NAME
pwmenu — Launcher-driven audio manager for Linux
SYNOPSIS
INFO
DESCRIPTION
Launcher-driven audio manager for Linux
README
About
pwmenu (PipeWire Menu) manages audio through your launcher of choice.
Dependencies
Build
Rust(includescargo)pkg-config– For detecting required librariesclang– For C bindings generationpipewire– For PipeWire development headers
Runtime
pipewire– PipeWire daemon- A launcher with
stdinmode support
Optional
- NerdFonts – For font-based icons (default mode)
- XDG icon theme – For image-based icons (used with
-i xdg, included with DEs or can be installed manually) - Notification daemon – For system notifications (e.g.
dunst,fnott, included with DEs or can be installed manually)
Compatibility
| Launcher | Font Icons | XDG Icons | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuzzel | ✓ | ✓ | XDG icons supported since v1.13.0 |
| Rofi | ✓ | ⧖ | XDG icon support pending via PR #2122 |
| dmenu | ✓ | ✗ | No XDG icon support |
| bemenu | ✓ | ✗ | No XDG icon support |
| Custom (stdin) | ✓ | ? | Depends on launcher implementation |
[!TIP] If your preferred launcher isn't directly supported, use
custommode with appropriate command flags.
Installation
Build from source
Run the following commands:
git clone https://github.com/e-tho/pwmenu
cd pwmenu
cargo build --release
An executable file will be generated at target/release/pwmenu, which you can then copy to a directory in your $PATH.
Nix
Add the flake as an input:
inputs.pwmenu.url = "github:e-tho/pwmenu";
Install the package:
{ inputs, ... }:
{
environment.systemPackages = [ inputs.pwmenu.packages.${pkgs.system}.default ];
}
Arch Linux
Install from AUR with your favorite helper:
paru -S pwmenu-git
Usage
Supported launchers
Specify an application using -l or --launcher flag.
pwmenu -l fuzzel
Custom launchers
Specify custom as the launcher and set your command using the --launcher-command flag. Ensure your launcher supports stdin mode, and that it is properly configured in the command.
pwmenu -l custom --launcher-command "my_custom_launcher --flag"
Prompt and Placeholder support
Use {hint} as the value for the relevant flag in your command; it will be substituted with the appropriate text as needed.
pwmenu -l custom --launcher-command "my_custom_launcher --placeholder-flag '{hint}'" # or --prompt-flag '{hint}:'
Example to enable all features
This example demonstrates enabling all available features in custom mode with fuzzel.
pwmenu -l custom --launcher-command "fuzzel -d --placeholder '{hint}'"
Available Options
| Flag | Description | Supported Values | Default Value |
|---|---|---|---|
-l, --launcher | Specify the launcher to use (required). | dmenu, rofi, fuzzel, bemenu, custom | None |
--launcher-command | Specify the command to use when custom launcher is set. | Any valid shell command | None |
-i, --icon | Specify the icon type to use. | font, xdg | font |
-s, --spaces | Specify icon to text space count (font icons only). | Any positive integer | 1 |
-m, --menu | Specify the root menu to start in. | output-devices, input-devices, output-streams, input-streams | None |
--volume-step | Specify volume adjustment step as percentage. | 1-25 | 5 |
--interactive | Stay in menus after actions and return to previous menu on escape. | N/A | false |
Contributing
Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for contribution guidelines.
License
This project is licensed under the terms of the GNU General Public License version 3, or (at your option) any later version.
Support this project
If you find this project useful and would like to help me dedicate more time to its development, consider supporting my work.