Tender

Getting Started · Configuration · Syncing · Managing Games

BIOS & Cores · Save Sync · Troubleshooting

A Decky Loader plugin that syncs your self-hosted RomM library into Steam as non-steam shortcuts. Games appear directly in your Steam library, launch through RetroDECK, and can keep their saves in sync across devices through your RomM server.

Pre-1.0 (v0.x). The feature set isn't complete yet. Save sync covers standard cartridge saves; the memory-card systems — PlayStation, PS2, Dreamcast, GameCube, PSP, 3DS — don't sync their saves yet, and the support matrix has the per-system detail.

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[!NOTE] How this is built. The code is written by an AI coding agent working under my direction. The architecture, the design decisions and the review are mine, and changes are smoke-tested on real hardware before they ship.

Features

• Library sync — Pulls the platforms and collections you pick from your RomM server into Steam as non-steam shortcuts with RomM cover art; later runs are incremental and preview what will change before touching anything
• SteamGridDB artwork — Add a free SteamGridDB key to get hero banners, logos, wide capsules and custom icons, and an ARTWORK tab on each game page to choose the game or any image yourself
• Save sync — Opt-in save syncing across devices through your RomM server, automatically before launch and after you quit; identical saves resolve silently, and if both sides genuinely changed you decide which one wins (not every system syncs yet)
• Save slots & version history — Multiple named save profiles per game, plus per-file version history with restore
• ROM downloads — Download on demand with progress, pause/resume/cancel, and a managed queue
• BIOS management — Per-platform BIOS status, download all or only what your active core requires, hash-verified against a bundled registry, and delete them again when you're done
• Game detail page — Replaces Steam's page for synced games: RomM metadata, RetroAchievements progress, playtime, install and BIOS status, save management, and per-game actions
• Multi-disc & multi-version — Pick the disc for multi-disc games and switch between regions or revisions of the same game, right from its Steam page
• Emulator cores — Set the core per system, or override it for a single game
• Steam Input — Pick a Steam Input mode (Default / Force On / Force Off) and apply it to every shortcut the plugin created
• Follows RetroDECK moves — Moved RetroDECK to another drive? The ROMs, BIOS files and saves the plugin manages are relocated and your shortcuts repointed — nothing needs re-downloading
• Cleanup tools — Remove shortcuts per platform or all at once, uninstall ROMs, and clear orphaned grid images

Screenshots

Quick Access panel	Game detail page
Per-game actions

Requirements

• Decky Loader on your Steam Deck or Linux HTPC — the plugin lives in Steam's gamepad UI, so it works in the Deck's Game Mode or in Big Picture Mode on any Linux PC
• A running RomM server, version 5.4.1 or newer (the plugin stays inert against older servers)
• RetroDECK for launching games

Installation

Not on the Decky store. The store doesn't accept plugins whose code is written with AI assistance, and Tender's is — see How this is built above. Install it from the URL below.

https://github.com/danielcopper/romm-tender/releases/download/tender-v0.33.0/Tender.zip

Needs Developer mode in Decky Loader (Decky tab › gear icon › General › Other › toggle Developer mode).

1. Decky settings › Developer tab › Install Plugin from URL
2. Paste the URL above and install

That URL names one fixed release, tender-v0.33.0 — the last one published with a plugin zip.

Also needs Developer mode.

1. Download the plugin's .zip asset from the releases page
2. Decky settings › Developer tab › Install Plugin from ZIP File

This is the beginning of the README. Read the rest at the original. Read the full README ↗