Ubuntu

For Ubuntu 26.04 or newer, Desktop or Server, GNOME or KDE.

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS installs the package but cannot stream — its desktop is too old to create a virtual display, and there is no gamescope for it. Use 26.04. Why, in detail.

One command instead? The guided installer (preview) does everything on this page — it detects the distro, installs the host, joins the groups, opens the firewall and starts it:

curl -fsSL https://punktfunk.unom.io/install.sh | sh

The steps below are the same thing by hand, and stay the documented path.

1. GPU driver

• NVIDIA: install the recommended driver and its GL/EGL userspace (Wayland needs it), then reboot:

  sudo ubuntu-drivers install
  sudo apt install libnvidia-gl-<version>   # the number ubuntu-drivers picked, e.g. libnvidia-gl-580

  If nvidia-smi can't talk to the driver afterwards, Secure Boot is in the way — see Troubleshooting.

• AMD / Intel: nothing to install. The host package pulls in the VAAPI driver for your GPU, and Vulkan Video comes with Mesa.

2. Install the host

The repo is public and signed; this adds it and installs the host together with the browser console (punktfunk-web) and the plugin runner (punktfunk-scripting). They are named in the line rather than left to apt: punktfunk-host only recommends them, so a box with APT::Install-Recommends "0" would end up with a host you cannot pair with.

sudo install -d -m 0755 /etc/apt/keyringscurl -fsSL https://git.unom.io/api/packages/unom/debian/repository.key | sudo tee /etc/apt/keyrings/punktfunk.asc >/dev/nullecho "deb [signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/punktfunk.asc] https://git.unom.io/api/packages/unom/debian stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/punktfunk.listsudo apt updatesudo apt install punktfunk-host punktfunk-web punktfunk-scripting

Updates ride along with sudo apt upgrade from now on; restart the host afterwards (systemctl --user restart punktfunk-host) — or let the console do it.

3. Let it use your controllers

Virtual gamepads go through /dev/uinput, which the input group owns. Join it, then log out and back in:

sudo usermod -aG input "$USER"

Want the virtual Steam Deck controller (paddles, trackpads, gyro)? Also join the punktfunk group — what it gates and why it's separate.

4. Start it

From a terminal inside your desktop session:

systemctl --user enable --now punktfunk-host punktfunk-web

Ubuntu ships ufw switched off, so there is nothing to open. If you turned it on (common on Server): sudo ufw allow punktfunk-native, plus sudo ufw allow punktfunk-web to reach the console from another device — Ports & firewall has every port and the GameStream ones.

That's the install. Continue with the Quick Start from step 3 — open the console, pair a client, stream.

When you want more

• Something off? punktfunk-host detect-conflicts tells you if Sunshine or Apollo is also running; Troubleshooting starts from the symptom.
• Your desktop's particulars — headless sessions, quirks — KDE, GNOME, gamescope, Hyprland, Sway.
• Stream with nobody logged in — Running as a service.
• Track main instead of releases — Release channels. Older Ubuntu, or want to hack on it — Build from source.
• Debian, LMDE and Linux Mint — Debian.