GlassDeck

GlassDeck is a macOS + Surface control dashboard.

The project now uses a native Swift stack on the Mac and a touch-first web interface on the Surface:

• mac-daemon: Swift daemon exposing the local command API.
• mac-app: SwiftUI control center for macOS.
• surface-web: HTML/CSS/JavaScript kiosk interface for the Surface.
• scripts: local development launch helpers.

Requirements

• macOS with Swift 6 and Xcode command line tools for mac-daemon and mac-app.
• Ubuntu 24.04 or another Linux distribution on the Surface.
• Python 3 for the Surface web bridge.
• Chromium or another kiosk-capable browser on the Surface.
• BlueZ on the Surface for Bluetooth pairing and Bluetooth PAN.

Installation

1. Clone the project

On both the Mac and the Surface:

git clone https://gitea.ega.ovh/enzogagg/GlassDeck.git
cd GlassDeck

If the repository already exists:

cd GlassDeck
git pull

2. Install the Mac daemon and app

Install Apple's command line tools if Swift is not available:

xcode-select --install

Then install the LaunchAgent:

./scripts/install-mac.sh

This creates ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ovh.ega.glassdeck.mac-daemon.plist, starts the daemon at login, and keeps it alive.

3. Install the Surface deck

On Ubuntu, run the Surface bootstrap from the cloned repository:

./scripts/install-surface.sh

This installs the Surface packages, enables Bluetooth, installs the user systemd service, and starts the kiosk.

4. Pair once from the Surface deck

Start the Surface UI, open the control center, use the Bluetooth scan button, then select the Mac once. GlassDeck powers on Bluetooth, makes the Surface pairable/discoverable, pairs the Mac, marks it trusted, and connects it.

After that first validation, GlassDeck retries the PAN connection automatically at startup.

If Bluetooth PAN is slow or unavailable, the Surface bridge also discovers a reachable GlassDeck Mac daemon on the local network automatically.

5. Enable Bluetooth PAN on the Mac

On macOS:

• Open System Settings > Bluetooth and confirm the Surface is paired.
• Open System Settings > General > Sharing.
• Enable Internet Sharing.
• Share your connection from any available interface.
• Share to computers using Bluetooth PAN.

The Mac usually becomes the Bluetooth PAN gateway at 192.168.2.1.

Back on the Surface, confirm that Linux created a Bluetooth network interface:

ip addr show

Look for an interface such as bnep0. GlassDeck uses this interface to find the Mac daemon without Wi-Fi. The launcher will try to reconnect paired devices automatically before starting the kiosk. If the Mac is on the same LAN, the Surface bridge can also find :7878 directly.

6. Start GlassDeck

On the Mac:

./scripts/install-mac.sh

On the Surface:

./scripts/run-surface.sh

Open the Surface UI:

http://127.0.0.1:8090

For kiosk boot on the Surface, use the full installer:

./scripts/install-surface.sh

When Bluetooth PAN is connected, GlassDeck automatically probes the Mac daemon over Bluetooth and shows a BT target in the control center.

If the Surface was already running before Bluetooth PAN connected, restart the UI:

systemctl --user restart glassdeck-ui.service

Development

Build the Mac daemon:

cd mac-daemon
swift build

Build the Mac app:

cd mac-app
swift build

Run the Mac configuration app:

./scripts/run-mac-app.sh

This packages and opens dist/GlassDeck.app, so the terminal returns immediately. For attached foreground logs only:

./scripts/run-mac-app.sh --foreground

Run the Mac daemon:

./scripts/run-mac-daemon.sh

Run the Surface web UI locally:

./scripts/run-surface.sh

Then open:

http://127.0.0.1:8090

On the Surface, run the UI full-screen:

./scripts/run-surface.sh
chromium --kiosk http://127.0.0.1:8090

Bluetooth Connectivity (Offline Mode)

You can use GlassDeck without a Wi-Fi network by using Bluetooth PAN (Personal Area Network).

1. On your Mac

• Go to System Settings > General > Sharing.
• Enable Internet Sharing.
• Share your connection from: (Any) to computers using: Bluetooth PAN.
• In System Settings > Bluetooth, ensure the Surface is paired.

2. On the Surface

• Pair with the Mac via Bluetooth.
• Connect to the Mac's Network service (PAN).
• The Mac will typically act as the gateway (e.g., 192.168.2.1).

3. Start GlassDeck

Run the Mac daemon normally. It listens on all local interfaces by default, including the Bluetooth PAN interface:

./scripts/run-mac-daemon.sh

Start or restart the Surface UI. The Surface web bridge detects Bluetooth PAN interfaces such as bnep0, probes the usual Mac PAN gateway addresses, and automatically points the UI at the first reachable daemon.

If you want to force a specific Mac Bluetooth IP, set it manually in Chromium:

localStorage.setItem("glassdeck-daemon-url", "http://192.168.2.1:7878");

Service Installation (Surface)

GlassDeck includes a modular system to install services that launch automatically on boot.

1. Auto-start the Web Interface

To make the kiosk UI launch automatically when the Surface boots:

./scripts/install-ui.sh

2. Enable Boot Persistence (Background Services)

A service is a directory containing a start.sh script. To install it:

./scripts/install-service.sh ./services/my-addon

This creates a systemd user service named glassdeck-my-addon.

3. Manage Services

• Status: systemctl --user status glassdeck-<name>
• Logs: journalctl --user -u glassdeck-<name> -f
• Restart: systemctl --user restart glassdeck-<name>

Mac Daemon

The daemon listens on 0.0.0.0:7878 by default so the Surface can reach it over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth PAN. Override the bind setting with:

GLASSDECK_MAC_DAEMON_ADDR=127.0.0.1:9000 ./scripts/run-mac-daemon.sh

Manage the installed LaunchAgent:

./scripts/mac-daemon-service.sh status
./scripts/mac-daemon-service.sh restart
./scripts/mac-daemon-service.sh stop

HTTP endpoints:

• GET /status: daemon uptime, connected clients, and available actions.
• GET /dashboards/main: read the persisted Surface dashboard.
• PUT /dashboards/main: publish and persist the Surface dashboard.
• POST /command: execute an action request.

Published dashboards are saved on the Mac in ~/Library/Application Support/GlassDeck/dashboard-main.json, so the layout, dock actions, and control-center cards survive daemon/app restarts.

Current action IDs:

• ping: test connectivity.
• status: return a compact status message.
• open-url: open an http or https URL.
• open-applications: open the macOS Applications folder.

Surface Web

The Surface UI is intentionally minimal for now: a blank home surface with a macOS-style horizontal system bar. The bar shows daemon connectivity, the target machine host/IP, Mac CPU/RAM/temperature metrics, Surface battery when supported by the browser, and a clock.

The control center button opens quick controls for:

• Mac daemon status and refresh.
• Target daemon host/IP.
• Installation status, Bluetooth status, and Mac discovery status.
• Bluetooth scan, reconnect, and forget controls.
• Configurable Mac cards published from the Mac app.
• Surface battery state.
• Local UI brightness dimming.
• Placeholder volume state.
• Quick Mac actions.

Serve it locally and launch it full-screen:

chromium --kiosk http://127.0.0.1:8090

When the daemon runs on another machine, set the URL in browser local storage:

localStorage.setItem("glassdeck-daemon-url", "http://<mac-ip>:7878");

When no URL is stored, the Surface bridge tries to discover the Mac daemon over Bluetooth PAN automatically and shows the selected target in the control center.

Browser limitations:

• The battery value depends on navigator.getBattery() support.
• Mac temperature is shown when the daemon can read it from a local sensor tool such as osx-cpu-temp; otherwise it stays unavailable.
• Direct hardware brightness and volume control need a Linux-side bridge later; the current brightness control dims the web UI locally.

Repository Hygiene

Generated build directories are ignored:

• .build/
• target/
• dist/
• editor, OS, log, and local agent metadata