Add AirDeck plugin

[matthieupoupin3704-alt]

Add AirDeck to Plugin Store

AirDeck is a Decky plugin that controls music playing from a paired phone over Bluetooth AVRCP directly from the Quick Access Menu.

Works with any app that exposes AVRCP: Apple Music, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube Music, etc. No extra software required on the phone/Steam Deck

Repository: https://github.com/matthieupoupin3704-alt/AirDeck

Features:

• Play / Pause / Next / Previous
• Shuffle and Repeat toggle
• Album art fetched automatically (MusicBrainz + iTunes fallback)
• Progress bar with real-time position (seeking to be featured)
• Now playing toast notifications (configurable)
• Redirects to Bluetooth settings if no device is connected

No similar plugin exists on the store. MusicControl (the closest) was delisted in 2024 and targeted MPRIS/Spotify on Linux, not Bluetooth AVRCP from a phone.

Task Checklist

Developer

• I am the original author or an authorized maintainer of this plugin.
• I have abided by the licenses of the libraries I am utilizing, including attaching license notices where appropriate.
• Generative AI was NOT used to write a majority of the code I am submitting.

Plugin

• I have verified that my plugin works properly on the Stable and Beta update channels of SteamOS.
• I have verified my plugin is unique or provides more/alternative functionality to a plugin already on the store.

Backend

• No: I am using a custom backend other than Python.
• No: I am using a tool or software from a 3rd party FOSS project that does not have it's dependencies statically linked.
• No: I am using a custom binary that has all of it's dependencies statically linked.

Community

• I have tested and left feedback on two other pull requests for new or updating plugins.
• I have commented links to my testing report in this PR.

Testing

• Tested by a third party on SteamOS Stable or Beta update channel.

[github-actions]

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[matthieupoupin3704-alt]

Tested gamescheap and DeckyOstMusic as part of the review process.

[github-actions]

This pull request is stale as no updates or testing reports have been posted within the last 7 days. Please ensure you are actively recruiting testers or resolving the issues discussed. If you do not remove the stale label or comment, this will be closed in 7 days. Please close this pull request if you need more time to resolve issues so we can keep our repo healthy.

[BRiAn3274]

Plugin Testing Report

Plugin: AirDeck
PR: #1068
Tester: BRiAn3274
Device: Steam Deck OLED 512GB
SteamOS channel: Stable
SteamOS version: 3.8.11
Steam version: 1782533657
Decky Loader version: v3.2.6
Install method: Manually installed from PR build for testing

Test Environment

• Steam Deck: Steam Deck OLED 512GB
• Mode: Game Mode
• SteamOS version: 3.8.11
• Steam version: 1782533657
• Decky Loader: v3.2.6
• Installed plugins during this test:
  • AirDeck
  • Mixer
  • Decky Clash
  • KDEck
• Paired device: phone over Bluetooth
• Media source: phone music playback over Bluetooth

Summary

I tested AirDeck on a real Steam Deck OLED in Game Mode. The plugin installed successfully, appeared in Decky Loader, and was able to control music playback from a Bluetooth-paired phone.

The main playback controls worked correctly. Play / pause and track switching responded quickly during testing.

Installation

• Installed AirDeck from the PR build.
• The plugin appeared in the Decky quick access menu.
• The plugin opened successfully.
• No Decky Loader restart loop was observed.
• No plugin load failure was observed.

Result: Pass

Bluetooth Pairing

• Paired a phone with the Steam Deck over Bluetooth.
• The phone was able to connect to the Steam Deck.
• Music playback from the phone was available for AirDeck control.

Result: Pass

Playback Controls

Tested the following controls from the AirDeck plugin UI:

• Play / pause
• Next track
• Previous track
• Current track display while music was playing

The phone responded correctly to playback control commands from AirDeck. Track switching was responsive during testing.

Result: Pass

UI / Navigation

The main playback UI displayed correctly while music was playing, including album art, track information, progress, and playback controls.

Observed non-blocking UI issues:

• Track change notifications appeared, but they were not always immediate.
• The "Connect a device" button did not appear to support controller navigation properly in the disconnected state. I had to rely on touch input / non-controller interaction for that part.

Result: Minor issues found

Issues Found

No major blocking issues found.

Minor non-blocking issues:

1. Track change notification timing is not always immediate.

   • Expected: notification appears shortly after switching tracks.
   • Actual: notification can appear with noticeable delay.

2. The "Connect a device" button does not appear to be reachable through normal controller navigation.

   • Expected: the button should be focusable/selectable using Steam Deck controls.
   • Actual: controller navigation did not focus the button in my test.

Final Result

Pass with minor issues.

AirDeck worked correctly for the tested Bluetooth media control workflow on a real Steam Deck OLED. The main functionality is usable, and the issues found are UI/navigation polish issues rather than blocking functionality problems.

[BRiAn3274]

I am also submitting my own plugin, KDEck, here:

#1067

If you have time, I would appreciate a test report in return. KDEck focuses on KDE Connect-style clipboard and file transfer in Game Mode.

[matthieupoupin3704-alt]

Plugin Testing Report

Plugin: AirDeck PR: #1068 Tester: BRiAn3274 Device: Steam Deck OLED 512GB SteamOS channel: Stable SteamOS version: 3.8.11 Steam version: 1782533657 Decky Loader version: v3.2.6 Install method: Manually installed from PR build for testing

Test Environment

• Steam Deck: Steam Deck OLED 512GB

• Mode: Game Mode

• SteamOS version: 3.8.11

• Steam version: 1782533657

• Decky Loader: v3.2.6

• Installed plugins during this test:

  • AirDeck
  • Mixer
  • Decky Clash
  • KDEck

• Paired device: phone over Bluetooth

• Media source: phone music playback over Bluetooth

Summary

I tested AirDeck on a real Steam Deck OLED in Game Mode. The plugin installed successfully, appeared in Decky Loader, and was able to control music playback from a Bluetooth-paired phone.

The main playback controls worked correctly. Play / pause and track switching responded quickly during testing.

Installation

• Installed AirDeck from the PR build.
• The plugin appeared in the Decky quick access menu.
• The plugin opened successfully.
• No Decky Loader restart loop was observed.
• No plugin load failure was observed.

Result: Pass

Bluetooth Pairing

• Paired a phone with the Steam Deck over Bluetooth.
• The phone was able to connect to the Steam Deck.
• Music playback from the phone was available for AirDeck control.

Result: Pass

Playback Controls

Tested the following controls from the AirDeck plugin UI:

• Play / pause
• Next track
• Previous track
• Current track display while music was playing

The phone responded correctly to playback control commands from AirDeck. Track switching was responsive during testing.

Result: Pass

UI / Navigation

The main playback UI displayed correctly while music was playing, including album art, track information, progress, and playback controls.

Observed non-blocking UI issues:

• Track change notifications appeared, but they were not always immediate.
• The "Connect a device" button did not appear to support controller navigation properly in the disconnected state. I had to rely on touch input / non-controller interaction for that part.

Result: Minor issues found

Issues Found

No major blocking issues found.

Minor non-blocking issues:

1. Track change notification timing is not always immediate.

   • Expected: notification appears shortly after switching tracks.
   • Actual: notification can appear with noticeable delay.

2. The "Connect a device" button does not appear to be reachable through normal controller navigation.

   • Expected: the button should be focusable/selectable using Steam Deck controls.
   • Actual: controller navigation did not focus the button in my test.

Final Result

Pass with minor issues.

AirDeck worked correctly for the tested Bluetooth media control workflow on a real Steam Deck OLED. The main functionality is usable, and the issues found are UI/navigation polish issues rather than blocking functionality problems.

Hey @BRiAn3274, thanks a lot for the detailed test report.

Glad the core functionality works on OLED. Regarding the two issues:

1. Notification timing: I reduced the polling interval from 1s to 500ms to catch track changes faster. Notifications should now appear more quickly after switching tracks. There may still be a small delay depending on how fast your phone reports the new track over Bluetooth, but it should be noticeably better.

2. "Connect a device" button not reachable via controller: I honestly forgot to make the buttons controller-compatible lol. Fixed.

Thanks again for taking the time to test! I will make sure to test your plugin when I have enough time.

[BRiAn3274]

Thanks again for taking the time to test! I will make sure to test your plugin when I have enough time.

The changes sound good, especially making the buttons controller-compatible. I’ll try to retest the latest build on my OLED when I get a chance and will report back if I notice anything else.

And no rush on testing KDEck, only when you have time. Thanks!

[github-actions]

This pull request is stale as no updates or testing reports have been posted within the last 7 days. Please ensure you are actively recruiting testers or resolving the issues discussed. If you do not remove the stale label or comment, this will be closed in 7 days. Please close this pull request if you need more time to resolve issues so we can keep our repo healthy.

[matthieupoupin3704-alt]

Community testing done: I've now left testing reports on two other plugin PRs:

• DeckyOstMusic (#1065)
• KDEck (#1067)

Also pushed v0.2.0 in the meantime, which addresses the two points from @BRiAn3274's report, plus some other features and bug fixes.

[github-actions]

This pull request is stale as no updates or testing reports have been posted within the last 7 days. Please ensure you are actively recruiting testers or resolving the issues discussed. If you do not remove the stale label or comment, this will be closed in 7 days. Please close this pull request if you need more time to resolve issues so we can keep our repo healthy.