webOS Launcher

A minimalist home screen for LG webOS TVs: a greeting and clock, a row of your apps, a row of your inputs, and a way back to LG's own home. Built for webOS 6 (Chrome 79), where sideloaded web apps are more restricted than on newer firmware.

• Apps: your choice of apps, in your order
• Sources: Live TV and the HDMI inputs, with the names set in the TV's input settings
• More: LG's own home screen, and Settings
• Black background with a soft grey gradient, lots of space, remote-first navigation
• Follows the TV's 12/24-hour clock setting
• No root, no background service, no startup scripts: a plain app in its own sandbox

Status: no maintainer. This project is published as-is. Issues and pull requests may not get a response. Fork it freely.

Using it

Where	Key	Does
Home	↑ ↓	Move between rows
Home	← →	Move along a row
Home	OK	Open the app or input
Settings	OK	Add or remove an app/source
Settings	Hold OK (or Re-order button)	Enter/leave re-order mode
Re-order mode	OK, arrows, OK	Pick up a tile, move it, put it down
Re-order mode	Back	Cancel the move / leave re-order mode
Settings	Back	Return home

The Magic Remote pointer is hidden when the launcher opens; shake the remote to bring it back. Clicking works everywhere.

The launcher doesn't take over the HOME button. On a rooted TV you can map a button to it with LG Input Hook (app ID works.partridge.webos-launcher).

Install

From the Homebrew Channel (rooted TVs): search for Launcher.

From a release: download the .ipk from Releases and install it with the Homebrew Channel, the webOS CLI (ares-install), or webOS Dev Manager. It also works in LG's Developer Mode, without root.

Build

Needs Node 18+.

npm install
npm run build      # type-check, then build dist/ (chrome79, classic script)
npm run package    # dist/ → build/works.partridge.webos-launcher_<version>_all.ipk

To install on a rooted TV over SSH, copy tv.env.example to tv.env (git-ignored) and set TV_HOST to an ssh alias or root@<tv-ip>, then:

npm run install:tv   # copy the ipk over SSH, install it, launch it
npm run deploy       # build + package + install:tv

npm run dev serves the UI in a desktop browser with sample inputs and the whole catalogue, for layout work without a TV.

Which apps appear

webOS 6 doesn't let a sideloaded web app list the installed apps or read their icons. So the launcher ships a catalogue (src/config/catalog.ts) with icon copies in public/icons/apps/, and shows only the entries the TV reports as installed (applicationManager/getAppLoadStatus, which is allowed). Apps without a bundled icon get a plain monogram tile.

To add your own apps or change the default row without editing tracked files, copy src/config/catalog.local.example.ts to src/config/catalog.local.ts (git-ignored) and rebuild.

Option: live app list via the Homebrew Channel (off by default)

Settings → Options → Live app list via Homebrew Channel.

On a rooted TV with the Homebrew Channel, turning this on reads the full list of installed apps and their real icons, instead of the catalogue. It works by asking the Homebrew Channel's service to run luna-send ... listLaunchPoints and to base64-encode each icon file. Those commands run as root. The launcher only sends fixed commands; icon paths are validated and shell-quoted before use, and app IDs never reach the shell. If the Homebrew Channel isn't there, the launcher says so and uses the catalogue. Icons are cached in the app's local storage.

Compatibility and testing

Tested on one TV only: an LG OLED C1 (2021) running webOS 6.5, rooted, with the Homebrew Channel 0.7.3. Everything else is untested:

• Newer webOS (22 and later) should run it, since the build targets an older engine, but the Luna calls it relies on haven't been confirmed there.
• Older webOS (5 and earlier) is unknown; the External Input Manager call (com.webos.service.eim/getAllInputStatus) may differ.
• Only the UK app IDs in the catalogue were checked on a real TV. The others come from public sources and are simply skipped if wrong.

Reports of what works on other models are welcome as issues, though see no maintainer above.

Notes for developers

• Chrome 79. <script type="module"> won't load from file:// on webOS 6 (no MIME type), and ?./?? are syntax errors. vite.config.ts builds one IIFE for chrome79 and rewrites the script tag; CI fails the build if ES2020 syntax slips in. The CSS avoids flex gap, inset and aspect-ratio.
• Luna calls used (all in the "public" LS2 group a web app gets): applicationManager/launch, applicationManager/getAppLoadStatus, eim/getAllInputStatus, systemservice/getPreferences (timeFormat). Denied to web apps on webOS 6: listLaunchPoints, listApps, getAppInfo, getForegroundAppInfo.
• Pointer. The pointer is drawn by the system, so CSS cursor: none does nothing; the app calls webOSSystem.setCursorHidden(true) when it comes to the foreground.
• Remote debugging. A dev-mode or rooted TV exposes the web inspector on port 9998.

Project layout

src/
  config/      constants (IDs, key codes, Luna URIs) and the app catalogue
  theme/       design tokens (colours, type, layout, motion) and the stylesheet
  lib/         Luna bridge, launching, inputs, app providers, storage, clock, pointer
  hooks/       remote keys, OK press/hold, clock tick, time format
  components/  Header, Clock, Row, Grid, Tile, OptionList, Glyph, Toast
  screens/     Home, Settings
  app.tsx      state, data loading and wiring
scripts/       package.sh, install.sh, gen-manifest.mjs
public/        appinfo.json, app icon, bundled icons, licence texts
.github/       build on push; release (ipk + Homebrew manifest) on tag

Releasing

Bump version in public/appinfo.json (and package.json), commit, then push a matching tag:

git tag v1.0.1 && git push origin v1.0.1

The release workflow builds the ipk, generates the Homebrew Channel manifest (works.partridge.webos-launcher.manifest.json, with the ipk's SHA-256) and attaches both to a GitHub release. The Homebrew repository reads the manifest from the latest release.

Licence and credits

Code: MIT. Bundled Preact (MIT) and the Inter typeface (SIL OFL 1.1): see THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md.

Third-party icons. The app and input icons in public/icons/ belong to their owners and are not covered by the MIT licence. They're included in good faith, only to show recognisable tiles for apps already on the user's TV. Rights holders can ask for removal by opening an issue; see THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md. This project is not affiliated with LG Electronics or any app publisher.

Written with AI assistance (Claude Code), directed, tested and reviewed by a human on a real TV.