Skip to content

Tools for Steam 0.3.9 Beta 2 — SDK 1.0 & Community Store

Pre-release
Pre-release

Choose a tag to compare

View all tags
@toonymak1993 toonymak1993 released this 12 Jul 00:18
v0.3.9-beta.2
bba53d7
This commit was created on GitHub.com and signed with GitHub’s verified signature.
GPG key ID: B5690EEEBB952194
Verified
Learn about vigilant mode.

Tools for Steam 0.3.9 Beta 2

This is the first official beta of the complete Tools for Steam platform: controller-first Steam integration, three startup modes, the Community Store, Plugin SDK 1.0, the Home Assistant reference plugin, and the first verified handheld TDP controls.

This is a pre-release for real-world testing. Use Tray Mode first if you do not yet want TFS to change the current user's console startup flow.

Store and controller experience

  • Reworked the Store with compact, consistently sized cards, safe inner spacing, contained previews, and responsive 3/2/1-column grids.
  • Community plugins stay left-aligned when fewer than three entries are available.
  • Added Discover, Built-In, Community, Installed, and Updates sections.
  • Added curated-catalog trust disclosure and a visible warning for custom developer catalogs.
  • Added controller-friendly review when an update requests new permissions or network hosts.
  • Fixed the lower controller bar overlapping plugin cards.
  • Fixed cards and artwork being cropped or shifted at Xbox Mode resolutions.
  • Fixed snapshot refreshes moving controller focus unexpectedly from tabs or header actions to the first plugin card.

Plugin SDK 1.0.0

  • Managed registration and cleanup through window.TfsPluginSdk.register().
  • Controller-native screens, commands, toggles, choices, accordions, steppers, sliders, progress, and secret editors.
  • Per-plugin settings, write-only secrets, private text/binary files, structured logs, notifications, lifecycle timers, and observable state.
  • Proxied HTTP methods with declared host access and protected authorization-secret injection.
  • Native bridges for audio, windows/process activation, display modes, themes, artwork, App Start, Store Sync, automation, performance telemetry, overlay control, and confirmed power actions.
  • Decky-style native.full-trust support for bundled executable, PowerShell, Python, or Node backends.
  • Managed backend JSON-RPC, process lifecycle, captured output, arbitrary Windows files, shell/UAC targets, and selected Steam CEF evaluation/injection.
  • TypeScript declarations, JSON schemas, minimal and full-trust templates, a complete developer guide, and a create/validate/pack/sideload CLI.
  • Explicit feature-level compatibility: this runtime accepts SDK 1.0.0 and rejects plugins requiring a newer v1 feature level.

New and updated plugins

Handheld Performance / TDP Control

  • First verified device: MSI Claw A8 with board product MS-1T8K.
  • Direct control from 15 W to 35 W.
  • Battery 15 W, Balanced 20 W, and Performance 28 W presets.
  • Separate plugged-in and battery targets.
  • Automatic per-game profiles, profile notifications, and global-profile restoration.
  • Live power, battery, game, and applied-TDP state.
  • The plugin remains hidden on unsupported devices. More verified handheld profiles will follow.

Home Assistant 0.2.0

  • First official SDK 1.0 community reference plugin.
  • Uses TFS storage for the server URL, write-only secrets for the token, and the network bridge restricted to local hosts.
  • Lists and controls Home Assistant light entities from a controller-native TFS screen.

Built-in tools

  • FPS Overlay, Processes, App Start, Store Sync, SteamGridDB, Audio, Display, CSSLoader, HLTB, Auto SISR, Homey, and Power remain available through the built-in catalog.
  • Built-ins can be hidden from Home where safe; recovery actions remain available.

Xbox Mode and installer

  • Includes the signed Xbox Host MSIX and public certificate.
  • Adds safer suspend/restore behavior when updating during an active Xbox Mode session.
  • Adds rollback snapshots before replacing an existing installation.
  • Adds installer diagnostics next to the setup executable, with a Desktop fallback.
  • Keeps Store installation, permission review, cancel, open, and close flows controller reachable.
  • Keeps SDK notifications and plugin UI inside Steam rather than opening desktop dialogs.

Trust and local security

TFS uses a trusted gaming-loader model. Installed plugins execute in Steam's frontend realm and may build deep integrations. Manifest permissions gate and disclose supported SDK bridges, but they are not a hostile-code sandbox. Install full-trust plugins only from publishers you trust.

  • Replaced wildcard local-API CORS with trusted Steam/TFS origins.
  • Added a strong per-installation API session for protected operations.
  • Added package SDK, manifest, catalog permission, network-host, ZIP-path, size, and SHA-256 validation.
  • Added explicit warnings for unreviewed catalogs and full-trust backends.
  • Stops managed plugin processes on reload, update, uninstall, and TFS shutdown.

Validation

  • 136 .NET regression tests passed.
  • 4 SDK and Store JavaScript tests passed.
  • Minimal, Home Assistant, and full-trust templates pass the official CLI validator.
  • Manifest and catalog schemas validate.
  • Portable app, signed Xbox Host MSIX, and Inno Setup installer build successfully from main.

The existing AudioSwitcher packages still emit known .NET 10 NU1701 compatibility warnings; builds and tests complete successfully.

Beta installation note

The bundled Xbox Host MSIX is signed by CN=GCM Gaming Console Mode. The outer beta setup executable is not yet Authenticode-signed, so Windows may show an Unknown Publisher or SmartScreen warning. Verify the SHA-256 published with the GitHub release before running it.

For plugin developers

.\scripts\tfs-plugin.ps1 new .\plugins\my-plugin -Id my-plugin -Name "My Plugin"
.\scripts\tfs-plugin.ps1 validate .\plugins\my-plugin
.\scripts\tfs-plugin.ps1 sideload .\plugins\my-plugin

The standalone starter kit is available at https://github.com/toonymak1993/tfs-plugin-template. Submit packages to https://github.com/toonymak1993/tfs-plugin-database after testing install, update, uninstall, controller navigation, Xbox Mode behavior, offline handling, and cleanup.

Download verification

  • Asset: ToolsForSteamSetup.exe
  • Size: 147529785 bytes
  • SHA-256: B8DA7BDD8CE796DA816AD8C07F4E6CA23132646B3FBD7F62A58875BA87F1801E
  • Source commit: bba53d73bc156b55263ed7b8aedc2cbb4bfecc2d

The Xbox Host package embedded in the installer is signed by CN=GCM Gaming Console Mode. The outer beta installer is currently unsigned; Windows may show an Unknown Publisher or SmartScreen warning.

Assets 3
Loading