SteamPrefixShortcut

A Linux utility that creates easy-to-find symbolic links to Proton/Wine prefixes for installed Steam games.

Overview
Features
Requirements
Installation
Uninstallation
How It Works
Usage
File Structure
Technical Details
Troubleshooting
License

Overview

SteamPrefixShortcut is a Linux utility that creates easy-to-find symbolic links to Proton/Wine prefixes for installed Steam games. The tool automatically searches for Steam installations in your home directory, identifies installed games, and creates symbolic links named after each game in a dedicated directory (~/SteamPrefixes).

This utility is particularly useful for Linux gamers who need to access or modify their game prefixes, as it provides a centralized, clearly labeled location for all game prefixes rather than navigating through Steam's nested directory structure.

Features

Automatic Steam Installation Detection: Finds Steam installations in the user's home directory
Multiple Steam Library Support: Can handle multiple Steam library locations
Intelligent Prefix Management: Creates symbolic links named after games for easy identification
Automatic Cleanup: Removes links to uninstalled games
Startup Integration: Can run automatically at system login
Flexible Installation Options: Supports both local (user-specific) and global (system-wide) installation

Requirements

Python 3
GCC or another C compiler (only needed for installation scripts)
Linux operating system
Steam installed with Proton-compatible games

Installation

Preparing for Installation

Make all scripts executable:

chmod +x *.sh

Local Installation (User-Specific)

This method installs the tool for the current user only and doesn't require sudo privileges:

./install-local.sh

The local installation:

Compiles the Python script to a binary using Nuitka
Installs the binary to ~/.local/bin/steam-prefix
Adds a startup entry to your ~/.profile to run on login
Cleans up temporary build files

Global Installation (System-Wide)

This method installs the tool for all users and requires sudo privileges:

./install-global.sh

The global installation:

Compiles the Python script to a binary using Nuitka
Installs the binary to /bin/steam-prefix
Creates a startup script in /etc/profile.d/ to run on system login
Cleans up temporary build files

Uninstallation

Local Uninstallation

If you installed using the local method:

./uninstall-local.sh

This will:

Remove the binary from ~/.local/bin/steam-prefix
Remove the startup entry from ~/.profile

Global Uninstallation

If you installed using the global method:

./uninstall-global.sh

This will:

Remove the binary from /bin/steam-prefix
Remove the startup script from /etc/profile.d/steam-prefix.sh

How It Works

SteamPrefixShortcut performs the following operations:

Directory Setup: Creates a ~/SteamPrefixes directory if it doesn't exist
Cleanup: Removes symlinks to prefixes of uninstalled games
Steam Detection: Searches for Steam installations in the user's home directory
Library Selection: If multiple Steam libraries are found, asks the user which to use (or all)
Game Identification: Reads Steam's application manifest files to get game names and IDs
Symlink Creation: Creates symbolic links from ~/SteamPrefixes/[Game Name] to the actual prefix location

Usage

Running Manually

If installed:

steam-prefix

If not installed:

python3 main.py

Automatic Execution

The tool will run automatically at login if installed using either installation method.

Accessing Game Prefixes

After running the tool, you can access any game's prefix by navigating to:

cd ~/SteamPrefixes/[Game Name]

For example:

cd ~/SteamPrefixes/Half-Life\ 2

File Structure

main.py: Main Python script that implements the tool's functionality
install-local.sh: Script for local (user-specific) installation
install-global.sh: Script for global (system-wide) installation
uninstall-local.sh: Script to remove local installation
uninstall-global.sh: Script to remove global installation
compile.sh: Helper script to compile the Python script to a binary using Nuitka
cleanup.sh: Helper script to remove temporary build files
LICENSE: MIT license file
README.md: Brief project overview and installation instructions

Technical Details

Prefix Location

Steam stores Proton/Wine prefixes in the compatdata directory within each Steam library. Each prefix is in a subdirectory named with the game's AppID. This tool creates symbolic links from ~/SteamPrefixes/[Game Name] to the actual prefix location at [Steam Library]/steamapps/compatdata/[AppID].

Steam Library Detection

The tool uses two methods to find Steam libraries:

First, it checks for the standard .steam/root directory in the user's home
If that's not found, it walks through the home directory looking for paths ending in steamapps/common

For both methods, it reads the libraryfolders.vdf file to discover all configured Steam library locations.

Game Information Extraction

The tool reads appmanifest_*.acf files in each Steam library's steamapps directory to extract game names and AppIDs.

Compilation Process

The installation scripts use Nuitka to compile the Python script to a binary. This:

Creates a standalone executable without Python dependencies
Improves startup performance
Allows for easier distribution

Troubleshooting

Symlinks Not Created

Ensure Steam is properly installed and you have at least one game with a Proton/Wine prefix
Check if the ~/SteamPrefixes directory exists and you have write permissions
Run the tool manually to see any error messages

Multiple Steam Libraries Not Detected

Make sure all Steam libraries are properly configured in Steam
The tool only detects libraries in your home directory by default
Try running the tool manually to select specific libraries

Tool Not Running at Login

Check if the binary exists at the expected location (~/.local/bin/steam-prefix or /bin/steam-prefix)
Verify that the startup entry was added correctly to ~/.profile or /etc/profile.d/
Try running the tool manually to check for errors

License

SteamPrefixShortcut is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

SteamPrefixShorcut

Install / Use

README