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config/media/pipewire: rewrite for clarity
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it seems a lot of people have trouble with this guide, and there's a lot
of forks/options at each step. This rewrites the guide to streamline it
into "basic setup" (wireplumber and optionally pw-pulse) and "optional
setup" (everything else).

Also, this only documents the conf.d method as it's the most
straightforward (IMO) and provides consistent results (wrt launch order
and ensuring things are launched). I don't think we need to document
every single option and overwhelm users, this guide is already very verbose.
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@classabbyamp
classabbyamp committed Oct 27, 2023
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225 changes: 141 additions & 84 deletions src/config/media/pipewire.md
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# PipeWire

To use PipeWire, install the `pipewire` package.

[pipewire(1)](https://man.voidlinux.org/pipewire.1) should be started as a user.
Run the pipewire command in a terminal emulator in your session.
PipeWire is a modern server for handling audio (and video) streams. It is highly
flexible and can interface with applications designed for ALSA, PulseAudio, and
JACK audio systems. It is also designed to work well with Flatpak applications
and provides a method for screenshotting and screensharing on Wayland via
[xdg-desktop-portal](../graphical-session/portals.md).

## Prerequisites

PipeWire requires an active [D-Bus user
session](../session-management.md#d-bus). If your desktop environment, window
manager, or Wayland compositor is configured to provide a D-Bus session bus, no
further configuration should be required. If not, the desktop environment,
window manager, or Wayland compositor may need to be launched with
[`dbus-run-session(1)`](https://man.voidlinux.org/dbus-run-session.1).

PipeWire also requires the
[`XDG_RUNTIME_DIR`](../session-management.html#xdg_runtime_dir) environment
variable to be defined in your environment to work properly.

```
$ pipewire
```
If [elogind](../session-management.md) is not enabled or in use, it is necessary
to be in the `audio` group to access audio devices and the `video` group to
access video devices.

When pipewire works as expected, use the autostarting mechanism of your desktop
environment or [startx](../graphical-session/xorg.md#startx). The `pipewire`
package ships [Desktop
Entry](https://specifications.freedesktop.org/desktop-entry-spec/latest/) files
for `pipewire` and `pipewire-pulse` in `/usr/share/applications`. If your
environment supports the [Desktop Application Autostart
Specification](https://specifications.freedesktop.org/autostart-spec/autostart-spec-latest.html),
you can enable pipewire by symlinking the desktop files to the autostart
directory:
## Basic Setup

```
# ln -s /usr/share/applications/pipewire.desktop /etc/xdg/autostart/pipewire.desktop
```
To use PipeWire, install the `pipewire` package. This will also install a
PipeWire session manager, `wireplumber`.

## Session Management
### Session Management

In PipeWire, a session manager assumes responsibility for interconnecting media
sources and sinks as well as enforcing routing policy. Without a session
manager, PipeWire will not function. The reference
[`pipewire-media-session`](https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/media-session)
was originally provided in the Void `pipewire` package and configured to run by
default to satisfy this requirement. However, `pipewire-media-session` is
deprecated and the authors recommend using
[WirePlumber](https://pipewire.pages.freedesktop.org/wireplumber/) in its place.
Install the `wireplumber` package to use this session manager with PipeWire.
manager, PipeWire will not function.

> If you have installed an earlier version of the Void `pipewire` package, make
> sure to update your system to eliminate any stale system configuration that
Expand All @@ -45,96 +44,124 @@ Install the `wireplumber` package to use this session manager with PipeWire.
> prior override was to disable `pipewire-media-session`, deleting the custom
> configuration may be sufficient.
There are several methods for starting `wireplumber` alongside `pipewire`. If
your window manager or desktop environment auto-start mechanism is used to start
`pipewire`, it is recommended to use the same mechanism for starting
`wireplumber`. The `wireplumber` package includes a `wireplumber.desktop`
Desktop Entry file that may be useful in this situation.

> Be aware that `wireplumber` must launch *after* the `pipewire` executable. The
> Desktop Application Autostart Specification makes no provision for ordering of
> services started via Desktop Entry files. When relying on these files to
> launch `pipewire` and `wireplumber`, consult the documentation for your window
> manager or desktop environment to determine whether proper ordering of
> services can be achieved.
If proper ordering of separate `pipewire` and `wireplumber` services is
infeasible, it is possible to configure `pipewire` to launch the session manager
directly. This can be accomplished by running
Currently, there is only one session manager available: WirePlumber. To
configure PipeWire to use this session manager and ensure proper startup
ordering, PipeWire should be configured to launch the session manager directly.
This can be accomplished by running

```
# mkdir -p /etc/pipewire/pipewire.conf.d
# ln -s /usr/share/examples/wireplumber/10-wireplumber.conf /etc/pipewire/pipewire.conf.d/
```

for system configurations or, for per-user configurations, running
for system-wide configuration, or

```
$ true "${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:=${HOME}/.config}"
$ mkdir -p "${XDG_CONFIG_HOME}/pipewire/pipewire.conf.d"
# ln -s /usr/share/examples/wireplumber/10-wireplumber.conf "${XDG_CONFIG_HOME}/pipewire/pipewire.conf.d/"
```

With either of these configurations, launching `pipewire` should be sufficient
to establish a working PipeWire session that uses `wireplumber` for session
management.
for per-user configuration.

### PulseAudio interface

The PulseAudio interface is optional but highly recommended. Most applications
cannot speak directly to PipeWire, but instead speak to PipeWire's PulseAudio
interface.

If `pulseaudio` is installed, uninstall it and ensure `pulseaudio` is not
running.

In its default configuration, WirePlumber requires an active [D-Bus
session](../session-management.md#d-bus). If your desktop environment or window
manager is configured to provide a D-Bus session as well as launch `pipewire`
and `wireplumber`, no further configuration should be required. Users wishing to
launch `pipewire` on its own, *e.g.*, in a `.xinitrc` script, may find it
necessary to configure `pipewire` to launch `wireplumber` directly and wrap the
`pipewire` invocation as
Modify the PipeWire configuration to launch `pipewire-pulse`:

```
dbus-run-session pipewire
# mkdir -p /etc/pipewire/pipewire.conf.d
# ln -s /usr/share/examples/pipewire/20-pipewire-pulse.conf /etc/pipewire/pipewire.conf.d/
```

## PulseAudio replacement
for system configurations, or

```
$ true "${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:=${HOME}/.config}"
$ mkdir -p "${XDG_CONFIG_HOME}/pipewire/pipewire.conf.d"
# ln -s /usr/share/examples/pipewire/20-pipewire-pulse.conf "${XDG_CONFIG_HOME}/pipewire/pipewire.conf.d/"
```

Before starting `pipewire-pulse`, make sure that the PulseAudio service is
[disabled](../services/index.md#disabling-services) and that no other PulseAudio
server instance is running.
for per-user configurations.

Start the PulseAudio server by running `pipewire-pulse` in a terminal emulator.
### Testing

To check if the replacement is working correctly, use
[pactl(1)](https://man.voidlinux.org/pactl.1) (provided by the
`pulseaudio-utils` package):
[pipewire(1)](https://man.voidlinux.org/pipewire.1) should be started as a your
user. To test that PipeWire works, run the `pipewire` command in a terminal
emulator in your session:

```
$ pactl info
[...]
Server Name: PulseAudio (on PipeWire 0.3.18)
[...]
$ pipewire
```

Once you confirmed that `pipewire-pulse` works as expected, it's recommended to
autostart it from the same place where you start PipeWire. Alternatively, the
`pipewire` configuration can be modified to launch `pipewire-pulse` directly:
Launching `pipewire` should be sufficient to establish a working PipeWire
session that uses `wireplumber` for session management.

The status of WirePlumber can be checked with:

```
# mkdir -p /etc/pipewire/pipewire.conf.d
# ln -s /usr/share/examples/pipewire/20-pipewire-pulse.conf /etc/pipewire/pipewire.conf.d/
$ wpctl status
PipeWire 'pipewire-0' [0.3.74, ...]
[...]
```

for system configurations, or
If the [PulseAudio interface](#pulseaudio-interface) was configured, use
[pactl(1)](https://man.voidlinux.org/pactl.1) (provided by the
`pulseaudio-utils` package) to ensure it is working properly:

```
$ true "${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:=${HOME}/.config}"
$ mkdir -p "${XDG_CONFIG_HOME}/pipewire/pipewire.conf.d"
# ln -s /usr/share/examples/pipewire/20-pipewire-pulse.conf "${XDG_CONFIG_HOME}/pipewire/pipewire.conf.d/"
$ pactl info
[...]
Server Name: PulseAudio (on PipeWire 0.3.74)
[...]
```

for per-user configurations.
### Launching Automatically

Once `pipewire` works as expected, it can be configured to launch when starting
a graphical session. There are several ways this can be achieved:

- **Use the autostarting mechanism of your desktop environment**: many desktop
environments have a way to configure applications and programs to start
automatically.
- **Use XDG Desktop Application Autostart**: many desktop environments also
support the [Desktop Application Autostart
Specification](https://specifications.freedesktop.org/autostart-spec/autostart-spec-latest.html).
The `pipewire` package ships a [Desktop
Entry](https://specifications.freedesktop.org/desktop-entry-spec/latest/)
file for `pipewire` in `/usr/share/applications`. If your environment
supports the Desktop Application Autostart, you can start `pipewire` by
symlinking the desktop file to the autostart directory
(`/etc/xdg/autostart`). If you are using a desktop environment, window
manager, or Wayland compositor that does not support this, a tool like
[`dex(1)`](https://man.voidlinux.org/dex.1) can be used to add support for
Desktop Application Autostart.
- **Use your window manager's startup scripts**: `pipewire` can be launched
directly from your window manager or Wayland compositor's startup script.

## Optional Setup

## Bluetooth audio
### Graphical interfaces

`qpwgraph` and `helvum` provide a node-and-graph-style interface for connecting
applications and devices.

If using the [PulseAudio interface](#pulseaudio-interface), PulseAudio
configuration tools like `pactl` (from `pulseaudio-utils`), `pavucontrol`,
`pavucontrol-qt`, and the applets integrated into many desktop environments can
be used to configure PipeWire.

### Bluetooth audio

For bluetooth audio to work, install the `libspa-bluetooth` package.

## ALSA integration
### ALSA integration

Install `alsa-pipewire`, then enable the PipeWire ALSA device and make it the
default:
Expand All @@ -145,7 +172,7 @@ default:
# ln -s /usr/share/alsa/alsa.conf.d/99-pipewire-default.conf /etc/alsa/conf.d
```

## JACK replacement
### JACK interface

Install `libjack-pipewire`.

Expand All @@ -165,8 +192,38 @@ on glibc-based systems:
# ldconfig
```

then reboot.

## Troubleshooting

The PulseAudio replacement requires the
[`XDG_RUNTIME_DIR`](../session-management.html#xdg_runtime_dir) environment
variable to work correctly.
### Common errors

```
[E][...] mod.rt | [ module-rt.c: 262 pw_rtkit_bus_get()] Failed to connect to system bus: Failed to connect to socket /run/dbus/system_bus_socket: No such file or directory
```

This indicates the system D-Bus is not running.
[Enable](../services/index.md#enabling-services) the `dbus` service.

```
[E][...] mod.rt | [ module-rt.c: 262 pw_rtkit_bus_get()] Failed to connect to session bus: D-Bus library appears to be incorrectly set up: see the manual page for dbus-uuidgen to correct this issue. (Failed to open "/var/lib/dbus/machine-id": No such file or directory; Failed to open "/etc/machine-id": No such file or directory)
```

This indicates the [user session D-Bus](../session-management.md#d-bus) is not
running.

```
[E][...] mod.protocol-native | [module-protocol-: 710 init_socket_name()] server 0x55e09658e9d0: name pipewire-0 is not an absolute path and no runtime dir found. Set one of PIPEWIRE_RUNTIME_DIR, XDG_RUNTIME_DIR or USERPROFILE in the environment
```

This indicates [`XDG_RUNTIME_DIR`](../session-management.html#xdg_runtime_dir)
is not set up properly.

### Only a "dummy" output is found

If a session manager (like `wireplumber`) is not running, [configure
it](#session-management) and restart PipeWire.

If a session manager is running, check if your user is in the `audio` and
`video` groups. If not using `elogind`, this is necessary for PipeWire to access
devices.

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