ASUS Linux Control Center

ASUS Linux Control Center is a desktop GUI for the Linux ASUS stack.

It sits on top of asusctl with optional supergfxctl integration, detects what is actually available on the current machine, and only shows controls that the backend can support honestly.

It is designed for public release and general users, not for one specific laptop model or a single-device workflow. When the required ASUS Linux pieces are missing or incomplete, the app reports that clearly and exposes diagnostics instead of pretending every system supports the same controls.

Why this exists

The ASUS Linux ecosystem already has the real backend tools. What many users still need is a clean desktop frontend that:

• exposes the supported controls without making false promises
• makes asusctl and optional supergfxctl easier to use day to day
• helps users on Ubuntu and other non-Arch setups understand what is missing
• generates diagnostics that are actually useful when something does not work

Highlights

• capability-aware dashboard for device, service, and backend status
• performance profile switching with fan curve editing on supported hardware
• keyboard, Aura, battery, and graphics controls in one desktop UI
• built-in diagnostics export for bug reports and setup troubleshooting
• public release artifacts, automated tests, and validation notes in-repo

Screenshots

Home

Device identity, backend services, supported capabilities, active profile, and setup warnings are visible in one place.

Performance

ASUS profile switching and fan curve editing stay together so supported laptops can tune performance without dropping to the CLI.

Hardware

Keyboard brightness, Aura lighting, battery limits, one-shot charging, and optional graphics controls are grouped into one hardware page.

What users see in the app

• Home: device identity, active services, supported capabilities, and warnings
• Performance: ASUS profile switching plus fan curve editing where the backend supports it
• Hardware: keyboard brightness, Aura controls, battery limits, and optional graphics mode actions
• Diagnostics: copyable and exportable system reports for troubleshooting
• Settings: runtime paths, theme selection, and project support links

What this app is

• a PyQt desktop frontend for asusctl
• an optional frontend for supergfxctl graphics mode switching
• a capability-aware UI that only exposes supported controls
• a diagnostics tool that helps users file actionable bug reports

Project position

This project does not replace asusd, asusctl, or supergfxctl.

It differentiates itself by focusing on:

• explicit capability detection
• clear unsupported states instead of fake controls
• a standalone contributor-friendly Python/Qt codebase
• Ubuntu and cross-distro guidance for users who are not already inside the asus-linux package ecosystem
• diagnostics that make issue reports actionable

The backend remains the upstream Linux ASUS stack:

• asusctl and asusd for performance profiles, fan curves, battery limits, keyboard brightness, and Aura lighting
• supergfxctl and supergfxd only when graphics mode switching is actually needed
• read-only low-level ASUS kernel attributes for troubleshooting

Current scope

Implemented in this rebuild:

• device and service overview
• ASUS profile detection and switching
• fan curve detection and editing on supported devices
• keyboard brightness control
• Aura effect presets and Aura power zone actions
• battery charge limit and one-shot charge actions
• optional supergfxctl graphics mode switching
• diagnostics report export/copy
• settings persistence for window state, editor state, and lighting selections

Intentionally not shipped in v0.1.0:

• AniMe Matrix editing UI
• Slash / SCSI LED UI
• direct low-level firmware attribute writes
• packaging for every distro

Those areas are highly model-specific and need more hardware validation before they can be exposed responsibly.

Project status

• Public v0.1.0 release is available in GitHub Releases
• Source distributions and wheel artifacts are published for the release
• Automated tests, linting, and build steps are part of the repository workflow
• Hardware validation notes and current support boundaries are documented openly

Optional npm wrapper

The repository now includes a thin npm wrapper in npm-wrapper/.

It is designed for users and integrators who want a Node-facing launcher without rewriting the app in JavaScript:

• prefers a system asus-linux-control-center if one already exists
• can bootstrap a managed Python virtualenv fallback
• exposes doctor, diagnostics, install-core, and run commands
• keeps hardware logic and diagnostics inside the Python core

Current status:

• the wrapper source is in this repository under npm-wrapper/
• the wrapper is published on npm as asusctl-control-center

Install it from npm:

npm install -g asusctl-control-center
asusctl-control-center doctor
asusctl-control-center

For local development from a checkout:

npm install -g ./npm-wrapper

That wrapper still expects the same Linux backend requirements as the Python app itself: asusctl, asusd, and optionally supergfxctl plus supergfxd.

See docs/NPM_WRAPPER.md for the architecture and release-coupling details.

Support model

The app does not claim universal ASUS support.

• Most functionality depends on asusctl, asusd, kernel support, and model-specific firmware exposure.
• Fan curves are only shown when the current device actually exposes them.
• Aura controls are only shown when the backend reports usable Aura commands.
• Graphics mode switching is optional and only available when supergfxctl is installed.
• A working supergfxctl setup also requires supergfxd, its systemd unit, and the system D-Bus policy. A user-local binary alone is not enough.
• Low-level ASUS firmware attributes are shown read-only for troubleshooting when the kernel exposes them.

See docs/SUPPORT.md for the detailed support boundaries and research basis.

Install and run

Requirements

• Linux with systemd
• Python 3.11 or newer
• asusctl and asusd for ASUS hardware control
• optional: supergfxctl and supergfxd for graphics mode switching

Step 1. Install the ASUS backend

The upstream ASUS Linux project still describes Debian and Ubuntu families as not officially supported. That does not mean the stack never works there; it means support quality depends heavily on kernel age, packaging, and machine model.

Install the backend in this order:

1. Install or build asusctl and asusd first.
2. Only install supergfxctl if you actually need graphics mode switching.

If you do install supergfxctl, treat it as a system integration rather than a standalone CLI drop-in. A usable setup depends on supergfxd, the system service, and the system D-Bus policy being installed correctly.

Step 2. Verify the backend

Run:

asusctl info
systemctl is-active asusd.service

Expected result:

• asusctl info should print device information instead of failing.
• systemctl is-active asusd.service should return active.

If you installed supergfxctl, also make sure supergfxd is installed and running as a system service.

Step 3. Install the app

Standard install:

python3 -m pip install .

User-local install with desktop entry and icon:

./scripts/install-user.sh

Step 4. Run the app

asus-linux-control-center

Step 5. Collect diagnostics when needed

If the UI opens but some controls are disabled, collect diagnostics before filing a bug.

Text report:

asus-linux-control-center --diagnostics

JSON report:

asus-linux-control-center --diagnostics-json

See docs/TROUBLESHOOTING.md for common setup problems.

Development

Create a virtualenv that can reuse the system PyQt6 installation if present:

python3 -m venv --system-site-packages .venv
.venv/bin/python -m pip install -U pip
.venv/bin/python -m pip install -e .[dev]

If python3 -m venv fails because ensurepip is unavailable, install your distro's python3-venv package or bootstrap pip into the venv manually before running the remaining commands.

Useful commands:

make test
make lint
make diagnostics
make build

Documentation

• docs/ARCHITECTURE.md
• docs/NPM_WRAPPER.md
• docs/PUBLISHING.md
• docs/SUPPORT.md
• docs/TROUBLESHOOTING.md
• docs/VALIDATION.md

License

GPL-3.0-or-later. See LICENSE.

Trademark notice

ASUS and ROG are trademarks of ASUSTeK Computer Inc. This project is an independent open-source utility and is not affiliated with or endorsed by ASUS.