Steam Flatpak not working on F38 beta?

After updating my desktop to Fedora Workstation 38 Beta, Steam wouldn’t start. Looks like it’s this issue: Cannot open Steam · Issue #1040 · flathub/com.valvesoftware.Steam · GitHub

Anyone else hitting this?

For me flatpak run com.valvesoftware.Steam -bigpicture works (even if I make the Big Picture mode run in a window).

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Just realized it’s not working for me either, yes!

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Big picture also works fine for me though, and from there I can get back to the normal app.

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Steam works if it is download from snap.

Let me rephrase my question — does the Flatpak work for anyone?

It doesn’t work for me.
Using -bigpicture works.

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Yes same here.

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Interesting, running Steam from Flathub works just fine for me on latest F38. I have a laptop with Intel gpu. I tested both Wayland and X11 GNOME sessions.

$ flatpak info com.valvesoftware.Steam  | grep -A4 Commit
      Commit: a4c6945dc1cb48472fae369277a4350c9592c5d26239243bd06afc183da3dd7c
      Parent: c67a900e23d514cb308148c24638cb7316a20643c32049b0a8e2818ed1d4f62c
     Subject: Update 2 modules (d044c440)
        Date: 2023-01-31 06:36:30 +0000

Terminal output:

$ flatpak run com.valvesoftware.Steam
INFO:root:https://github.com/flathub/com.valvesoftware.Steam/wiki
INFO:root:Will set XDG dirs prefix to /home/kparal/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam
DEBUG:root:Checking input devices permissions
WARNING:root:Missing permissions for input devices
INFO:root:Overriding TZ to Europe/Prague
DEBUG:root:Addding /usr/lib/extensions/vulkan/MangoHud/bin to PATH
steam.sh[2]: Running Steam on org.freedesktop.platform 22.08 64-bit
steam.sh[2]: STEAM_RUNTIME is enabled automatically
setup.sh[77]: Steam runtime environment up-to-date!
steam.sh[2]: Steam client's requirements are satisfied
[2023-04-14 12:23:41] Startup - updater built Mar 24 2023 17:19:53
[2023-04-14 12:23:41] Startup - Steam Client launched with: '/home/kparal/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_32/steam' '-no-cef-sandbox'
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1679680416)/tid(152)
[2023-04-14 12:23:41] Loading cached metrics from disk (/home/kparal/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/.local/share/Steam/package/steam_client_metrics.bin)
[2023-04-14 12:23:41] Using the following download hosts for Public, Realm steamglobal
[2023-04-14 12:23:41] 1. https://client-update.akamai.steamstatic.com, /, Realm 'steamglobal', weight was 1000, source = 'update_hosts_cached.vdf'
[2023-04-14 12:23:41] 2. https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com, /client/, Realm 'steamglobal', weight was 1, source = 'update_hosts_cached.vdf'
[2023-04-14 12:23:41] 3. http://media.steampowered.com, /client/, Realm 'steamglobal', weight was 1, source = 'baked in'
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1679680416)/tid(164)
[2023-04-14 12:23:41] Verifying installation...
[2023-04-14 12:23:41] Verification complete
Loaded SDL version 3.0.0-1117-g727c7d4e2
XRRGetOutputInfo Workaround: initialized with override: 0 real: 0xedb0d8f0
XRRGetCrtcInfo Workaround: initialized with override: 0 real: 0xedb0c1c0
Gtk-Message: 12:23:42.126: Failed to load module "pk-gtk-module"
GetWin32Stats: display was not open yet, good
ComputeStartupMode: found registry default startup mode: 0
steamwebhelper.sh[177]: Runtime for steamwebhelper: defaulting to /home/kparal/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_64/steam-runtime-heavy
steamwebhelper.sh[177]: Running under Flatpak, disabling sandbox
steamwebhelper.sh[177]: CEF sandbox already disabled
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1679680416)/tid(184)
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1679680416)/tid(244)
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1679680416)/tid(245)
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1679680416)/tid(246)
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1679680416)/tid(248)
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1679680416)/tid(249)
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1679680416)/tid(250)
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1679680416)/tid(255)
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1679680416)/tid(256)
CAppInfoCacheReadFromDiskThread took 127 milliseconds to initialize
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1679680416)/tid(257)
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1679680416)/tid(258)
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1679680416)/tid(259)
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1679680416)/tid(263)
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1679680416)/tid(264)
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1679680416)/tid(265)
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1679680416)/tid(267)
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1679680416)/tid(268)
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1679680416)/tid(270)
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1679680416)/tid(271)
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1679680416)/tid(323)
Failed to init SteamVR because it isn't installed
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1679680416)/tid(327)
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported

(steam:152): Gtk-WARNING **: 12:23:54.953: gtk_disable_setlocale() must be called before gtk_init()
local (potentially out of sync) copy of roaming config loaded - 57427 bytes.
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1679680416)/tid(375)
BRefreshApplicationsInLibrary 1: 76ms
roaming config store loaded successfully - 57427 bytes.
migrating temporary roaming config store
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1679680416)/tid(377)
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1679680416)/tid(378)
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1679680416)/tid(383)
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
GetWin32Stats: restoring previous glx context
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
ExecCommandLine: "'/home/kparal/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_32/steam' '-no-cef-sandbox'"
System startup time: 15.24 seconds
BuildCompleteAppOverviewChange: 810 apps
RegisterForAppOverview 1: 18ms
RegisterForAppOverview 2: 20ms
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1679680416)/tid(463)
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1679680416)/tid(464)
Steam: An X Error occurred
X Error of failed request:  BadWindow (invalid Window parameter)
Major opcode of failed request:  20 (X_GetProperty)
Resource id in failed request:  0x0
Serial number of failed request:  9
xerror_handler: X failed, continuing
Steam: An X Error occurred
X Error of failed request:  BadWindow (invalid Window parameter)
Major opcode of failed request:  20 (X_GetProperty)
Resource id in failed request:  0x0
Serial number of failed request:  9
xerror_handler: X failed, continuing
Steam: An X Error occurred
X Error of failed request:  BadWindow (invalid Window parameter)
Major opcode of failed request:  20 (X_GetProperty)
Resource id in failed request:  0x0
Serial number of failed request:  9
xerror_handler: X failed, continuing
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
[2023-04-14 12:24:17] Background update loop checking for update. . .
[2023-04-14 12:24:17] Checking for available updates...
[2023-04-14 12:24:17] Downloading manifest: https://client-update.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam_client_ubuntu12
[2023-04-14 12:24:17] Manifest download: send request
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1679680416)/tid(491)
[2023-04-14 12:24:17] Manifest download: waiting for download to finish
[2023-04-14 12:24:17] Manifest download: finished
[2023-04-14 12:24:17] Download skipped: /steam_client_ubuntu12 version 1679680416, installed version 1679680416, existing pending version 0
[2023-04-14 12:24:17] Nothing to do
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Could not connect to X session manager: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
Steam: An X Error occurred
X Error of failed request:  BadWindow (invalid Window parameter)
Major opcode of failed request:  20 (X_GetProperty)
Resource id in failed request:  0x0
Serial number of failed request:  9
xerror_handler: X failed, continuing

(steam:152): GLib-GObject-CRITICAL **: 12:24:31.239: g_object_unref: assertion 'G_IS_OBJECT (object)' failed

(steam:152): GLib-GObject-CRITICAL **: 12:24:31.239: g_object_unref: assertion 'G_IS_OBJECT (object)' failed
[2023-04-14 12:24:31] Shutdown
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1679680416)/tid(501)
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1679680416)/tid(502)

If you run Steam in a terminal, and you have a second terminal open with journalctl -f, does the journal print something interesting during Steam startup/crash?

Also, can you check for Steam updates in the big picture mode, whether a Steam client update resolves this?

And if it doesn’t, can you try to run Steam in a different user account, or move away your ~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/ directory, whether that resolves the issue?

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Steam flatpak is working fine for me and has pretty much been working fine since 38 Beta.

I do vaguely remember at some point having it breaking and the solution at the time was to delete the steam runtime folders and let Steam regenerate them
The folders I deleted at the time were:

~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-runtime
~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-runtime.old
~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_64/steam-runtime-heavy

I believe that is the current workaround, though I do not know why it happened and why this fixes it

So, I tried this. Had to delete more than that, but eventually enough that it reinstalled itself. That worked once — and then I had to go back to the “big picture mode” workaround.

Just FYI, if you look into the recent discussion on the Steam flatpak repo out had been discovered that the issue seems to be that if Steam can’t access GetSecrets on the NetworkManager bus, Steam will not start up.

So far the options seem to be either allowing NetworkManager access or apparently just giving running on background permission fixes it.

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I can confirm this happens for me in F38 using Flatpak, it was working fine pre upgrade in F37. I have not tried other repos.

Using the workaround method flatpak run com.valvesoftware.Steam -bigpicture works and pressing Alt-Enter takes me back to the normal app

I will be honest, something seem up with flatpak’s that touches x11. I have encountered this bug with steam, with hexchat it seems to just lose the header and stretch the window on every second use while I can’t close the program normally, the same is happening with discord minus the lost of header.

Please try if this fixes the problem for you, even in a standard non-bigpicture mode:

flatpak permission-set background background com.valvesoftware.Steam yes

Yes, that works. However, it takes a few more seconds to pop up the initial dialog than I’m used to (to the point where I thought it wasn’t working) – and several more seconds to exit.

Right, but I don’t think that’s related to the background permission. That just prevents flatpak from killing steam after 5 seconds. The long startup is probably related to NetworkManager.

Ah, makes sense — and explains why Big Picture mode works as a workaround. That mode pops up a window showing “connecting to network” for a while at the beginning. I’ve never used that before so presumably that didn’t used to take so long either.

The workarounds are now documented here:

@mattdm Can you please mark this as a solution or edit your original post and add this link, so that people reading this topic can find it? Thanks!

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Hi, since upgrading to Fedora 38, I experienced the Steam start problem. What worked for me is the following:

I opened the Steam Flatpak App in Flatseal and pressed the Reset Permissions Button. After that Steam worked again with no issues.

Maybe, some permissions on the flatpak changed and are not upgraded as the flatpak is upgraded?

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