Download and install

Install from the AUR with an AUR helper such as yay.

For the latest stable release, use the system-bridge package:

yay -S system-bridge

For the development branch, use the system-bridge-git package. This builds and installs the application from the latest dev branch, which is updated automatically every commit:

yay -S system-bridge-git

Alternatively, install the .pkg.tar.zst from the releases page or downloaded workflow asset directly:

sudo pacman -U system-bridge-*-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst

Install the .deb asset with apt so dependencies are resolved automatically:

sudo apt install ./system-bridge_<version>_<arch>.deb

You can also install it with dpkg:

sudo dpkg -i system-bridge_<version>_<arch>.deb

Install the .rpm asset with dnf:

sudo dnf install ./system-bridge-<version>.<arch>.rpm

Install the .flatpak bundle:

flatpak install system-bridge-<version>.flatpak

Then run it with:

flatpak run dev.timmo.system-bridge

The repository is a Nix flake that builds System Bridge from source on x86_64 Linux, from the latest dev branch. Run it without installing:

nix run github:timmo001/system-bridge -- backend --open-web-client

Or add it to your NixOS configuration as a flake input:

{
  inputs.system-bridge.url = "github:timmo001/system-bridge";

  outputs = { nixpkgs, system-bridge, ... }: {
    nixosConfigurations.<host> = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem {
      modules = [
        {
          environment.systemPackages = [
            system-bridge.packages.x86_64-linux.default
          ];
        }
      ];
    };
  };
}

system-bridge-full is the same package with most of the optional dependencies added to its PATH: lm_sensors, pciutils, pipewire, pulseaudio (for pactl and paplay, which work with PipeWire’s pipewire-pulse too), alsa-utils, zenity and ddcutil. Use system-bridge.packages.x86_64-linux.system-bridge-full instead of default to get them, or add whichever you want to environment.systemPackages with the plain package.

The rest come from NixOS options, with either package:

• nvidia-smi comes with the NVIDIA driver, from hardware.nvidia and services.xserver.videoDrivers = [ "nvidia" ], so it always matches the driver that’s running.
• Bluetooth devices need hardware.bluetooth.enable = true.
• ddcutil needs hardware.i2c.enable = true, with your user in the i2c group.

If you run System Bridge from systemd.user.services in your configuration, NixOS gives the service a minimal PATH, so it won’t find tools from environment.systemPackages. Use system-bridge-full, or list the tools in the service’s path.

mise installs the Linux archive from the latest release, through the aqua registry:

mise use -g aqua:timmo001/system-bridge

Pin a version with aqua:timmo001/system-bridge@<version>; the archives start at 5.20.0. mise checks the download against the release’s GitHub attestation. aqua itself works too, with aqua g -i timmo001/system-bridge and then aqua i.

The executable needs libx11, libxtst, libxkbcommon and libxkbcommon-x11 (libx11-6, libxtst6, libxkbcommon0 and libxkbcommon-x11-0 on Debian / Ubuntu), even without a desktop. Nothing starts it for you: run system-bridge backend, or add your own service or autostart entry. See Running.

Download the archive with the GitHub CLI and put system-bridge somewhere on your PATH:

gh release download -R timmo001/system-bridge -p '*-linux-x86_64.tar.gz'
tar -xzf system-bridge-*-linux-x86_64.tar.gz -C ~/.local/bin system-bridge

Check the download first with gh attestation verify system-bridge-*-linux-x86_64.tar.gz -R timmo001/system-bridge.

The executable needs the same libraries as with mise, and nothing starts it for you. See Running.

Run the system-bridge-<version>-setup.exe installer to install the application. After installation completes, you can start System Bridge from the Start Menu shortcut.

mise installs the Windows archive from the latest release, through the aqua registry:

mise use -g aqua:timmo001/system-bridge

Pin a version with aqua:timmo001/system-bridge@<version>; the archives start at 5.20.0. aqua itself works too, with aqua g -i timmo001/system-bridge and then aqua i. mise checks the download against the release’s GitHub attestation. Nothing starts it for you: run system-bridge backend. See Running.

Download the archive with the GitHub CLI:

gh release download -R timmo001/system-bridge -p '*-windows-x86_64.zip'
Expand-Archive system-bridge-*-windows-x86_64.zip "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Programs\system-bridge"

Add that folder to your PATH, and keep the now-playing folder beside system-bridge.exe, as the media module needs it. Nothing starts it for you: run system-bridge backend. See Running.