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

Prioritize data sources: Official ProtonDB API → GitHub issues → Community APIs → Forums
Match hardware: Look for AMD GPU/CPU reports with similar specs
Check recency: Prefer reports from last 3 months
Note confidence levels: Strong confidence = reliable, weak = experimental
Test incrementally: Start with default config, add optimizations gradually
Watch for anti-cheat: Denuvo, EAC, BattleEye can cause issues
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