GabeCubeAura 1.2.1

GabeCubeAura 1.2.1 brings real-time Screen Sync, fixed layouts for up to four
controllers, richer night Weather scenes and safer recovery across Steam,
Gamescope and Decky session changes.

Highlights

• Screen Sync maps the running game's Gamescope picture across the 17 LEDs in
  Panorama mode, or uses one calmer colour in Ambient mode.
• Steam's screensaver can temporarily use Screen Sync, then the selected Home
  or in-game display returns automatically.
• Failed or PAUSED capture sessions are closed before retry. Gamescope and
  PipeWire rediscovery is rate-limited after Desktop Mode, Gaming Mode,
  suspend and screensaver transitions.
• Controller status supports one to four fixed seats. The Automatic colour
  preset uses battery colours for one controller and distinct player colours
  from two controllers onward.
• Weather adds eight night scenes and Customization+ exposes the four new
  night-cloud patterns.
• Steam activity, downloads, native hardware effects and thermal warnings keep
  priority over plugin output.
• The standalone TW3 SteamRGB
  companion can replace only the permanent display while its live Witcher HUD
  claim is active. Alerts, Game launches and playtime countdowns stay above it.

The experimental Witcher telemetry Lab is not bundled with GabeCubeAura. It is
distributed separately through TW3 SteamRGB.

Installation

Download GabeCubeAura-v1.2.1.zip and install the archive through Decky Loader
without extracting it. GabeCubeAura.zip is the identical fixed-name recovery
archive. SHA256 values are included in SHA256SUMS.

Software tests cover rendering, routing, capture recovery, ownership and
packaging. Physical direction, diffuser appearance and reaction latency still
depend on the SteamOS build and target Steam Machine hardware.

GabeCubeAura 1.2.0-beta.3

This opt-in public preview adds real-time Screen Sync, fixed layouts for up to
four controllers, richer night Weather scenes and an experimental live HUD
bridge for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt: Complete Edition / Remastered.

Highlights

• Screen Sync maps the live Gamescope picture to 17 LEDs in Panorama or
  Ambient mode and restarts cleanly when the running game changes.
• Controller display supports one to four fixed battery seats, with automatic
  mirrored layouts for two and four players and editable P1-P4 colours.
• The experimental Witcher 3 Lab reacts to vitality, stamina, toxicity,
  adrenaline, combat and Sign casts from the optional WitcherScript bridge.
• The Witcher page can install, verify, repair or safely remove the bundled
  script and export a focused diagnostic JSON to Documents.
• Selecting the Beta update channel checks immediately. Downloads still require
  confirmation and are verified against package metadata and SHA256SUMS.

The Witcher 3 experimental Lab

The Lab targets Steam AppID 292030. A checksum-valid script only arms the
feature: the bar is not claimed until a fresh GCA1 telemetry record proves
that the current game session is live. When telemetry stops or the game exits,
GabeCubeAura releases the experimental output instead of replaying stale data.

The direct GabeCubeAuraTelemetry.ini transport remains experimental. Live
telemetry has been observed on the target Steam Machine through namespaced
records in the script-log fallback.

Required setup

1. Install or repair the bridge from the top of the Witcher page, then restart
   the game so WitcherScript recompiles.
2. In Steam Launch Options, enter exactly -net -debugscripts.
3. Reopen the Witcher page and check the reported script, telemetry and
   physical-owner states. No manual settings-file edit is required.

Safety and coexistence

Steam downloads, repeated native Valve writes and the fixed red critical
thermal/system warning remain above every GabeCubeAura display. Launch effects,
brief alerts and playtime countdowns also temporarily replace the Witcher HUD
or Screen Sync, then the selected display resumes. Changing Display Routing or
leaving The Witcher 3 releases the experimental Lab.

Screen Sync now discovers the active Gaming Mode PipeWire session more
reliably, recovers after an isolated capture/runtime failure and avoids showing
the saved Customization+ fallback during the native game-launch handoff.

Install and rollback

Install GabeCubeAura-v1.2.0-beta.3.zip through Decky Developer settings without
extracting it, or select Beta from GabeCubeAura's Updates page. Keep the stable
v1.1.3 ZIP and a configuration export available for rollback.

GabeCubeAura 1.1.3

GabeCubeAura 1.1.3 completes the direct updater recovery. It does not include
Screen Sync, the new Weather animations, 4-controller support, or any of the
other changes currently in the 1.2.0 beta.

Fixed

Check now previously reused the ETag saved by an earlier automatic request.
If the local update state had been cleared while that ETag remained, GitHub
could correctly answer 304 Not Modified but the plugin had no available
release left to display. Changing between Stable and Beta cleared the cached
request and made the release appear, which explained the inconsistent result.

A manual check now always requests the complete current release. Automatic
checks still use conditional ETag requests to avoid unnecessary downloads.
Changing channel continues to check immediately, but is no longer required to
find a newly published release.

This new version also ensures that installations which received the original
1.1.2 package can discover and install the correction through the normal OTA
flow.

Included updater safeguards

• Stable and Beta channels with immediate checks when the channel changes.
• Automatic intervals of 15 minutes, 1, 3, 6, 12 or 24 hours.
• HTTPS, metadata, checksum, archive path and package version verification.
• An independent helper that starts outside Decky's bundled runtime libraries.
• Healthy-start acknowledgement and automatic rollback when a replacement does
  not start correctly.
• Recovery from completed or superseded restart_pending transactions.

Installation

Users already running 1.1.2 can install 1.1.3 from Settings > Updates.

Versions 1.0.0, 1.1.0 and 1.1.1 need one manual installation because their
currently running updater cannot reliably start the independent helper:

1. Install Decky Loader if needed.
2. Download GabeCubeAura-v1.1.3.zip from this release.
3. In Decky > Settings > General, enable Developer mode if the
   Developer page is not visible.
4. Open Decky > Settings > Developer and choose
   Install Plugin from ZIP File under Third-Party Plugins.
5. Select the ZIP without extracting it.

Settings and artwork caches remain in Decky's settings directory.

Validation

The correction was verified on the Steam Machine with a local package reporting
version 1.1.0. While staying on Stable, Check now detected the public 1.1.2
release directly, without the previous channel-change workaround.

Automated validation covers forced manual refresh, conditional automatic
checks, channel selection, release discovery, checksum enforcement, package
validation, helper launch, restart-state recovery, healthy startup
acknowledgement and rollback.

GabeCubeAura 1.1.2

GabeCubeAura 1.1.2 is a focused recovery release for direct updates. It does
not include Screen Sync, the new Weather animations, 4-controller support,
or any of the other changes currently in the 1.2.0 beta.

Fixed

Decky Loader can expose bundled runtime libraries to commands started by a
plugin. The updater previously passed that environment unchanged to the SteamOS
systemd-run binary. On the Steam Machine, the package downloaded and verified
correctly, but installation stopped with Could not start the independent update helper.

Version 1.1.2 removes Decky's library and Python runtime overrides before
starting the helper. If helper startup still fails, the original system detail
is retained in the Decky backend log for diagnosis.

After Decky restarts, the running backend now reloads the terminal transaction
state written by the helper instead of retaining an in-memory
restart_pending snapshot. A healthy replacement backend can also recover that
state after a short grace period, which re-enables update checks and Stable or
Beta channel selection. A newer manual installation also closes an older
restart_pending transaction automatically instead of inheriting its lock.

Check now also bypasses the stored GitHub ETag and requests the complete
current release. Automatic checks keep conditional requests, but a manual check
can no longer miss a newly published release because of stale cached state.

One-time manual installation

Versions 1.0.0, 1.1.0 and 1.1.1 must install 1.1.2 manually. The correction has
to be present in the currently running plugin before it can launch an update.
After 1.1.2 is installed, future stable or beta releases can use the normal
in-plugin notification, download, verification and confirmation flow.

1. Install Decky Loader if needed.
2. Download GabeCubeAura-v1.1.2.zip from this release.
3. In Decky > Settings > General, enable Developer mode if the
   Developer page is not visible.
4. Open Decky > Settings > Developer and choose
   Install Plugin from ZIP File under Third-Party Plugins.
5. Select the ZIP without extracting it.

Settings and artwork caches remain in Decky's settings directory and are kept
during this installation.

Validation

The corrected launcher was tested on the Steam Machine by installing a local
1.1.0 test build and updating it to the unmodified public 1.1.1 release. Decky
restarted and GabeCubeAura completed the update successfully.

Automated validation covers the contaminated Decky environment, release
discovery, checksum enforcement, package validation, directory exchange,
healthy startup acknowledgement and rollback. The release package is also
checked for its root directory, required files, version and SHA256 value.

GabeCubeAura 1.1.1

Update notice

The updater in this release can download and verify a new package, but may fail
with Could not start the independent update helper when installation begins.
Install GabeCubeAura 1.1.3
once through Decky Developer settings. Updates after 1.1.2 can use the repaired
in-plugin flow.

GabeCubeAura 1.1.1 is a deliberately small maintenance release built directly
from 1.1.0. Its purpose is to validate the public stable OTA path before the
larger 1.2.0 beta is offered. It does not include Screen Sync, new Weather
animations, support for three or four controllers, or any other 1.2.0 feature.

Update scheduling

• Choose automatic checks every 15 minutes, 1, 3, 6, 12 or 24 hours.
• Keep 24 hours as the default interval.
• Run one automatic check when Steam loads GabeCubeAura if automatic checks are
  enabled, even when the previous periodic deadline has not yet expired.
• Keep one notification per newly discovered version.

Stable and Beta channels

Stable remains the default and accepts only normal GitHub releases. Beta is
opt-in and accepts published GabeCubeAura beta prereleases as well as later
stable releases.

Changing channel starts a release check immediately. When a newer beta is
available, GabeCubeAura uses the same Decky notification, verified download and
explicit installation confirmation as a stable update.

An installed beta can also return to the current stable release. GabeCubeAura
labels this action as a return to Stable instead of a normal update, downloads
and verifies the stable package, preserves settings and artwork caches, and
requires confirmation before restarting Decky. If the target build does not
acknowledge a healthy startup, the updater restores the previously working
build.

Installation

The 1.1.0 to 1.1.1 update path was used to validate the corrected helper locally.
Public 1.1.0 and 1.1.1 installations should install 1.1.2 manually once.

For a manual installation:

1. Install Decky Loader if needed.
2. Download GabeCubeAura-v1.1.1.zip from this release.
3. In Decky > Settings > General, enable Developer mode if the
   Developer page is not visible.
4. Open Decky > Settings > Developer and choose
   Install Plugin from ZIP File under Third-Party Plugins.
5. Select the ZIP without extracting it.

The release also provides GabeCubeAura.zip as a fixed-name recovery download
and SHA256SUMS for both archives.

Validation result

The complete 1.1.0 to public 1.1.1 update succeeded on the Steam Machine with
the corrected helper launcher. Version 1.1.2 carries that correction for future
updates.

Coming very soon on the Beta channel

• Support for up to four controllers.
• Responsive real-time Screen Sync inspired by Hue Ambilight.
• Improved night Weather patterns built around a proper night-blue background.
• The Witcher 3 Lab, an experimental mod for visualising HUD elements on the
  light bar in real time.

These features are not part of 1.1.1. Users can opt into the Beta channel when
the first public 1.2.0 beta is ready.

GabeCubeAura 1.1.0

Update notice

The updater in this release can download and verify a new package, but may fail
with Could not start the independent update helper when installation begins.
Install GabeCubeAura 1.1.2
once through Decky Developer settings. Updates after 1.1.2 can use the repaired
in-plugin flow.

GabeCubeAura can now check, download and install future stable releases from
inside the plugin. Version 1.0.0 users still install this release once through
Decky Developer settings. After that bootstrap, the new Updates page handles
later releases.

Direct updates

• Checks only the official Alyenax/GabeCubeAura GitHub releases.
• Runs an optional background check once a day.
• Shows at most one Decky notification for each available version and waits
  until Home when a game is running.
• Keeps installation manual, with a separate download step and a final
  confirmation showing the installed and target versions.
• Keeps settings and artwork caches during updates and rollbacks.

Package safety

The updater keeps HTTPS certificate and hostname verification enabled. Before
installation it checks the GitHub metadata, expected asset name, compressed
and extracted sizes, SHA256, ZIP paths, symbolic links, duplicate files,
required manifests, plugin identity and exact target version.

Decky is not stopped during download or validation. Once the package is ready,
an independent helper stops Decky, swaps the verified directory and starts
Decky again. The new backend has 45 seconds to acknowledge a healthy startup.
If it does not, the helper restores the previous version and starts Decky once
more without entering a restart loop.

Installation

1. Install Decky Loader if needed.
2. Download GabeCubeAura-v1.1.0.zip from this release.
3. In Decky > Settings > General, enable Developer mode if the
   Developer page is not visible.
4. Open Decky > Settings > Developer and choose
   Install Plugin from ZIP File under Third-Party Plugins.
5. Select the ZIP without extracting it.

The release also provides GabeCubeAura.zip as a fixed-name recovery download
and SHA256SUMS for both archives.

Verification scope

Automated coverage includes release discovery, stable version filtering,
notification deduplication, checksum enforcement, malicious ZIP rejection,
package validation, successful swaps, health timeout, rollback and persistence
of update preferences. Build validation covers TypeScript, frontend tests,
backend tests, the production bundle, ZIP structure and checksums.

The isolated Update lab is available only in local test builds. It does not
appear in the stable v1.1.0 interface.

GabeCubeAura 1.0.0

GabeCubeAura is the new name of SignalBar. This release keeps existing settings
and artwork caches while introducing independent Home and in-game displays,
Customization+ and artwork-driven game launch animations.

Highlights

• Separate permanent displays for Steam Home and games, plus per-game overrides.
• Customization+ with 61 patterns, one to three exact RGB colours, brightness,
  direction and speed.
• Game Launches with local Hero, Header or Capsule colour extraction, two or
  three dominant colours, ten patterns and a 3 to 45 second timer.
• Temporary launch, playtime, controller and Steam-event layers that return to
  the selected permanent display.
• Standard Decky left-side settings navigation.
• Full configuration export, import and reset.
• Coordinated ownership with StripMine, developed by the same author.

Upgrade from SignalBar

Install GabeCubeAura-v1.0.0.zip through Decky Developer settings. On first
launch, GabeCubeAura imports existing SignalBar settings and artwork caches. The
source configuration is copied once and is not deleted.

The Python signalbar namespace, saved setting keys and the StripMine handoff
identity remain unchanged for compatibility.

Verification

Version 1.0.0 passed the complete backend and frontend suites, TypeScript
checking, bundle creation, ZIP integrity checks and target Steam Machine tests.
The packaged ZIP is accompanied by SHA256SUMS.

The published asset was downloaded again after release creation. Its ZIP
integrity and checksum both passed.

Publication record

• Release commit: 3f8e497ef5edd7376e4dd56806b86bc4558d8428.
• Release tag: v1.0.0.
• ZIP SHA-256: 4964ecebab2ffadb43024fd5b93586fc85cd743d114b939ce90d02435cb73575.
• Concept Lab commit: edbbb08.
• Controller annex commit: 99a7fb4.
• Legacy Concept Lab redirect commit: 4eb58f8.
• Legacy controller redirect commit: 62cbd5c.
• All four GitHub Pages deployments report built.
• GitHub Actions is disabled for the primary and Pages repositories.
• The main branch blocks deletion and force-push while allowing direct manual
  publication without required Actions checks or pull requests.

Install

1. Install Decky Loader if it is not already installed.
2. Download GabeCubeAura-v1.0.0.zip from this release.
3. Open Decky > Settings > General and enable Developer mode if the
   Developer page is not already visible.
4. Open Decky > Settings > Developer. Under Third-Party Plugins, choose
   Install Plugin from ZIP File, then select Browse.
5. Select the downloaded archive without extracting it and confirm the
   installation.
6. Restart Decky Loader if GabeCubeAura does not appear immediately.

SignalBar v0.7.1

SignalBar v0.7.1 makes the event-focused display consistent and adds the missing Steam Community notification path.

StripMine compatibility

• The dedicated Compatibility page is restored in Decky settings.
• SignalBar or StripMine priority can be selected independently for Artwork, Performance, Weather, Controller displays, and Light Events.
• Permanent providers now use the same acknowledged ownership handoff as Light Events.
• Playtime countdowns remain fixed SignalBar priorities, while an empty Signals only display yields to StripMine.
• SignalBar now completes its final LED restore before granting StripMine ownership. This prevents the physical 17-LED write sequence from triggering StripMine's "Another app changed the LEDs" safety warning.

Signals only

The former Light Events only display is now called Signals only.

• Steam notifications, achievements, screenshots, and recording cues remain active.
• Controller connection, low-battery, and brief charging alerts remain active.
• Enabled battery gauges and continuous charging displays remain active.
• Steam Families and personal playtime countdowns remain active.
• Artwork, Performance, and Weather stay dormant.
• When no useful signal needs the LEDs, SignalBar releases the bar to Steam or another compatible application.

Steam Community notifications

• New replies in subscribed Steam Community discussions now trigger the configured notification Light Event.
• Followed group and community posts are also observed through Steam's server-backed notification centre.
• Existing inbox entries are seeded silently, hidden items are ignored, and native comment toasts are deduplicated.

Install

Download SignalBar-v0.7.1.zip below. In Decky Loader, open Settings > General and enable Developer mode if the Developer section is not already visible. Then open Developer > Install Plugin from ZIP and select the archive without extracting it.

Existing settings are preserved when upgrading.

Local validation includes 111 backend tests, 34 frontend tests, a clean production build, ZIP structure verification, and SHA-256 verification. The new Steam Community event path and physical LED transitions still need confirmation on the Steam Machine.

For complete details, see the README and changelog.

SignalBar v0.7.0

SignalBar v0.7.0 adds Light Events only, directly answering the request in
issue #1. Notifications,
achievements, screenshots, and recording cues can now use the light bar without
keeping Artwork or Performance active between events.

Light Events only

• Select Light Events only as the default display mode.
• Between events, SignalBar leaves the light bar untouched for Steam or another
  compatible application.
• Existing Artwork and Performance profiles stay saved and become active again
  when their display mode is selected.
• Countdown, alert, and native ownership protections retain their priorities.

StripMine compatibility

SignalBar and a compatible StripMine build can now share the physical light
bar. Before a short event, SignalBar publishes a renewable handoff request and
briefly waits for StripMine to yield. After the animation, SignalBar restores
the exact previous frame and releases the handoff so StripMine can resume.

The handoff is fail-safe: leases expire after a crash, and StripMine verifies
the restored LED signature before reclaiming the bar. Local lifecycle tests
pass, but the transition still needs confirmation on the physical Steam
Machine.

Weather default

Slow convergence is now the default Cloud Weather animation on fresh
installs. Existing saved Cloud selections remain unchanged.

Install

Download SignalBar-v0.7.0.zip below. In Decky Loader, open Settings >
General and enable Developer mode if the Developer section is not
already visible. Then open Developer > Install Plugin from ZIP and select
the archive without extracting it.

Existing settings are preserved when upgrading.

For complete details, see the README
and changelog.

SignalBar v0.6.1

Cloud Weather has two new patterns:

• Cross & gather: two pairs cross, then a drifting three-LED cloud gathers smaller ones. The slower loop lasts 20 seconds and is the default Cloud choice on a fresh install.
• Slow convergence: small clouds build into one eight-LED cloud. It moves to the left edge, returns to the right, and exits. Its loop lasts 48 seconds.

Both patterns can be previewed for their full duration. Passing shadow and Passing shadows remain available, and updating keeps your existing Cloud selection. The new patterns use neutral white with brightness variation, avoiding coloured edge pixels.

The Weather Country field now asks for a full name such as France. Two-letter codes do not work in this search; the no-results hint reflects that.

Download the attached ZIP and install it from Decky Settings → Developer → Install Plugin from ZIP. Automated tests pass; the new motion still needs feedback from the physical Steam Machine bar.