remotedesktop 1.7.0__tar.gz → 1.9.2__tar.gz

{remotedesktop-1.7.0 → remotedesktop-1.9.2}/CLAUDE.md

@@ -76,6 +76,7 @@ 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.
@@ -90,6 +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-1.7.0 → remotedesktop-1.9.2}/PKG-INFO

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 Metadata-Version: 2.4
 Name: remotedesktop
-Version: 1.7.0
+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
@@ -74,10 +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.
@@ -139,6 +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
@@ -155,7 +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-1.7.0 → 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-1.7.0 → remotedesktop-1.9.2}/src/remotedesktop/__init__.py

@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 """Remote desktop client/server for Windows computers on the same LAN."""
 
-__version__ = "1.7.0"
+__version__ = "1.9.2"

{remotedesktop-1.7.0 → 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,
@@ -314,11 +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
@@ -326,6 +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
@@ -417,6 +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)
@@ -537,7 +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)
@@ -560,8 +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:
@@ -581,6 +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())
@@ -1040,6 +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)
@@ -1069,6 +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}) …"
@@ -1110,6 +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 …",
@@ -1177,6 +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()
 
@@ -1190,6 +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:
@@ -1272,6 +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-1.7.0 → 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

{remotedesktop-1.7.0 → remotedesktop-1.9.2}/src/remotedesktop/preferences.py

@@ -118,6 +118,10 @@ class PreferencesTab(QWidget):
         )
         self._autostart = autostart if autostart is not None else Autostart()
         self.history_minutes = QSpinBox()
+        self.history_minutes.setToolTip(
+            "How much recent history the Performance tab's bandwidth and\n"
+            "round-trip-time graphs (and their statistics) cover."
+        )
         self.history_minutes.setRange(1, 30)
         self.history_minutes.setSuffix(" min")
         self.history_minutes.setValue(
@@ -125,23 +129,35 @@ class PreferencesTab(QWidget):
         )
         self.history_minutes.valueChanged.connect(self._on_history_changed)
         self.autostart_checkbox = QCheckBox("Start Remote Desktop when I log in to Windows")
+        self.autostart_checkbox.setToolTip(
+            "Registers this app in your Windows startup (per-user, no admin\n"
+            "rights) so it launches at login — minimized to the tray while\n"
+            "sharing is on, so sharing resumes after a reboot without\n"
+            "anyone having to launch the app."
+        )
         self.autostart_checkbox.setChecked(self._autostart.is_enabled())
         self.autostart_checkbox.setEnabled(self._autostart.available)
         self.autostart_checkbox.toggled.connect(self._on_autostart_toggled)
         self.clipboard_checkbox = QCheckBox("Sync clipboard with connected computers")
+        self.clipboard_checkbox.setToolTip(
+            "Text and images copied on this computer appear on connected\n"
+            "computers, and theirs appear here.\n"
+            "Turn off to keep this computer's clipboard private — nothing\n"
+            "is sent or applied in either direction."
+        )
         self.clipboard_checkbox.setChecked(load_clipboard_sync_enabled(settings))
         self.clipboard_checkbox.toggled.connect(self._on_clipboard_toggled)
         self.reduce_effects_checkbox = QCheckBox(
-            "Reduce Windows visual effects while sharing this screen"
+            "Reduce Windows visual effects while sharing this screen (recommended)"
         )
         self.reduce_effects_checkbox.setToolTip(
-            "Makes the remote view feel more responsive: window animations, "
-            "menu fades, and shadows each stream as a burst of screen "
-            "updates, so turning them off while viewers are connected lets "
-            "the remote screen snap instead of smearing — and saves "
-            "bandwidth. Submenus also open faster. Your Windows settings "
-            "come back when the last viewer disconnects; nothing is "
-            "permanently changed."
+            "Makes the remote view feel more responsive: window animations,\n"
+            "menu fades, and shadows each stream as a burst of screen\n"
+            "updates, so turning them off while viewers are connected lets\n"
+            "the remote screen snap instead of smearing — and saves\n"
+            "bandwidth. Submenus also open faster.\n"
+            "Your Windows settings come back when the last viewer\n"
+            "disconnects; nothing is permanently changed."
         )
         self.reduce_effects_checkbox.setChecked(load_reduce_effects_enabled(settings))
         self.reduce_effects_checkbox.toggled.connect(self._on_reduce_effects_toggled)
@@ -149,14 +165,30 @@ class PreferencesTab(QWidget):
         self.sharing_off_radio = QRadioButton(
             "Not shared — no one can see this computer's screen"
         )
+        self.sharing_off_radio.setToolTip(
+            "This computer neither listens for connections nor announces\n"
+            "itself on the LAN. Existing viewers are disconnected."
+        )
         self.sharing_view_radio = QRadioButton(
             "Shared, view only — clients can watch this computer's screen "
             "but not control it"
         )
+        self.sharing_view_radio.setToolTip(
+            "Approved clients see this screen live, but their keyboard and\n"
+            "mouse input is ignored.\n"
+            "Switching between view only and full control applies instantly\n"
+            "without disconnecting viewers."
+        )
         self.sharing_control_radio = QRadioButton(
             "Shared, full control — clients can watch this computer's screen "
             "and control it with their keyboard and mouse"
         )
+        self.sharing_control_radio.setToolTip(
+            "Approved clients see this screen live and can type and click\n"
+            "as if sitting at this computer.\n"
+            "Each new client needs a one-time approval on this computer\n"
+            "before it can connect."
+        )
         self._mode_radios = {
             SHARING_MODE_OFF: self.sharing_off_radio,
             SHARING_MODE_VIEW: self.sharing_view_radio,
@@ -174,8 +206,14 @@ class PreferencesTab(QWidget):
             sharing_layout.addWidget(radio)
         # Theme: an explicit light/dark override, or follow the OS setting.
         self.theme_system_radio = QRadioButton("Follow the Windows light/dark setting")
+        self.theme_system_radio.setToolTip(
+            "Match Windows: the app switches automatically when the\n"
+            "Windows light/dark mode changes."
+        )
         self.theme_light_radio = QRadioButton("Light")
+        self.theme_light_radio.setToolTip("Always use the light theme.")
         self.theme_dark_radio = QRadioButton("Dark")
+        self.theme_dark_radio.setToolTip("Always use the dark theme.")
         self._theme_radios = {
             THEME_SYSTEM: self.theme_system_radio,
             THEME_LIGHT: self.theme_light_radio,
@@ -193,14 +231,20 @@ class PreferencesTab(QWidget):
             theme_layout.addWidget(radio)
         self.restart_button = QPushButton("Restart app")
         self.restart_button.setToolTip(
-            "Relaunch this app (e.g. after updating the software). It can be "
-            "clicked from a remote desktop session, so an update doesn't "
-            "require visiting this computer."
+            "Relaunch this app (e.g. after updating the software).\n"
+            "It can be clicked from a remote desktop session, so an update\n"
+            "doesn't require visiting this computer."
         )
         self.viewer_checkbox = QCheckBox(
             "Act as a client — discover servers on this LAN and view or "
             "control their screens"
         )
+        self.viewer_checkbox.setToolTip(
+            "Shows the client-side UI: the server panel, session tabs, and\n"
+            "server history.\n"
+            "Turn off on a computer that only shares its screen — it will\n"
+            "not connect to (or scan for) other computers at all."
+        )
         self.viewer_checkbox.setChecked(load_viewer_enabled(settings))
         self.viewer_checkbox.toggled.connect(self._on_viewer_toggled)
         layout = QFormLayout(self)

{remotedesktop-1.7.0 → remotedesktop-1.9.2}/src/remotedesktop/server.py

@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ from PySide6.QtWidgets import (
 from remotedesktop import __version__, compat, tls
 from remotedesktop.config import PairedClients, Settings, default_config_dir
 from remotedesktop.cursor_shape import current_cursor_shape
+from remotedesktop.session_lock import is_session_locked
 from remotedesktop.discovery import (
     DEFAULT_CONNECT_PORT,
     DISCOVERY_PORT,
@@ -276,6 +277,7 @@ class SharingTab(QWidget):
             paired=self._paired,
             clipboard=self._clipboard,
             cursor_probe=current_cursor_shape,
+            lock_probe=is_session_locked,
             performance=self._performance,
             log_provider=lambda: read_log_tail("remotedesktop"),
             input_allowed=self._settings.get_bool(ALLOW_INPUT_KEY, True),

remotedesktop-1.9.2/src/remotedesktop/session_lock.py

@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+"""Detect whether the Windows secure desktop is in control (server side).
+
+While the workstation is locked — and during UAC prompts and the
+Ctrl+Alt+Del screen — Windows switches to a separate "secure desktop" that
+processes running as the signed-in user may neither capture nor inject
+input into. That is a deliberate security boundary (nothing in the user's
+session can read or type into a credential prompt), so remote unlock is
+impossible for this app by design: screen capture yields a stale frame and
+SendInput is silently discarded. The server uses this probe to tell
+viewers what is going on instead of leaving them a frozen screen.
+
+The check: `OpenInputDesktop` fails for an ordinary user process while the
+input desktop is the secure desktop, and succeeds while the user's own
+desktop has input.
+
+On non-Windows platforms `is_session_locked()` returns None (the app
+targets Windows).
+"""
+
+import ctypes
+import sys
+
+_IS_WINDOWS = sys.platform == "win32"
+
+# winuser.h desktop access right — the weakest thing OpenInputDesktop can be
+# asked for, enough to answer "may this process touch the input desktop?".
+_DESKTOP_SWITCHDESKTOP = 0x0100
+
+if _IS_WINDOWS:
+    _user32 = ctypes.windll.user32
+    _user32.OpenInputDesktop.restype = ctypes.c_void_p
+    _user32.OpenInputDesktop.argtypes = (ctypes.c_uint32, ctypes.c_int, ctypes.c_uint32)
+    _user32.CloseDesktop.argtypes = (ctypes.c_void_p,)
+
+
+def is_session_locked() -> bool | None:
+    """True while the secure desktop (lock screen, UAC prompt) has the
+    input, False while the user's own desktop does, or None when it cannot
+    be determined (non-Windows)."""
+    if not _IS_WINDOWS:
+        return None
+    handle = _user32.OpenInputDesktop(0, False, _DESKTOP_SWITCHDESKTOP)
+    if not handle:
+        return True
+    _user32.CloseDesktop(handle)
+    return False