Steam Icon Fixer

Fix missing or generic Steam game desktop icons on Linux by finding the Steam app ID from local launchers and installing replacement artwork into the user's icon theme. Use when Steam-created desktop launchers show blank or generic icons, when the app ID must be discovered from local launchers, or when a downloaded image needs to be installed in Steam's icon naming scheme.

Use this skill to repair Steam launcher icons on Linux desktops.

Core workflow

1. Prefer the user's explicit inputs when available.
   • downloaded image path
   • game name
   • Steam app ID
   • specific .desktop file
2. Otherwise infer the common local locations.
   • launcher dir: ${XDG_DATA_HOME:-~/.local/share}/applications
   • icon dir: ${XDG_DATA_HOME:-~/.local/share}/icons/hicolor
3. Discover the app ID from the launcher metadata.
   • look for Icon=steam_icon_<id>
   • look for Exec=...steam://rungameid/<id>
   • if needed, search local launchers by game name
4. Run the bundled installer script.
5. Refresh the icon cache if the script does not do it automatically.

Commands

Scan local Steam launchers for missing icons:

bash

python3 scripts/steam_icon_fixer.py scan

Install an image with an explicit app ID:

bash

python3 scripts/steam_icon_fixer.py install \
  --image /path/to/image.png \
  --app-id 1086940

Install an image by matching a game name:

bash

python3 scripts/steam_icon_fixer.py install \
  --image /path/to/image.png \
  --game "Baldur's Gate 3"

Install using a specific desktop file:

bash

python3 scripts/steam_icon_fixer.py install \
  --image /path/to/image.png \
  --desktop-file ~/.local/share/applications/Baldur's\ Gate\ 3.desktop

Use explicit directories when the machine is nonstandard:

bash

python3 scripts/steam_icon_fixer.py install \
  --image /path/to/image.png \
  --game "DOOM: The Dark Ages" \
  --desktop-dir /custom/applications \
  --icons-dir /custom/icons/hicolor

Bundled resources

• scripts/steam_icon_fixer.py: deterministic installer/scanner for Steam launcher icons.
• references/: add launcher or icon-theme notes here if the workflow needs machine-specific guidance.

Notes

• The script should generate standard icon sizes and keep Steam's steam_icon_<appid>.png naming.
• For .ico inputs, Pillow may be required.
• If GNOME or another dock keeps the old icon, unpin and re-pin the launcher after the cache refresh.