WPCTL(1)

NAME
wpctl - WirePlumber Control CLI

SYNOPSIS

wpctl [COMMAND] [COMMAND_OPTIONS]

DESCRIPTION

wpctl is a command-line control tool for WirePlumber, the PipeWire session manager. It provides an interface to inspect, control, and configure audio and video devices, nodes, and their properties within a PipeWire media server.

WirePlumber manages audio and video routing, device configuration, and session policies. wpctl allows users to interact with these components, change volume levels, set default devices, inspect object properties, and modify settings.

COMMANDS

  status

wpctl status [-k|--nick] [-n|--name]

Displays the current state of objects in PipeWire, including devices, sinks, sources, filters, and streams. Shows a hierarchical view of the audio/video system.

Options:

-k, --nick
    Display device and node nicknames instead of descriptions

-n, --name
    Display device and node names instead of descriptions

  get-volume

wpctl get-volume ID

Displays volume information about the specified node, including current volume level and mute state.

Arguments:

ID  Node ID or special identifier (see SPECIAL IDENTIFIERS)

  inspect

wpctl inspect ID [-r|--referenced] [-a|--associated]

Displays detailed information about the specified object, including all properties and metadata.

Arguments:

ID  Object ID or special identifier

Options:

-r, --referenced
    Show objects that are referenced in properties

-a, --associated
    Show associated objects

  set-default

wpctl set-default ID

Sets the specified device node to be the default target of its kind (capture or playback) for new streams that require auto-connection.

Arguments:

ID  Sink or source node ID

  set-volume

wpctl set-volume ID VOL[%][-|+] [-p|--pid] [-l LIMIT|--limit LIMIT]

Sets the volume of the specified node.

Arguments:

ID  Node ID, special identifier, or PID (with --pid)

VOL[%][-|+]
    Volume specification:

•   VOL - Set volume to specific value (1.0 = 100%)

•   VOL% - Set volume to percentage (50% = 0.5)

•   VOL+ - Increase volume by value

•   VOL- - Decrease volume by value

•   VOL%+ - Increase volume by percentage

•   VOL%- - Decrease volume by percentage

Options:

-p, --pid
    Treat ID as a process ID and affect all nodes associated with it

-l LIMIT, --limit LIMIT
    Limit final volume to below this value (floating point, 1.0 = 100%)

Examples:
    Set volume to 50%: wpctl set-volume @DEFAULT_SINK@ 0.5

    Increase volume by 10%: wpctl set-volume 42 10%+

    Set volume for all nodes of PID 1234: wpctl set-volume --pid 1234 0.8

  set-mute

wpctl set-mute ID 1|0|toggle [-p|--pid]

Changes the mute state of the specified node.

Arguments:

ID  Node ID, special identifier, or PID (with --pid)

1|0|toggle
    Mute state: 1 (mute), 0 (unmute), or toggle current state

Options:

-p, --pid
    Treat ID as a process ID and affect all nodes associated with it

  set-profile

wpctl set-profile ID INDEX

Sets the profile of the specified device to the given index.

Arguments:

ID  Device ID or special identifier

INDEX
    Profile index (integer, 0 typically means 'off')

  set-route

wpctl set-route ID INDEX

Sets the route of the specified device to the given index.

Arguments:

ID  Device node ID or special identifier

INDEX
    Route index (integer, 0 typically means 'off')

  clear-default

wpctl clear-default [ID]

Clears the default configured node. If no ID is specified, clears all default nodes.

Arguments:

ID (optional)
    Settings ID to clear (0-2 for Audio/Sink, Audio/Source, Video/Source). If omitted, clears all defaults.

  settings

wpctl settings [KEY] [VAL] [-d|--delete] [-s|--save] [-r|--reset]

Shows, changes, or removes WirePlumber settings.

Arguments:

KEY (optional)
    Setting key name

VAL (optional)
    Setting value (JSON format)

Options:

-d, --delete
    Delete the saved setting value (no KEY means delete all)

-s, --save
    Save the setting value (no KEY means save all, no VAL means current value)

-r, --reset
    Reset the setting to its default value

Behavior:

•   No arguments: Show all settings

•   KEY only: Show specific setting value

•   KEY and VAL: Set specific setting value

  set-log-level

wpctl set-log-level [ID] LEVEL

Sets the log level of a client.

Arguments:

ID (optional)
    Client ID. If omitted, applies to WirePlumber. Use 0 for PipeWire server.

LEVEL
    Log level (e.g., 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, E, W, N, I, D, T). Use - to unset the log level.

SPECIAL IDENTIFIERS

Instead of numeric IDs, wpctl accepts these special identifiers for commonly used defaults:

@DEFAULT_SINK@, @DEFAULT_AUDIO_SINK@
    The current default audio sink (playback device)

@DEFAULT_SOURCE@, @DEFAULT_AUDIO_SOURCE@
    The current default audio source (capture device)

@DEFAULT_VIDEO_SOURCE@
    The current default video source (camera)

    These identifiers are resolved at runtime to the appropriate node IDs.

EXIT STATUS

wpctl returns the following exit codes:

0   Success

1   General error (e.g., invalid arguments, connection failure)

2   Could not connect to PipeWire

3   Command-specific error (e.g., object not found)

EXAMPLES

Display system status:

    wpctl status

Set default audio sink:

    wpctl set-default 42

Set volume to 75% on default sink:

    wpctl set-volume @DEFAULT_SINK@ 75%

Increase volume by 5% on a specific node:

    wpctl set-volume 42 5%+

Mute the default source:

    wpctl set-mute @DEFAULT_SOURCE@ 1

Toggle mute on default sink:

    wpctl set-mute @DEFAULT_SINK@ toggle

Inspect a device with associated objects:

    wpctl inspect --associated 30

Show all WirePlumber settings:

    wpctl settings

Set a specific setting:

    wpctl settings bluetooth.autoswitch true

Save all current settings:

    wpctl settings --save

Set log level for WirePlumber to debug:

    wpctl set-log-level D

Set log level for a specific client:

    wpctl set-log-level 42 W

NOTES

Object IDs can be found using the status command. The hierarchical display shows IDs for devices, nodes, and other objects.

Volume values are floating-point numbers where 1.0 represents 100% volume. Values can exceed 1.0 to introduce volume amplification.

When using the --pid option, wpctl will find all audio nodes associated with the specified process ID and apply the operation to all of them.

SEE ALSO

pipewire(1), pw-cli(1), pw-dump(1), wireplumber(1)

WirePlumber Documentation: <https://pipewire.pages.freedesktop.org/wireplumber/>

Author
The WirePlumber Developers

Copyright
2020-2025, Collabora & contributors