work on linux release

Linux release not fully working as well as windows, will investigate later
2026-06-26 17:02:35 -05:00
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+# Getting Started with StepForge on Linux
+
+> ⚠️ **Work in progress.** Linux support is still under active development.
+> Expect rough edges — especially on Wayland (see the limitations below). X11 /
+> Xorg is the most complete path today. Please report issues.
+
+StepForge was built on Windows, where the OS lets an app watch every click and
+grab the screen freely. Linux is more restrictive, and **how much works depends
+on whether you are running X11 (Xorg) or Wayland.** This guide explains the
+difference, how to get the best experience, and how to enable per-click capture.
+
+## TL;DR
+
+| | **X11 / "Ubuntu on Xorg"** | **Wayland (default on Ubuntu)** |
+|---|---|---|
+| Screenshot per click | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes (needs `input` group) |
+| Red circle on the click | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (Wayland hides the cursor position) |
+| "Share your screen" prompt | Never | Once per recording session |
+| Setup needed | None | Add yourself to the `input` group |
+
+**If you want the full Windows-like experience (click capture *with* the red
+marker), use an Xorg session — see [Option A](#option-a-best-experience--use-xorg).**
+
+---
+
+## 1. Check which session you are running
+
+```bash
+echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE
+```
+
+- `x11`  → you're on Xorg. Everything works, including the red click marker. No setup needed.
+- `wayland` → you're on Wayland. Read on.
+
+---
+
+## Option A (best experience) — use Xorg
+
+On Xorg, StepForge captures a screenshot **on every click** and draws the **red
+marker** at the exact click position, exactly like Windows. No dependencies, no
+permissions, no portal dialogs.
+
+To switch:
+
+1. Log out.
+2. On the login (password) screen, click the **⚙ gear icon** in the bottom-right corner.
+3. Choose **"Ubuntu on Xorg"**.
+4. Log back in.
+
+That's it — open StepForge and record. (To go back to Wayland later, pick
+"Ubuntu" at the gear menu again.)
+
+---
+
+## Option B — stay on Wayland
+
+Wayland deliberately blocks apps from monitoring global input and from grabbing
+the screen silently. StepForge works around this as far as the platform allows:
+
+### Screen capture
+
+The first time you press **Start recording**, the system shows a **"Share your
+screen"** dialog (the XDG desktop portal). Pick your screen and click **Share**.
+This happens **once per recording session** — not per screenshot. The shared
+stream stays open until you stop recording.
+
+> If you never see steps appear, make sure you actually picked a screen and
+> clicked **Share** in that dialog.
+
+### Per-click capture (requires the `input` group)
+
+By default on Wayland, StepForge cannot see your clicks, so it falls back to
+**capturing a screenshot every few seconds** (timed capture).
+
+To get a screenshot **on every click** instead, give your user read access to
+the mouse devices by joining the `input` group:
+
+```bash
+sudo usermod -aG input "$USER"
+```
+
+Then **log out and log back in** (group membership only applies to new sessions).
+Verify it took effect:
+
+```bash
+groups | tr ' ' '\n' | grep input    # should print: input
+```
+
+Now StepForge reads mouse buttons directly from the kernel (`/dev/input`) and
+captures a screenshot on each click.
+
+> **No red marker on Wayland.** Even with per-click capture working, Wayland
+> does not tell apps *where* the pointer is, so StepForge cannot draw the circle
+> at the click. The screenshot is still captured per click — just without the
+> marker. If you need the marker, use [Option A (Xorg)](#option-a-best-experience--use-xorg).
+
+### Adjusting the timed-capture interval
+
+If you don't enable the `input` group, StepForge captures on a timer. Change the
+interval in **Settings → Capture** (`capture.autoIntervalSec`, default 5
+seconds).
+
+---
+
+## How StepForge picks a capture method (for reference)
+
+On launch StepForge chooses the best available click source:
+
+1. **Windows** — low-level mouse hook (position + timing).
+2. **X11** — `xinput` (position + timing → full red marker).
+3. **Linux evdev** (`/dev/input`) — button presses on X11 *and* Wayland, no
+   position on Wayland. Used when `xinput` can't see clicks (i.e. Wayland), if
+   you're in the `input` group.
+4. **Timed capture** — the always-works fallback (a screenshot every N seconds)
+   when no click source is available.
+
+Screen frames come from a single long-lived capture stream per recording, so
+clicks/timer ticks never re-open the screen-share dialog.
+
+---
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+**"It asks to share my screen every time."**
+You're likely on an older build. Update to the current version — the screen
+stream is now opened once per recording session. If it persists, confirm
+`echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE` and that you clicked **Share** (not Cancel) in the dialog.
+
+**"Recording captures a couple of steps then stops."**
+Fixed in the current version (a slow, GPU-less PNG encode used to trip a
+failure guard and tear down the stream). Update and retry.
+
+**"The window disappeared and I can't stop the recording."**
+On Linux the window **minimizes** while recording (GNOME's system tray is
+unreliable). Bring it back from the **taskbar / dock**, then click **Stop
+recording**.
+
+**"No steps at all on Wayland, even after picking a screen."**
+Run from a terminal with logging and look for the diagnostic lines:
+
+```bash
+STEPFORGE_CAPTURE_LOG=1 npm start
+```
+
+- `[stepforge] screen-capture stream active …` — the stream is up.
+- `[stepforge] per-click capture via evdev on N device(s) …` — clicks are wired up.
+- `[stepforge] no readable mouse input devices …` — you need the `input` group (see above).
+
+**Harmless console noise.** Lines like `vaInitialize failed`, `Frame latency is
+negative`, and `StatusNotifierItem … already exported` come from Chromium/GNOME,
+not StepForge, and don't affect recording.