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dnaidoo621 edited this page Sep 17, 2026 · 5 revisions

Glide — HTPC Remote Control

Turn any phone into a polished remote for your home theatre PC. Scan a QR code that appears on screen, open it in any browser, and you're controlling your HTPC — no app install, no pairing codes.

Quick links

Topic What's covered
Installation Linux .deb / .rpm / .tar.gz, Windows .zip, build from source
Phone Setup (PWA) Add Glide to your phone's home screen for an app-like experience
Connecting Your Phone How to connect, popup behaviour, reconnecting
Controls Reference Every gesture, button, and section tab explained
TV and IR Control Control your TV too — transports, code learning, hardware quirks
Adding Devices The in-app Setup screen, step by step
App Launcher Configuring which apps appear and how they launch
Configuration Idle timeout, env vars, service drop-ins
X11 and Wayland Backend differences, text input, uinput setup
Troubleshooting Popup not showing, phone can't connect, input not working
Architecture How all the pieces fit together
Building from Source Building the packages yourself with Docker

At a glance

Your phone (any browser)
        │  WebSocket over LAN
        ▼
FastAPI server on HTPC  ──▶  pynput / evdev+uinput / Windows input
        │
        ▼
QR overlay (GTK3 on Linux · tkinter on Windows)
hides on connect, reappears after 2 h idle
  • No app required. Standard browser, any OS, any phone.
  • Installable PWA. Tap "Add to Home Screen" for an icon and fullscreen experience.
  • Cross-platform server. Runs on Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora/RHEL, Arch, openSUSE, and Windows.
  • Controls your TV too. Add an IR blaster and get a TV tab — power, volume, HDMI input, d-pad. See TV and IR Control.
  • Set up from the phone. A code on the TV keeps configuration to whoever's in the room. See Adding Devices.
  • Auto-detects X11 / Wayland on Linux — no config needed.

Controlling the HTPC is entirely local. Adding a TV via a Tuya IR blaster involves that vendor's cloud for setup, and optionally at runtime — TV and IR Control explains how to keep it local afterwards.

What it looks like
Trackpad TV tab
The PC — trackpad, quick actions, section tabs The TV — same layout, driving it over IR
Media TV power
Media TV power & source — discrete On, HDMI 1–4

Getting started in 3 steps

  1. Install on your HTPC — download the package for your OS from the Releases page
  2. Log out and back in (Linux) or the QR window opens automatically (Windows)
  3. Scan the code — your phone browser opens and you're in control

See Installation for the full walkthrough, and Phone Setup (PWA) to add Glide to your home screen.

Glide Remote

Home

Getting started

Using Glide

Controlling your TV

Reference

Help

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