GSConnect updated command line interface, Wayland clipboard support (experimental)
GSConnect v25 (followed by v26 to address a single issue) was released hours ago and is already available on the Gnome Extensions website. The new version brings support for controlling remote media players, experimental clipboard support in Wayland and CLI scripting interfaces, and more.
So what is GSConnect? It is an implementation of KDE Connect (integrated with KDE Plasma desktop) for Gnome Shell.
After pairing an Android device with the KDE Connect application installed on the desktop via GSConnect, you will be able to perform various operations between the Android device and the desktop computer: transfer files, mirror clipboard and notifications, remotely control the media player , Send and receive text messages, use Android as remote keyboard and mouse input, launch commands on your computer from Android, and more. Newer GSConnect versions require Gnome Shell 3.28, 3.30, or 3.32. This GSConnect feature stopped working due to a protocol change in the SMS plugin of the KDE Conect Android application. My favorite new feature in the GSConnect update is the addition of a command line script interface, similar to kdeconnect-cli
In fact, I suggested it to the developer, and he implemented it well. This is currently experimental and not documented. To see the available command line options, you need to run this option in a terminal:
cd ~/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions/[email protected]/service
./daemon.js --help
These are the options available with the CLI interface in the first GSConnect release:
./daemon.js --help
Usage:
GSConnect [OPTION…]
Help Options:
-h, --help Show help options
--help-all Show all help options
--help-gapplication Show GApplication options
--help-gtk Show GTK+ Options
Application Options:
-l, --list-devices List available devices
-a, --list-all List all devices
-d, --device= Target Device
--pair Pair
--unpair Unpair
--message= Send SMS
--message-body= Message Body
--notification= Send Notification
--notification-appname= Notification App Name
--notification-body= Notification Body
--notification-icon= Notification Icon
--notification-id= Notification ID
--photo Photo
--ping Ping
--ring Ring
--share-file= Share File
--share-link= Share Link
-v, --version Show release version
--display=DISPLAY X display to use
Let’s look at an example. The following command (a single command on a line) is triggered from the KDE Conect Android application, and its role is to take a screenshot of the Linux desktop using the Gnome screenshot tool and then send it back to your Android phone:
file=/tmp/$(hostname)_$(date "+%Y%m%d_%H%M%S").png; gnome-screenshot -f "${file}" && ~/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions/gsconnect@andyholmes.github.io/service/daemon.js -d $(~/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions/gsconnect@andyholmes.github.io/service/daemon.js -a) --share-file="${file}"
It is worth noting that this command only works if there is a device available in GSConnect. In other cases, you need to pass the device ID. This command needs to be added in the Command panel of the GSConnect device. Related to Android: Controlling Android devices from the desktop using scrcpy and Helper GUI For scrcpy, Android desktop display and remote control tools
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I’m using Spotify to play music on an Android phone and GSConnect exposes playback controls on the Gnome desktop |
The latest GSConnect also brings support for controlling remote media players. With this version, if you have a media player running on your phone, you can control it from your desktop. GSConnect exposes this remote media player to the MPRISv2 interface, so you can control it from the Gnome Shell notification panel or some MPRISv2 extensions. This is not useful for many users, but if you are one of the users listening to music on your phone while using your desktop, you will find it very useful.
More changes in GSConnect v25 and v26:
- Wayland’s clipboard support (experimental)
- MMS group messaging (read-only)
- Added support for Brave web browser and Nemo file browser
- Contacts plugin: GSConnect now supports libebook-contacts to resolve VCards (if GIR is available), and improved handling of encoded names in the native parser.
- SFTP: Added support for password authentication again as some devices will experience problems without it.
- Many bug fixes and major refactorings
If you use the Nemo file manager on your Gnome desktop (see How to install Nemo on Ubuntu and replace Nautilus), GSConnect will now integrate with its context menu, allowing you to right-click the file to send it to your Android device. To do this, you need to install:
nemo-python
(On Ubuntu, you need to installnemo-python
If Nemo is installed from the official Ubuntu repository, orpython-nemo
(If Nemo is installed from Cinnamon PPA)- On Debian / Ubuntu, also install
gir1.2-nemo-3.0
- Install on Fedora too
nemo-extensions
Install GSConnect
GSConnect can be downloaded from Gnome Shell Extension Website (Updated to the latest version) or by searching in the Gnome Software app. You also need to install KDE Conect on your Android device by: app Store Either F-robot.
In order to be able to install extensions directly from the Gnome Extensions website, you need to install software packages and browser extensions on your system, As explained here.
It’s also worth noting that on my system, after updating to this version, GSConnect must be paired with KDE Conect of Android again.
See also official GSConnect Installation and pairing instructions.