

Then pair from the web console (https://<host-ip>:47992) or the client app.

Most people should install a package rather than run from source — see packaging/ (apt · rpm/COPR/bootc · Arch/sysext · Windows installer) and the per-platform guides at docs.punktfunk.unom.io/docs/install.

Subcommands

Command Purpose
serve The host (native punktfunk/1 + mgmt API; --gamestream adds Moonlight).
punktfunk1-host Standalone native-protocol listener for testing/measurement (--source virtual, --max-sessions).
openapi Print the management-API OpenAPI spec (regenerates api/openapi.json).
library Inspect the multi-store game library.
service · driver · web Windows: SCM service, driver install, bundled web console.
*-test / *-selftest / *-probe Diagnostics (input, zero-copy, HDR, compositor, gamepads).

--help lists them all.

Layout

src/
  main.rs            CLI + subcommand dispatch
  config.rs · session_plan.rs · session_tuning.rs · pipeline.rs   session setup + the frame pipeline
  vdisplay/          per-compositor virtual outputs (kwin · gamescope · mutter · wlroots)
  capture/ · capture.rs    screen/dmabuf capture (+ Windows IDD-push)
  encode/ · encode.rs      per-GPU encoders (nvenc · vaapi · ffmpeg_win (AMF/QSV) · sw)
  linux/zerocopy/    dmabuf → CUDA → NVENC bridges (EGL/GL tiled, Vulkan LINEAR)
  inject/ · inject.rs      input backends (libei · wlr · uinput gamepads · UHID DualSense/DS4)
  audio/ · audio.rs        Opus out + virtual mic (PipeWire / WASAPI)
  gamestream/        Moonlight compat: nvhttp · pairing · rtsp · control · stream · gamepad · apps
  native.rs      the native punktfunk/1 host (QUIC control + native-thread UDP data plane)
  mgmt.rs · native_pairing.rs · stats_recorder.rs   management API, pairing, perf capture
  hdr.rs · library.rs      HDR metadata; multi-store game library
  linux/ · windows/  platform-confined backends
  • punktfunk-core — the shared protocol · FEC · crypto core
  • Clients — the apps that connect (Apple · Linux · Windows · Android · probe)
  • Packaging & docs — install & operate
  • punktfunk-planning (internal planning repo) — architecture rationale and deep-dive plans