feat: the silent option is Steam's own autostart entry (~/.config/autostart/steam.desktop with -silent), so its "Run Steam when my computer starts" follows it; the systemd unit is gone

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ one per merged pull request.
 
 ## 2.11.0 - 2026-10-01
 
-- `5da1833` **feat: "Start Steam silently" sub-option: under the SteamOS conversion (`silent`, on by default, as before) and under Gaming on NVIDIA (`nvsilent`, opt-in, not together with Big Picture); the SteamOS one is called "Start Steam silently in desktop mode" and is always shown, also on a Steam Machine**
+- `5da1833` **feat: "Start Steam silently" sub-option: under the SteamOS conversion (`silent`, on by default, as before) and under Gaming on NVIDIA (`nvsilent`, opt-in, not together with Big Picture); the SteamOS one is called "Start Steam silently in desktop mode" and is always shown, also on a Steam Machine; it is Steam's own autostart entry (`~/.config/autostart/steam.desktop`), so Steam's setting "Run Steam when my computer starts" follows it**
 
 ## 2.10.0 - 2026-10-01
 

TECHNICAL.md

@@ -109,8 +109,10 @@ tools write to the conf.d fragment into the base config.
   installs `/usr/local/bin/sync-steamos-session.sh` plus
   `sync-steamos-session.path`/`.service`;
 - `KWIN_IM_SHOW_ALWAYS=1` for the virtual keyboard; the sub-option `silent`
-  ("Start Steam silently in desktop mode", on by default, always shown) adds a `steam-desktop-autostart`
-  systemd user service that starts Steam silently in Plasma only;
+  ("Start Steam silently in desktop mode", on by default, always shown) writes
+  `~/.config/autostart/steam.desktop` (the system steam.desktop with `-silent` in its Exec line). That is the
+  file Steam's own setting "Run Steam when my computer starts" creates and removes, so the setting shows it. An older
+  `steam-desktop-autostart` user unit is removed;
 - the **Return to Gaming Mode** shortcut; on plasma-login-manager with a
   narrow sudoers rule (`/etc/sudoers.d/gamescope-session-switch`) so it can
   restart the login manager without a password prompt.
@@ -344,8 +346,7 @@ desktop through its desktop layout (A = Enter, B = Esc, Y = Space, X =
 Steam's keyboard), in gaming mode as a gamepad.
 
 Steam reads the list only at startup and writes it back on exit, so Steam is
-closed (`steam -shutdown`) for the edit and started again (through
-`steam-desktop-autostart.service` when it's there). That's refused in gaming
+closed (`steam -shutdown`) for the edit and started again (`steam -silent`). That's refused in gaming
 mode and when Steamify itself was started from Steam (`SteamGameId`), since
 closing Steam would end it. An entry for the start script that's already
 there (added by hand, or with the path from before 2.5.0) is updated, not
@@ -490,7 +491,8 @@ In the home folder, everything is under `steamify`:
 | `~/.local/share/steamify/bin/` | The shortcut's start scripts (`run-app`, `run-wizard`) and `steamify-notifier` |
 | `~/.local/share/icons/hicolor/scalable/apps/steamify.svg` | The shortcut's icon |
 | `~/.local/share/applications/steamify-*.desktop` | The launcher entries |
-| `~/.config/systemd/user/` | `steamify-update-check.*`, `steam-desktop-autostart.service` |
+| `~/.config/autostart/steam.desktop` | the `silent` option (Steam's "Run Steam when my computer starts") |
+| `~/.config/systemd/user/` | `steamify-update-check.*` |
 
 System-wide: `/usr/local/lib/steamify/` (kernel headers script),
 `/usr/src/steamify-*` (DKMS modules), `/var/cache/steamify/kernel` (the old

lib/steam-desktop.sh

@@ -16,34 +16,49 @@ steam_enable() {
 }
 
 # Sub-option of the SteamOS conversion: Steam starts silently (in the tray,
-# no window) on the Plasma desktop.
+# no window) on the Plasma desktop. It is Steam's own autostart entry, the file
+# Steam's setting "Run Steam when my computer starts" creates and removes, so
+# that setting shows what Steamify did (and the other way around). Steam's copy
+# is the system steam.desktop; ours has -silent in its Exec line.
+STEAM_AUTOSTART="${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-$HOME/.config}/autostart/steam.desktop"
+STEAM_SYSTEM_DESKTOP=/usr/share/applications/steam.desktop
+
 silent_status() {
-    [[ -f "$HOME/.config/systemd/user/steam-desktop-autostart.service" ]]
+    grep -qs '^Exec=.*-silent' "$STEAM_AUTOSTART"
+}
+
+silent_old_unit_remove() {
+    # Before 2.11.0 the option was a systemd user unit: it would start Steam a second time.
+    local unit="$HOME/.config/systemd/user/steam-desktop-autostart.service"
+    [[ -f "$unit" ]] || return 0
+    user_systemctl disable --now steam-desktop-autostart.service 2>/dev/null
+    rm -f "$unit"
+    user_systemctl daemon-reload
 }
 
 silent_enable() {
-    local systemd_user_dir="$HOME/.config/systemd/user"
-    mkdir -p "$systemd_user_dir"
-    service_file steam-desktop-autostart.service > "$systemd_user_dir/steam-desktop-autostart.service"
-    # Clean out old .desktop shortcut so they don't fight
-    rm -f "$HOME/.config/autostart/steam.desktop"
-    user_systemctl daemon-reload
-    user_systemctl enable --now steam-desktop-autostart.service
-    ok "Steam starts silently on the desktop."
+    silent_old_unit_remove
+    mkdir -p "$(dirname "$STEAM_AUTOSTART")"
+    if [[ -f "$STEAM_SYSTEM_DESKTOP" ]]; then
+        sed 's|^Exec=/usr/bin/steam %U$|Exec=/usr/bin/steam -silent %U|' "$STEAM_SYSTEM_DESKTOP" > "$STEAM_AUTOSTART"
+    fi
+    silent_status || printf '%s\n' '[Desktop Entry]' 'Name=Steam' 'Exec=/usr/bin/steam -silent %U' \
+        'Icon=steam' 'Terminal=false' 'Type=Application' 'Categories=Network;FileTransfer;Game;' > "$STEAM_AUTOSTART"
+    ok "Steam starts silently on the desktop from the next login."
 }
 
 silent_disable() {
-    user_systemctl disable --now steam-desktop-autostart.service 2>/dev/null
-    rm -f "$HOME/.config/systemd/user/steam-desktop-autostart.service"
-    user_systemctl daemon-reload
+    silent_old_unit_remove
+    silent_status && rm -f "$STEAM_AUTOSTART"
     ok "Steam no longer starts by itself on the desktop."
 }
 
 steam_disable() {
     info "Removing Steam desktop settings..."
-    # The autostart unit is the `silent` option's: removed with it, and here
+    # The autostart entry is the `silent` option's: removed with it, and here
     # too for when the conversion goes off by itself.
     silent_status && silent_disable
+    silent_old_unit_remove
     rm -f "$HOME/.config/environment.d/99-kde-virtual-keyboard.conf"
     ok "Steam desktop settings removed (takes full effect at next login)."
 }

lib/steam-game.sh

@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ steamgame_steam_busy() {
 
 steamgame_edit() {
     # steamgame_edit <function>: runs it with Steam closed, then starts Steam
-    # again if it was running (through our autostart unit when that's there).
+    # again if it was running (silently, in the tray).
     local was_running=false i
     if pgrep -x steam >/dev/null; then
         steamgame_steam_busy && return 1
@@ -72,11 +72,7 @@ steamgame_edit() {
     fi
     "$1"; local rc=$?
     if [[ "$was_running" == true ]]; then
-        if user_systemctl is-enabled -q steam-desktop-autostart.service 2>/dev/null; then
-            user_systemctl start steam-desktop-autostart.service
-        else
-            systemd-run --user --collect -q steam -silent >/dev/null 2>&1
-        fi
+        systemd-run --user --collect -q steam -silent >/dev/null 2>&1
         info "Steam is starting again."
     fi
     return "$rc"

services/README.md

@@ -12,6 +12,5 @@ in the shell code.
 | `steamify-boot-desktop.service` | `lib/boot-session.sh` (Boot into: desktop) | Sets the Plasma session before the login manager starts |
 | `sync-steamos-session.path`, `.service` | `lib/login-manager.sh` (SteamOS conversion, plasma-login-manager) | The sync bridge: copies Steam's session choice into `plasmalogin.conf` |
 | `steamify-steam-autostart.service` | `lib/nvidia.sh` (Gaming on NVIDIA) | Steam at login on the Plasma desktop, normal or in Big Picture (user unit) |
-| `steam-desktop-autostart.service` | `lib/steam-desktop.sh` (SteamOS conversion) | Steam in the background on the Plasma desktop (user unit) |
 | `ensure-kernel-headers.service` | `lib/steam-machine.sh` (Steam Machine support) | Installs missing kernel headers at boot, so DKMS builds for every kernel |
 | `steamify-update-check.service`, `.timer` | `lib/update-notifier.sh` (Update notifications) | The daily and login check for a new release (user units) |

services/steam-desktop-autostart.service

@@ -1,15 +0,0 @@
-[Unit]
-Description=Steam Background Autostart for Virtual Keyboard
-After=graphical-session.target
-PartOf=graphical-session.target
-
-[Service]
-Type=simple
-# Only in the Plasma desktop session; gamescope-session starts its own Steam.
-ExecCondition=/bin/sh -c '[ "$XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP" = KDE ]'
-ExecStart=/usr/bin/steam -silent
-Restart=on-failure
-RestartSec=5
-
-[Install]
-WantedBy=graphical-session.target