v1 version roadmap

This page captures the maintained development direction from the current v0.6.1 release line toward LWE v1. Keep it current: remove or collapse obsolete version sections after release, and update the page when product scope, verified runtime support, or release priorities change.

v1 target

LWE v1 should be a trustworthy Linux Wallpaper Engine migration app, not a broad runtime-parity claim.

For v1, LWE targets:

• a Linux desktop app built with Tauri 2 and SvelteKit;
• Rust-owned backend services for Workshop, Library, Desktop, Settings, compatibility, persistence, and runtime integration;
• Wallpaper Engine Workshop content as the primary content source;
• video wallpapers as the only v1 runnable runtime type;
• scene and web wallpapers recognized for metadata and compatibility reporting, but not runnable unless future support is implemented and verified;
• Wayland with niri as the verified desktop target;
• maintained English and Simplified Chinese user-facing documentation and copy.

Version sequence

Version	Theme	Primary outcome
v0.7.0	Support matrix lockdown	Product truth is consistent and tested.
v0.8.0	Runtime hardening	Video apply, clear, and restore work reliably on niri.
v0.8.5	Library workflow hardening	Daily Library workflows are safe and clear.
v0.9.0	Workshop clarity	Discovery and Steam sync expectations are honest.
v0.9.5	Diagnostics and release prep	Supportability and release posture are ready.
v1.0.0-rc.1	First release candidate	Scope is frozen and validated end-to-end.
v1.0.0-rc.2	Optional blocker-fix candidate	Only if rc.1 finds release blockers.
v1.0.0	Stable v1	Honest, reliable video-first release.

v0.7.0: support matrix lockdown

Theme: make product truth consistent everywhere.

Deliverables:

• Authoritative support matrix:
  • video is the runnable first-release target;
  • scene is recognized for metadata and compatibility reporting only;
  • web is recognized for reporting only;
  • other/application content is unsupported for runtime workflows.
• Compatibility policy, Library projection, Workshop detail, Desktop apply, and docs aligned.
• Scene no longer appears as fully supported or ready to apply.
• Apply is enabled only for runnable video Library items, or disabled with an explanation for recognized-only items.
• English and Simplified Chinese docs updated together.

Acceptance criteria:

• Synced video reports runnable support.
• Synced scene reports recognized/runtime-unsupported support.
• Web reports unsupported runtime status.
• Desktop apply rejects non-video with a clear reason before backend invocation.
• Tests cover video, scene, web, missing metadata, and missing primary asset behavior.
• CI tests do not require Steam or a real desktop session.

Must not claim:

• scene runtime support;
• web runtime support;
• general Wayland support;
• compositor support beyond the verified Wayland + niri path.

v0.8.0: reliable video runtime on niri

Theme: make the current runtime path dependable.

Deliverables:

• Harden video apply to a selected monitor.
• Harden per-monitor clear.
• Preserve wallpapers on other outputs when clearing one monitor.
• Restore saved assignments on startup.
• Improve Desktop runtime status for active outputs, stale state, restore failures, and backend initialization/runtime errors.
• Keep a documented manual real-desktop validation checklist for runtime changes.

Acceptance criteria on verified Wayland + niri:

• LWE discovers active monitors.
• A synced video wallpaper applies visibly to one monitor.
• Multi-monitor apply works when hardware is available.
• Clearing one monitor does not stop wallpapers on other monitors.
• Restart restores saved assignments or reports explicit restore failure.
• Missing video file, output mismatch, Wayland layer-shell failure, EGL failure, and backend timeout produce actionable errors.

Must not claim:

• runtime reliability outside niri;
• runtime support for scene or web;
• CI-verified desktop runtime behavior unless a verified real-desktop runner exists.

v0.8.5: Library workflow hardening

Theme: make Library trustworthy for daily use.

Deliverables:

• Library cards and detail panels clearly show runtime status.
• Apply controls are gated by runnable state and monitor availability.
• Assigned monitor labels stay accurate after apply, clear, and restore.
• Refresh/apply/clear flows preserve user context where possible.
• Empty, stale, unavailable, and partial states are understandable.
• Large-library pagination and filtering remain predictable.

Acceptance criteria:

• Runnable video items are easy to identify and apply.
• Recognized-only scene/web items, if shown in Library, cannot be applied and explain why.
• Failed apply does not replace populated detail UI with a dead state.
• Library command/unit tests do not depend on Steam being installed.
• Library state updates correctly after Desktop invalidations.

Must not claim:

• all Library items are runnable unless the UI enforces that;
• recognized scene/web items can be made runnable merely by resyncing.

v0.9.0: Workshop and sync clarity

Theme: make discovery and acquisition expectations honest.

Deliverables:

• Workshop search and filtering polished around Steam Web API key setup.
• Local Workshop refresh explains synced, missing project.json, missing primary asset, and unsupported runtime type states.
• “Open in Steam” clearly acts as the acquisition/subscription handoff.
• Settings clearly shows Steam integration state.
• Online search results do not imply local sync or runtime support.

Acceptance criteria:

• Missing Steam API key points users to Settings.
• Steam not installed, Wallpaper Engine missing, and no Workshop content produce distinct messages where possible.
• Malformed project metadata does not fail the whole catalog scan.
• Scene/web search results are labeled as recognized/unsupported for runtime.
• Network and parsing tests avoid real Steam API calls.

Must not claim:

• LWE directly downloads Workshop content;
• search result availability means local content is synchronized;
• Steam metadata inference is authoritative.

v0.9.5: diagnostics, persistence, and release candidate prep

Theme: prepare for supportable v1 release candidates.

Deliverables:

• User-copyable diagnostics surface.
• Settings persistence verified for language, theme, Steam API key, launch-on-login preference, and Workshop filters.
• Sensitive values masked.
• Release smoke checklist added to docs.
• Package and release artifact expectations documented.

Diagnostics should include:

• LWE version and package type when available;
• OS, session, and compositor hints where available;
• monitor discovery result;
• runtime backend status or last backend initialization error;
• Steam discovery result;
• Wallpaper Engine Workshop content availability;
• Library counts by compatibility/runtime state;
• current support-scope reminder.

Acceptance criteria:

• Settings persist across restart.
• Diagnostics do not expose the Steam API key.
• Launch-on-login unavailable state is non-fatal and visible.
• .deb, .rpm, .AppImage, AUR stable, and AUR git release paths are documented.
• Required CI checks are documented and passing.
• Manual runtime validation is required for runtime-affecting release candidates.

Must not claim:

• diagnostics are perfect environment detection;
• launch-on-login works on every desktop/session/package format;
• package install success guarantees runtime support.

v1.0.0-rc.1: first release candidate

Theme: freeze scope and validate end-to-end.

Deliverables:

• Feature freeze except blockers.
• Full docs review in English and Simplified Chinese.
• Release notes draft with explicit support scope.
• Manual niri runtime acceptance pass.
• Known limitations page or section updated.

Acceptance criteria:

• Full CI suite passes:
  • pnpm check
  • pnpm test
  • pnpm build
  • pnpm docs:build
  • cargo fmt --all -- --check
  • cargo clippy --workspace --all-targets -- -D warnings
  • cargo check --workspace
  • cargo test --workspace
• Fresh install → Settings → Workshop/Library → Apply video → Clear → Restart restore path manually validated.
• Scene/web recognized-only behavior manually checked.
• No user-facing copy claims unsupported runtime behavior.
• Release artifacts build successfully.

Must not claim:

• v1 final stability;
• broad compositor support;
• scene/web runtime support.

v1.0.0-rc.2: optional blocker-fix candidate

Theme: only fix release blockers found in rc.1.

Allowed work:

• data loss fixes;
• broken install or launch fixes;
• broken video apply/clear/restore fixes on verified niri;
• incorrect support-scope claim fixes;
• package or release artifact blocker fixes;
• severe documentation mismatch fixes.

Acceptance criteria:

• rc.1 blockers are resolved.
• No new feature scope is added.
• Manual validation is rerun for affected areas.

Must not claim new capabilities beyond rc.1 scope.

v1.0.0: stable v1

Theme: reliable, honest first stable release.

v1 deliverables:

• Video Wallpaper Engine wallpapers runnable on the verified Wayland + niri path.
• Scene/web recognized for compatibility reporting but runtime-unsupported.
• Library-first daily workflow.
• Workshop discovery/acquisition handoff through Steam.
• Desktop monitor apply/clear/restore flow.
• Settings persistence and diagnostics.
• English and Simplified Chinese maintained docs.
• Release artifacts: .deb, .rpm, .AppImage, AUR lwe, and AUR lwe-git.

v1 acceptance criteria:

• Full CI passes.
• Docs build passes.
• Fresh install path is documented and verified.
• Manual real-desktop niri acceptance passes.
• Unsupported scene/web behavior is clear and non-runnable.
• Known limitations are documented.
• Release notes accurately describe scope.

v1 must not claim:

• full Wallpaper Engine compatibility;
• scene wallpaper runtime;
• web wallpaper runtime;
• creator/editor tools;
• cloud/community features;
• advanced automation;
• general Wayland support;
• GNOME/KDE/Hyprland/sway support without explicit verified testing;
• LWE-managed Workshop downloading independent of Steam.