Feature request: run headless on machine startup, regardless of which user is logged in

[LuminairPrime]

The Windows machine I use has multiple user accounts, which means things misbehave when I log in and out for different reasons. If the app runs as a service regardless of the user accounts, that would be cool and powerful!

[MadBee71]

Thanks for the suggestion! This isn't a quick fix, unfortunately — WGS is a WPF desktop app, and WPF apps can't technically run as a true Windows Service (services run in Session 0 with no desktop/UI, which WPF requires to function at all).

Doing this properly would mean splitting WGS into two parts: a lightweight backend service (no UI — handles server management, SteamCMD, scheduling) and the current app becoming an optional UI client that connects to it (likely via the existing REST API). That's a substantial architecture change, not something to bolt on quickly.

It's a legitimate ask and I get why it'd be useful for a multi-user machine — just flagging that it needs its own dedicated design work rather than a quick patch. Keeping this open for now as something to revisit.

[MadBee71]

Quick update: I've started laying groundwork for this — splitting WGS into a background
service (manages servers, no UI) and the existing app becoming an optional client that talks
to it. It shipped in v1.5.2 as an experimental, opt-in "Service mode" toggle in Settings
(off by default — doesn't change how the app behaves for anyone who doesn't touch it).

To be clear about where it actually stands: the code is there, but I haven't installed it as
a real Windows Service anywhere yet, and haven't tested the full chain end-to-end (client
pointed at an actually-running installed service). Keeping this open until that's proven to
work, not just compiles.