ProtonDB Gaming Advisor

Specialized assistance for analyzing ProtonDB data and providing optimized gaming configurations for Linux systems, with emphasis on AMD GPU/CPU + Wayland setups.

Overview

This skill provides procedural knowledge for Linux gaming configuration. Use this skill when asked to:

• Check game compatibility with Proton/Linux
• Get ProtonDB ratings and community reports
• Generate optimized launch options for AMD hardware
• Troubleshoot gaming issues on Wayland
• Validate system requirements against hardware
• Recommend Proton versions for specific games

Quick Start

Check Game Compatibility

# Using helper script (recommended)
scripts/check_game.sh <app_id_or_name>

# Manual API call
curl -s 'https://www.protondb.com/api/v1/reports/summaries/<APP_ID>.json' | jq .

Get Steam Game Info

# Using helper script
scripts/get_steam_info.sh <app_id>

# Manual API call
curl -s 'https://www.protondb.com/proxy/steam/api/appdetails/?appids=<APP_ID>' | jq .

Generate Launch Options

# Generate launch options from actual ProtonDB user reports
scripts/generate_launch_options.sh <app_id>

# Filter for AMD GPU users
scripts/generate_launch_options.sh <app_id> --amd-only

# Filter for AMD + Wayland users
scripts/generate_launch_options.sh <app_id> --amd-only --wayland-only

Manage Proton-GE Versions

# List installed Proton-GE versions
scripts/manage_proton_ge.sh list

# Install latest Proton-GE
scripts/manage_proton_ge.sh install

# Install specific version
scripts/manage_proton_ge.sh install GE-Proton9-1

# Get recommended version for specific game
scripts/manage_proton_ge.sh get-recommended <app_id>

# Check for updates
scripts/manage_proton_ge.sh check-updates

# Remove old version (with confirmation)
scripts/manage_proton_ge.sh remove GE-Proton8-32

# List available versions on GitHub
scripts/manage_proton_ge.sh list-available

Analysis Workflow

1. Extract Game Information

Accept game identifier in multiple formats:

• Steam App ID: 1285190
• Game name: "Borderlands 4"
• ProtonDB URL: https://www.protondb.com/app/1285190

Fetch Steam metadata:

curl -s 'https://www.protondb.com/proxy/steam/api/appdetails/?appids=<APP_ID>'

Extract: title, description, system requirements, DRM, Linux support status

2. Fetch ProtonDB Ratings

Get compatibility summary:

curl -s 'https://www.protondb.com/api/v1/reports/summaries/<APP_ID>.json'

Extract: tier rating, confidence level, total reports, trending tier

Rating tiers:

• Native: Official Linux support
• Platinum: Works perfectly out-of-box
• Gold: Works with minor tweaks
• Silver: Runs with workarounds
• Bronze: Runs poorly, significant issues
• Borked: Does not run

3. Gather Community Reports

Try community API endpoints (may be unavailable):

curl -s 'https://protondb-community-api.fly.dev/reports?appId=<APP_ID>&limit=50'

Alternative sources:

• GitHub Proton issues: github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues
• Reddit: /r/linux_gaming and /r/SteamPlay
• Steam Community discussions

Prioritize reports with:

• Recent dates (< 3 months)
• Similar hardware (AMD GPU/CPU)
• Similar environment (Wayland, Arch-based)
• Detailed configuration info

4. Generate Configuration from User Reports

Extract launch options from actual ProtonDB user reports:

# All successful reports
scripts/generate_launch_options.sh <app_id>

# Filter for AMD GPU users
scripts/generate_launch_options.sh <app_id> --amd-only

# Filter for AMD + Wayland users
scripts/generate_launch_options.sh <app_id> --amd-only --wayland-only

4.5 Install Recommended Proton-GE Version

For Silver/Bronze-rated games or games with compatibility issues:

# Get game-specific Proton-GE recommendation
scripts/manage_proton_ge.sh get-recommended <app_id>

# Install the recommended version
scripts/manage_proton_ge.sh install <version>

The check_game.sh script automatically suggests Proton-GE installation when beneficial. Proton-GE includes:

• Additional game-specific patches not in official Proton
• Video codec support for cutscenes
• Faster updates for new game releases

The script analyzes Platinum/Gold reports and shows:

• Most common environment variables
• Proton versions used successfully
• GPU models in reports
• Detailed report excerpts

Base environment variables for AMD:

AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV              # Force RADV driver
RADV_PERFTEST=aco                # ACO shader compiler
VKD3D_CONFIG=dxr11               # DX Raytracing support
DXVK_ASYNC=1                     # Async shader compilation
SDL_VIDEODRIVER=wayland          # Native Wayland

Example launch options (from user reports):

AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV RADV_PERFTEST=aco DXVK_ASYNC=1 SDL_VIDEODRIVER=wayland %command%

Optional additions:

• gamemoderun - CPU governor optimization
• mangohud - Performance overlay

5. Validate System Requirements

Compare game requirements against hardware:

scripts/check_requirements.sh <app_id>

Consider:

• Add ~10-15% overhead for Proton translation
• DirectX 12 via VKD3D-Proton may need more VRAM
• Check VRAM, CPU cores, RAM, storage type
• Some games run better on Linux due to driver scheduling

6. Provide Configuration Report

Generate comprehensive analysis with:

• ProtonDB status and confidence level
• System requirements validation
• Recommended Proton version
• Optimized launch options
• Known issues and workarounds
• Performance expectations
• Additional resources

Essential Dependencies

Arch Linux packages required:

# Core gaming
sudo pacman -S steam

# Performance and monitoring
sudo pacman -S gamemode lib32-gamemode
sudo pacman -S mangohud lib32-mangohud

# AMD GPU drivers (Mesa)
sudo pacman -S mesa lib32-mesa
sudo pacman -S vulkan-radeon lib32-vulkan-radeon
sudo pacman -S vulkan-icd-loader lib32-vulkan-icd-loader

# Wayland compositor for games
sudo pacman -S gamescope

# Enable gamemode
systemctl --user enable --now gamemoded.service

Best Practices

1. Prioritize data sources: Official ProtonDB API → GitHub issues → Community APIs → Forums
2. Match hardware: Look for AMD GPU/CPU reports with similar specs
3. Check recency: Prefer reports from last 3 months
4. Note confidence levels: Strong confidence = reliable, weak = experimental
5. Test incrementally: Start with default config, add optimizations gradually
6. Watch for anti-cheat: Denuvo, EAC, BattleEye can cause issues
7. Consider Proton version: Experimental for new games, stable for established titles

Common Issues

Anti-cheat problems:

• Check ProtonDB for EAC/BattleEye status
• Some games whitelisted, others blocked
• Denuvo may cause activation limits

Wayland-specific:

• Window focus issues: Use gamescope wrapper
• Resolution switching: Use gamescope with -W -H -r flags
• Input capture: May need XWayland fallback

Performance issues:

• Shader stutter: Enable DXVK_ASYNC=1
• CPU bottleneck: Ensure gamemode is active
• Memory issues: Try VKD3D_CONFIG=upload_hvv

Reference Material

For detailed information, refer to:

• references/api_endpoints.md - Complete API documentation
• references/amd_optimization.md - AMD GPU + Wayland optimization guide
• references/environment_variables.md - Complete env var reference
• references/proton_versions.md - Version selection guide
• references/known_issues.md - Common problems and solutions

Resources

scripts/

• check_game.sh - Fetch ProtonDB rating and game info
• get_steam_info.sh - Get Steam metadata for game
• generate_launch_options.sh - Extract launch options from user reports
• check_requirements.sh - Validate system requirements

references/

• api_endpoints.md - ProtonDB and Steam API documentation
• amd_optimization.md - AMD GPU + Wayland configuration guide
• environment_variables.md - Environment variable reference
• proton_versions.md - Proton version selection guide
• known_issues.md - Common issues and workarounds

assets/

• gamemode.ini - GameMode configuration template