saphid--frame-control/docs/decky-frame.md

Decky Loader on Steam Frame

For the modding-path survey, licence review and update limits, see plugin and modding research.

Status, 2026-10-25: Decky Loader 3.3.0's ARM64 backend starts on Frame OS 0.5.6 and injects into Steam's shared CEF context. Its Decky tab registers in JavaScript. A usable plugin menu in the Frame's VR shell has not been verified. Frame Control therefore labels its user-service manager experimental. ProtonDB Badges loaded in the backend and Gamepad UI plugin registry, but its VR user interface has not been seen or used.

Official store plugin audit, 2026-10-25

On a real Frame with Frame OS 0.5.6 build 20261022.6153909, SteamVR 2.18.2 reported activity_level 3 (standby). The battery was 99% before and after. The test downloaded the official store's current archives, checked each SHA-256 against store metadata, and inspected their manifests and binaries. For seven non-root candidates, the removable user-service loader started each plugin in turn. It stopped between plugins. Logs showed Loaded <name> for all seven. The service and test folders were removed after the run; the owned shared lock was released. A load message is not proof that a plugin's page, settings, or action works in VR. No plugin was tried by a wearer.

Official store plugin (tested version)	Result	Evidence and limit
ProtonDB Badges 1.3.4	Partial	ARM64 backend loaded. Earlier 1.1.0 also registered in the shared Gamepad UI; badges in the VR shell were not seen.
CSS Loader 2.1.3	Partial	Backend loaded; one SyntaxWarning. Theme controls and CSS application in VR were not checked.
SteamGridDB 1.8.1	Partial	Backend loaded. Artwork selection and its UI were not checked.
Animation Changer 1.3.2	Partial	Backend loaded. Boot animation replacement was not attempted.
Storage Cleaner 1.4.0	Partial	Backend loaded. No files were cleaned; no UI check.
HLTB for Deck 2.0.12	Partial	Passive plugin loaded. Game page content in VR was not checked.
Bluetooth 3.1.1	Partial	Backend logged Bluetooth plugin loaded. Pairing and VR controls were not checked.
PowerTools 2.0.3	Not applicable	Manifest asks for root; archive includes x86_64 Ryzen binaries and targets Steam Deck hardware. The Frame user service blocks it.
Audio Loader 1.6.1	Not applicable	Manifest asks for _root; the Frame user service blocks it.
Wine Cellar 0.2.1	Broken on ARM64	Archive includes an x86_64 backend binary. The store installer blocks it before execution.
MagicPods 2.0.21	Broken on ARM64	Archive includes an x86_64 magicpodscore binary. The store installer blocks it before execution.
Decky Recorder	Not in current official store	No matching plugin appeared in the official store list on this date; no archive was installed. Frame Control's own headset panel has a separate recorder.

The table reflects the tested versions only. Other releases can change their files or behavior. The official store's digest checks the archive in transit; it does not certify plugin code. Plugins run with the headset user's access. For a new plugin, follow the Frame plugin and extension guide.

The new store transaction was also exercised on the same real Frame: managed loader install → ProtonDB Badges 1.3.4 store install → status → store update → store remove → managed loader remove. Status reported the managed store ID and version while the plugin was installed. The service remained active after each store change. The battery was 99% before and after. The test removed its plugin folder, loader, and owned lock. This validates the store file and service path over SSH, not a visible VR plugin page.

Frame Control's desktop app and opt-in headset panel now show official store entries. Install, update, and remove need an explicit confirmation. They only change Frame Control owned plugin folders under ~/.local/share/frame-control/decky/plugins. The installer checks the store hash and archive paths, blocks root plugins and non-ARM64 binaries, and rolls back an update if the service restart fails. The current VR shell does not provide Decky's Steam Deck Quick Access Menu. Frame Control's headset panel shows installed plugins and store actions. Its separate Framey iframe now hosts compatible API v2 plugin pages, settings, local routes, and panel toasts. Steam route patches and system notifications remain unavailable. The panel still needs a worn-headset visual and controller check. See the current compatibility table.

What was checked on the real headset

The headset was SteamOS 0.5.6, VARIANT_ID=vr, build 20261022.6153909, aarch64 (SteamOS 3.9.x family). SSH reached it through the existing frame alias. / was mounted read-write as Btrfs; no root filesystem change was needed. systemctl --user was running. The Steam client launched with -cef-enable-debugging, -vrgamepadui, and -steamdeck; its web helper served CEF remote debugging on 127.0.0.1:8080. The usual .cef-enable-remote-debugging marker was absent, yet debugging was active.

CEF listed a SharedJSContext target at steamloopback.host/routes/library/home and a separate SteamVR target for the VR overlay. The Decky 3.3.0 ARM64 binary started from /tmp as the normal user: port 127.0.0.1:1337 answered HTTP 200, the log reported Loading Decky frontend!, and CEF showed window.deckyHasLoaded === true and one registered Decky tab in SharedJSContext. The SteamVR target had neither that global nor a Decky tab; its current body text did not contain Decky. The Steam web helper had --disable-quick-menu. This is evidence of backend and shared-context injection, not proof of an accessible Decky plugin menu inside VR. A QAM interaction in the headset and a plugin UI test remain necessary.

Frame Control's per-user manager was then exercised on the real Frame: install → status → update → status → remove → status. The service became active, the binary matched Decky's published SHA-256, and removal left no service, binary or listening port 1337. Decky's already injected JavaScript remained in Steam's running web helper until that helper was restarted. After a web helper restart, both deckyHasLoaded and the tab hook were absent. All temporary trial files and the test's empty managed data folder were removed.

ProtonDB Badges compatibility test

The ProtonDB Badges v1.1.0 release was tested on the same Frame OS build. It is a popular, passive Decky plugin (133 GitHub stars at test time) that adds badges to game pages. The published archive SHA-256 was b4c72ff0ffe60b1a14abafe75a62f644cbb6689f398a753a1905c281151d9173. Its six archive entries had no links or path traversal, and its manifest declared flags: [] and api_version: 2. The release contains a frontend bundle and no backend main.py; its source backend only manages its own settings.

The test copied the archive into Frame Control's managed Decky plugin folder, then installed the official Decky 3.3.0 ARM64 binary as a user service. Decky's log said Plugin ProtonDB Badges is passive and Loaded ProtonDB Badges. DeckyPluginLoader.plugins in Steam's SharedJSContext contained ProtonDB Badges; deckyHasLoaded was true there. The separate SteamVR CEF target had no Decky globals or plugin text, and SteamVR listed no Decky overlay. The headset was in standby, so no in-headset plugin page or badge interaction was verified. The backend's unauthenticated root URL returned HTTP 403, as expected.

The test removed the managed Decky service and binary, the test plugin folder, and its shared-device lock. The service was no longer running, the plugin list was empty, the binary and unit were gone, and port 1337 was closed. Decky's already injected frontend may remain in the running Steam web helper until Steam normally restarts; the test did not restart Steam or SteamVR.

Why the official Decky installer is not used

The current Decky installer selects PluginLoader-arm64 on aarch64, creates ~/homebrew/plugins, writes the CEF marker, installs /etc/systemd/system/plugin_loader.service, and uses sudo systemctl to enable a root service. Its uninstaller also uses sudo. These scripts do not call steamos-readonly, but they do write under /etc; their root service has broad control over the headset. The current Decky loader targets Steam's shared Gamepad UI CEF page, injects a frontend served on port 1337, and patches the standard Quick Access Menu. On Frame, Steam supplies the CEF target, while visible VR shell integration is unresolved.

Frame Control downloads only Decky's official latest ARM64 release, requires its published SHA-256 digest, and checks the ELF architecture. It installs a user service named frame-control-decky.service in ~/.config/systemd/user, with the binary and plugin folder under ~/.local/share/frame-control/decky. It never asks for a sudo password, edits /etc, or changes CEF flags. Decky warns that running without root is not officially supported. Plugins that require root, assume ~/homebrew, or rely on Steam Deck hardware may fail even if the loader runs. Frame Control lists plugins already present in its managed folder and the upstream ~/homebrew folder. The opt-in store manager installs compatible archives only into its own folder. It cannot make Steam Deck QAM plugin pages visible in Frame VR. The experimental Framey panel host can render compatible plugin settings inside Frame Control's separate SteamVR dashboard panel. The real headset still needs a worn-user visibility and controller check.

The latest tested release was Decky 3.3.0, PluginLoader-arm64 SHA-256 8ef5dcf36cbbbb6e97201a6baed5d79c4cc44ec27789fc9af1c5b6ae8f0b25b6. This digest comes from that release's GitHub API asset metadata; it detects a download mismatch, but is not an independent signature.

Opt in and remove

In Frame Control, open Tools → Decky Loader on Frame, read the experimental notice, check the acknowledgement box, and choose Install. Update downloads and verifies the latest ARM64 release again. Remove managed Decky disables and removes only Frame Control's user service and binary. It preserves plugin files and settings so unrelated user data is not deleted. Open Official plugin store to review a plugin, then confirm each install, update, or remove. Root and x86-only plugins are blocked. The manager only removes plugin folders that it installed; it leaves other Decky folders alone. Restart Steam or the headset to clear the frontend already injected into its current web helper process. No action wipes the headset.

Manual removal if Frame Control is unavailable:

ssh frame 'systemctl --user disable --now frame-control-decky.service; rm -f ~/.config/systemd/user/frame-control-decky.service ~/.local/share/frame-control/decky/PluginLoader ~/.local/share/frame-control/decky/.frame-control/receipt.json; systemctl --user daemon-reload; systemctl --user reset-failed frame-control-decky.service'

That command intentionally keeps ~/.local/share/frame-control/decky/plugins and settings. Check those folders before deleting them yourself. An upstream Decky installation is separate; use its own installer to remove it. Frame Control refuses to install alongside an upstream system service.

Next compatibility test

In the headset, open Steam's VR dashboard and look for Decky's plugin tab or Quick Access Menu after an opt-in install. If none appears, inspect whether the VR shell exposes a different menu component and whether Decky's frontend can target it without patching Steam globally. Confirm the plugin's visible UI, controller interaction, and persistence across a normal Steam restart. Until those checks pass, Frame Control should not describe Decky plugins as usable in VR yet. A worn headset check is needed for both the Decky menu and the Frame Control SteamVR panel; only then can their controller interaction and plugin presentation be confirmed.