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Zaparoo Core v2.9.0 released

· 5 min read
wizzo
wizzo
Lead Developer

Zaparoo Core v2.9.0 is now available. This release brings a major TUI overhaul, Kodi integration, LaunchBox improvements, and several reliability fixes.

The highlights:

Download​

TUI Overhaul​

The terminal UI has been completely overhauled with a focus on usability and better integration with the API settings system. TUI-specific options are now stored in a separate tui.toml file.

  • Settings use API instead of direct config manipulation, so changes take effect immediately
  • Theme system with multiple color schemes
  • On-screen keyboard for controller/gamepad input, enabled by default on MiSTer and MiSTeX
  • Live reader status displayed on the main menu
  • CRT mode for better display on CRT monitors, enabled by default on MiSTer and MiSTeX
  • Mouse support toggle in TUI settings
  • Write format options for configuring tag writing defaults
  • Error reporting toggle in Advanced settings with confirmation dialog
  • Scroll indicators and submenu markers for easier navigation
  • Search media now shows file paths to help distinguish game revisions

Dialog sizing now respects screen bounds, and focus is properly preserved when navigating.

Kodi Launchers​

Steam-based platforms (SteamOS, Bazzite, ChimeraOS) now support launching Kodi media content:

  • Local video and audio files
  • Library movies and TV episodes/shows
  • Music (songs, albums, artists)

Configure Kodi settings at the group level for all Kodi launchers:

[[launchers.default]]
launcher = "Kodi"
server_url = "http://kodi:8080"

Batocera Improvements​

  • Auto-discover ROM paths from EmulationStation configuration. Custom ROM locations on external drives are now automatically included in media indexing.
  • Hotkeygen exit is now the primary method for exiting games and emulators, with ES API as fallback. This provides more reliable game stopping.
  • Fixed Windows game launcher file extensions to match Batocera's configuration.

Launcher Groups​

Launchers can now belong to groups, allowing you to configure defaults for multiple launchers at once. For example, all Kodi launchers (KodiVideo, KodiMovie, KodiTVShow, etc.) belong to the "Kodi" group:

config.toml
[[launchers.default]]
launcher = "Kodi"
server_url = "http://kodi:8080"

This sets server_url for all Kodi launchers without needing to configure each one individually. The launcher field in [launchers.default] matches both launcher IDs and group names.

Custom Launcher Enhancements​

Custom launchers can now use features previously only available to official launchers:

  • groups - Join groups to inherit settings from [[launchers.default]]
  • schemes - Handle URL schemes (e.g., myplayer://)
  • lifecycle - Run in "blocking" (default) or "background" mode
  • restricted - Require files to match allow_file patterns

New expression variables for the execute command: [[action]], [[install_dir]], [[server_url]], [[system_id]], [[launcher_id]]. Commands also receive a ZAPAROO_ENVIRONMENT JSON environment variable.

LaunchBox Improvements​

This update requires upgrading to the latest LaunchBox plugin.

  • Platform discovery automatically detects your LaunchBox platforms and maps custom platform names (like "Mame Arcade") to the correct Zaparoo system IDs
  • Merged games support indexes Additional Applications such as secondary discs, making multi-disc games scannable
  • BigBox launching fixed to use the correct method when BigBox is running

PN532 Driver Update​

The go-pn532 driver has been updated with significant reliability improvements:

  • Hold mode scanning is now much more reliable with internal retry on RF communication failures
  • Tag writing is more reliable with faster Mifare authentication
  • Empty NDEF handling no longer causes scan failures
  • Reconnection fixed after unplugging and replugging readers

ZapScript Improvements​

  • Year tags are now soft preferences in title resolution. A year mismatch is a minor penalty rather than a strict filter, making title matching more forgiving.
  • media.active includes zapScript field with the year suffix when available
  • Mixed tag parsing fixed for tags like (JP, Rev B) which now correctly produce both region and revision tags
  • Square bracket tags now allow language and region tags (e.g., [en], [de])

API Key Authentication​

Optional API key authentication is now available to protect remote API access. Localhost connections remain allowed without authentication.

Stable Reader IDs​

Reader IDs are now based on physical USB port location instead of device paths, so they persist across reboots and device name changes.

Other Changes​

  • Migrated ZapScript parsing to the standalone go-zapscript module
  • Group-based hierarchical configuration for launcher defaults
  • Hold mode reliability improved - reader disconnects no longer incorrectly trigger game exit

Bug Fixes​

  • Fixed ?action=details not working with title format launches
  • Fixed MiSTer alt core RBF paths for cores like 2XPSX
  • Fixed RetroBat falsely reporting "not running" errors
  • Fixed BigBox game launching not working
  • Fixed hold mode exiting games when reader disconnects
  • Fixed mixed tag parsing in filenames like (JP, Rev B)
  • Fixed ZapScript execution not being disabled while TUI is open on non-MiSTer platforms

As always, feedback and bug reports are welcome on our Discord or GitHub.