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Glide — HTPC Remote Control

Turn any phone into a polished remote for your home theatre PC. Scan a QR code that appears on screen, open it in any browser, and you're controlling your HTPC — no app install, no pairing codes.

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Quick links

Topic	What's covered
Installation	Linux .deb / .rpm / .tar.gz, Windows .zip, build from source
Phone Setup (PWA)	Add Glide to your phone's home screen for an app-like experience
Connecting Your Phone	How to connect, popup behaviour, reconnecting
Controls Reference	Every gesture, button, and drawer tab explained
App Launcher	Configuring which apps appear and how they launch
Configuration	Idle timeout, env vars, service drop-ins
X11 and Wayland	Backend differences, text input, uinput setup
Troubleshooting	Popup not showing, phone can't connect, input not working
Architecture	How all the pieces fit together
Building from Source	Building the packages yourself with Docker

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At a glance

Your phone (any browser)
        │  WebSocket over LAN
        ▼
FastAPI server on HTPC  ──▶  pynput / evdev+uinput / Windows input
        │
        ▼
QR overlay (GTK3 on Linux · tkinter on Windows)
hides on connect, reappears after 2 h idle

• No cloud. Everything stays on your local network.
• No app required. Standard browser, any OS, any phone.
• Installable PWA. Tap "Add to Home Screen" for an icon and fullscreen experience.
• Cross-platform server. Runs on Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora/RHEL, Arch, openSUSE, and Windows.
• Auto-detects X11 / Wayland on Linux — no config needed.

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Getting started in 3 steps

1. Install on your HTPC — download the package for your OS from the Releases page
2. Log out and back in (Linux) or the QR window opens automatically (Windows)
3. Scan the code — your phone browser opens and you're in control

See Installation for the full walkthrough, and Phone Setup (PWA) to add Glide to your home screen.