Steam Linux Runtime

Steam Linux Runtime

Introduced with proton 5.13-1 the Steam Linux Runtime is autostarted and part of the game command line parameters.

When stl is used as Steam Launch Option both the Steam Linux Runtime and the Proton version show up in the Steam Game launch command and therefore can be read by stl. In that case the Steam Linux Runtime and the Steam Reaper can be disabled per game in the Game Menu

When starting stl as Steam Compatibility Tool there are no Steam Linux Runtime parameters in the Steam Game launch command and therefore cannot be disabled (maybe comparable to the Proton version, which doesn't show up as command line parameter as well and is used 'under the hood').

See also here for the following chapter:

stl uses an old "v1" toolmanifest.vdf when used as Steam Compatibility Tool. With this old toolmanifest.vdf the Steam Linux Runtime is not even started and stl works until game requirements/dependencies are covered with globally installed packages (I'm looking at you, gstreamer).

When using stl as Steam Launch Option, the Steam Linux Runtime is loaded directly on game launch (comes from game launch parameters in this case), which in turn also triggers the currently in-Steam-selected Proton (before stl is even touched). Then the game starts regularly (likely it is not even using SLR here, but SLR just closed after its Proton launch attempt exited and stl starts the game afterwards - just guessing)

With an updated v2 toolmanifest.vdf (back in Steam Compatibility Tool mode), SLR autostarts as well, but any system access to system files is rejected from the SLR container, so stl can't be used _(not only /usr/share/stl/ is inaccessible, but also all _(optional)_ 3rd party tools)_. Files in $HOMEare accessible in theory, but copying _(or symlinking if even possible)_ all/usr/share/stl/and 3rd party tools f.e. to~/.config/stl/global/` is no sane option, because it can be restricted anytime as well.

By using the per-game option FORCESLR it is possible to forcefully start the game with the SLR, although it was not provided as game command line parameter, by reusing the last used SLR command LASTSLR, which is always automatically updated in the Global Config

Both the v1 toolmanifest.vdf and the Steam Launch Option can be closed down upstream any time (assuming this is a goal when using a container), which (probably) would kill Steam Tinker Launch (and of course every other tool which works similar) forever. I hope this won't happen, but IMHO it is not that unlikely.