5.7 KiB
Frame Control in the headset
Experimental, Frame OS 0.5.6. Tools → Frame Control in VR installs a local
panel in SteamVR's dashboard. It is a way to reach Frame Control while wearing
the headset, independent of Decky's Quick Access Menu. The panel starts only
after you opt in; its server binds to 127.0.0.1 and it uses a normal user
service. No sudo, root filesystem change, or Steam client patch is needed.
The companion copies its bundled UI over the existing trusted SSH connection.
On the Frame, frame-control-headset.service runs a loopback server and one
Chromium app window on gamescope. The window receives a dedicated STEAM_GAME
id, so SteamVR registers valve.steam.desktopgame.2001947813 as a dashboard
panel. Show in SteamVR requests that dashboard tab; the wearer can select
it again from SteamVR's dashboard. Closing the panel stops its browser and
server. The service is not enabled at boot.
The page shows battery, free home storage and SteamVR status. The Large status screen uses large read-only values for battery, SteamVR, free home storage and Frame OS, with a refresh button and clear unknown values. It is an at-a-glance view, not a crash diagnosis or a Decky plugin page. The headset must still be worn to verify that a person can see and use it.
The page can request SteamVR's main Game Mode dashboard, list and force quit a running game after an
unsaved-progress confirmation, save an OpenVR screenshot to
~/Pictures/FrameControl, and record the SteamVR mirror to
~/Videos/FrameControl. Recordings have a 20-minute limit and use a separate
work folder from desktop Frame Control's recorder; they may have no audio if
the monitor source is unavailable. Captures made in standby can be dark.
The page also discovers extensions from
~/.local/share/frame-control/extensions and opens them in sandboxed iframes.
It offers the version 1 read-only capabilities and status bridge from
the extension guide. Installing an extension still means
copying its folder to the Frame; the panel does not download third-party code.
The panel also lists Decky plugins and can install, update, or remove compatible plugins from the official store when the opt-in managed loader is running. Each change asks for confirmation. The Frame VR shell does not show Decky's Steam Deck Quick Access Menu, so Decky plugin pages, settings, routes, and toasts are not available in this panel yet. The compatibility table separates backend loading from VR use. Authors can use the Frame plugin and extension guide.
The per-run UI key is passed in the URL fragment, removed from the address bar after load,
and sent in the X-Frame-UI header. The key is absent from the HTTP request
line and server log. The usual host/origin and anti-framing checks still apply.
Real Frame test, 2026-10-25
On Frame OS 0.5.6, build 20261022.6153909, the opt-in install started the
user service, served /headset, read live /api/status from the browser, and
registered a mapped Chromium window with SteamVR under the dedicated overlay
key. The server rejected a request with the wrong UI key. A read-only status
probe reported the user service running and the overlay registered.
The unworn headset was in standby (activity_level 3). SteamVR reported the
new overlay as not_visible even after ShowDashboard. An OpenVR stereo
screenshot was a uniform dark frame. The documented temporary wake attempt
(power.turnOffScreensTimeout 5 → 3600, --handlewakeup, ShowDashboard)
still left the overlay not_visible; the setting was restored to 5 and the
dashboard hidden. The X window's xwd image was black too. These observations
prove panel creation and page/API execution, not wearer-visible pixels or
laser/controller input. A worn-headset check is still required before
describing the panel as visually verified.
The test then removed the managed service and app bundle. Its unit became inactive, port 47813 closed, the SteamVR overlay disappeared, and the Frame's battery was 100%. Steam and SteamVR were left running. The browser profile and extensions folder were deliberately kept.
A second test on the same build installed the expanded panel with the
headset-glance example extension. The headset's authenticated loopback API
returned live status (99% battery), discovered and served the extension, and
listed no running games. The Game Mode dashboard request succeeded; an invalid
force-quit app ID was rejected with HTTP 400. Screenshot and recording actions
saved a PNG and a 3.6 MB MP4 in the headset user's folders. The recording
reported an audio source. The per-run UI key was absent from the server log.
After another wake and dashboard request, SteamVR still reported the panel
not_visible. No wearer-visible screenshot or controller interaction was
obtained. The test removed its example extension and captured media, then
uninstalled the service. The unit, port, bundle and overlay were absent after
removal; Steam and SteamVR remained running.
Remove
Use Tools → Frame Control in VR → Remove. If the companion is unavailable, run:
ssh frame 'systemctl --user stop frame-control-headset.service; rm -f ~/.config/systemd/user/frame-control-headset.service; systemctl --user daemon-reload; rm -rf ~/.local/share/frame-control/headset/bundle; rm -f ~/.local/share/frame-control/headset/receipt.json ~/.local/share/frame-control/headset/server.log'
That command removes only Frame Control's managed panel code. The Chromium
profile remains in ~/.local/share/frame-control/headset/profile so local
extension data is not discarded. Inspect and delete that folder separately if
you no longer want it. Third-party extensions are in
~/.local/share/frame-control/extensions and are never removed by this tool.