WirePlumber Waybar module — wireplumber_label.sh (virtual vs physical sink detection)

[jimishol]

Update: the wireplumber_label.sh script and usage notes are in the weather repo examples: https://github.com/jimishol/weather-cli-dualprovider/tree/main/examples/wireplumber_label — see README for convolver naming and usage.

Short summary
A small Waybar module script that detects whether the default PipeWire sink is virtual or physical, distinguishes headphones vs speakers, emits a single JSON object for Waybar, and supports click/scroll actions for volume and mute control. It’s intended as a pragmatic workaround for setups where PipeWire / WirePlumber misclassify sinks or collapse internal headphones and speakers.

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Why I made this

Some systems with PipeWire + WirePlumber create virtual sinks or apply filter chains that cause internal headphones and speakers to be misidentified or merged. That breaks simple status icons and click/scroll behavior in Waybar. This script inspects pactl list sinks and node.driver-id when available, infers a sensible label/icon, and prints JSON suitable for Waybar exec modules with return-type: json.

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Features

• Virtual vs physical sink detection using pactl list sinks and node.driver-id tracing.
• Headphones vs speakers inference for both virtual and physical sinks.
• JSON output compatible with Waybar exec modules.
• Click and scroll actions: mute toggle, open sound settings, volume up/down.
• Event driven updates via pactl subscribe for near real‑time changes.

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Waybar snippet

"custom/audio": {
  "exec": "~/.config/waybar/scripts/wireplumber_label.sh",
  "return-type": "json",
  "format": "{}",
  "on-click": "wpctl set-mute @DEFAULT_AUDIO_SINK@ toggle",
  "on-click-right": "env XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP=GNOME gnome-control-center sound",
  "on-scroll-up": "~/.config/waybar/scripts/wireplumber_label.sh up 10",
  "on-scroll-down": "~/.config/waybar/scripts/wireplumber_label.sh down 10",
  "tooltip": true
}

Tip: Replace the on-click-right command if you do not use GNOME.

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Install

mkdir -p ~/.config/waybar/scripts
cp examples/wireplumber_label/wireplumber_label.sh ~/.config/waybar/scripts/
chmod +x ~/.config/waybar/scripts/wireplumber_label.sh

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About the filter and how this script relates to it

The script does not install or require any PipeWire filter. It only reads PipeWire/WirePlumber state and labels sinks for Waybar. It is particularly useful when you run a PipeWire filter‑chain convolver (a virtual sink) because that setup can cause sinks to be misclassified or collapsed.

Important: a filter‑chain convolver performs convolution and resampling in software and can be CPU‑intensive. On low‑power systems or with heavy sources (for example large MIDI soundfonts or many simultaneous streams) you may see audio jitter, dropouts, or increased latency.
If you suspect the filter is causing problems, switch to a sink that bypasses the filter.

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Troubleshooting

• Behavior may vary across PipeWire and WirePlumber versions; this script is a pragmatic workaround for misclassified sinks.
• If device classification looks wrong, run pactl list sinks, compare its output to what the script inspects.
• If Waybar shows nothing, check that pactl and wpctl work in your session and that jq is installed.

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Where to find it

Repo path
examples/wireplumber_label/wireplumber_label.sh
examples/wireplumber_label/README.md

Direct link
https://github.com/jimishol/weather-cli-dualprovider/tree/main/examples/wireplumber_label

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License

This example inherits the repository license GPL‑3.0.

[B2krobbery]

Nice workaround for PipeWire sink misclassification.
The virtual vs physical detection is especially useful for filtered setups.

[jimishol]

I moved an improved wireplumber_label.sh into the weather‑repo examples: https://github.com/jimishol/weather-cli-dualprovider/tree/main/examples/wireplumber_label

Recent improvements (high level): color‑coded status table and color variables were added; sink toggling was refactored to support multiple virtual filters; heard‑volume computation for fading was added; README and defaults were updated. See the example folder for commit details and changelog.