LizardByte · ReenigneArcher · May 5, 2026 · Apr 16, 2026 · Apr 17, 2026 · Apr 18, 2026
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci-freebsd.yml b/.github/workflows/ci-freebsd.yml
@@ -174,6 +174,7 @@ jobs:
             -DSUNSHINE_ENABLE_CUDA=OFF \
             -DSUNSHINE_ENABLE_DRM=OFF \
             -DSUNSHINE_ENABLE_PORTAL=ON \
+            -DSUNSHINE_ENABLE_KWIN=ON \
             -DSUNSHINE_ENABLE_WAYLAND=ON \
             -DSUNSHINE_ENABLE_X11=ON \
             -DSUNSHINE_PUBLISHER_NAME="${GITHUB_REPOSITORY_OWNER}" \

diff --git a/.gitmodules b/.gitmodules
@@ -69,3 +69,6 @@
 	path = third-party/wlr-protocols
 	url = https://github.com/LizardByte-infrastructure/wlr-protocols.git
 	branch = master
+[submodule "third-party/plasma-wayland-protocols"]
+	path = third-party/plasma-wayland-protocols
+	url = https://github.com/KDE/plasma-wayland-protocols.git
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
@@ -276,6 +276,13 @@ LizardByte has the full documentation hosted on [Read the Docs](https://docs.liz
         <td>➖</td>
         <td>➖</td>
     </tr>
+    <tr>
+        <td>KWin Screencast</td>
+        <td>✅</td>
+        <td>✅</td>
+        <td>➖</td>
+        <td>➖</td>
+    </tr>
 </table>
 
 <table>
@@ -322,6 +329,13 @@ LizardByte has the full documentation hosted on [Read the Docs](https://docs.liz
         <td>✅</td>
         <td>✅</td>
     </tr>
+    <tr>
+        <td>KWin Screencast</td>
+        <td>✅</td>
+        <td>✅</td>
+        <td>✅</td>
+        <td>✅</td>
+    </tr>
 </table>
 
 **Legend:** ✅ Supported | 🟡 Partial Support | ❌ Not Yet Supported | ➖ Not Applicable

diff --git a/cmake/compile_definitions/linux.cmake b/cmake/compile_definitions/linux.cmake
@@ -76,8 +76,8 @@ if(CUDA_FOUND)
     add_compile_definitions(SUNSHINE_BUILD_CUDA)
 endif()
 
-# libdrm is required for both DRM (KMS) and Wayland
-if(${SUNSHINE_ENABLE_DRM} OR ${SUNSHINE_ENABLE_WAYLAND})
+# libdrm is required for DRM (KMS), Wayland, and KWin ScreenCast
+if(${SUNSHINE_ENABLE_DRM} OR ${SUNSHINE_ENABLE_WAYLAND} OR ${SUNSHINE_ENABLE_KWIN})
     find_package(LIBDRM REQUIRED)
 else()
     set(LIBDRM_FOUND OFF)
@@ -243,7 +243,7 @@ if(GIO_FOUND)
 endif()
 
 # Pipewire
-if(${SUNSHINE_ENABLE_PORTAL})
+if(${SUNSHINE_ENABLE_PORTAL} OR ${SUNSHINE_ENABLE_KWIN})
     pkg_check_modules(PIPEWIRE libpipewire-0.3 REQUIRED)
 else()
     set(PIPEWIRE_FOUND OFF)
@@ -264,10 +264,24 @@ if(PIPEWIRE_FOUND AND GIO_FOUND AND ${SUNSHINE_ENABLE_PORTAL})
             "${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/src/platform/linux/portalgrab.cpp")
 endif()
 
+# KWin ScreenCast (direct Wayland protocol, bypasses portal)
+set(KWIN_FOUND OFF)
+if(WAYLAND_FOUND AND PIPEWIRE_FOUND AND ${SUNSHINE_ENABLE_KWIN})
+    set(KWIN_FOUND ON)
+    add_compile_definitions(SUNSHINE_BUILD_KWIN)
+    GEN_WAYLAND("${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/third-party/plasma-wayland-protocols/src/protocols" "" kde-output-order-v1)
+    GEN_WAYLAND("${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/third-party/plasma-wayland-protocols/src/protocols" "" zkde-screencast-unstable-v1)
+    list(APPEND PLATFORM_TARGET_FILES
+            "${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/src/platform/linux/kwingrab.cpp")
+elseif(${SUNSHINE_ENABLE_KWIN} AND NOT WAYLAND_FOUND)
+    message(WARNING "SUNSHINE_ENABLE_KWIN requires SUNSHINE_ENABLE_WAYLAND — KWin capture disabled")
+endif()
+
 if(NOT ${CUDA_FOUND}
         AND NOT ${WAYLAND_FOUND}
         AND NOT ${X11_FOUND}
         AND NOT ${PORTAL_FOUND}
+        AND NOT ${KWIN_FOUND}
         AND NOT (${LIBDRM_FOUND} AND ${LIBCAP_FOUND})
         AND NOT ${LIBVA_FOUND})
     message(FATAL_ERROR "Couldn't find either cuda, libva, pipewire, wayland, x11, or (libdrm and libcap)")

diff --git a/cmake/packaging/linux.cmake b/cmake/packaging/linux.cmake
@@ -174,6 +174,10 @@ if(NOT ${SUNSHINE_BUILD_APPIMAGE} AND NOT ${SUNSHINE_BUILD_FLATPAK})
     install(FILES "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/${PROJECT_FQDN}.terminal.desktop"
             DESTINATION "${CMAKE_INSTALL_DATAROOTDIR}/applications")
 endif()
+if(${SUNSHINE_ENABLE_KWIN})
+    install(FILES "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/${PROJECT_FQDN}.kwin.desktop"
+            DESTINATION "${CMAKE_INSTALL_DATAROOTDIR}/applications")
+endif()
 
 # metadata file
 install(FILES "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/${PROJECT_FQDN}.metainfo.xml"

diff --git a/cmake/prep/init.cmake b/cmake/prep/init.cmake
@@ -11,6 +11,14 @@ elseif (UNIX)
     if(NOT DEFINED SUNSHINE_EXECUTABLE_PATH)
         set(SUNSHINE_EXECUTABLE_PATH "sunshine")
     endif()
+    if(NOT DEFINED SUNSHINE_REAL_EXECUTABLE_PATH)
+        if(SUNSHINE_BUILD_HOMEBREW)
+            set(SUNSHINE_REAL_EXECUTABLE_PATH ${SUNSHINE_EXECUTABLE_PATH})
+        else()
+            # The real executable is behind a symlink to SUNSHINE_EXECUTABLE_PATH-PROJECT_VERSION
+            set(SUNSHINE_REAL_EXECUTABLE_PATH ${SUNSHINE_EXECUTABLE_PATH}-${PROJECT_VERSION})
+        endif()
+    endif()
 
     if(SUNSHINE_BUILD_FLATPAK)
         set(SUNSHINE_SERVICE_START_COMMAND "ExecStart=flatpak run --command=sunshine ${PROJECT_FQDN}")

diff --git a/cmake/prep/options.cmake b/cmake/prep/options.cmake
@@ -66,4 +66,6 @@ elseif(UNIX)  # Linux
             "Enable X11 grab if available." ON)
     option(SUNSHINE_ENABLE_PORTAL
             "Enable XDG portal grab if available" ON)
+    option(SUNSHINE_ENABLE_KWIN
+            "Enable KWin ScreenCast grab if available" ON)
 endif()
diff --git a/cmake/prep/special_package_configuration.cmake b/cmake/prep/special_package_configuration.cmake
@@ -26,6 +26,11 @@ elseif(UNIX)
     # configure service
     configure_file(packaging/linux/app-${PROJECT_FQDN}.service.in app-${PROJECT_FQDN}.service @ONLY)
 
+    # configure kwin desktop permission file
+    if (${SUNSHINE_ENABLE_KWIN})
+        configure_file(packaging/linux/${PROJECT_FQDN}.kwin.desktop.in ${PROJECT_FQDN}.kwin.desktop @ONLY)
+    endif()
+
     # configure the arch linux pkgbuild
     if(${SUNSHINE_CONFIGURE_PKGBUILD})
         configure_file(packaging/linux/Arch/PKGBUILD PKGBUILD @ONLY)

diff --git a/docs/configuration.md b/docs/configuration.md
@@ -2117,6 +2117,11 @@ editing the `conf` file in a text editor. Use the examples as reference.
             @note{Applies to Windows only.}
             @attention{This capture method is not compatible with the Sunshine service.}</td>
     </tr>
+    <tr>
+        <td>kwin</td>
+        <td>Capture with KDE/KWin Wayland compositor via zkde-screencast-unstable-v1.
+            @note{Applies to Linux only.}</td>
+    </tr>
 </table>
 
 ### encoder

diff --git a/packaging/linux/copr/Sunshine.spec b/packaging/linux/copr/Sunshine.spec
@@ -220,6 +220,7 @@ cmake_args=(
   "-DSUNSHINE_EXECUTABLE_PATH=%{_bindir}/sunshine"
   "-DSUNSHINE_ENABLE_DRM=ON"
   "-DSUNSHINE_ENABLE_PORTAL=ON"
+  "-DSUNSHINE_ENABLE_KWIN=ON"
   "-DSUNSHINE_ENABLE_WAYLAND=ON"
   "-DSUNSHINE_ENABLE_X11=ON"
   "-DSUNSHINE_PUBLISHER_NAME=LizardByte"

diff --git a/packaging/linux/dev.lizardbyte.app.Sunshine.kwin.desktop.in b/packaging/linux/dev.lizardbyte.app.Sunshine.kwin.desktop.in
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+[Desktop Entry]
+Exec=@SUNSHINE_REAL_EXECUTABLE_PATH@
+X-KDE-Wayland-Interfaces=zkde_screencast_unstable_v1
+Type=Application
+Name=@PROJECT_FQDN@-kwin-wayland-permission
+Comment=Sunshine KWin screencast permission
+NoDisplay=true
diff --git a/packaging/linux/flatpak/dev.lizardbyte.app.Sunshine.yml b/packaging/linux/flatpak/dev.lizardbyte.app.Sunshine.yml
@@ -83,6 +83,7 @@ modules:
       - -DSUNSHINE_ENABLE_CUDA=ON
       - -DSUNSHINE_ENABLE_DRM=ON
       - -DSUNSHINE_ENABLE_PORTAL=ON
+      - -DSUNSHINE_ENABLE_KWIN=ON
       - -DSUNSHINE_ENABLE_WAYLAND=ON
       - -DSUNSHINE_ENABLE_X11=ON
       - -DSUNSHINE_PUBLISHER_NAME='LizardByte'

diff --git a/scripts/linux_build.sh b/scripts/linux_build.sh
@@ -579,6 +579,7 @@ function run_step_cmake() {
     "-DSUNSHINE_EXECUTABLE_PATH=/usr/bin/sunshine"
     "-DSUNSHINE_ENABLE_DRM=ON"
     "-DSUNSHINE_ENABLE_PORTAL=ON"
+    "-DSUNSHINE_ENABLE_KWIN=ON"
     "-DSUNSHINE_ENABLE_WAYLAND=ON"
     "-DSUNSHINE_ENABLE_X11=ON"
   )