# gnif/LookingGlass

An extremely low latency KVMFR (KVM FrameRelay) implementation for guests with VGA PCI Passthrough.

Repository: https://github.com/gnif/LookingGlass
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/lookingglass
Language: C
License: GPL-2.0
License Family: copyleft
Topics: kvm-framerelay, vga-pci-passthrough, qemu-kvm, kvmfr
Last push: 2026-08-25T13:29:11+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 67/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3191, "days_push": 8, "days_rel": 545, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 1}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 5666, forks 324 (observed 2026-08-28T04:09:27.568755+00:00)

## What it is
Looking Glass is an extremely low latency KVM FrameRelay (KVMFR) implementation that lets a Linux host display and interact with a Windows guest VM with VGA PCI passthrough. It consists of a Windows Indirect Display Driver in the guest and a Linux client that renders the guest framebuffer via shared memory.

## Use cases
- run Windows games in a VM on Linux with near-native latency
- display a GPU-passthrough Windows VM without a second monitor or cable
- use a Windows-only application inside a Linux workflow seamlessly
- replace Spice/VNC with a low-latency VM display solution
- share a single physical monitor between Linux host and Windows guest

## When to choose
- you have a GPU passed through to a KVM/QEMU Windows guest and want minimal display latency
- you want to game or use low-latency apps in a VM on a Linux host
- you want to avoid switching monitor inputs or using a KVM switch

## When to avoid
- you need a simple remote desktop without GPU passthrough or shared-memory setup
- your guest OS is Linux or lacks support for the Looking Glass display driver
- you cannot configure VFIO, hugepages, or the kvmfr kernel module

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: graphics
- domain: operating-systems, windows, performance
- platform: windows
- tags: kvm, vfio, pci-passthrough, low-latency, virtual-display, qemu, spice-alternative, virtualization, display, remote-desktop, gaming, linux

## Member repositories
- gnif/LookingGlass (main) score 67

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:27.568755+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T17:54:19.341332+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/gnif/LookingGlass (fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:27.568755+00:00, sha 7956befaa953)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.