While Steam Deck is known for being fluid, two of the latest issues, “compatibility tool failed” and “compatibility tool configuration failed,” are quite confusing. The errors are related to an application called Proton, and most players encountering this error have not updated or uninstalled the application. There are a few troubleshooting tips that players may find helpful in this guide to quickly resolve these issues. While we’ve provided solutions for both, it’s important to identify which issue is related to yours.

Once you open your Steam Deck, look for the Proton 8.0 and Proton 7.0 applications. Once you find them, you can use the gear icon and open Properties. While in the Properties tab, look for installed files and then select the Verify Integrity option to check if these two applications are updated. Once you do that, you should be able to fix the Compatibility Tool Failed error on Steam Deck. If you can’t find either of these two (or both) applications, you should try installing them since the Compatibility Tool Failed error is related to.

While the "Compatibility tool configuration failed" on Steam Deck is similar to the previous error, for some the issue may not be Proton. While the Proton application is fairly common, there are a few other factors that cause this error.

Since Steam Deck’s Linux system is powered by either Steam Runtime or Steam Runtime Soldier, here is your solution. To fix this error, players need to ensure that these two are functioning properly on their Steam Deck. Note that sometimes the applications are greyed out and players are often unable to install them. In such cases, it is best to contact Steam Deck Support for more professional help with the issue.