protonscr

Automatic shortcut creation or integration for launchers installed via Proton (e.g., Battle.net)

steamopen Feature RequestSteam clientProtonnon-Steam application
ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux#12998 · opened 2026-03-17 by coolrecep · updated 2026-07-13 · 1 comments · github
Ccoolrecep 2026-03-17 github

Feature Request

I confirm:

  • [ x] that I haven't found another request for this feature.
  • [ x] that I have checked whether there are updates for my system available that
    contain this feature already.

Description
Currently, when installing a third-party launcher like Battle.net through Steam via Proton, the user experience is quite disconnected from the host OS. I recently installed Battle.net on Fedora 43, and since it gets installed deep inside the Proton prefix (compatdata), no desktop shortcut is generated on the Linux environment.

I believe Valve needs to address this UX limitation. A user shouldn't have to manually dig through multiple hidden directories just to locate the Battle.net .exe inside the Proton prefix to launch it again.

Current Behavior

  • The application installs successfully within the Proton prefix.
  • No desktop shortcut is created on the host Linux desktop environment.
  • When clicking "Add a Non-Steam Game" in the Steam client, the newly installed application (Battle.net) does not appear in the populated list of applications.

Expected/Desired Behavior
Ideally, Steam and Proton should handle this more seamlessly in one of the following ways:

Steam Integration: When an application is successfully installed within a Proton prefix, its executable should automatically be detected and listed when selecting the "Add a Non-Steam Game" option in Steam.

Desktop Shortcut: Alternatively, the installation process should automatically generate a standard Linux desktop shortcut (.desktop file) pointing to the newly installed application inside the prefix, just like native Linux applications do.

Making this process automatic would significantly improve the user experience for those relying on third-party launchers through Proton.

System Information

OS: Fedora 43

Steam Client: Latest stable/beta

Proton Version: 10.0-4

PPirvondal 2026-07-13 github

+1

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