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OnAirScreen: Required packages on Debian Linux
The OnAirScreen Linux binary (``OnAirScreen_*_Linux_x64.bin``) is built with PyInstaller and includes Python and PyQt6. System libraries for OpenGL/EGL and the display stack are not bundled — they must be installed on the target system.
If a library is missing, the app may fail immediately with an error like:
ImportError: libEGL.so.1: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory
This is normal for Qt6 GUI applications on Linux — not a sign that the OnAirScreen binary is broken.
Why is this necessary?
- PyQt6 / Qt6 loads graphics libraries from the system at runtime.
- PyInstaller ships the application code, but not Mesa/OpenGL/EGL drivers and related X11 libraries.
- Minimal or server installations often do not include these packages by default.
Required packages (Debian / Ubuntu / Raspberry Pi OS)
Install the following packages:
sudo apt update sudo apt install libegl1 libgl1
These provide:
libEGL.so.1— EGL support (required by Qt6 GUI)libGL.so.1— OpenGL support
Recommended additional packages
On some systems (minimal desktop, older images, certain VMs) you may also need:
sudo apt install libxkbcommon0 libxcb-cursor0
Run OnAirScreen
chmod +x OnAirScreen_0.9.8_Linux_x64.bin ./OnAirScreen_0.9.8_Linux_x64.bin
Replace the filename with your downloaded version if different.
Verify missing libraries (optional)
If the app still fails to start, check which libraries are missing:
./OnAirScreen_0.9.8_Linux_x64.bin
Read the error message for the missing *.so name, then install the corresponding Debian package. You can also search for the package:
sudo apt install apt-file sudo apt-file update apt-file search libEGL.so.1
Common mappings:
| Missing library | Debian package |
|---|---|
| libEGL.so.1 | libegl1 |
| libGL.so.1 | libgl1 |
| libxkbcommon.so.0 | libxkbcommon0 |
| libxcb-cursor.so.0 | libxcb-cursor0 |
Troubleshooting
"Permission denied" when running the binary
Make the file executable: chmod +x OnAirScreen_*.bin
Black window / no display (SSH session) OnAirScreen needs a graphical desktop (X11 or Wayland). Run it on the local console or with X forwarding, not on a plain text-only SSH session without display.
Wayland vs X11 If you have display issues under Wayland, try:
QT_QPA_PLATFORM=xcb ./OnAirScreen_0.9.8_Linux_x64.bin
Only install and run OnAirScreen from a trusted source (official astrastudio customer portal or the astrastudio shop download).