I made a remote desktop tool that allows macOS to adapt to the client window’s resolution, and paired with Tailscale, you can operate your home Mac Mini anytime, anywhere. https://github.com/keithxc/deskport.git…

keithxc/deskport

Source: https://github.com/keithxc/deskport

DeskPort

A remote desktop workspace built on Moonlight and Sunshine.

Goal: keep your remote desktop ready in the background, bring it onto your current workspace with one action, and tuck it away without reconnecting.

Version: 0.1.14 — automatic connection ports. DeskPort combines a viewer and optional host in one application, with a shared device list, mutual binding and permission controls. The macOS package includes Sunshine and a native virtual display; the Linux Nix package includes a Sunshine host for the existing desktop.

The dedicated macOS workspace follows the client window’s drawable pixel size. Clients at 150% scale or above request a 2× HiDPI workspace for sharp text. Resizing briefly reconnects video while retaining the client window and showing a loading animation. It is not seamless encoder reconfiguration.

Mac download: Apple-notarized DMG for Apple Silicon running macOS 26 or later. Open the DMG, drag DeskPort into Applications, then open it. Host features require first-use Screen Recording and Accessibility authorization. No separate Sunshine, Qt, Nix or Homebrew is needed.

See the release notes, architecture and macOS installation guide. Persistent hide/show is implemented; native long-session acceptance remains open. Automatic physical-display topology management, image clipboard sharing and Windows packaging remain unfinished. Bidirectional text sharing is available between opted-in bound DeskPort devices.

Build and run on Linux

With Nix and flakes enabled:

git clone https://github.com/keithxc/deskport.git
cd deskport
nix build
./result/bin/deskport

The pinned Nix build supplies upstream submodule dependencies automatically. nix run . -- --help prints the inherited command-line interface. Start Sharing on the host and bind the devices before connecting. Legacy Sunshine PIN pairing is also available. No personal host or pairing credential is included or imported from Moonlight. New manual addresses default to DeskPort’s port 48989. Include the port shown on the host’s sharing page if different, or use host:47989 to connect explicitly to a default standalone Sunshine installation. Saved/discovered endpoints retain their own ports.

For an editable native build:

git submodule update --init --recursive app/SDL_GameControllerDB \
  moonlight-common-c/moonlight-common-c qmdnsengine/qmdnsengine \
  soundio/libsoundio h264bitstream/h264bitstream
nix develop
mkdir -p build
cd build
qmake ../moonlight-qt.pro CONFIG+=disable-prebuilts
make -j4
./app/deskport

The upstream project filenames remain unchanged to keep the fork reviewable.

What is different today?

• Separate deskport executable, DeskPort Qt settings namespace and io.github.keithxc.DeskPort Linux application ID.
• Windowed streaming and absolute-pointer control by default.
• Mute on focus loss; game optimization, gamepad mouse, multi-controller mode, background gamepad input and Discord presence disabled by default.
• No upstream Moonlight update prompts for this independent application.
• A locked Nix environment and a Linux build workflow.

The desktop interface provides device, sharing and settings pages, with language selection and separate host permissions. Closing the viewer keeps its session available and opens the device list. An active device offers Return to desktop; other devices show details until the current session is disconnected. Pin frequently used devices and choose a compact list or cards. Appearance follows the system, with light and dark overrides.

Platform scope

The first development workflow is Linux → macOS through Sunshine. Client platform support and host support are separate: a Mac host does not require a DeskPort Mac client. Hardware decode, live input, image quality and recall latency need real session testing; a successful build does not establish them.

Next milestone

Keep one session connected across 50 hide/show cycles, show the window on the current workspace, and reliably return local input. Measure fresh-frame latency and background resource use separately from window appearance.

See the roadmap for acceptance criteria and deferred features, and upstream notes for provenance and maintenance boundaries.

Validation

nix build
python3 scripts/deskport-smoke.py ./result

The smoke check uses temporary XDG configuration/cache directories and an offscreen Qt platform. It does not pair with a host, start a stream or inject input.

License and attribution

DeskPort is an independent derivative of Moonlight Qt, initially based on v6.1.0. It is not an official Moonlight or Sunshine release. Moonlight provides the streaming foundation; Sunshine is bundled in the macOS package and supplied by the Linux Nix package. Separately installed Sunshine services are kept independent.

GPL-3.0-or-later; see LICENSE, retained source notices and each submodule’s license. Original documentation is preserved in README.upstream.md.

Daily desktop controls

Closing a window keeps DeskPort running in the tray/menu bar. Use Open DeskPort to recall it, Disconnect viewer to end only the current connection, or Quit DeskPort to exit the service. Local sharing continues when a viewer closes.

Plain-text clipboard sharing and system-shortcut capture are enabled by default on both bound devices. Setting changes apply after reconnecting. Only new copies are shared, up to 1 MiB; images and files are not transferred. In desktop pointer mode, keyboard routing follows the pointer inside the focused video. Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Z releases input; Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Q disconnects the viewer. Click inside to regain input after explicit release. OS-reserved shortcuts depend on the desktop compositor.

Login startup and recovery require an active graphical login session. See acceptance checks and limitations before relying on a computer for unattended access.