If anyone else finds Steam’s desktop chat client a bit unreliable on Linux (sluggish UI, finicky context menus, emoji pickers that vanish when you try to click them) there’s a solid alternative worth knowing about.

You can use Steam’s web-based chat directly in your browser at:

https://steamcommunity.com/chat/

Just log in and everything works noticeably smoother: menus behave, emojis are clickable, and the interface feels much more responsive. The only catch is you’ll need to keep a browser tab open for it.

Hope this helps anyone else looking for a more stable Steam chat experience.