I have also opened an issue with the GNOME xdg-desktop-portal-gnome project because the Remote Desktop permission does not appear to persist correctly. I am opening this issue because Steam appears to request the Wayland Remote Desktop portal when Steam Controller desktop mouse emulation is enabled, and I would like to determine whether Steam is requesting a new Remote Desktop session each time the controller reconnects or whether this is entirely a portal-side issue.
System information
Steam client version: 1.0.0.86-2
Distribution: CachyOS (Arch Linux based)
Desktop: GNOME 50
Session: Wayland
GPU: AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT (Mesa RADV)
Steam Client Beta: No
Issue description
Using an original Steam Controller with the desktop layout configured so the right trackpad behaves "As Mouse" causes GNOME to display the Wayland Remote Desktop permission dialog.
When Share is selected:
Steam continues to function normally.
GNOME displays the orange screen-sharing indicator, indicating that a Remote Desktop session has been created.
While that session remains active, touching the trackpad no longer displays the permission dialog.
However, the permission does not appear to persist.
The dialog returns after logging out and back into GNOME.
Additionally, if the Steam Controller powers off due to inactivity and is powered back on, touching the trackpad causes the permission dialog to appear again, even without logging out.
What I expected
After granting permission once, Steam should continue to use the previously granted permission for controller mouse emulation without repeatedly prompting.
What actually happens
Steam appears to trigger a new Remote Desktop permission request whenever the previous session ends (logout and, in some cases, after the controller reconnects).
Reproduction steps
Boot into a GNOME Wayland session.
Start Steam.
Connect an original Steam Controller.
Configure the Desktop Layout so the right trackpad is As Mouse.
Touch the right trackpad.
The GNOME Remote Desktop permission dialog appears.
Grant permission by clicking Share.
While the sharing session is active, the dialog does not appear again.
Log out and back in, or allow the controller to power off and reconnect.
Touch the trackpad again.
The Remote Desktop permission dialog appears again.
Additional observations
Setting the Steam Controller Desktop Layout trackpad behavior to None completely eliminates the issue.
Changing it back to As Mouse immediately reproduces the problem.
Steam Overlay performance issues were investigated separately and resolved by disabling GPU-accelerated rendering for Steam Web Views. This did not affect the Remote Desktop permission behavior.
The issue only occurs when Steam is generating desktop mouse input from the controller.
GNOME's xdg-permission-store does not appear to retain a persistent remote-desktop permission after permission has been granted.
Because the issue can also be triggered after the controller reconnects from an idle power-off, it seems possible that Steam is requesting a new Remote Desktop session rather than reusing a previous one, although this may also be related to portal permission persistence.
If useful, I can provide logs or test additional builds.
Summary
I have also opened an issue with the GNOME
xdg-desktop-portal-gnomeproject because the Remote Desktop permission does not appear to persist correctly. I am opening this issue because Steam appears to request the Wayland Remote Desktop portal when Steam Controller desktop mouse emulation is enabled, and I would like to determine whether Steam is requesting a new Remote Desktop session each time the controller reconnects or whether this is entirely a portal-side issue.System information
Issue description
Using an original Steam Controller with the desktop layout configured so the right trackpad behaves "As Mouse" causes GNOME to display the Wayland Remote Desktop permission dialog.
When Share is selected:
However, the permission does not appear to persist.
The dialog returns after logging out and back into GNOME.
Additionally, if the Steam Controller powers off due to inactivity and is powered back on, touching the trackpad causes the permission dialog to appear again, even without logging out.
What I expected
After granting permission once, Steam should continue to use the previously granted permission for controller mouse emulation without repeatedly prompting.
What actually happens
Steam appears to trigger a new Remote Desktop permission request whenever the previous session ends (logout and, in some cases, after the controller reconnects).
Reproduction steps
The GNOME Remote Desktop permission dialog appears.
Grant permission by clicking Share.
While the sharing session is active, the dialog does not appear again.
Log out and back in, or allow the controller to power off and reconnect.
Touch the trackpad again.
The Remote Desktop permission dialog appears again.
Additional observations
xdg-permission-storedoes not appear to retain a persistentremote-desktoppermission after permission has been granted.If useful, I can provide logs or test additional builds.
The issue I created at GNOME.org is here:
https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/xdg-desktop-portal-gnome/-/work_items/220