remotedesktop 1.6.0__tar.gz → 1.9.2__tar.gz

{remotedesktop-1.6.0 → remotedesktop-1.9.2}/CLAUDE.md

@@ -76,12 +76,14 @@ Managed with `uv` (hatchling build backend, src layout):
 - **Auto-reconnect** (`app.py`): a session that *was connected* and drops retries `client.connect_to` with exponential backoff (base `reconnect_base_seconds=2.0` kwarg — tests inject ~0.05 — doubling to a 30 s cap), driven by a per-session single-shot QTimer. `ShareClient.connectionFailed` exists because **Qt emits `disconnected` only for sockets that reached ConnectedState** — refused/unreachable attempts fire `errorOccurred` with the socket back in UnconnectedState. The active-timer guard dedupes the errorOccurred+disconnected double-fire. Denial cancels until a manual activation; tab close/forget/quit cancel; retries bypass `_connect_session` on purpose (no perf reset, no tab steal, no inventory attempt spam). **Open session tabs persist** (`open_sessions` JSON in Settings, written on connect/rename/close) and are restored + reconnected at startup with `auto_reconnect` pre-armed, so a not-yet-available server is retried on the backoff loop; deliberately closed tabs are not restored. While no session exists, a non-closable "Server" placeholder tab (instructions) sits at index 0 and swaps with the first session's tab.
 - **Menus & shortcuts contract** (`app.py` `_build_menus`, `viewer.py`): File/View/Help menu bar; shortcuts Ctrl+W (close session tab), Ctrl+Q (quit), F5 (rescan), F11 (fullscreen). While a viewer shows a frame it **accepts `ShortcutOverride`** so every key forwards to the remote machine — **F11 is the single reserved local key**. Shortcut actions are also `addAction`-ed on the window so they fire with the menu bar hidden (fullscreen). Keep every menu/action as an attribute — PySide6 gives Python ownership of `addMenu`/`addAction` (and `QAction.menu()`) wrappers, and a GC'd local deletes the C++ object. Fullscreen hides menu/status bars, dock, and tab bar and restores them (including pre-fullscreen dock visibility) on exit; `closeEvent` exits fullscreen before persisting layout. Window geometry AND dock layout persist (`window_state.save_state`/`restore_state`, key `main_window_state`; the dock needs its objectName).
 - **Privacy toggles**: Preferences' "Sync clipboard" checkbox (`clipboard_sync_enabled`, default on) drives `ClipboardSync.enabled` — while off, local copies aren't sent and peer payloads aren't applied. View-only sharing is the "view" mode of the Screen sharing radios (`ShareServer.set_input_allowed` — a server-side drop, no wire change, that releases held input when switched off). Quitting with ≥1 viewer connected asks for confirmation (declining resets `_quitting`); restart shuts sharing down first so it never double-prompts.
+- **Screen capture** (`app.py`): the dock's "Screen capture" group (Copy / Save…, viewer-role UI hidden with the panel) and the matching File-menu actions (`copy_capture_action`/`save_capture_action`, same handlers) capture the current session tab's last frame at full server resolution (`ViewerWidget.frame_image()` — the lock overlay is display-only and never part of it). Copy goes through `ClipboardSync.copy_image`, which records the content signature *before* setting the clipboard so the capture is never echoed to peers, and works with sync disabled (the preference governs syncing, not local copies). Save is `QFileDialog.getSaveFileName` (tests monkeypatch it) defaulting to `Pictures\<server> <timestamp>.png`, PNG only. All four widgets enable only while the current tab shows a frame — `_update_capture_actions()`, called from tab change, `_on_frame` (unconditionally: auto-reconnect refills a cleared viewer without `_connect_session`), and every `viewer.clear` path (connect/denied/approval-pending/disconnect).
+- **Reduce visual effects while sharing** (`visual_effects.py`): animations/fades are a burst of changed frames for the lossless pipeline, so while the preference is on (default on, `reduce_effects_enabled`, `load_reduce_effects_enabled`) **and ≥1 viewer is connected**, `MainWindow` applies `VisualEffectsReducer` and restores it when the last viewer leaves (driven by `SharingTab.viewerCountChanged`; explicit safety-net restore in `closeEvent`). The reduced set: SPI_SETUIEFFECTS off, drop shadows off, client-area + min/max animations off, submenu delay lowered to 50 ms (never raised). All via `SystemParametersInfo` **without** SPIF_UPDATEINIFILE — session-scoped, never persisted, self-heals at logoff; knobs already at the reduced value are left untouched so the user's own choices are never "restored" over. The backend (`SpiBackend`) is injectable — **tests must always inject `FakeSpiBackend`** (the preference defaults on, so a real reducer in a test would change the host's actual Windows settings; `make_window` in `tests/test_main_window.py` injects it for every window test, and real-backend tests may only read).
 - **Theme preference** (`preferences.py`): a three-radio group in Preferences — follow the Windows light/dark setting (default) / Light / Dark — persisted as `THEME_KEY` (`"system"`/`"light"`/`"dark"`, `load_theme` falls back to system on junk). `apply_theme` drives `QStyleHints.setColorScheme` (`unsetColorScheme` for system, so OS-side switches keep applying); the radios apply live and `MainWindow.__init__` re-applies the persisted choice before building widgets. Tests that set a non-system theme must restore with `apply_theme(THEME_SYSTEM)` — the color scheme is process-global QApplication state.
 - **Two `PerformanceMonitor`s, never one**: `MainWindow.client_performance` (viewing sessions) and `server_performance` (the SharingTab's viewers). `ShareServer.close()` resets its monitor, so sharing a monitor across roles would wipe the other role's graphs. The Performance tab has "Client (viewer)"/"Server (sharing)" sub-tabs (`MainWindow.performance_pages`) — but only for roles that can produce data: the client sub-tab exists only with the viewer role, the server one only while actually serving (`_update_performance_tabs`, driven from the viewer toggle and `sharingChanged`; both off shows an enable-a-role hint). `PreferencesTab` takes the list of monitors and applies the history-window setting to all.
 - **Autodiscovery** (`src/remotedesktop/discovery.py`) is a stdlib-only UDP probe/response protocol, deliberately not mDNS: the client broadcasts a JSON probe to `DISCOVERY_PORT` (48653) and servers reply with `{name, port}`; datagrams with the wrong magic/version/type are dropped. **Scan robustness**: probes are re-sent every `_PROBE_INTERVAL` (0.3 s) for the whole scan window (a lost broadcast only delays discovery), ICMP port-unreachable resets never abort the scan (Windows `SIO_UDP_CONNRESET` ioctl + `ConnectionResetError` → continue), and the panel passes `client._broadcast_hosts()` — 255.255.255.255 plus every up non-loopback interface's directed broadcast, because Windows routes the limited broadcast out only one interface (VPN/virtual adapters made scans come up empty). A sharing instance runs a `DiscoveryResponder` thread while sharing is enabled; the `DiscoveryPanel` (dock in `MainWindow`) calls the blocking `discover_servers()` on a worker thread and delivers results to the GUI via a queued signal. With `auto_scan=True` (the app; tests default to False and never broadcast) it scans **once at startup only** — further scans happen only on manual Refresh/F5 (deliberately no periodic background scanning; the user asked for this), guarded against overlapping scans and preserving the selection across repopulation; it also has a Connect button, a right-click Connect menu, and an empty-state hint. The "(this computer)" entry is not connectable (Connect disabled, activation swallowed, plus a `MainWindow._on_server_activated` guard). `DEFAULT_CONNECT_PORT` is 48654. An instance that shares and scans discovers itself — `DiscoveryPanel`'s `is_self=` callable labels that entry "(this computer)" (never hidden).
 - Discovery tests run over loopback with ephemeral ports (`bind_host`/`discovery_port`/`broadcast_hosts` parameters exist for this), so they never touch the real LAN or fixed ports.
 - **Screen sharing** (`sharing.py` + `protocol.py` + `frames.py`) runs entirely on the Qt event loop — no threads or locks. `MessageStream` frames messages over a QTcpSocket (4-byte length + kind byte; JSON control messages, full frames, or inter-frame deltas; malformed input aborts the socket). `ShareServer` owns one QTimer that grabs the primary screen at full resolution via `_capture()` (a seam tests override to drive deterministic frame content) and fans out to all clients, skipping clients whose send buffer is backlogged; the timer only runs while clients are connected. Capture is DXGI desktop duplication (`dxgi.py`, hand-rolled ctypes COM — ~10 ms per changed 4K frame, ~0 when idle, and "unchanged" is signalled by returning the same QImage object so the diff is skipped) with automatic fallback to `QScreen.grabWindow` (~96 ms) whenever duplication is unavailable or lost (secure desktop, RDP, display-mode change, CI); unit tests fake the duplication (`FakeDuplication` in `tests/test_dxgi.py`) and the real-hardware test skips where DXGI is unavailable. **Frame transfer is lossless and inter-frame compressed** (`frames.py`): consecutive captures are diffed in 64-row bands (memoryview compares), and only changed bands ship as PNG in a delta payload the client patches onto its previous frame; an unchanged screen sends nothing. Full PNG keyframes go to clients that just joined, just recovered from a send backlog, or requested one (a `{"type": "keyframe"}` message — sent when a delta fails to apply, so desync self-heals). The capability is negotiated via `"delta": true` in the client hello; clients without it (0.5.0) get full JPEG frames every tick because they force-decode frames as JPEG — never send them PNG. Each variant (legacy JPEG / keyframe PNG / delta) is encoded at most once per tick and shared across clients. `ShareClient` decodes/patches to QImage for the viewer, which displays it scaled with a cached `SmoothTransformation` copy (full resolution is always delivered; scaling happens client-side only).
-- **All persistence is one SQLite database** (`db.py`): `db.connect(path)` opens the DB and ensures every table (`settings`, `paired_clients`, `known_servers`, and the inventory tables). The file lives at `config.default_db_path()` — `platformdirs.user_data_dir("remotedesktop")` (`%LOCALAPPDATA%\remotedesktop\remotedesktop.db` on Windows). **Use `platformdirs` for any new data location; don't hardcode `%APPDATA%`.** Every store (`Settings`, `PairedClients`, `KnownServers`, `ConnectionInventory`) takes a `sqlite3.Connection`; the app opens one connection and shares it. `MainWindow` takes a `connection=` keyword so tests inject a temp-file DB and never touch the real one (see `tests/test_main_window.py` / `test_sharing_tab.py`). Tests pass `db.connect(tmp_path/"x.db")` (or omit for in-memory), and use **separate DB files per simulated machine**.
+- **All persistence is one SQLite database** (`db.py`): `db.connect(path)` opens the DB and ensures every table (`settings`, `paired_clients`, `known_servers`, and the inventory tables). The file lives at `config.default_db_path()` — `platformdirs.user_data_dir("remotedesktop")` (`%LOCALAPPDATA%\remotedesktop\remotedesktop.db` on Windows). **Use `platformdirs` for any new data location; don't hardcode `%APPDATA%`.** Every store (`Settings`, `PairedClients`, `KnownServers`, `ConnectionInventory`) takes a `sqlite3.Connection`; the app opens one connection and shares it. **Boolean settings go through `Settings.get_bool`/`set_bool`** (the `tobool` package's `to_bool_strict`; on-disk form stays the historical `"1"`/`"0"`, junk falls back to the caller's default) — don't hand-roll `!= "0"` comparisons. This applies to binary values stored as strings/ints; ctypes Win32 `BOOL`s keep plain `bool()` (TRUE is "any nonzero", which strict parsing correctly refuses). `MainWindow` takes a `connection=` keyword so tests inject a temp-file DB and never touch the real one (see `tests/test_main_window.py` / `test_sharing_tab.py`). Tests pass `db.connect(tmp_path/"x.db")` (or omit for in-memory), and use **separate DB files per simulated machine**.
 - **Trust model plumbing** (`config.py`): the client has a stable UUID identity (`load_client_identity`, in the `settings` table) and the server maps each approved client-id to a token (`PairedClients`). `ShareServer` takes an `approve_client(client_id, name) -> bool` callback; `SharingTab` implements it as a modal stay-on-top QMessageBox. Tests inject stores backed by a temp DB and explicit identities so they never touch real data or prompt.
 - **Status/debug logging is a feature**: `ShareServer`, `ShareClient`, `SharingTab`, and `DiscoveryPanel` emit human-readable `status`/`statusMessage` signals for every connection phase, shown in the window's timestamped "Connection log" pane. When adding connection behavior, emit a status message for each new phase or failure path — there's a test asserting the server's phase messages. Everything the pane shows is also written to a rotating debug log file (`logs.py`; `logs.init_logging("remotedesktop")` is called only by `app.main()`, under `platformdirs.user_log_dir("remotedesktop")` — `%LOCALAPPDATA%\remotedesktop\Logs\remotedesktop.log` on Windows; pre-1.0 `client.log`/`server.log` files just age out). Lower-level detail (socket state changes, protocol aborts, frame-drop/backlog, discovery datagram drops) goes straight to `logging.getLogger("remotedesktop.*")` at debug/warning level — silent failure paths should log there even when a status message would be too noisy. Library code and tests never call `init_logging`; without a handler those loggers are no-ops.
 - **Connection inventory** (`inventory.py`): the Connections tab has two grouped tables ("Client history" for the sharing role, "Server history" for the viewing role), each backed by its own `ConnectionInventory` — one `PeerRecord` per peer with attempts count, current state, first/last seen. The sharing side is driven by `ShareServer.peerEvent` (a structured `{key, event, name, address, detail}` signal emitted alongside the status strings at each phase — keep both in sync when adding phases), forwarded through `SharingTab.peerEvent`. The viewing side is driven by `MainWindow`'s own handlers (discovered servers from `DiscoveryPanel.serversFound`, plus attempt/connected/denied/disconnected). Server peers key by client-id; client peers key by `host:port`. **Persisted in SQLite** and reloaded on startup, so it survives restarts.
@@ -89,6 +91,7 @@ Managed with `uv` (hatchling build backend, src layout):
 - Sharing tests drive real sockets on the GUI thread by pumping `qapp.processEvents()` until a condition holds (see `pump()` in `tests/test_sharing.py`). Use the `make_server`/`make_client` helpers there and the session-scoped `credentials` fixture (one generated cert reused across tests — generating per test is ~100ms each). Tests exercise the real pairing flow (auto-approve), so there is no "pre-approve" shortcut anymore.
 - **Input forwarding**: `ViewerWidget` captures mouse/keyboard events and emits `inputEvent` dicts with coordinates normalized 0..1 over the *displayed* frame rect (letterboxing is reversed via `_display_rect()`; events outside the frame are dropped). Keys carry the client's `nativeVirtualKey()` — since both ends are Windows, the server injects that VK directly with no key-translation table. The client sends these as `{"type": "input", ...}`; `ShareServer` only injects input from streams that completed the hello/approval handshake.
 - **Remote cursor shape** (`cursor_shape.py`): the captured frame never contains the mouse pointer (DXGI duplication and BitBlt both exclude it), so the client mirrors the server's cursor on its *local* cursor instead. `ShareServer` takes an opt-in `cursor_probe=` callable (the `clipboard=` pattern — only the GUI passes one, `SharingTab` wires `current_cursor_shape`: GetCursorInfo compared against the shared standard IDC_* handles; custom cursors → "arrow", not showing → "hidden"). The probe is polled each broadcast tick and `{"type": "cursor", "shape": ...}` is sent on change only, plus once to each just-admitted stream. `ShareClient.cursorShapeChanged` → `ViewerWidget.set_remote_cursor` maps names to Qt cursors (unknown names → arrow); `clear()` unsets the cursor. Peers without the feature never send / silently ignore the message.
+- **Lock-screen notice** (`session_lock.py`): the Windows lock screen / secure desktop (also UAC, Ctrl+Alt+Del) can be neither captured nor injected into by a user-mode process, so remote unlock is impossible by design (documented in the readme; the assumption is the server machine is physically reachable to sign in). `ShareServer` takes an opt-in `lock_probe=` callable (the `cursor_probe=` pattern — only the GUI wires `is_session_locked`, which reads OpenInputDesktop failure as "secure desktop has input"). Polled each broadcast tick; `{"type": "session_lock", "locked": bool}` is sent on change, plus to just-admitted streams while locked (unlocked is the assumed start state, so it's never sent on admission). While locked the server drops remote input with a once-per-lock-episode status line ("Ignoring remote input while the session is locked"). `ShareClient.sessionLockChanged` → `ViewerWidget.set_session_locked`: the viewer dims whatever it shows under `viewer.LOCKED_MESSAGE`; `clear()` resets it (so reconnects start unlocked). Peers without the feature never send / silently ignore the message. Sharing tests inject a fake `lock_probe` — the default None means plain tests never poll the host's real desktop.
 - **Modal-loop pump** (`modal_loop.py`): a Windows title-bar drag (or click-and-hold) puts the window's thread into a native modal move/size loop where Qt's dispatcher stops — for a sharing instance this deadlocked when a *remote* click grabbed the window's own title bar (the mouse-up sat unread on the socket). `MainWindow.nativeEvent` feeds `ModalLoopPump`, which runs a native `SetTimer` from `WM_NCLBUTTONDOWN` (a press-and-hold that never moves blocks in DefWindowProc's click tracking without ever sending `WM_ENTERSIZEMOVE`) until `WM_CAPTURECHANGED`/`WM_EXITSIZEMOVE`, whose callback pumps Qt events (user input excluded). The caption buttons (min/max/close) are the exception — their tracking loop dispatches only mouse messages, so no timer can pump inside it; the pump instead performs those via its `caption_action` callback on press and consumes the message (nativeEvent must return True when `handle_native_event` does), so DefWindowProc's button tracking never starts. Tests inject a fake `timers` backend — never let them create real Win32 timers.
 - **Log exchange**: either side can fetch the peer's debug log over the connection (`{"type": "log_request"}` → `{"type": "log", "text": ...}`, admitted streams only). `ShareServer`/`ShareClient` take a `log_provider=` callable (the app passes `logs.read_log_tail("remotedesktop")`, capped at `logs.TAIL_BYTES`); a missing provider/file answers with a placeholder rather than hanging the requester. The Connection log group on the Connections tab has both buttons — "Get server log" asks the server of the current session tab, "Get client log" asks the most recently admitted viewer; the reply opens a `logs.PeerLogDialog`.
 - **Injection is isolated behind `InputInjector`** (`input_injection.py`, Windows `SendInput` via ctypes; inert stub off-Windows). ShareServer takes an `injector=` param so tests pass a recording fake — **never let tests construct a real `InputInjector`, or they will move the host's actual mouse/keyboard.** Normalized 0..1 coords map directly to SendInput's 0..65535 absolute range over the primary monitor.

{remotedesktop-1.6.0 → remotedesktop-1.9.2}/PKG-INFO

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 Metadata-Version: 2.4
 Name: remotedesktop
-Version: 1.6.0
+Version: 1.9.2
 Summary: Remote desktop app for Windows computers on the same LAN, with autodiscovery. View other computers and optionally share this one — screen, keyboard, mouse, and clipboard, without RDP or Microsoft authentication.
 Project-URL: Homepage, https://github.com/jamesabel/remotedesktop
 Project-URL: Repository, https://github.com/jamesabel/remotedesktop
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ Requires-Dist: cryptography>=49.0.0
 Requires-Dist: platformdirs>=4.10.0
 Requires-Dist: pyside6>=6.11.1
 Requires-Dist: semver>=3.0
+Requires-Dist: tobool>=0.4.0
 Description-Content-Type: text/markdown
 
 # Remote Desktop
@@ -73,10 +74,14 @@ one-click *Forget* / *Revoke*, and the live connection log.
 - 🔍 **Autodiscovery** — sharing computers announce themselves over UDP; the app lists every one on the LAN at startup, no addresses to type (press *Refresh* or F5 to rescan).
 - 🗂️ **Multiple computers at once** — view and control several computers simultaneously, each in its own tab named for that computer; the window title shows who you're connected to, even minimized.
 - 🖥️ **Lossless screen sharing** — pixel-exact at full resolution, DXGI desktop-duplication capture (~10 ms per 4K frame), and inter-frame delta compression: an unchanged screen sends nothing.
+- ⚡ **Fewer frames to send while sharing** — while at least one viewer is connected, Windows animations, menu fades, and shadows are turned off on the shared computer so the stream snaps instead of smearing; everything is restored the moment the last viewer leaves, and nothing is permanently changed (a recommended, default-on preference).
 - ⌨️🖱️ **Full input control** — mouse, wheel, and keyboard forwarding that is safe against interruptions: anything still held down is released on the server if the viewer loses focus or disconnects, so no stuck keys. Prefer eyes-only? Choose *Shared, view only* and sharing becomes view-only, switchable live.
+- 🖲️ **Cursor shape mirroring** — the pointer is never burned into the captured frame; instead your own cursor takes the remote cursor's shape (an I-beam over text, resize arrows on a window edge), so it is always crisp and lag-free.
 - 🖼️ **View your way** — each connection scales to fit or shows the remote screen at 1:1 pixels with panning, and F11 goes full screen. While you type into a remote session every key is forwarded — F11 is the one key that stays local.
 - 📋 **Two-way clipboard** — text and images copied on either machine appear on the other; a Preferences toggle turns syncing off entirely.
+- 📸 **Screen captures** — grab the remote screen at its full resolution and copy it to the clipboard or save it as a PNG, from the *Screen capture* panel buttons or the File menu.
 - 🔒 **TLS + approve-once pairing** — every connection is encrypted; the server user approves a new client once, after which it reconnects with a stored token and no prompt.
+- 🔐 **Honest lock-screen behavior** — a locked server tells viewers so with a clear on-screen notice instead of a frozen frame, and streaming resumes by itself once someone signs in at the machine (see [The Windows lock screen](#the-windows-lock-screen)).
 - 📊 **Built-in performance monitoring** — live bandwidth and round-trip-time graphs with window statistics (mean/min/max/p99/jitter), plus a per-viewer table on the server.
 - 🔁 **Robust connections** — dead connections are detected within seconds, and dropped sessions reconnect automatically with backoff; a server restart heals by itself, no clicks needed. Connections that were open when the app closed are restored on the next start.
 - 🚀 **Hands-off operation** — optional start-at-login (per-user, no admin rights), close-to-tray while sharing (the screen stays available with the window closed), and a *Restart app* button usable from the remote session itself, so you can update the software without visiting the machine.
@@ -138,6 +143,28 @@ access can be revoked at any time from the *Connections* tab. There is
 no dependency
 on Windows RDP or any Microsoft-based authentication.
 
+## The Windows lock screen
+
+**A locked computer cannot be viewed or unlocked remotely.** The lock
+screen, the PIN/password prompt, and UAC elevation prompts run on a
+separate *secure desktop* that Windows deliberately walls off from
+ordinary applications: nothing running as the signed-in user may capture
+it or type into it, so no software can read or fill in a credential
+prompt. This app intentionally runs as the signed-in user — no admin
+rights, no system service — so it sits on the application side of that
+wall (remote-access products that can show the login screen install a
+privileged Windows service to cross it).
+
+What happens instead: when the shared computer locks, viewers stay
+connected and see a clear *"The remote computer is locked"* notice over
+the last frame, and any input they send is ignored until the computer is
+unlocked. The working assumption is that you (or someone nearby) can get
+to the shared computer to sign it in; once its desktop is unlocked,
+streaming and control resume on their own. If that round trip is a
+nuisance, keep the shared computer signed in while you work on it
+remotely — for example by lengthening its lock/sleep timeout in Windows
+settings.
+
 ## How it works
 
 All of this is pure Python — the GUI is PySide6 (Qt), and the two places
@@ -154,7 +181,10 @@ an idle screen costs essentially nothing. When duplication is unavailable
 or gets lost — the secure desktop (UAC/logon screen), an RDP session, a
 display-mode change — the server transparently falls back to Qt's
 `QScreen.grabWindow` (~96 ms per frame) and keeps retrying duplication in
-the background.
+the background. The captured frame never contains the mouse pointer;
+instead the server reports the current cursor's *shape* whenever it
+changes, and each client mirrors it on its own local cursor — which is why
+the pointer you see is always sharp and moves with zero latency.
 
 **Screen transfer.** Frames are captured at up to 30 fps and compared with
 the previous capture in 64-row bands; only the bands that changed are

{remotedesktop-1.6.0 → remotedesktop-1.9.2}/pyproject.toml

@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ dependencies = [
     "platformdirs>=4.10.0",
     "pyside6>=6.11.1",
     "semver>=3.0",
+    "tobool>=0.4.0",
 ]
 
 [project.urls]

{remotedesktop-1.6.0 → remotedesktop-1.9.2}/readme.md

@@ -50,10 +50,14 @@ one-click *Forget* / *Revoke*, and the live connection log.
 - 🔍 **Autodiscovery** — sharing computers announce themselves over UDP; the app lists every one on the LAN at startup, no addresses to type (press *Refresh* or F5 to rescan).
 - 🗂️ **Multiple computers at once** — view and control several computers simultaneously, each in its own tab named for that computer; the window title shows who you're connected to, even minimized.
 - 🖥️ **Lossless screen sharing** — pixel-exact at full resolution, DXGI desktop-duplication capture (~10 ms per 4K frame), and inter-frame delta compression: an unchanged screen sends nothing.
+- ⚡ **Fewer frames to send while sharing** — while at least one viewer is connected, Windows animations, menu fades, and shadows are turned off on the shared computer so the stream snaps instead of smearing; everything is restored the moment the last viewer leaves, and nothing is permanently changed (a recommended, default-on preference).
 - ⌨️🖱️ **Full input control** — mouse, wheel, and keyboard forwarding that is safe against interruptions: anything still held down is released on the server if the viewer loses focus or disconnects, so no stuck keys. Prefer eyes-only? Choose *Shared, view only* and sharing becomes view-only, switchable live.
+- 🖲️ **Cursor shape mirroring** — the pointer is never burned into the captured frame; instead your own cursor takes the remote cursor's shape (an I-beam over text, resize arrows on a window edge), so it is always crisp and lag-free.
 - 🖼️ **View your way** — each connection scales to fit or shows the remote screen at 1:1 pixels with panning, and F11 goes full screen. While you type into a remote session every key is forwarded — F11 is the one key that stays local.
 - 📋 **Two-way clipboard** — text and images copied on either machine appear on the other; a Preferences toggle turns syncing off entirely.
+- 📸 **Screen captures** — grab the remote screen at its full resolution and copy it to the clipboard or save it as a PNG, from the *Screen capture* panel buttons or the File menu.
 - 🔒 **TLS + approve-once pairing** — every connection is encrypted; the server user approves a new client once, after which it reconnects with a stored token and no prompt.
+- 🔐 **Honest lock-screen behavior** — a locked server tells viewers so with a clear on-screen notice instead of a frozen frame, and streaming resumes by itself once someone signs in at the machine (see [The Windows lock screen](#the-windows-lock-screen)).
 - 📊 **Built-in performance monitoring** — live bandwidth and round-trip-time graphs with window statistics (mean/min/max/p99/jitter), plus a per-viewer table on the server.
 - 🔁 **Robust connections** — dead connections are detected within seconds, and dropped sessions reconnect automatically with backoff; a server restart heals by itself, no clicks needed. Connections that were open when the app closed are restored on the next start.
 - 🚀 **Hands-off operation** — optional start-at-login (per-user, no admin rights), close-to-tray while sharing (the screen stays available with the window closed), and a *Restart app* button usable from the remote session itself, so you can update the software without visiting the machine.
@@ -115,6 +119,28 @@ access can be revoked at any time from the *Connections* tab. There is
 no dependency
 on Windows RDP or any Microsoft-based authentication.
 
+## The Windows lock screen
+
+**A locked computer cannot be viewed or unlocked remotely.** The lock
+screen, the PIN/password prompt, and UAC elevation prompts run on a
+separate *secure desktop* that Windows deliberately walls off from
+ordinary applications: nothing running as the signed-in user may capture
+it or type into it, so no software can read or fill in a credential
+prompt. This app intentionally runs as the signed-in user — no admin
+rights, no system service — so it sits on the application side of that
+wall (remote-access products that can show the login screen install a
+privileged Windows service to cross it).
+
+What happens instead: when the shared computer locks, viewers stay
+connected and see a clear *"The remote computer is locked"* notice over
+the last frame, and any input they send is ignored until the computer is
+unlocked. The working assumption is that you (or someone nearby) can get
+to the shared computer to sign it in; once its desktop is unlocked,
+streaming and control resume on their own. If that round trip is a
+nuisance, keep the shared computer signed in while you work on it
+remotely — for example by lengthening its lock/sleep timeout in Windows
+settings.
+
 ## How it works
 
 All of this is pure Python — the GUI is PySide6 (Qt), and the two places
@@ -131,7 +157,10 @@ an idle screen costs essentially nothing. When duplication is unavailable
 or gets lost — the secure desktop (UAC/logon screen), an RDP session, a
 display-mode change — the server transparently falls back to Qt's
 `QScreen.grabWindow` (~96 ms per frame) and keeps retrying duplication in
-the background.
+the background. The captured frame never contains the mouse pointer;
+instead the server reports the current cursor's *shape* whenever it
+changes, and each client mirrors it on its own local cursor — which is why
+the pointer you see is always sharp and moves with zero latency.
 
 **Screen transfer.** Frames are captured at up to 30 fps and compared with
 the previous capture in 64-row bands; only the bands that changed are

{remotedesktop-1.6.0 → remotedesktop-1.9.2}/src/remotedesktop/__init__.py

@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 """Remote desktop client/server for Windows computers on the same LAN."""
 
-__version__ = "1.6.0"
+__version__ = "1.9.2"

{remotedesktop-1.6.0 → remotedesktop-1.9.2}/src/remotedesktop/app.py

@@ -12,16 +12,19 @@ tray menu. Only one instance runs per user session (`single_instance`)."""
 
 import json
 import logging
+import re
 import sqlite3
 import sys
 import time
+from pathlib import Path
 
-from PySide6.QtCore import QObject, QProcess, Qt, QTimer, Signal
-from PySide6.QtGui import QCloseEvent, QKeySequence
+from PySide6.QtCore import QObject, QProcess, QStandardPaths, Qt, QTimer, Signal
+from PySide6.QtGui import QCloseEvent, QImage, QKeySequence
 from PySide6.QtNetwork import QNetworkInterface
 from PySide6.QtWidgets import (
     QApplication,
     QDockWidget,
+    QFileDialog,
     QFrame,
     QGroupBox,
     QHBoxLayout,
@@ -55,6 +58,7 @@ from remotedesktop.preferences import (
     apply_theme,
     load_clipboard_sync_enabled,
     load_performance_window_seconds,
+    load_reduce_effects_enabled,
     load_theme,
     load_viewer_enabled,
 )
@@ -62,6 +66,7 @@ from remotedesktop.server import SharingTab, ViewersTable
 from remotedesktop.sharing import ShareClient
 from remotedesktop.single_instance import SingleInstance
 from remotedesktop.viewer import ViewerWidget
+from remotedesktop.visual_effects import VisualEffectsReducer
 
 _log = logging.getLogger("remotedesktop.app")
 
@@ -127,6 +132,7 @@ class MainWindow(QMainWindow):
         connect_port: int = DEFAULT_CONNECT_PORT,
         tray_available: bool | None = None,
         reconnect_base_seconds: float = 2.0,
+        effects_reducer: VisualEffectsReducer | None = None,
     ) -> None:
         super().__init__()
         self._reconnect_base = reconnect_base_seconds
@@ -164,6 +170,15 @@ class MainWindow(QMainWindow):
         self._tray: QSystemTrayIcon | None = None
         self._tray_notified = False
         self._quitting = False
+        # Windows visual effects are reduced only while someone is actually
+        # watching (fewer animation frames to encode and ship) and restored
+        # when the last viewer leaves. The default reducer changes real OS
+        # settings — tests always inject one with a fake backend.
+        self._effects_reducer = (
+            effects_reducer if effects_reducer is not None else VisualEffectsReducer()
+        )
+        self._reduce_effects = load_reduce_effects_enabled(self._settings)
+        self._sharing_viewer_count = 0
         self._fullscreen_state: dict | None = None
         self._fullscreen_hint: QLabel | None = None
 
@@ -180,6 +195,7 @@ class MainWindow(QMainWindow):
         self.sharing_tab.peerEvent.connect(self._record_server_peer)
         self.sharing_tab.sharingChanged.connect(self._on_sharing_changed)
         self.sharing_tab.viewerCountChanged.connect(self._update_sharing_indicator)
+        self.sharing_tab.viewerCountChanged.connect(self._on_viewer_count_changed)
 
         # One tab per server connection (inserted at the front, closable),
         # followed by the fixed tabs, which never get a close button. While
@@ -301,11 +317,35 @@ class MainWindow(QMainWindow):
         # through, and the roles are changed only in Preferences.
         self.client_role_button = self._make_role_button()
         self.server_role_button = self._make_role_button()
+        # Screen capture of the current session tab (the last received frame
+        # at the server's full resolution). Buttons live in the dock; the
+        # same handlers back the File-menu actions. Enabled only while the
+        # current tab shows a frame (_update_capture_actions).
+        self.copy_capture_button = QPushButton("Copy")
+        self.copy_capture_button.setToolTip(
+            "Copy a screen capture of the current session to the clipboard"
+        )
+        self.copy_capture_button.clicked.connect(self._copy_screen_capture)
+        self.save_capture_button = QPushButton("Save…")
+        self.save_capture_button.setToolTip(
+            "Save a screen capture of the current session to a file"
+        )
+        self.save_capture_button.clicked.connect(self._save_screen_capture)
+        # Nothing to capture until a session tab shows a frame.
+        self.copy_capture_button.setEnabled(False)
+        self.save_capture_button.setEnabled(False)
+        self._capture_group = QGroupBox("Screen capture")
+        # Stacked, not side by side: the dock is narrow and its width is
+        # what the panel/server list gets — height is the cheaper dimension.
+        capture_layout = QVBoxLayout(self._capture_group)
+        capture_layout.addWidget(self.copy_capture_button)
+        capture_layout.addWidget(self.save_capture_button)
         dock_body = QWidget()
         self._dock_layout = QVBoxLayout(dock_body)
         self._dock_layout.addWidget(self.client_role_button)
         self._dock_layout.addWidget(self.server_role_button)
         self._dock_layout.addWidget(self.discovery_panel)
+        self._dock_layout.addWidget(self._capture_group)
         # A permanent trailing spacer: it takes the leftover height while
         # the discovery panel is hidden (keeping the indicators pinned to
         # the top), and collapses to nothing while the panel is visible
@@ -313,6 +353,7 @@ class MainWindow(QMainWindow):
         self._dock_layout.addStretch(0)
         if not self._viewer_enabled:
             self.discovery_panel.hide()
+            self._capture_group.hide()
         self._update_dock_layout()
         # No title bar at all: the contents are self-explanatory, and the
         # View menu ("Panel") is the way to show or hide it — a blank header
@@ -338,6 +379,7 @@ class MainWindow(QMainWindow):
         # three-state choice) and the viewer role's UI.
         self.preferences_tab.sharingModeChanged.connect(self.sharing_tab.set_mode)
         self.preferences_tab.viewerModeChanged.connect(self._set_viewer_enabled)
+        self.preferences_tab.reduceEffectsChanged.connect(self._on_reduce_effects_changed)
         self.preferences_tab.restart_button.clicked.connect(self._restart_app)
         self._tabs.addTab(self.preferences_tab, "Preferences")
         self._about_tab = AboutTab()
@@ -403,6 +445,15 @@ class MainWindow(QMainWindow):
         self.close_tab_action.triggered.connect(self._close_current_session_tab)
         self.close_tab_action.setEnabled(False)  # startup tab is a fixed tab
         self._file_menu.addSeparator()
+        # Same handlers as the dock's Screen capture buttons; enabled state
+        # is kept in sync with them (_update_capture_actions).
+        self.copy_capture_action = self._file_menu.addAction("Copy screen &capture")
+        self.copy_capture_action.triggered.connect(self._copy_screen_capture)
+        self.copy_capture_action.setEnabled(False)
+        self.save_capture_action = self._file_menu.addAction("&Save screen capture…")
+        self.save_capture_action.triggered.connect(self._save_screen_capture)
+        self.save_capture_action.setEnabled(False)
+        self._file_menu.addSeparator()
         self.quit_action = self._file_menu.addAction("&Quit")
         self.quit_action.setShortcut(QKeySequence("Ctrl+Q"))
         self.quit_action.triggered.connect(self._quit)
@@ -523,7 +574,7 @@ class MainWindow(QMainWindow):
         """Give the dock's leftover height to the panel or the spacer."""
         panel_visible = self._viewer_enabled
         self._dock_layout.setStretch(2, 1 if panel_visible else 0)  # panel
-        self._dock_layout.setStretch(3, 0 if panel_visible else 1)  # spacer
+        self._dock_layout.setStretch(4, 0 if panel_visible else 1)  # spacer
 
     def _update_role_indicators(self) -> None:
         self.client_role_button.setChecked(self._viewer_enabled)
@@ -546,8 +597,10 @@ class MainWindow(QMainWindow):
             if placeholder_index != -1:
                 self._tabs.removeTab(placeholder_index)
             self.discovery_panel.hide()
+            self._capture_group.hide()
         else:
             self.discovery_panel.show()
+            self._capture_group.show()
             self._ensure_placeholder()
             self._tabs.setCurrentIndex(0)
             if self._auto_scan:
@@ -567,6 +620,74 @@ class MainWindow(QMainWindow):
         self.fullscreen_action.setEnabled(session is not None)
         self.actual_size_action.setEnabled(session is not None)
         self.actual_size_action.setChecked(session.actual_size if session else False)
+        self._update_capture_actions()
+
+    # ------------------------------------------------------ screen capture
+
+    def _update_capture_actions(self) -> None:
+        """Capture is possible while the current tab shows a frame; the dock
+        buttons and the File-menu actions enable and disable together."""
+        session = self._session_for_page(self._tabs.currentWidget())
+        available = session is not None and session.viewer.has_frame
+        for action in (
+            self.copy_capture_button,
+            self.save_capture_button,
+            self.copy_capture_action,
+            self.save_capture_action,
+        ):
+            action.setEnabled(available)
+
+    def _current_capture(self) -> tuple[ServerSession, QImage] | None:
+        """The current tab's session and its full-resolution frame, or None
+        (the handlers can fire with no frame via QAction.trigger())."""
+        session = self._session_for_page(self._tabs.currentWidget())
+        if session is None:
+            return None
+        image = session.viewer.frame_image()
+        if image is None:
+            return None
+        return session, image
+
+    def _copy_screen_capture(self) -> None:
+        capture = self._current_capture()
+        if capture is None:
+            return
+        session, image = capture
+        # copy_image does not echo to peers: sending the server a capture of
+        # its own screen (or spamming viewers) would be pure waste.
+        self._clipboard.copy_image(image)
+        self.log(
+            f"Screen capture of {session.name} "
+            f"({image.width()}x{image.height()}) copied to the clipboard"
+        )
+
+    def _save_screen_capture(self) -> None:
+        capture = self._current_capture()
+        if capture is None:
+            return
+        session, image = capture
+        # Default: Pictures\<server> 2026-07-20 143059.png (the server name
+        # is a hostname, but sanitize for safety — it came off the wire).
+        name = re.sub(r'[<>:"/\\|?*]', "_", session.name).strip() or "server"
+        stamp = time.strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H%M%S")
+        directory = QStandardPaths.writableLocation(
+            QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.PicturesLocation
+        )
+        default = str(Path(directory) / f"{name} {stamp}.png") if directory else f"{name} {stamp}.png"
+        path, _filter = QFileDialog.getSaveFileName(
+            self, "Save screen capture", default, "PNG image (*.png)"
+        )
+        if not path:
+            return  # cancelled
+        if not path.lower().endswith(".png"):
+            path += ".png"
+        if image.save(path, "PNG"):  # ty: ignore[no-matching-overload]
+            self.log(
+                f"Screen capture of {session.name} "
+                f"({image.width()}x{image.height()}) saved to {path}"
+            )
+        else:
+            self.log(f"Could not save the screen capture to {path}")
 
     def _close_current_session_tab(self) -> None:
         session = self._session_for_page(self._tabs.currentWidget())
@@ -713,6 +834,27 @@ class MainWindow(QMainWindow):
         self._update_performance_tabs()
         self._update_connections_groups()
 
+    def _on_viewer_count_changed(self, count: int) -> None:
+        self._sharing_viewer_count = count
+        self._update_effects_reduction()
+
+    def _on_reduce_effects_changed(self, enabled: bool) -> None:
+        self._reduce_effects = enabled
+        self._update_effects_reduction()  # applies/restores live mid-session
+
+    def _update_effects_reduction(self) -> None:
+        """Reduce Windows visual effects while the preference is on AND a
+        viewer is connected; restore the user's values otherwise. Stop,
+        quit, and restart all reach here via their viewerCountChanged(0)."""
+        if self._reduce_effects and self._sharing_viewer_count > 0:
+            if self._effects_reducer.apply():
+                self.log(
+                    "Windows visual effects reduced while viewers are connected "
+                    "(restored when the last one disconnects)"
+                )
+        elif self._effects_reducer.restore():
+            self.log("Windows visual effects restored")
+
     def _quit(self) -> None:
         self._quitting = True
         self.close()
@@ -758,6 +900,9 @@ class MainWindow(QMainWindow):
             self._cancel_reconnect(session)
             session.client.close()
         self.sharing_tab.shutdown()
+        # shutdown's viewerCountChanged(0) already restored the effects;
+        # this is the safety net for any exit path that skipped the signal.
+        self._effects_reducer.restore()
         super().closeEvent(event)
         QApplication.quit()  # main() disables quit-on-last-window-closed
 
@@ -1002,6 +1147,7 @@ class MainWindow(QMainWindow):
         client.disconnected.connect(lambda s=session: self._on_disconnected(s))
         client.frameReceived.connect(lambda image, s=session: self._on_frame(s, image))
         client.cursorShapeChanged.connect(lambda shape, s=session: s.viewer.set_remote_cursor(shape))
+        client.sessionLockChanged.connect(lambda locked, s=session: s.viewer.set_session_locked(locked))
         client.logReceived.connect(lambda text, s=session: self._show_server_log(s.name, text))
         client.connectionFailed.connect(lambda _reason, s=session: self._schedule_reconnect(s))
         self._sessions.append(session)
@@ -1031,6 +1177,7 @@ class MainWindow(QMainWindow):
         if not any(s.connected for s in self._sessions if s is not session):
             self.client_performance.reset()
         session.viewer.clear(f"Connecting to {session.name} …")
+        self._update_capture_actions()  # cleared viewer; tab may already be current
         self._tabs.setCurrentWidget(session.page)
         self._set_session_status(
             session, f"Connecting to {session.name} ({session.key}) …"
@@ -1072,6 +1219,7 @@ class MainWindow(QMainWindow):
             f"Waiting for approval — someone at {session.name} "
             "must allow this connection"
         )
+        self._update_capture_actions()
         self._set_session_status(
             session,
             f"Waiting for the user on {session.name} to approve this computer …",
@@ -1139,6 +1287,7 @@ class MainWindow(QMainWindow):
         session.auto_reconnect = False
         self.client_inventory.record(session.key, "denied", name=session.name)
         session.viewer.clear(f"Connection denied: {reason}")
+        self._update_capture_actions()
         self._set_session_status(session, f"Denied by {session.name}: {reason}")
         self._update_window_title()
 
@@ -1152,6 +1301,7 @@ class MainWindow(QMainWindow):
             self.client_inventory.record(session.key, "disconnected", name=session.name)
             session.viewer.clear("Disconnected")
             self._set_session_status(session, f"Disconnected from {session.name}")
+        self._update_capture_actions()  # a cleared viewer has nothing to capture
         self._update_window_title()
         self._sessions_source.notify()
         if session.auto_reconnect and not session.denied and not self._quitting:
@@ -1234,6 +1384,9 @@ class MainWindow(QMainWindow):
             return
         session.frame_count += 1
         session.viewer.show_frame(image)
+        # Unconditional (not just the first frame): auto-reconnect refills a
+        # cleared viewer without passing through _connect_session.
+        self._update_capture_actions()
         self._set_session_status(
             session,
             f"Viewing {self._server_label(session)} — {image.width()}x{image.height()} — "

{remotedesktop-1.6.0 → remotedesktop-1.9.2}/src/remotedesktop/clipboard.py

@@ -69,6 +69,25 @@ class ClipboardSync(QObject):
             ).decode()
         self.changed.emit(payload)
 
+    def copy_image(self, image: QImage) -> None:
+        """Place an app-generated image (a screen capture) on the local
+        clipboard WITHOUT echoing it to peers: its signature is recorded
+        first, so the asynchronous dataChanged this set fires is ignored —
+        the same mechanism apply() uses. Sending a capture of the server's
+        own screen back to it would be pure waste.
+
+        Deliberately not gated on `enabled`: that preference governs
+        syncing, and this is a local copy.
+        """
+        if image.isNull():
+            return
+        self._last_signature = (None, _image_hash(image))
+        self._applying = True
+        try:
+            self._clipboard.setImage(image)
+        finally:
+            self._applying = False
+
     def apply(self, payload: dict) -> None:
         if not self.enabled:
             return  # peers may still send payloads; they are dropped locally