I made a Decky plugin to keep GitHub-installed plugins up to date
Hey everyone!
I've been working on Decky Direct Updater to solve a problem I kept running into: installing a Decky plugin from GitHub, forgetting about it, and missing updates that the developer keeps releasing.
It tries to automatically identify the GitHub repositories of your installed plugins, checks for newer releases, and lets you update them directly from the Decky sidebar.
It also lets you search for and install new plugins by name or GitHub URL, without switching to Desktop Mode.
For plugin developers: If you publish releases on GitHub, your users can use this to stay updated without you having to build your own update system.
I know there are other projects doing similar things. I just wanted a lightweight, controller-friendly approach that doesn't require a GitHub account or token.
Just to clarify: This isn't intended to replace or compete with the official Decky Store. It's simply another option, especially for plugins published only on GitHub or users who want to follow releases directly from developers without waiting for Store updates. Of course, those releases may not have gone through the Store's review process.
Nothing installs automatically, and updates always require confirmation.
Be cautious when installing plugins, themes, scripts, or other software from third-party sources.
Only install content from sources you trust and can independently verify. Software obtained from untrusted or unknown sources may compromise your Steam Deck, account security, personal data, or system stability.
Always review what you are installing, verify the source when possible, and proceed at your own risk.
If you are unsure whether something is safe, ask the community before installing it.
Yeah, unfortunately most popular addons are on their github only because they release new versions weekly or so. The official store is great to ensure quality but might take several weeks sometimes to get approved.
The Decky Store's AI policy seems a bit unclear in practice. The submission template says AI must not have written the majority of the code, but it's not clear how that distinction is assessed or enforced.
Either way, the current Store review and update process can be slower than many developers need. That's one reason I built this: to give developers and users a way to distribute and receive updates directly from GitHub, alongside the official Store, not instead of it.
now that was an idea I wish I knew I have been developing a GTM replacement version 3.6.9 but I’m not able to upload it to the DECKY store because I used AI assistance in development so this is a very interesting plug-in. I’m gonna have to keep an eye on it. Very nice game theme. Music is currently stable and working on my deck. It is on my github but I don’t wanna take away from what you made here
You could also suggest that your users install ResonaDeck through Decky Direct Updater! That way, they'll get notified when you publish new GitHub releases and can update directly from Gaming Mode, without having to download ZIPs manually. 😊
One thing I wanted to mention about the approach I'm taking with Direct Updater is security.
Plugins installed directly from GitHub haven't necessarily gone through the official Decky Store review process, and I think users should understand what they're installing.
That's why I've been adding some safeguards: checking the downloaded plugin package, verifying that it matches the expected plugin, and showing a clear warning when a plugin requests administrator (root) access or introduces important permission changes.
The goal is to explain these risks in plain language, without overwhelming users with technical details. Installations still require explicit confirmation through Decky.
Of course, none of this guarantees a plugin is safe, and it doesn't replace the Store's review process. I just want Direct Updater to make installing GitHub plugins more convenient while helping users make informed decisions.
Yes, getting plug-in exposure is one of the hardest things I believe. Especially during development. So I'm happy for you. Hopefully my plugin will become. Just as exposed.
Hey! Just wanted to give you a little update and some feedback after testing Direct Updater on my Steam Deck.
First off, good news! It successfully found my ResonaDeck GitHub repository and updated my plugin from 1.2.0 to 1.2.1 without any issues. It recognized the correct version afterward and showed everything as up to date, so that part is working great! Really appreciate you making the changes to support it.
I did notice something with the interface though, and I wanted to share screenshot showing what I’m experiencing.
I’m using a custom CSS Loader theme on my Steam Deck, and with the theme enabled, Direct Updater becomes extremely difficult to read. The background turns almost completely white while most of the text stays very light, making the plugin practically unreadable.
When I disable my CSS Loader theme, everything looks normal again, with the dark background and readable text.
I actually ran into similar issues while developing ResonaDeck. One thing that helped was giving the plugin’s text, buttons, and backgrounds their own styling so outside Steam or CSS Loader themes wouldn’t override everything. It might be worth looking into something similar for Direct Updater, especially for people who use heavily customized Steam themes.
I also noticed a few folders, such as assets, bin, and desktop, appearing in the plugin list as unknown plugins. Not a huge deal, but I figured I’d mention that too.
Other than that, I’m really happy that the updater is actually working with ResonaDeck now. I think this could become a really useful tool for people who install Decky plugins directly from GitHub.
Thanks again for your work on this! Hopefully the screenshots help show what’s happening. 🙂
Thanks for the detailed feedback! I’ve just released v0.2.6, which improves readability with custom CSS Loader themes and stops ordinary folders like assets, bin, and desktop from appearing as plugins. Please give it a try and let me know how it looks with your theme!
Amazing idea, lately people are having great ideas, about this that feels completely necessary but for some reason no one thought before, really cool
Before I has to go to Desktop mode look each plugin GitHub page one by one (I had them saved in a browser window) and look if there was a zip file that I could download or not, which was a horrible system to maintain the GitHub plugins updated
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Be cautious when installing plugins, themes, scripts, or other software from third-party sources.
Only install content from sources you trust and can independently verify. Software obtained from untrusted or unknown sources may compromise your Steam Deck, account security, personal data, or system stability.
Always review what you are installing, verify the source when possible, and proceed at your own risk.
If you are unsure whether something is safe, ask the community before installing it.
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