Game Mode & Work Mode Scripts

PowerShell scripts to quickly switch between gaming and work modes by managing Docker containers and WSL2 on Windows.

📋 Overview

This repository contains three PowerShell scripts designed to optimize system resources:

• game-mode.ps1: Stops all Docker containers, closes LM Studio, and shuts down WSL2 to free up system resources for gaming
• work-mode.ps1: Starts WSL2, launches LM Studio, and starts specific Docker Compose projects for development work
• check-mode.ps1: Displays current status of all services and determines which mode is active

🎮 game-mode.ps1

Purpose

Frees up system resources by stopping all running Docker containers and shutting down WSL2. Ideal for when you need maximum performance for gaming or other resource-intensive applications.

What It Does

1. ✅ Checks if Docker is available
2. 📦 Lists all running Docker containers
3. ⏹️ Stops all running containers (with 10-second graceful timeout)
4. 🤖 Stops LM Studio processes (gracefully, then forced if needed)
5. 🔌 Shuts down WSL2 completely (optional)
6. 📝 Logs all operations to docker_stop.log

Usage

Interactive Mode:

.\game-mode.ps1

Skip All Prompts:

.\game-mode.ps1 -Force

Skip WSL2 Shutdown:

.\game-mode.ps1 -SkipWSL

Combined (No Prompts, Skip WSL2):

.\game-mode.ps1 -Force -SkipWSL

Parameters

• -Force: Skips all confirmation prompts (continues even without admin privileges)
• -SkipWSL: Completely skips WSL2 shutdown step

Requirements

• Docker Desktop installed
• WSL2 enabled (optional if using -SkipWSL)
• PowerShell 5.1 or later
• Administrator privileges recommended for WSL2 shutdown (can be skipped with -Force or -SkipWSL)

Log File

• Location: docker_stop.log (in the same directory)
• Contains timestamped entries for all operations
• Automatically cleared on each run

💼 work-mode.ps1

Purpose

Starts your development environment by ensuring WSL2 is running, Docker Desktop is active, and specific Docker Compose projects are started.

What It Does

1. ✅ Checks if Docker is available
2. 🔄 Starts WSL2 if not already running
3. 🐋 Checks if Docker Desktop is running
4. 🚀 Starts Docker Desktop if needed (waits up to 90 seconds for readiness)
5. 🤖 Starts LM Studio if not already running (optional)
6. 📦 Starts Docker Compose projects defined in config.env
7. 📊 Displays post-execution status check
8. 🎯 Provides interactive menu for next actions
9. 📝 Logs all operations to docker_start.log

Usage

Interactive Mode (with status check and menu):

.\work-mode.ps1

CLI Mode (exits immediately):

.\work-mode.ps1 -NoWait

Skip LM Studio:

.\work-mode.ps1 -SkipLMStudio

Quiet Mode (no prompts or status):

.\work-mode.ps1 -Quiet

Combined:

.\work-mode.ps1 -NoWait -SkipLMStudio

Parameters

• -NoWait: Exits immediately after execution (ideal for CLI/scripting)
• -SkipLMStudio: Skips starting LM Studio
• -Quiet: Suppresses all interactive prompts and status displays

Interactive Menu

After starting services (unless -NoWait or -Quiet is used), you'll see:

• [1] Check Full Status - Runs check-mode.ps1 for detailed status
• [2] Stop Work Mode - Runs game-mode.ps1 to stop all services
• [3] View Log File - Displays the execution log
• [X/0] Exit - Exits the script

Requirements

• Docker Desktop installed
• WSL2 enabled
• PowerShell 5.1 or later
• Docker Compose projects labeled with com.docker.compose.project label
• LM Studio installed (optional, script will skip if not found)

Customization

To modify which projects are started, edit the config.env file:

# Docker Compose Project Configuration
# List the Docker Compose project names to manage (one per line)
# These projects will be started by work-mode.ps1

my-app
my-database
my-cache

Add or remove project names as needed. Lines starting with # are treated as comments.

If config.env is not found, the script will use example default projects.

Log File

• Location: docker_start.log (in the same directory)
• Contains timestamped entries for all operations
• Automatically cleared on each run

🔍 check-mode.ps1

Purpose

Provides a comprehensive status check of all system components to determine if you're in "Game Mode" or "Work Mode", with interactive options to switch modes.

What It Does

1. ✅ Checks WSL2 status and running distributions
2. 🐋 Checks Docker Desktop process status
3. 🔧 Checks Docker Engine availability and responsiveness
4. 📦 Lists all running Docker containers
5. 🗂️ Checks status of Docker Compose projects from config.env
6. 🤖 Checks LM Studio process status
7. 🧠 Monitors memory usage of browsers and IDEs (Chrome, VS Code, VMware, etc.)
8. 📊 Calculates overall mode percentage and displays assessment
9. 🎯 Provides interactive options to start Work Mode, Game Mode, or re-check status

Usage

.\check-mode.ps1

After viewing the status, you'll be prompted to choose:

• [1] Start Work Mode - Runs work-mode.ps1 to start all services
• [2] Start Game Mode - Runs game-mode.ps1 to stop all services
• [3] Exit - Closes the script

Example Output

========================================
   System Mode Status Check
========================================

Checking WSL2...
  ✅ WSL2                [RUNNING   ] 1 distribution(s) running
Checking Docker Desktop...
  ✅ Docker Desktop      [RUNNING   ] Process active
Checking Docker Engine...
  ✅ Docker Engine       [RUNNING   ] Responding to commands
Checking Docker Containers...
  ✅ Docker Containers   [RUNNING   ] 5/8 containers active
Checking Docker Projects...
  ✅   └─ my-web-app     [RUNNING   ] 2 container(s)
  ✅   └─ my-database    [RUNNING   ] 2 container(s)
  ✅   └─ my-cache       [RUNNING   ] 1 container(s)
Checking LM Studio...
  ✅ LM Studio           [RUNNING   ] 1 process(es) active

========================================
  Current Mode Assessment:

  🟢 WORK MODE ACTIVE
     Most development services are running (100% active)

========================================

What would you like to do?

  [1] Start Work Mode  (./work-mode.ps1)
  [2] Start Game Mode  (./game-mode.ps1)
  [3] Exit

Enter your choice (1-3):

Status Indicators

• 🟢 WORK MODE ACTIVE (75-100%): Most or all development services running
• 🟡 PARTIAL MODE (25-74%): Some development services running
• 🔴 GAME MODE ACTIVE (0-24%): Most or all development services stopped

Requirements

• PowerShell 5.1 or later
• No administrator privileges required

🛠️ Installation

1. Clone or download this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/game-mode.git
   cd game-mode

2. Ensure PowerShell execution policy allows script execution:

   Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

3. Make sure Docker Desktop and WSL2 are properly installed on your system.

🔧 Configuration

Docker Desktop Path

The scripts assume Docker Desktop is installed at:

C:\Program Files\Docker\Docker\Docker Desktop.exe

If your installation is in a different location, edit work-mode.ps1 and update the $dockerDesktopPath variable.

Docker Projects

The scripts manage Docker Compose projects listed in config.env.

To configure your projects:

1. Create or edit config.env in the script directory
2. List one project name per line (matching your Docker Compose project labels)
3. Lines starting with # are treated as comments

Example config.env:

# My Docker Projects
my-web-app
my-database
my-redis-cache
# Add more projects as needed

How Docker Compose projects are identified:

The scripts use Docker Compose project labels to find containers. Ensure your projects are started with a project name:

# Using docker-compose
docker-compose -p my-app up -d

# Using docker compose (v2)
docker compose -p my-app up -d

Or set the project name in your docker-compose.yml:

# docker-compose.yml
name: my-app
services:
  web:
    image: nginx:latest
  db:
    image: postgres:15

LM Studio Path

The work-mode.ps1 script automatically searches for LM Studio in common installation locations:

• %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\LM Studio\LM Studio.exe
• %LOCALAPPDATA%\LMStudio\LM Studio.exe
• C:\Program Files\LM Studio\LM Studio.exe
• C:\Program Files (x86)\LM Studio\LM Studio.exe

If LM Studio is installed in a different location, you can add the path to the $lmStudioPaths array in the script.

📊 Example Output

game-mode.ps1 (with -Force -SkipWSL)

Starting game mode script (stopping Docker & WSL2)...

[!] This script is not running with Administrator privileges.
    Some operations (like WSL2 shutdown) may require admin rights.

[i] Force mode enabled, continuing without prompts.

[2025-12-05 14:30:00] Checking if 'docker' command is available...
[2025-12-05 14:30:00] Found docker command. Proceeding...
[2025-12-05 14:30:01] Getting list of running containers...
[2025-12-05 14:30:01] Found 5 running containers. Stopping them...
Stopping Docker containers [########################################] 100% - Containers stopped
[2025-12-05 14:30:12] ✅ Stop command issued for 5 container(s).
[2025-12-05 14:30:12] All containers have been stopped or checked.
[2025-12-05 14:30:12] Checking for LM Studio processes...
[2025-12-05 14:30:12] Found 1 LM Studio process(es). Stopping them...
Stopping LM Studio gracefully [########################################] 100% - Checking status
[2025-12-05 14:30:14] ✅ LM Studio processes stopped gracefully.
[2025-12-05 14:30:14] Shutting down WSL2...
[2025-12-05 14:30:14] [i] WSL2 shutdown skipped (SkipWSL parameter).
[2025-12-05 14:30:14] Script completed.
Log file created at: docker_stop.log

work-mode.ps1

Starting work mode script (WSL2 & Docker projects)...
[2025-12-05 09:00:00] Checking if 'docker' command is available...
[2025-12-05 09:00:00] Found docker command. Proceeding...
[2025-12-05 09:00:01] Checking WSL2 status...
[2025-12-05 09:00:02] ✅ WSL2 is already running.
[2025-12-05 09:00:02] Checking if Docker Desktop is running...
[2025-12-05 09:00:02] ✅ Docker Desktop is already running.
[2025-12-05 09:00:02] Checking if LM Studio is running...
[2025-12-05 09:00:02] LM Studio is not running. Starting LM Studio...
[2025-12-05 09:00:02] ✅ LM Studio started from: C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Local\Programs\LM Studio\LM Studio.exe
[2025-12-05 09:00:05] Starting Docker Compose project: my-web-app...
[2025-12-05 09:00:07] ✅ Project 'my-web-app' started successfully (2 container(s)).
[2025-12-05 09:00:07] Starting Docker Compose project: my-database...
[2025-12-05 09:00:09] ✅ Project 'my-database' started successfully (1 container(s)).
[2025-12-05 09:00:09] All projects have been processed.
[2025-12-05 09:00:09] Script completed.
Log file created at: docker_start.log

========================================
  POST-START STATUS CHECK
========================================

  [OK] WSL2: 1 distribution(s) running
  [OK] Docker Desktop: Running
  [OK] Docker Engine: Responding
  [OK] Docker Containers: 3 running
  [OK] LM Studio: Running (1 process(es))

========================================

What would you like to do next?

  [1] Check Full Status  (./check-mode.ps1)
  [2] Stop Work Mode  (./game-mode.ps1)
  [3] View Log File
  [X/0] Exit

Enter your choice (1, 2, 3 or X/0):

⚠️ Troubleshooting

"docker: command not found"

• Ensure Docker Desktop is installed
• Verify Docker is in your system PATH
• Restart PowerShell after installing Docker

"Docker Desktop executable not found"

• Check if Docker Desktop is installed at the expected path
• Update the $dockerDesktopPath variable in work-mode.ps1

WSL2 doesn't start

• Ensure WSL2 is properly installed: wsl --install
• Check Windows version (WSL2 requires Windows 10 version 1903+ or Windows 11)
• Run wsl --update to update WSL

Containers don't start in work-mode

• Verify containers exist: docker ps -a
• Check if containers have the correct project label: docker inspect <container_id>
• Manually start containers to check for errors: docker start <container_id>

Script execution is disabled

Run this command in PowerShell as Administrator:

Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope LocalMachine

Running without Administrator privileges

For WSL2 shutdown issues:

• Use .\game-mode.ps1 -SkipWSL to skip WSL2 shutdown entirely
• Use .\game-mode.ps1 -Force to skip prompts (WSL2 shutdown may still fail)
• WSL2 will remain running but Docker containers and LM Studio will be stopped

Alternative: Right-click PowerShell and select "Run as Administrator" before running the script.

"LM Studio executable not found"

• Verify LM Studio is installed on your system
• Check if it's in one of the default locations listed in the Configuration section
• If installed elsewhere, add the path to $lmStudioPaths array in work-mode.ps1
• The script will continue without LM Studio if not found

🎯 Use Cases

Gaming Session

1. Run .\check-mode.ps1 to see current status
2. Select option [2] to run Game Mode, or run .\game-mode.ps1 -Force -SkipWSL directly
3. Frees up RAM and CPU resources used by Docker and WSL2
4. Improves gaming performance

Development Work

1. Run .\check-mode.ps1 to see current status
2. Select option [1] to run Work Mode, or run .\work-mode.ps1 directly
3. Automatically starts all necessary development containers
4. Ready to code in seconds

Quick Switching

• Use check-mode.ps1 as your main launcher for quick status check and mode switching
• Keep scripts in an easily accessible location (e.g., C:\Scripts\game-mode)
• Create desktop shortcuts for one-click execution:
  • Game Mode: powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "C:\Scripts\game-mode\game-mode.ps1" -Force
  • Work Mode: powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "C:\Scripts\game-mode\work-mode.ps1"
  • Check Mode: powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "C:\Scripts\game-mode\check-mode.ps1"
• Use Task Scheduler to automate execution at specific times
• Add to Windows Terminal profile for quick access

📝 Log Files

Both scripts generate detailed log files:

• docker_stop.log: Created by game-mode.ps1
• docker_start.log: Created by work-mode.ps1

Logs include:

• Timestamps for all operations
• Success/failure status
• Error messages and exit codes
• Container counts and project names

🔐 Permissions

Running as Administrator

Some operations (especially WSL shutdown) may require administrator privileges. To run as admin:

1. Right-click the script
2. Select "Run with PowerShell as Administrator"

Or create a shortcut with admin privileges:

1. Right-click → Create shortcut
2. Right-click shortcut → Properties → Advanced
3. Check "Run as administrator"

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Feel free to:

• Report bugs
• Suggest new features
• Submit pull requests
• Improve documentation

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Built for Windows 10/11 with Docker Desktop and WSL2
• Designed to optimize resource usage for gaming and development
• Inspired by the need to quickly switch between work and play

📞 Support

If you encounter issues:

1. Check the log files for detailed error messages
2. Review the Troubleshooting section
3. Open an issue on GitHub with log file contents

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Made with ❤️ for developers who game