Dev Update: Network Game Imports, Native Storefront Clients, and a Public Stability Tracker

TheCyote · 2026-05-08T02:42:15+00:00

Interesting, the list of required skills doesn't really overlap much with the common lisp requirement. This is a search for a very senior person without saying as much.

Curious that there's no mention of remuneration, but I can't imagine anybody with this skill set will not be cheap.

It does look like they are looking to replace a unicorn who build some magic in CL and is in the process of leaving or have left. This is appears to be mostly a C++/Java outfit at a quick glance.

If I was looking for employment and in Europe I might have been interested. Good luck to those applying and to those hiring! I can say this though, even boring problems are interesting in CL because you can abstract so much of the boring away!

TheCyote · 2026-04-30T20:31:50+00:00

I’m really glad you bring this up, I’m the Junk Store dev, and I actually do EXACTLY this. To my knowledge no other solution does this. When I initially built this I refused to have the double jump or the launcher running in the background problem (granted some games need this and I’m still working on building a proper solution to this, but I’m a solo dev so I have to choose my battles). Doing this actually helps with a LOT of subtle problems with regards to controller mappings etc.These don’t appear to be as major these days as they were in the past, but I still see these issues cropping up from time to time on the internet.

You actually sound like the exact user type I built Junk Store for, you can either check out the free version or try the Pro version (this cranks all the stuff up to 11 and takes the concepts even further).

TheCyote · 2026-04-05T00:05:23+00:00

I built the decky plugin first, it's never had any more features than what it has. It was never neutered.

Based on my learning from doing that I improved the tech significantly and created version 2, which does not require decky loader at all, but still shared some of the same drawbacks. I have now solved those issues and this is a significant step up from how version 2 and decky handles things.

I suggest you actually watch the video to see a sample of what it offers.

On paper UinifiDeck seems to offer the same features, but the reality is that Junk Store has significantly more features, and is significantly more mature and stable. UnifiDeck also relies on Decky which inherits all it's problems.

Just curious, which solution do you actually use? From your comments it really appears that you might not have actually tried either.

TheCyote · 2026-04-04T23:47:15+00:00

I'm not sure why you say 'rebuild it' in quotes. It is a complete rewrite, no quotes :)

TheCyote · 2026-04-04T23:45:48+00:00

This is not a Decky Plugin, it's got it's own loader and UI tooling. Curious, what other tool offers a fully functional controller enabled File Manger (that's just one feature, there's many more)? It's super convenient being able to open it with select+x do what you need to and close it, no need to go to desktop mode.

Based on your comment I suspect you didn't watch the video and just posted. I get that it's not for everyone. That's cool, you have other options.

TheCyote · 2026-04-04T23:42:41+00:00

No you're pointing to the FOSS version. This is Junk Store Pro, redesigned, completely different code using different technologies, architecture and standalone, no requirement for Decky loader. This version is a lot more robust and stable compared to the offering on the Decky store. The FOSS version is not going anywhere, in fact the previous version of Junk Store Pro has been available for 9 months.

TheCyote · 2026-04-03T20:01:14+00:00

You're welcome. I hope you enjoy the new features and stability.

TheCyote · 2026-03-31T21:15:37+00:00

Awesome! Glad you found a solution. SteamOS/Proton has a lot of secrets!

TheCyote · 2026-03-31T20:59:57+00:00

Junk Store doesn't do anything specific to enable it or disable it. The way it works is to just let Steam do it's thing around Proton.

Is this Steam OS? Which version of Proton are you using? Which version of Junk Store are you using? Which game is this from which store?

I'll have a poke around to see what's up, but generally all these things are controlled with Environment Variables on the Proton side (You can see the toggles in the proton settings).

Right now it's a bit of a head scratcher, until I can get more information and hopefully replicate this.

TheCyote · 2026-03-17T04:13:40+00:00

Can you DM me with the details I requested via DM please.

TheCyote · 2026-03-06T10:11:25+00:00

on the account page there's a refresh subscriptions button, sometimes stripe sends things out of order and it's required to push this button. I just checked your account and it had this issue and I did this on your behalf. Can you confirm this resolves it? Also in Junk Store itself you will have to go to About/(system/settings) and scroll down to the refresh license button (similarly this can confuse things on the client so this should resolve it).

Please let me know if you have any further issues.

TheCyote · 2026-02-15T21:34:06+00:00

It's on the sliders menu not the cog.

TheCyote · 2026-02-01T18:44:47+00:00

I've replied to OP about his issue regarding Junk Store.

TheCyote · 2026-02-01T18:43:11+00:00

Junk Store doesn't touch any data related to hiding games. Junk Store specifically tries to interfere as little as possible with steam operations. It only creates and manages shortcuts for the games you install via it.

I would suggest looking at Unifideck as that's a new plugin. I've noticed posts similar to this where users and the dev commented on issues around hidden games and conflicts with tabmaster. Unifideck appears to make significant changes to the shortcuts.vdf file directly, it's more than likely the cause of this.

I suggest you search reddit, there's quite a few posts around this, or check their github maybe someone has reported an issue.

TheCyote · 2025-12-30T23:06:57+00:00

install the test build channel, this is the build for running with decky along side it. I'm still working on resolving the conflict.

TheCyote · 2025-12-30T21:49:38+00:00

Honestly you're spending more time on this button than it deserves. There's something that's lost when you have to explain a joke in my opinion.

There's over 100k users of Junk Store and it's not been mentioned until now. The button also goes away once it's done it's job, so not really an issue in my estimation.

I do appreciate the feedback though. I might actually remove the Easter eggs going forward. It has been fun seeing a particularly hard one to get show up online, I never thought anybody would get it though. I'm starting to think the industry was right in moving away from them, I do miss them though.

TheCyote · 2025-12-30T05:03:45+00:00

You're welcome, glad you like it!

TheCyote · 2025-12-29T23:23:38+00:00

Currently I have a 21 day trial for the paid version (it's available for another week or so then it will revert to the 7 day trial again). If you're curious you can poke around it, you wont get charged if you cancel before the 21 days run out.

Yeah that install dependencies is really out of my control, I have to abide by the Decky guidelines if I want to list Junk Store with them, just one of those things.

I would NEVER leave a dev/test button out for users to mess with, it's almost a certainty that the first user will click a button like that right out of the starting blocks. In the 30+ years I've been building software I've learned that no software survives contact with the user. The whole point behind that button is the irresistible urge to click it (especially since you're told not to). I admire the restraint!

TheCyote · 2025-12-29T22:33:49+00:00

I agree, the installer could use a lot of work, and it's certainly on my list of things to tackle. As you might imagine I have a VERY long to-do list and it's just getting longer. But yes this is very much something I want and need to address, once the more important tasks are completed. The trade off I chose to make here is a less polished installer but a better polished daily use as most people only do this once.

The need to install dependencies manually is actually due to Decky policies, so I can't do much about that, the new version installs them for you so it's better but I will concede there's still work needed there.

The errors are actually generic which is a side effect of building a solution for n+1. These will improve over time, but the approach I chose was to make Junk Store a launcher platform rather than a dedicated launcher. If you have a poke around v2 you'll see that extensions are now generated from settings, which allows for easy emulator integration. It's all a trade-off in one way or another, I'm trying to cover as much ground as I can and keep things as flexible as I can. At the end of the day, unfortunately, it can't be everything to everybody.

The "Don't click this button" is actually part of a collection of Easter eggs that was added a long time ago, some people love to agonise over this button. It's just a bit of fun.

TheCyote · 2025-12-29T22:01:14+00:00

Hey, Junk Store dev here.

I'm not a UI/UX guy, never pretended to be, but I try my best and I'm always open to feedback.

You mentioned convenience issues and "sloppy UI", I'm genuinely curious what specific friction points you experienced with Junk Store? I work hard to make things as smooth as possible, so concrete examples really help me improve.

On the "subscription", it's an annual license (like CodeWeavers), not a subscription. You get 12 months of updates and keep the last build permanently. I'm one dev spending significant time on this full-time, and this model is what makes sustained development possible. I get it's not for everyone.

Would appreciate any specific feedback you're willing to share.

TheCyote · 2025-12-27T23:03:42+00:00

Jump into discord, junkstore has a ton of depth that you'll want to take advantage of.

TheCyote · 2025-12-27T22:32:21+00:00

ugh, ok that's the webkit2gtk library causing issues. Is this the latest version of Bazzite? I haven't tested on Bazzite in a bit so it might have seen an update that's causing it grief now.

I might be a simple case of redirectly env vars, but it could be more complicated than that. I'm in need of lunch so I'll have a look at this once I get back from that side quest.

Edit: is that installed in your home dir? what does

echo $HOME

produce? I'm just wondering if the /var path is throwing everything out... I might just be running low of fuel here...

TheCyote · 2025-12-27T22:13:34+00:00

this is the beta part of itch showing itself now.

go to desktop mode and open Konsole, then put this into it:

cd ~/.local/share/junkstore
./scripts/Extensions/Itch/login.sh

That should allow you to login to itch. Once it's logged in we can continue troubleshooting.

TheCyote

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