ChimeraOS
ChimeraOS is a beta platform: Core installs and runs, but some launchers and setup paths are still being completed.
Zaparoo Core on ChimeraOS supports launching Steam games, GOG games via the Chimera web app, standalone emulators, EmuDeck, RetroDECK, Bottles, Faugus, Moonlight, and shell scripts. Release builds are available for both AMD64 and ARM64 architectures.
File paths
| Item | Path |
|---|---|
| Config file | ~/.config/zaparoo/config.toml |
| Data directory | ~/.local/share/zaparoo |
| Log file | /tmp/<session_id>-zaparoo/core.log |
| Mappings directory | ~/.local/share/zaparoo/mappings |
Where ~ is the home directory of the gamer user.
Install
Access the terminal with Ctrl+Alt+F2 (default credentials: gamer / gamer) and run:
curl -fsSL https://zaparoo.org/install.sh | bash
This installs all necessary components and sets up the service to run on startup. Since ChimeraOS has an immutable root filesystem, the installation is user-local (installed to ~/.local/bin). After installation, Core checks for new releases and can update itself in place; see Core updates.
Once Core is running, write your first token from the Zaparoo App or the built-in web UI at http://127.0.0.1:7497/app/.
Uninstall
Remove the installed components, leaving the application binary until last:
~/.local/bin/zaparoo -uninstall service
~/.local/bin/zaparoo -uninstall desktop
sudo ~/.local/bin/zaparoo -uninstall hardware
~/.local/bin/zaparoo -uninstall application
Client security
Encryption is off by default on ChimeraOS, so the Zaparoo App and browsers connect without pairing. To require pairing with a PIN, set encryption = true in config.toml; Core then shows the PIN under Settings > Clients > Pair in the terminal UI or with ~/.local/bin/zaparoo -pair.
Readers
Launchers
| Launcher | Systems | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Steam | PC | Games and non-Steam shortcuts |
| ChimeraGOG | PC | GOG games from Chimera web app |
| Standalone emulators | Multiple | Installed native, AppImage, or Flatpak emulators |
| EmuDeck | Multiple | Systems from an EmuDeck installation |
| RetroDECK | Multiple | Systems from a RetroDECK installation |
| Bottles | PC | Programs from Bottles |
| Faugus | PC | Games from Faugus Launcher |
| Moonlight | PC | Streamed apps through Moonlight |
| Kodi | Media | Videos, movies, TV shows, music |
| Shell Scripts | Any | Custom .sh file execution |
Steam
Launches games from your Steam library. Both official Steam games and non-Steam shortcuts added to your library are detected.
Games are indexed from:
~/.steam/steam/steamapps/~/.local/share/Steam/
To manually launch a Steam game, write steam://<app_id> to a token.
Emulators
Core registers launchers for emulators it finds installed, whether native, AppImage, or Flatpak, and adds EmuDeck and RetroDECK systems when either is installed. Detection rules, supported systems, file types, and pointer files are listed under standalone emulators, EmuDeck, and RetroDECK on the Linux launchers page. Use launchers.preference to choose between the Native, EmuDeck, and RetroDECK groups.
Bottles, Faugus, and Moonlight
Programs from Bottles, games from Faugus Launcher, and streamed apps through Moonlight are indexed and launched the same way as on desktop Linux.
Gaming Mode
Core manages gamescope focus for non-Steam launchers in Gaming Mode, including ChimeraGOG, Kodi, scripts, and custom launchers. It restores the previous focus state after the launched window closes. Return to Menu stops the active launcher; ChimeraOS remains responsible for displaying its menu.
ChimeraGOG
Zaparoo automatically indexes GOG games installed through the Chimera web app.
Games are indexed from:
~/.local/share/chimera/content/gog/
Games are launched using the gog:// scheme.
Kodi
Launch media content from a Kodi instance running on your network.
Supported content:
- Video and audio files
- Movies and TV episodes
- Music (songs, albums, artists)
[[launchers.default]]
launcher = "Kodi"
server_url = "http://kodi:8080"
Replace kodi:8080 with your Kodi instance's address and web interface port.
Shell scripts
Execute arbitrary shell scripts. Requires explicit allow list configuration for security.
[launchers]
allow_file = [
"^/home/gamer/scripts/.*\\.sh$"
]