GridLauncherService

GridLauncherService is a small host/client command-line launcher for starting Steam games on Windows PCs over a local network.

Quick Start

Run this on each client PC:

dotnet run --project .\GridLauncherService -- client --name PC01 --port 5199 --token "change-me"

Create gridlauncher.json on the host laptop:

{
  "token": "change-me",
  "clients": [
    { "name": "PC01", "url": "http://192.168.1.101:5199" },
    { "name": "PC02", "url": "http://192.168.1.102:5199" }
  ]
}

Check client status from the host:

dotnet run --project .\GridLauncherService -- host status --config .\gridlauncher.json

Launch a Steam app on one PC:

dotnet run --project .\GridLauncherService -- host launch --steam-id 730 --target PC01 --config .\gridlauncher.json

Launch a Steam app on all configured PCs:

dotnet run --project .\GridLauncherService -- host launch --steam-id 730 --all --config .\gridlauncher.json

Network Setup

• Install or copy the program to each client PC.
• Run the client while the Windows user that owns Steam is logged in.
• Allow inbound Windows Firewall traffic for the selected TCP port, default 5199.
• Prefer DHCP reservations or static IP addresses for the 8 client PCs.
• Put each client IP and port into the host laptop's gridlauncher.json.

This version uses direct local-network HTTP. It works when wired LAN and Wi-Fi clients can route to each other. If the Wi-Fi and LAN are isolated by router, guest network, or VLAN rules, this version will not cross that boundary until the network is changed or a cloud relay is added.

Steam Launching

Clients launch Steam apps with:

steam://rungameid/{steamId}

Steam must be installed and registered as the handler for steam:// links. Steam account ownership, installation, updates, and license prompts are handled by Steam itself.

Tests

Run the focused test harness:

dotnet run --project .\GridLauncherService.Tests