Direct-Share

Fast local file sharing between Android and Linux using Wi-Fi Direct (P2P).

⚠️ Project status: Pre-Alpha This project is under active early development. Many core features are missing or incomplete. Expect breakage and unfinished UX.

Why this exists

File sharing between Android and Linux is still unnecessarily annoying.

Direct-Share aims to be a simple tool that makes local file transfer more seamless than:

• Android ↔ Android (Nearby Share / Quick Share)
• Apple AirDrop

…but for Linux desktops and Android phones, using Wi-Fi Direct (no hotspot required).

Goals

• Fast local file transfers without the middleman
• No accounts, no cloud, no pairing nonsense
• Works across Linux ↔ Android
• Simple UI: pick device → pick file → send

Non-goals

• Bluetooth or wifi AP based transfer
• official support for other operating systems

Current status (what works / what doesn't)

Connection

• Linux → Android (via Android built-in Wi-Fi Direct settings)
• Linux ↔ Linux (not working yet)
• Android ↔ Android (not implemented yet)

File transfer

• Android → Linux
• Linux → Android

UX

• UI/UX is still rough and will change significantly

Running

1. clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/5wHN28Dg/direct-share.git
cd direct-share

2. create a virtual environment:

python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate

3. Install dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

4. run the application:

python3 main.py

Roadmap (planned features)

• Reliable peer discovery
• Proper connection acceptance / rejection flow
• Real file transfer implementation (progress bar, speed, ETA)
• Multi-file support
• Resume/cancel transfers
• Android app (Kotlin / Jetpack Compose)
• Packaging (deb / Flatpak / APK)

Technical overview

Direct-Share currently relies on Linux Wi-Fi Direct support through:

• NetworkManager D-Bus API
• wpa_supplicant D-Bus API

The Linux GUI is currently built using Dear PyGui.

Useful tools / references

• D-Spy — inspect D-Bus services
• Lennart Poettering’s article on D-Bus: The new sd-bus API of systemd
• NetworkManager Wi-Fi Direct example: wifi-p2p.py
• dbus-fast

Contributing

Contributions are welcome, especially in:

• Wi-Fi Direct connection flow
• D-Bus integration
• Android-side implementation
• UI/UX cleanup

If you're interested, check the issue tracker and milestones.

License

this project is licensed under the GPL-3.0 License - see the LICENSE file for details.