HomeKit Steam User Switcher

This script exposes a virtual HomeKit Television accessory where each input corresponds to a Steam user. Selecting an input updates the Steam’s AutoLoginUser; turning the "TV" off restarts Steam.

Why

We regularly game on a headless machine and wanted to switch Steam users easily without fiddling with a KVM. HomeKit provides a convenient way to control devices, and by exposing Steam user accounts as HomeKit inputs, we can seamlessly switch users with our existing HomeKit setup and even set up personalized scenes.

What it does

• HomeKit Television service (Active + ActiveIdentifier)
• Inputs are Steam users (PersonaName as label, AccountName as slug)
• When you switch input, AutoLoginUser is set accordingly
• When you turn the TV off, Steam is restarted (killall steam)
• Pairing/state stored under XDG state: ~/.local/state/homekit-steam-user-switcher/

Requirements

• Linux with Python 3.9+

Install (user scope)

1. Install dependencies

pip install --user -r requirements.txt

2. Install the script into your user bin directory

install -Dm755 homekit_steam_user_switcher.py ~/.local/bin/homekit_steam_user_switcher.py

3. Create a systemd user unit

install -Dm644 homekit-steam-user-switcher.service ~/.config/systemd/user/homekit-steam-user-switcher.service
systemctl --user daemon-reload
systemctl --user enable --now homekit-steam-user-switcher.service

Logs:

journalctl --user -u homekit-steam-user-switcher.service -f

Pairing

• Pairing code: 111-11-111
• In Apple Home: Add Accessory -> More Options -> select the accessory named by --name (default "Steam Switcher").

Advanced

• Change name/port/bind IP, or pass manual inputs:

~/.local/bin/homekit_steam_user_switcher.py --name "Steam Switcher" --port 51826 --bind auto
~/.local/bin/homekit_steam_user_switcher.py --inputs "Alice,Bob"

Reset pairing

Delete the state directory:

rm -rf ~/.local/state/homekit-steam-user-switcher

Uninstall

systemctl --user disable --now homekit-steam-user-switcher.service
rm -f ~/.config/systemd/user/homekit-steam-user-switcher.service
rm -f ~/.local/bin/homekit_steam_user_switcher.py
rm -rf ~/.local/state/homekit-steam-user-switcher

License

MIT