Weylus: Use a Tablet as a Computer Drawing Screen

Overview

Weylus turns a tablet or phone with a modern browser into a remote input surface for a computer. It can mirror the computer screen while sending pointer, touch, stylus, and physical keyboard input back, without requiring a dedicated tablet app.

It is especially capable on Linux, where it supports pressure-sensitive stylus input, multitouch, window capture, and second-screen setups. On macOS and Windows, the README describes a more limited feature set. The project is currently quiet: there have been no commits in the last 90 days and no release in over a year, and most of the code comes from one person.

Key Features

• Mirror a computer screen to a tablet or phone browser.
• Use tablet touch input to control the computer's mouse.
• On Linux, provide stylus input with pressure and tilt, plus multitouch through uinput.
• Capture specific windows on supported Linux setups, rather than only the whole screen.
• Use a tablet as a second screen with a configured virtual display or dummy display plug.
• Send input from a physical keyboard connected to the tablet; onscreen keyboards are not supported.
• Encode video with optional hardware acceleration, including VAAPI or NVENC on supported systems.
• Run headless and automate behavior through the command-line interface and logs.

Use Cases

• Digital artists can use an iPad or Android tablet as a pen display for desktop software such as Xournal++ or Krita, particularly when the computer runs Linux and is configured for uinput.
• Linux users can use a tablet as a multitouch surface for applications that support touch gestures.
• People who need more desktop workspace can mirror a virtual monitor to a tablet, after configuring a virtual output or display plug.
• Users who want occasional remote control from a tablet can connect through a browser on the same trusted network, without installing a tablet app.

Getting Started

Download the build for your operating system from the Weylus releases page, start Weylus, and open the displayed address in a modern browser on your tablet. The default web server port is 1701, with a websocket connection on 9001. See the README for platform setup and network instructions.

License in Plain Words

No standard license was detected. Without a license, the default copyright rules apply: you may read the code, but not reuse it. Check the repository or ask the authors.

Considerations

• The project is marked quiet by its maintenance data: no commits in the last 90 days, no release in over a year, and no issues closed in that period. Contributor activity is concentrated, with most code attributed to one contributor, which may make ongoing maintenance less predictable.
• Linux stylus and multitouch support requires writable /dev/uinput; granting access allows system-wide input synthesis. Wayland support is experimental and has documented gaps, including window input mapping and cursor capture.
• Weylus does not enable encryption by default and recommends using it only on trusted networks or putting a TLS proxy in front of it. The web server and websocket ports may also need firewall access.
• Hardware encoding is optional and disabled by default because quality and stability vary by hardware. It is not a general requirement to use Weylus.
• The repository metadata reports NOASSERTION for the license. Check the repository's licensing terms before redistributing or adopting it in a project with license requirements.