Proton-Autogen – Automatic Proton/Wine launcher for .exe files

CachyOS Community Showcase
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:puzzle_piece: Proton-Autogen – Automatic Proton/Wine launcher for .exe files

Hello CachyOS community :waving_hand:

I’d like to share a small tool I’ve been working on: Proton-Autogen.

It is a lightweight utility that allows running Windows .exe files on Linux using Proton, with an automatic fallback to Wine when needed.

The goal is to make launching Windows applications on Linux as simple as possible, without manually creating Steam shortcuts or configuring Wine prefixes.

:rocket: What it does

With Proton-Autogen, you can simply:

  • Right-click a .exe file in your file manager

  • Select “Open with Proton-Autogen”

  • The application launches automatically using Proton or Wine

It automatically:

  • Detects installed Proton versions (GE-Proton preferred)

  • Chooses the best available runtime

  • Falls back to Wine if Proton is unavailable

  • Supports GameMode (optional)

  • Integrates with file managers:

    • Nemo

    • Nautilus

    • Dolphin

:sparkles: Features

  • Proton automatic detection

  • GE-Proton priority support

  • Wine fallback

  • CLI support

  • File manager integration

  • Lightweight and minimal dependencies

:test_tube: Usage

proton-autogen game.exe

or

proton-autogen /path/to/app.exe

:package: Installation (CachyOS / Arch)

git clone https://github.com/N3oRay/proton-autogen.git
cd proton-autogen
sudo install -Dm755 usr/bin/proton-autogen /usr/bin/proton-autogen
sudo cp -r usr/share/* /usr/share/

:light_bulb: Motivation

I wanted a simpler way to run Windows .exe files on Linux without relying on full GUI tools or manual configuration every time.

Proton-Autogen tries to make Proton feel like a transparent execution layer rather than something you need to configure each time.

:camera_with_flash: Screenshot

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:link: Project

GitHub: https://github.com/N3oRay/proton-autogen

:warning: Notes

  • Not all Windows applications are compatible with Proton

  • Some programs may still require Wine tweaks

  • Compatibility depends on Proton version used

:folded_hands: Feedback welcome

This is still an early project, so any feedback or testing on CachyOS / Arch setups is appreciated.

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Updating Proton-Autogen After Installing a New Version

When a new version is available, update the installed files by running:

cd proton-autogen

git pull

sudo install -Dm755 usr/bin/proton-autogen /usr/bin/proton-autogen

sudo cp -r usr/share/* /usr/share/

Verification

The last command displays the currently installed version:

proton-autogen --version

Ensure that the displayed version matches the latest release.

3

This is great stuff man. Will be using it for sure :slight_smile:

5

Why would we want to prefer GE-Proton over Cachy’s?

Did you write this yourself? Because it sure does not look like it.

Hiding until a human responds and can provide rationale.