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play (PC-speaker tune playback, grub-core/commands/i386/pc/play.c) is present and buildable in Fedora's own grub2-efi-x64-modules package: $ rpm -ql grub2-efi-x64-modules | grep play /usr/lib/grub/x86_64-efi/play.mod But it is not part of the fixed module set compiled into the pre-built, Secure Boot–signed grubx64.efi shipped by grub2-efi-x64 (confirmed via `strings` on the installed /usr/lib/efi/grub2/<version>/EFI/fedora/grubx64.efi — no reference to the play command exists in the binary, unlike other included commands such as password_pbkdf2, keystatus, background_image, gfxterm, all_video, png). Since GRUB's lockdown mode (active whenever shim hands off control under Secure Boot) disables insmod for any module not already compiled into the trusted image, there is no runtime workaround — play can only be made available by including it in the module list Fedora's build uses when producing the signed image. Debian/Ubuntu already do this. Their grub2 source package's EFI-image build script (debian/build-efi-images, used to produce the monolithic image that is then Secure Boot–signed) explicitly adds play for EFI platforms: # Platform-specific modules case $platform in x86_64-efi|i386-efi) CD_MODULES="$CD_MODULES cpuid play " ;; ``` (Source: debian/build-efi-images in the grub2 source package, e.g. <https://sources.debian.org/src/grub2/2.14-3/debian/build-efi-images/>. Ubuntu's grub-efi-amd64-signed/grub-efi-ia32-signed packages are built from the same script and the same monolithic-image-then-sign architecture Fedora uses.) Since another major distribution ships an officially Secure Boot–signed EFI GRUB with play compiled in today, with no known security issues arising from it, we'd like to ask Fedora to do the same. Reproducible: Always Steps to Reproduce: 1. Edit /etc/default/grub to include the INIT_TUNE variable, for example: init_tune="800 1" 2. Apply by issuing e.g. `sudo grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg` 3. Reboot the computer Actual Results: The message containing the following text appears: "Can't find command `play`". Expected Results: If the computer has a PC Speaker, or the PC Speaker is being emulated by a sound card, you should hear a simple beep. Additional Information: We, Adaptech s.r.o., build a UEFI Secure Boot–bootable recovery/imaging tool (AOS) whose GRUB menu uses play to give audible tune feedback at boot time — relevant for accessibility (screen-reader/low-vision users navigating the boot menu by ear) as well as general UX. Losing this specifically for our Fedora-based build, while it continues to work on our previous Ubuntu-based build using the identical GRUB feature, is the only remaining functional gap in an otherwise complete migration.
Hello, I would just like to ask on when the fix could be expected to arrive. This fix will greatly improve accessibility not only for users of our software, but also for other blind users of Fedora worldwide. This is, in fact, loss of a feature that's been part of GRUB and relied on for many years without any doubt of sustained functionality.
Hi Petr, Sorry for the late reply. I have added the play module in rawhide and it's on its way to f44 and f45. Thanks, Nicolas
Hi Nicolas, thanks much for your initiative, great work! Now to make GRUB more accessible, we imagine that telling GRUB to beep while moving between items in the menu would be great and very beneficial so that the blind would know where the selection is. However, I realize this might involve much more work than enabling the play module. Do you think that this feature would be feasible to implement? I don't have much experience in this area so any advice on how to proceed next will be welcome.
FEDORA-2026-1ddf799303 (grub2-2.12-66.fc44) has been submitted as an update to Fedora 44. https://bodhi.fedoraproject.org/updates/FEDORA-2026-1ddf799303
Hi, I think it might be worth you checking grub-core/normal/menu.c, it's where menu navigation is handled AFAIK. You might be able to use the underlying implementation of the play command to beep when moving the cursor in the menu. Look for GRUB_TERM_KEY_DOWN for example. You could have 3 unique sounds: one for the 1st line in the menu, one for last line and another one for other lines. But I'll have leave this to you as you are much experienced than me regarding UX :) Thanks, Nicolas
FEDORA-2026-58cb0d198a (grub2-2.12-81.fc45) has been submitted as an update to Fedora 45. https://bodhi.fedoraproject.org/updates/FEDORA-2026-58cb0d198a
FEDORA-2026-1ddf799303 has been pushed to the Fedora 44 testing repository. Soon you'll be able to install the update with the following command: `sudo dnf upgrade --enablerepo=updates-testing --refresh --advisory=FEDORA-2026-1ddf799303` You can provide feedback for this update here: https://bodhi.fedoraproject.org/updates/FEDORA-2026-1ddf799303 See also https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/QA:Updates_Testing for more information on how to test updates.
FEDORA-2026-58cb0d198a has been pushed to the Fedora 45 testing repository. Soon you'll be able to install the update with the following command: `sudo dnf upgrade --enablerepo=updates-testing --refresh --advisory=FEDORA-2026-58cb0d198a` You can provide feedback for this update here: https://bodhi.fedoraproject.org/updates/FEDORA-2026-58cb0d198a See also https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/QA:Updates_Testing for more information on how to test updates.
FEDORA-2026-1ddf799303 (grub2-2.12-66.fc44) has been pushed to the Fedora 44 stable repository. If problem still persists, please make note of it in this bug report.