Flux — Live Wallpapers for the COSMIC™ Desktop

FLUX :: v0.1.0 BETA :: RUST-NATIVE :: GPU-ACCELERATED :: WAYLAND LAYER-SHELL :: ZERO OVERHEAD :: COSMIC DE COMPATIBLE FLUX :: v0.1.0 BETA :: RUST-NATIVE :: GPU-ACCELERATED :: WAYLAND LAYER-SHELL :: ZERO OVERHEAD :: COSMIC DE COMPATIBLE

Decode Pipeline

GPU Accelerated

Hardware video decode via VA-API. GStreamer auto-selects the optimal decoder for your GPU.

System Impact

Near-Zero Overhead

Tuneable FPS cap (5-60), pauses when obscured. Typically under 3% CPU for 1080p wallpapers.

Codebase

100% Rust

Built on smithay-client-toolkit and GStreamer bindings. Memory-safe, thread-safe, zero runtime overhead.

Capabilities

Feature Deck

Multi-Monitor

Mirror mode clones your wallpaper to every display. Span mode stretches a single video across your entire workspace.

Cinematic Transitions

Smooth 500ms cross-fade blends when switching wallpapers. No jarring cuts, just seamless visual flow.

Instant Resume

Cached last frame persists across restarts. Your wallpaper reappears instantly on login, before the video pipeline even starts.

Format Freedom

MP4, WebM, MKV, and GIF. If GStreamer can decode it, Flux can render it as your wallpaper.

Live Telemetry

Real-time CPU%, RAM, and FPS stats right in the panel applet. Full visibility into resource usage at a glance.

Panel Applet

Native COSMIC panel integration. File picker, playback controls, display modes, and FPS tuning — all without leaving your workflow.

Deployment

Installation

user@cosmic-ext-flux:~

# Download the latest release

$wget https://github.com/franz-net/cosmic-ext-flux/releases/download/v0.1.0/cosmic-ext-flux_0.1.0_amd64.deb

# Install (automatically pulls dependencies)

$sudo apt install ./cosmic-ext-flux_0.1.0_amd64.deb

Setting up cosmic-ext-flux (0.1.0) ...

Enabling cosmic-ext-flux-daemon.service...

Coordinates locked. Welcome to the flux.

Download the .deb from GitHub Releases. Then add the applet to your panel via Settings → Desktop → Panel → Applets.