LG TV Remote - Cross-Platform Tray App

Control your LG webOS TV from your desktop. System tray application for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Features

• System tray icon with popup remote control
• D-pad navigation (Up, Down, Left, Right, OK)
• Media controls (Rewind, Play/Pause, Stop, Fast Forward)
• Volume control (Up, Down, Mute, Unmute)
• Power On (Wake-on-LAN) and Power Off
• Wake streaming device (Android TV / NVIDIA Shield via Wake-on-LAN, or Roku via ECP)
• Home and Back buttons
• Keyboard shortcuts
• Auto-reconnect on startup
• Start with computer (autostart at login) — option in Settings
• Persistent TV configuration

Installation

NixOS / Nix

Enable binary cache (recommended - avoids building from source):

# One-time setup
nix run nixpkgs#cachix -- use lgtv-tray-remote

Or add to your NixOS configuration:

nix.settings = {
  substituters = [ "https://lgtv-tray-remote.cachix.org" ];
  trusted-public-keys = [ "lgtv-tray-remote.cachix.org-1:no3KeuRIc/+Msy8eQLsIVy29FZ85KI2GC6/jJkMMrvg=" ];
};

Run directly (no install):

nix run github:jaredcat/plasmoid-lgtv-remote

Install to profile:

nix profile install github:jaredcat/plasmoid-lgtv-remote

Add to NixOS configuration (flake-based):

# flake.nix
{
  inputs.lgtv-remote.url = "github:jaredcat/plasmoid-lgtv-remote";
}

# configuration.nix
{ inputs, pkgs, ... }: {
  environment.systemPackages = [
    inputs.lgtv-remote.packages.${pkgs.system}.default
  ];
}

Build locally:

nix build
./result/bin/lgtv-tray-remote

Pre-built Binaries

Download from the Releases page:

• Windows: lgtv-tray_x.x.x_x64-setup.exe or .msi
• macOS: lgtv-tray_x.x.x_aarch64.dmg (Apple Silicon) or lgtv-tray_x.x.x_x64.dmg (Intel)
• Linux: lgtv-tray_x.x.x_amd64.AppImage or .deb

macOS: Removing Quarantine

Since the app isn't signed with an Apple Developer certificate, macOS Gatekeeper will block it. After installing, run:

xattr -cr "/Applications/LG TV Remote.app"

Then you can open the app normally.

Build from Source

Using Nix (Recommended)

If you have Nix with flakes enabled:

# Enter development shell with all dependencies
nix develop

# Generate icons and build
./generate-icons.sh
cargo tauri build

Running the dev build on NixOS: Use the flake directly (e.g. after a push to dev):

nix run github:jaredcat/plasmoid-lgtv-remote?ref=dev

Or from a local checkout:

nix run .#default

Manual Setup

Prerequisites

1. Rust (1.70+): https://rustup.rs/

2. Tauri CLI:

   cargo install tauri-cli

3. Platform-specific dependencies:

   Linux (Debian/Ubuntu):

   sudo apt install libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev libappindicator3-dev librsvg2-dev patchelf

   Linux (Fedora):

   sudo dnf install webkit2gtk4.1-devel libappindicator-gtk3-devel librsvg2-devel

   Linux (Arch):

   sudo pacman -S webkit2gtk-4.1 libappindicator-gtk3 librsvg

   macOS: Xcode Command Line Tools

   xcode-select --install

   Windows: Build Tools for Visual Studio

Generate Icons

Before building, generate the required icon files:

chmod +x generate-icons.sh
./generate-icons.sh

This requires one of: librsvg (rsvg-convert), inkscape, or imagemagick.

Build

# Development (with hot reload)
cargo tauri dev

# Production build
cargo tauri build

Build outputs are in src-tauri/target/release/bundle/.

Usage

First Time Setup

1. Launch the app - it will appear in your system tray
2. Click the tray icon to open the remote
3. Expand Settings and enter:
   • TV Name: A friendly name (e.g., "LivingRoom")
   • TV IP: Your TV's IP address (find it in TV Settings > Network)
   • Use SSL: Leave checked (recommended)
4. Click Authenticate
5. Accept the pairing prompt on your TV screen
6. You're connected!

Keyboard Shortcuts

Default shortcuts (customizable in Keyboard shortcuts in the app):

Key	Action
Arrow keys	Navigate
Enter	Select/OK
Backspace	Back
Space	Play
[	Rewind
]	Fast Forward
P	Pause
S	Stop
=	Volume Up
-	Volume Down
Shift + =	Unmute
Shift + -	Mute
F7	Power On
F8	Power Off
Home	Home

Power On (Wake-on-LAN)

For Power On to work:

1. Enable "Wake on LAN" in your TV's network settings
2. The TV must have been authenticated at least once while powered on (to save its MAC address)
3. Your computer must be on the same network as the TV

Streaming device (Android TV, Roku)

If you use a set-top box (e.g. NVIDIA Shield, other Android TV, or Roku) on an HDMI input, you can wake it from standby so the remote works when the box was off.

• Wake-on-LAN (Android TV / Shield): In Settings → Streaming device, choose "Wake-on-LAN", enter the device's MAC address (from your router, or Shield: Settings → Device preferences → About → Network). Optionally set Subnet broadcast IP (e.g. 10.0.0.255 for a 10.0.0.x network) — some networks only deliver WoL to the subnet broadcast; try this if the default (255.255.255.255) doesn't wake the device. Works best when the device is on Ethernet.
• ADB (Android TV / Shield): Choose "ADB" and enter the device's IP address (and port, default 5555). Requires Network debugging enabled on the device (Shield: Settings → Developer options → Network debugging). The app uses the system adb (install Android platform tools if needed, e.g. brew install android-platform-tools). ADB wake works when the device is in standby but still listening on the network.
• Roku: Choose "Roku" and enter the Roku's IP address. The app sends a power-on command over the local network (Roku ECP). Ensure "Control by mobile apps" is enabled on the Roku (Settings → System → Advanced system settings).

You can enable "Also wake streaming device when using Power On" so one Power On action wakes both the TV and the streaming device. You can also assign a keyboard shortcut to "Wake streaming device" in the shortcuts panel.

Configuration

Settings are stored in:

• Linux: ~/.config/lgtv-remote/config.json
• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/lgtv-remote/config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\lgtv-remote\config.json

Troubleshooting

Power On not working

• The saved MAC address might be incorrect
• Try manually setting the MAC address from the settings in the TV

"MAC address not saved" (Power On fails)

• Power on the TV manually
• Re-authenticate using the Settings panel
• The app will save the MAC address for future Wake-on-LAN

Connection drops frequently

• Some TVs close WebSocket connections after inactivity
• The app will auto-reconnect when you send a command

"Connection timeout"

• Verify the TV IP address is correct
• Ensure your computer and TV are on the same network
• Check if the TV is powered on

"Registration timeout - check TV for pairing prompt"

• Look at your TV screen for the pairing dialog
• Accept the connection request within 60 seconds

Development

Cross-Compilation

Build for other platforms:

# From Linux, target Windows (requires cross-compilation setup)
cargo tauri build --target x86_64-pc-windows-msvc

# Build for specific Linux target
cargo tauri build --target x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu

See Tauri Cross-Compilation Guide for details.

---

Alternative: KDE Plasma Widget

If you use KDE Plasma 6 on Linux and prefer a panel widget over the tray app, see plasmoid/README.md. The plasmoid is maintained as an alternative and may be retired in the future.

License

MIT

Credits

• Protocol based on LGWebOSRemote