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Fourth Orbit

v0.4.0

Halley v0.4.0 brings compositor fullscreen controls, Gamescope launch support, fixed-size and translucent window rules, and deeper game/session stability.

Halley's fourth release is about making the compositor easier to launch, debug, and trust during fullscreen-heavy daily use.

v0.4.0 adds compositor-owned fullscreen toggling, first-class Gamescope wrapping, explicit config selection, and new rule controls while tightening the cluster, Steam, popup, and game paths that matter most when the desktop is under load.

Included

In This Release

Fullscreen on demand

A new mod+f default binding toggles compositor-initiated fullscreen on the focused window, with configurable fullscreen animations for browser videos and apps.

Gamescope launch support

The new gamescope config block and halleyctl gamescope run helper wrap game launches with monitor-aware dimensions, per-game profiles, and safe fallback when gamescope is unavailable.

More capable window rules

Rules can now set opacity and optional initial width or height, including live opacity updates when config or app metadata changes.

Explicit config selection

halley --help documents startup options, and halley --config can select a config path with precedence over HALLEY_WL_CONFIG.

Debug controls

A new debug block exposes an FPS overlay and focus-ring resize preview control for diagnosing compositor behavior without changing normal defaults.

Cluster workspace fixes

Tiled and stacking clusters handle transitions, detachments, monitor transfers, stale captures, and drag/drop behavior more reliably.

Steam and game stability

Gamescope-managed and Steam game windows get safer pointer routing, overlay suppression, popup placement, and fullscreen close/restore handling.

Rendering and lifecycle cleanup

Window render routing, close teardown, spawn reveal state, frame-loop activity, and render-state ownership are split into clearer internal paths.

Installation

Get v0.4.0

AUR

AUR 
yay -S halley
AUR 
paru -S halley

Development Version

dev package 
yay -S halley-dev
dev package 
paru -S halley-dev

From Source

source build 
git clone https://github.com/saltnpepper97/halley
cd halley
git checkout v0.4.0
cargo build --release

Notes

Still Growing

  • The wiki now defaults to v0.4.0 while v0.3.2 and earlier releases remain available from the version picker.
  • Existing configs are migrated forward where possible. New public config areas include debug, gamescope, animations.fullscreen, and window-rule opacity, width, and height.
  • halley-session remains the recommended full-session launcher; halley --session is documented for session wrappers, packagers, and service files.

Thanks

To The Early Orbit

Thanks to everyone testing fullscreen games, Steam workflows, cluster layouts, config reloads, and native sessions through the fourth release cycle.

The detailed reports around pointer locks, stacked clusters, tiled transitions, popup placement, and fullscreen restore behavior shaped this release directly.

Fourth orbit clears the path for the next one.