#MAKO - Frame Generation and Scaling on SteamOS/Linux

[!IMPORTANT] Decky LSFG-VK Experimental and LSFG-VK Experimental are now MAKO. This repository is their new home and continuation. Future development, releases, documentation, and issue tracking happen here.

Independent project: MAKO is not an official Lossless Scaling, Decky Loader, or lsfg-vk release. MAKO does not contain or distribute Lossless Scaling, Lossless.dll, or extracted proprietary model payloads. LSFG frame generation and LS1 scaling read selected resources at runtime from a lawful, user-supplied Lossless Scaling installation; the open MAKO Scaler does not require it. MAKO does not alter the user's DLL file, and translated resources remain process-local. Users are responsible for complying with the terms applicable to their copy. See Third-party notices.

#Downloads

#Community

Join the official MAKO Discord for discussion, testing, development, showcases, and live troubleshooting. GitHub remains the source of truth for bug reports and feature requests.

[!TIP] Want update alerts? MAKO Decky and MAKO Renderer are published independently. At the top-right of the MAKO GitHub repository page, click Watch > Custom, select Releases, then click Apply. GitHub will notify you when a new release is published, subject to your GitHub notification settings.

Published Renderer packages currently target x86_64 Linux hosts and include layers for both 64-bit and 32-bit x86 game processes. Native AArch64/Armada packages are not included in this release.

#✨ Highlights

#What MAKO is

MAKO (Motion-Adaptive Kernel Orchestration) brings LSFG frame generation, LS1 spatial scaling, and the open MAKO Scaler to Linux gaming. Scaling can run alone or reconstruct real frames before Fixed or Adaptive Frame Generation.

The project consists of two closely integrated components:

• MAKO Decky is the Decky Loader component, providing per-game controls, installation, updates, Flatpak preparation, and game launch integration.
• MAKO Renderer is the Vulkan layer that provides the graphics pipeline for frame generation and spatial scaling.

#🎮 In-game considerations

[!TIP] Try the game's V-Sync setting both on and off. It can make frame delivery feel steadier, but it may also add input lag or clash with the game's FPS cap, VRR, or compositor. Compare both options and keep the one that feels smoother and more responsive.

Every game and display behaves differently. Compare one setting at a time; fullscreen is usually the best starting point. See the configuration guide for which controls apply live and which require a restart.

#Install and use

1. Install Decky Loader if needed. Switch to Desktop Mode and follow the official Decky Loader installation guide, then return to Game Mode.

2. Install the default public version of Lossless Scaling from Steam if you will use frame generation or LS1 scaling. MAKO can use beta branches, but they are not validated; the default public branch is recommended. MAKO reads its licensed Lossless.dll; the open MAKO Scaler works without it.

3. Open the latest MAKO Decky release and download its ZIP under Assets.

4. In Decky's settings, enable Developer Mode, then select Developer > Install Plugin from Zip.

5. Open MAKO Decky and select Install MAKO Renderer. Installing the ZIP alone does not install its bundled Renderer.

6. For a native Steam or Proton game, add this under Steam Properties > Launch Options:

   /home/deck/.local/bin/mako-run %command%
   

7. Start the game normally.

8. Experiment with the settings to find what works best for each game. Try Fixed or Adaptive Frame Generation, and enable or tune scaling independently.

[!IMPORTANT] If Decky does not show or reload MAKO Decky after installing a ZIP, uninstall it, install the ZIP again, and restart your Steam Deck or Steam Machine. Then open the plugin and repeat step 5.

#Optional graphics integrations

MAKO Decky provides a per-profile Gamescope WSI option and host-installed MangoHud or vkBasalt integrations. Scaling and Gamescope WSI are independent choices. Scaling uses the combined Renderer when WSI is off; enabling WSI selects the managed compatibility path inside a supported Gamescope session. The optional WSI path is limited to supported 64-bit launches. See optional graphics integrations for ordering and limits.

#How to configure MAKO with third-party launchers

• Heroic
• Lutris
• EmuDeck
• Other Flatpak apps

For a step-by-step guide that creates a shareable report on the Desktop, see Collect MAKO Decky Diagnostics.

#Updating MAKO Decky

[!IMPORTANT] To prevent Decky retaining a previous plugin backend or bundled payload, especially when moving between local test ZIPs, uninstall MAKO Decky, install the newer ZIP, restart, then select Install MAKO Renderer.

1. Quit the games using MAKO.
2. Uninstall MAKO Decky, then install the newer ZIP through Developer > Install Plugin from Zip.
3. Restart your Steam Deck or Steam Machine.
4. Open MAKO Decky and select Install MAKO Renderer to install the version bundled in the ZIP.
5. If you use prepared Flatpak applications, open Flatpak Setup and select Update for each matching runtime extension shown by MAKO.

Valid profiles and Steam launch options are retained. If the saved Renderer configuration cannot be read or validated, installation recreates it with defaults. Uninstalling MAKO Decky removes the shared native Renderer, while Flatpak extensions remain installed separately; step 5 updates them.

#Use MAKO Renderer directly

Decky is optional. Desktop Linux users can install MAKO Renderer directly:

1. To use frame generation or LS1 scaling, purchase and install the default public version of Lossless Scaling through Steam. MAKO can use beta branches, but they are not validated; the default public branch is recommended. The open MAKO Scaler does not use Lossless.dll.

2. Download and extract MAKO-Renderer-v<version>-linux.tar.xz from the latest MAKO Renderer release, then run Install MAKO Renderer. The installer opens MAKO Renderer Configuration and shows the launch option.

3. Start the game, then use Detect Running Game… in MAKO Renderer Configuration to create or select its profile. You can also add its executable manually under Profile Matching > Matched Processes. Select Frame Generation and/or scaling, then restart the game with the launch option below; enable scaling before that restart.

4. For a native Steam or Proton game, add this under Steam Properties > General > Launch Options, then start the game normally:

   ~/.local/bin/mako-launch %command%
   

   Installation and profile editing alone do not activate MAKO. The launch option is required for each standalone native/Proton game; the configuration window can be closed during play. For direct desktop commands, see Renderer usage.

5. For Flatpak games, launchers, or emulators, follow the standalone Flatpak guide to install the matching extension and prepare each app, then launch it normally. The Renderer configuration window does not prepare Flatpaks, and the host mako-launch command cannot replace sandbox setup.

Run the installer again to update. See the MAKO Renderer guide for manual installation and removal.

[!IMPORTANT] MAKO Decky and the standalone archive share one native Renderer. Installing either selects its version: the standalone installer warns before replacing Decky's version, while Decky adopts a valid standalone installation or offers its bundled update when versions differ. Uninstall MAKO Renderer removes the shared native files but keeps MAKO Decky and profiles; uninstalling MAKO Decky removes both the plugin and managed Renderer. Shared Flatpak extensions remain installed.

#Documentation

• Configuration: controls, profiles, runtime boundaries, and compatibility.
• MAKO Renderer: direct installation, usage, builds, and architecture guides.
• Troubleshooting and diagnostics: activation, presentation problems, and private reports.
• Testing and releases: contributor validation and publication.

#Featured in

Community creators have covered and tested the project on Steam Deck hardware. See Featured In for video links, channels, and coverage details.

#Credits and project lineage

MAKO is built on the work of two open-source projects and their communities:

• Kurt Himebauch / xXJSONDeruloXx created the original Decky LSFG-VK plugin that formed the foundation of MAKO's Decky interface, installation workflow, and per-game controls.
• PancakeTAS and the lsfg-vk contributors created the GPL-3.0-or-later version 2 Vulkan layer and Linux integration from which MAKO Renderer descends. MAKO's direct upstream baseline is 8b0da266; the exact lineage and migration commits are recorded in LICENSE.md.

MAKO also thanks the Lossless Scaling developers for the LS1 and LSFG models accessed through each user's licensed installation, the Wine/vkd3d developers whose shader translator enables the Vulkan LS1 path, and the Decky Loader team, community contributors, testers, guide authors, and creators who helped make the project possible. The open MAKO Scaler is independently implemented in this repository.

The original copyright and license notices are preserved in LICENSE.md. MAKO is an independent community project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Lossless Scaling, Decky Loader, or either upstream project.

#License

MAKO is distributed under GPL-3.0-or-later. Required upstream notices and the user-supplied proprietary-component boundary are recorded in Third-party notices, and visual sources are recorded in Asset provenance. Contributions are accepted under the policy in CONTRIBUTING.md.

#AI-assisted development

MAKO uses coding agents as part of an evidence-driven engineering workflow while keeping architecture, review, validation, and release decisions under human ownership. See AI use in MAKO for the full approach.