MinEdLauncher and EDMC

[bubblefreak]

I tried to set up Elite Dangerous Market Connector to launch within the MinEdLauncher's settings file with {"fileName": "/var/Lib/flatpak/app/io.edcd.EDMarketConnector/current/active/export/share/applications/io. edcd.EDMarketConnector.desktop",}
But this isn't launching EDMC. The log brings up an error saying exec format error. I installed EDMC from the flatpak because the other installation method looked like another language to me. I really have no idea what I'm doing within Linux, nor git for that matter, so I'm doing my best to follow tutorials and figure out how to get these things to work. I'm on my steamdeck, which is Arch Linux, and the launcher works fine and EDMC is set up and working, just can't get it to launch automatically with MinEdLauncher.

[rfvgyhn]

I'm not familiar with flatpaks so I don't know that this will work but you might try the following in your settings file:

{
    "fileName": "flatpak",
    "arguments": "run io.edcd.EDMarketConnector"
}

You might need to check the contents of your io.edcd.EDMarketConnector.desktop file to see if it requires any other arguments.

[bubblefreak]

I did find the config for EDMC where you suggested however it doesn't really tell me anything useful, just data for the app itself.

[rfvgyhn]

You running in desktop mode is good. That means I should be able to replicate it without needing a steam deck. And it turns out I can. Trying both /var/lib/flatpak/exports/bin/io.edcd.EDMarketConnector and flatpak run io.edcd.EDMarketConnector causes EDMC to instantly crash without showing any errors. It appears it has something to do with launching from Steam. Attempting to directly launch the flatpak by setting Elite's launch options to echo '%command%'; flatpak run io.edcd.EDMarketConnector has the same problem. Running min-ed-launcher outside Steam's container starts EDMC fine (though Elite itself doesn't run).

This may the same issue as #141. There's also ValveSoftware/steam-runtime#551 which is specifically about flatpaks.

For what it's worth, EDMC is available in the AUR. That has it's own set of workarounds you'd have to deal with though. You'd have to go through the same steps as installing alacritty mentioned in the wiki and it would have the same caveats. You'd either install an AUR helper like paru to install the AUR package or manually install the package by cloning the package repo and using makepkg to install it.

[bubblefreak]

That is absolutely a mouthful of jargon I'm very unfamiliar with and I tried getting alacritty before for something else and ran into steamOS issues with that too. Maybe it would work fine if I went through the standard installation method of EDMC instead of flatpak but that also was a bit over my head and I didn't know what I was doing. I've been playing for a couple hours with just launching EDMC separately in game mode and that works fine, not with the headache to save one extra click. Thanks for all your help though! Your launcher took ED startup time in steamdeck game mode from like genuinely 3-4 minutes to maybe 30 seconds, and I greatly appreciate it!

[rfvgyhn]

Yeah, you could also attempt EDMC's "install from source" option. I think that would take more work than installing from the AUR though.

In summary:

• Flatpaks aren't guaranteed to work when launched through Steam, not just with min-ed-launcher. In the case of EDMC, it just doesn't work. Steam Deck Flatpak can no longer be launched within overriden Launch Options command string from a game due to pinned_libs_64/libcurl.so.4 ValveSoftware/steam-runtime#551
• Installing from the AUR requires workarounds

  sudo steamos-readonly disable
  sudo pacman-key --init
  sudo pacman-key --populate holo
  cd ~
  sudo pacman -S --needed base-devel
  git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/paru.git
  cd paru
  makepkg -si
  paru -Syu edmarketconnector
  sudo steamos-readonly enable
  # EDMC is now available at /usr/lib/edmarketconnector/EDMarketConnector.py
  # updates are done by running `paru`

• Installing from source requires the same as above but with more steps
• The easiest option is probably to just remember to start EDMC before Elite 😢

Happy the launcher works well otherwise though.

[rfvgyhn]

@bubblefreak I've created an experimental branch that has a workaround for getting flatpaks to run through Steam. If you'd like to try it out you'll need to:

1. Download the CI build
2. Set your processes config

   {
       "fileName": "flatpak",
       "arguments": "run io.edcd.EDMarketConnector"
   }

3. Update your launch options in Steam

   LD_LIBRARY_PATH="" konsole -e env MEL_LD_LIBRARY_PATH="$LD_LIBRARY_PATH" ./MinEdLauncher %command% /autorun /autoquit

If anyone tries it, I'd appreciate it if you could report back if it works or not.

[bubblefreak]

This does appear to work perfectly in desktop mode on the steam deck, however in game mode it doesn't. Before, I would not see the command line window pop up when launching, and now I do, but I don't ever see EDMC launch, and just to make sure it wasn't just quietly running in the background I flew to another system and checked inara to see if my location updated and it did not, so I would assume EDMC never launched.

[bubblefreak]

It also seems to be struggling to close the game? I have to exit to desktop or restart to get elite to shut down fully

[bubblefreak]

It also seems to be struggling to close the game? I have to exit to desktop or restart to get elite to shut down fully

This is fixed by just exiting from within the game pause menu, rather than the steamdeck sidebar menu

[rfvgyhn]

Is there anything in the log file regarding EDMC?

Regarding the shutdown behavior via the sidebar menu, has that always been the case or just with the recent build you tried? Trying to figure out if MEL_LD_LIBRARY_PATH is the cause, if there's a specific scenario that causes it or if min-ed-launcher isn't handling something correctly in general.

• Use LD_LIBRARY_PATH="" konsole -e env MEL_LD_LIBRARY_PATH="$LD_LIBRARY_PATH"
• Use LD_LIBRARY_PATH="" konsole -e env LD_LIBRARY_PATH="$LD_LIBRARY_PATH"
• Settings file with or without EDMC specified
• Launch directly without konsole ./MinEdLauncher %command% /autorun /autoquit

[bubblefreak]

So Ican recreate the sidebar/steam based app closing in the arch desktop. It appears to be the konsole just not closing. I didn't have this behavior before but i wasn't using the LD_LIBRARY_PATH command, I was launching directly.

As for the EDMC, here's the log for steamdeck game mode:
2025-08-08 23:49:00.718 -05:00 [INF] Starting process flatpak 2025-08-08 23:49:00.908 -05:00 [INF] Launching Elite Dangerous: Odyssey 2025-08-08 23:49:00.910 -05:00 [DBG] Setting $LD_LIBRARY_PATH to $MEL_LD_LIBRARY_PATH: /home/deck/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-runtime/pinned_libs_32:/home/deck/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-runtime/pinned_libs_64:/usr/lib32:/usr/lib/perf:/usr/lib:/home/deck/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-runtime/lib/i386-linux-gnu:/home/deck/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-runtime/usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu:/home/deck/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-runtime/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu:/home/deck/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-runtime/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu:/home/deck/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-runtime/lib:/home/deck/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-runtime/usr/lib:/home/deck/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common/Elite Dangerous 2025-08-08 23:49:00.911 -05:00 [DBG] Process: /home/deck/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-launch-wrapper "--oom-score-adjust" "900" "--" "/home/deck/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_32/reaper" "SteamLaunch" "AppId=359320" "--" "/home/deck/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common/SteamLinuxRuntime_sniper/_v2-entry-point" "--verb=waitforexitandrun" "--" "/home/deck/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common/Proton 9.0 (Beta)/proton" "waitforexitandrun" "/home/deck/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common/Elite Dangerous/Products/elite-dangerous-odyssey-64/EliteDangerous64.exe" "ServerToken 45c...4e3[122] 50f...1c7[1892] " /language English\\UK /steam /novr 2025-08-08 23:49:58.693 -05:00 [INF] Shutdown Elite Dangerous: Odyssey 2025-08-08 23:49:58.716 -05:00 [DBG] Stopping process bwrap 2025-08-08 23:49:58.718 -05:00 [INF] Stopped process bwrap

and the log for running it in desktop (and EDMC launching correctly)
2025-08-09 00:06:23.003 -05:00 [INF] Starting process flatpak 2025-08-09 00:06:23.195 -05:00 [INF] Launching Elite Dangerous: Odyssey 2025-08-09 00:06:23.197 -05:00 [DBG] Setting $LD_LIBRARY_PATH to $MEL_LD_LIBRARY_PATH: /home/deck/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-runtime/pinned_libs_32:/home/deck/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-runtime/pinned_libs_64:/usr/lib32:/usr/lib/perf:/usr/lib:/home/deck/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-runtime/lib/i386-linux-gnu:/home/deck/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-runtime/usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu:/home/deck/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-runtime/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu:/home/deck/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-runtime/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu:/home/deck/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-runtime/lib:/home/deck/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-runtime/usr/lib:/home/deck/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common/Elite Dangerous 2025-08-09 00:06:23.198 -05:00 [DBG] Process: /home/deck/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-launch-wrapper "--" "/home/deck/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_32/reaper" "SteamLaunch" "AppId=359320" "--" "/home/deck/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common/SteamLinuxRuntime_sniper/_v2-entry-point" "--verb=waitforexitandrun" "--" "/home/deck/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common/Proton 9.0 (Beta)/proton" "waitforexitandrun" "/home/deck/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common/Elite Dangerous/Products/elite-dangerous-odyssey-64/EliteDangerous64.exe" "ServerToken 05f...5e7[122] 93a...4d0[1892] " /language English\\UK /steam /novr 2025-08-09 00:07:30.436 -05:00 [INF] Shutdown Elite Dangerous: Odyssey 2025-08-09 00:07:30.458 -05:00 [DBG] Stopping process bwrap 2025-08-09 00:07:30.460 -05:00 [INF] Stopped process bwrap

I just copied the segment from the processes launch up to the app closure, I don't expect much more prior to that in the log that would indicate where the issue is, but let me know if you need more.