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Mirage

SteamCMD and Steam Sign-In

Mirage uses SteamCMD, Valve’s official command-line tool, to download Workshop content. The whole process is managed by Mirage, so you normally don’t need to touch the command line yourself.

Installation and detection

Section titled “Installation and detection”

In the setup wizard, Mirage will:

  1. First detect whether a usable SteamCMD is already present.
  2. If not, download the official steamcmd_osx.tar.gz from steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net and install it to a dedicated directory.

SteamCMD is installed under the application support directory at Mirage/steamcmd, with access restricted to the current user only (permissions 0700). Once installation finishes, a .mirage-ready marker is written so later launches can identify it quickly.

Isolated data directory

Section titled “Isolated data directory”

To avoid interfering with any Steam installation already on your system, Mirage has SteamCMD use a separate HOME and data directory:

  • SteamCMD home: Mirage/steamcmd
  • Isolated Steam data: Mirage/steamcmd/home/Library/Application Support/Steam

Workshop content (App ID 431960) is downloaded to steamapps/workshop/content/431960 under that dedicated directory. Mirage’s wallpaper library scans the current download directory, the legacy download directory, and the system Steam’s default directory together; for the full list, see Data Directories.

Steam sign-in

Section titled “Steam sign-in”

Downloading Workshop content requires a signed-in Steam account.

  • You enter your username and password in the wizard, and Mirage hands them to SteamCMD to complete sign-in; the password is not stored in plain text long-term.
  • Once sign-in succeeds, SteamCMD writes its own session config (config/config.vdf) in the isolated directory. Mirage uses this to determine whether you’re signed in, and reuses the session automatically when downloading.
  • Mirage only persists your username, to reuse the session next time; the session itself is maintained by SteamCMD.

Steam Guard

Section titled “Steam Guard”

If your account has Steam Guard enabled:

  • Code method: the wizard prompts you to enter the email / token code.
  • Mobile confirmation method: Mirage enters a waiting state and prints a “still waiting” note in the log every 5 seconds; just confirm in the Steam mobile app.

Session reuse and expiry

Section titled “Session reuse and expiry”

When a valid session already exists on this machine, the wizard offers “Use saved session” so you don’t have to re-enter your password. If the session expires or becomes invalid, Mirage prompts you to sign in again.

Privacy and redaction

Section titled “Privacy and redaction”

Mirage keeps a redacted support diagnostic log for troubleshooting Workshop issues. The log automatically hides sensitive fields like passwords, API keys, and tokens (replacing them with [redacted]), and retains the most recent events. You can export this report for feedback; see Troubleshooting for details.