hypr_steam_watcher

Automatically tags newly launched Steam games in Hyprland so you can target or exclude them in window rules without manual configuration.

VA-11 Hall-A tagged with steam_game and steam_app_id_447530

hypr_steam_watcher listens for newly created windows in Hyprland and automatically tags Steam game windows with steam_game and steam_app_id_<game-id>. This allows you to exclude Steam games from certain window rules or define specific window rules that only apply to Steam games.

windowrule = match:tag negative:steam_game, opacity 0.9     # Everything except steam games is transparent
windowrule = match:tag steam_game, opacity no_blur          # Disable blur for steam games
windowrule = match:tag steam_game, render_unfocused true    # Forces the window to think it’s being rendered when it’s not visible
windowrule = match:tag steam_app_id_447530, immediate true  # Forces the game with app ID 447530 to allow tearing 
windowrule = match:tag steam_game, idle_inhibit always      # Apps like hypridle will not fire

⚠️ Since the tag is applied after the game window appears, only dynamic effects can be used.

Compatibility

The app works with both native Linux and Proton games.

Requirements

• Hyprland (Wayland compositor)
• Steam
• Rust (only if building from source)

Installation

Release

You can download a prebuilt version from the releases. Then add exec-once = hypr_steam_watcher to your hyprland.conf to start it automatically.

AUR

Install it via the AUR:

 yay -S hyperheadset-git

Then add exec-once = hypr_steam_watcher to your hyprland.conf to start it automatically.

Build from Source

You can build the project from source using cargo:

git clone https://github.com/LennardKittner/hypr_steam_watcher.git
cd hypr_steam_watcher
cargo build --release
sudo cp target/release/hypr_steam_watcher /usr/bin/

Then add exec-once = hypr_steam_watcher to your hyprland.conf to start it automatically.

Usage

hypr_steam_watcher --help
Automatically tag newly launched Steam games in Hyprland.

Usage: hypr_steam_watcher [OPTIONS] [callback] [callback-arguments]...

Arguments:
  [callback]               A callback that will be called when a new window of a steam game appears.
  [callback-arguments]...  Arguments for the callback. The PID and Steam app ID will be appended to the arguments.

Options:
      --open-callback <open-callback>...
          A callback that will be called when a new window of a steam game appears. The PID and Steam app ID will be appended to the arguments.
      --close-callback <close-callback>...
          A callback that will be called when a new window of a steam game closes. The PID and Steam app ID will be appended to the arguments.
  -h, --help
          Print help
  -V, --version
          Print version

Running hypr_steam_watcher without any arguments will automatically tag any Steam game windows launched while the watcher is running.

Callbacks

You can optionally run a command whenever a Steam game window opens or closes.

The simplest is to pass a callback directly:

hypr_steam_watcher echo game:

This prints:

game: <pid> <steam_app_id> 

each time a steam game window opens.

You can also execute script:

hypr_steam_watcher ./activate_game_mod.sh

Callbacks are executed asynchronously so they will not block the watcher.

More Complex Callbacks

More complex callbacks can be executed using bash -c:

hypr_steam_watcher bash -c 'sleep 2 && echo game: "$0 $1"'

This prints the game information after a two-second delay

Open / Close Callbacks

To register a callback on window closure, use the dedicated options:

hypr_steam_watcher --open-callback echo open: \; --close-callback echo close:

Output example:

open: <pid> <steam_app_id>
close: <pid> <steam_app_id>

More complex callbacks are also possible:

hypr_steam_watcher \
  --open-callback bash -c 'sleep 2 && echo open: "$0 $1"' \; \
  --close-callback  bash -c 'sleep 2 && echo close: "$0 $1"'

You may specify only an open callback, only a close callback, or both.

Callback Arguments

The callback receives:

[callback-arguments...] <pid> <steam_app_id>

Where:

• pid: process ID of the game
• steam_app_id: Steam application ID of the game

Use Cases

• Disable blur or transparency for games
• Automatically move games to a dedicated workspace
• Enable performance scripts automatically
• Apply per-game rules using Steam App IDs

How it works

On open

• Uses the hyprland crate to detect new windows
• Gets the PID
• Checks whether the environment of the process contains SteamAppId
• Uses the hyprland crate to tag the window
• Save the window address to detect if the game is closed
• Executes the callback (if provided)

On close

• Uses the hyprland crate to detect closing windows
• check if the window address is know
• if so execute the callback (if provided)

Troubleshooting

• Ensure hypr_steam_watcher is running
• Start it before launching the game

If a game is not tagged correctly, please open an issue and include:

• Game name
• Native or Proton
• Output of hyprctl activewindow

License

MIT see LICENSE file