Separate media processing, device policy, desktop access and applications. PipeWire connects and processes media streams; WirePlumber manages devices and routing. The Hyprland desktop portal connects application requests to desktop-sharing capabilities. Players and recorders perform the actual user tasks.
Playing video:mpv reads and decodes a file, presents video through the desktop, and sends sound through its configured audio output. In a PipeWire session, WirePlumber policy affects stream-to-device connections. Bluetooth headphones also involve BlueZ.
Sharing a screen: a portal-aware application requests sharing, the backend coordinates capture with Hyprland, and a media stream carries the image to the application. The picker, picture delivery and sound can fail independently.
Recording video: Omarchy chooses a platform-appropriate capture workflow. GPU Screen Recorder and the Apple Silicon manifest’s wf-recorder are different backends, not successive stages. Recording need not use exactly the same path as browser screen sharing.
Each catalogued component is explained below: purpose, architecture, configuration, troubleshooting, limitations and further reading. Use the component links to jump to its explanation.
Session and policy manager for PipeWire: device selection and routing.
Package
wireplumber
Membership
Core manifest
Purpose and everyday use
Chooses and manages audio devices, profiles and routing policy for a PipeWire session. Relevant when sound goes to the wrong output or a device profile changes.
How it works and connects
PipeWire processes streams; WirePlumber decides how devices and streams should be organized. Bluetooth audio additionally relies on BlueZ.
Configuration and customization
Use the desktop audio panel for routine selection. Advanced rules use version-specific WirePlumber configuration; older 0.4 examples differ from 0.5 configuration.
Troubleshooting approach
Inspect wpctl status, mute state and the selected device. If no devices appear, check PipeWire and hardware detection before changing routing rules.
Limits and change considerations
Restarting session policy can interrupt active audio. Device IDs may change, so avoid treating an observed numeric ID as a permanent hardware identifier.
Local inspection and version checks
Read local package metadata to confirm installation and version. These inspection commands do not install, restart or change configuration; run them in your own Omarchy environment.
pacman -Qi wireplumber
wpctl status
Queries can fail when a package is absent, a service is stopped, or the command needs a graphical session or project directory. Interpret the result in context. Review machine-specific details before sharing output.
Omarchy integration follows the 2026-10-12 quattro snapshot. Match upstream configuration guidance to your installed version. These are documentation-based explanations and diagnostic suggestions, not hardware-tested results.
Audio/video processing infrastructure. Listed in the other-packages manifest; this alone does not establish installation on every platform.
Package
pipewire
Membership
Other install candidates
Purpose and everyday use
Provides media-stream infrastructure for audio and desktop video sharing. It serves applications rather than being a music player or volume-panel interface.
How it works and connects
Connects media nodes in a processing graph. Session policy comes from WirePlumber; compatibility components support applications using other audio APIs.
Configuration and customization
Routine device changes belong in the audio panel. Advanced latency, sample-rate and node settings should follow the installed version’s configuration documentation.
Troubleshooting approach
Check the user service and whether one or all applications fail. Working local playback with failed screen sharing points toward a different path than a missing audio device.
Limits and change considerations
Low latency can increase processing pressure. The package appears in the other manifest, which alone does not establish identical installation on every platform.
Local inspection and version checks
Read local package metadata to confirm installation and version. These inspection commands do not install, restart or change configuration; run them in your own Omarchy environment.
pacman -Qi pipewire
systemctl --user status pipewire --no-pager
Queries can fail when a package is absent, a service is stopped, or the command needs a graphical session or project directory. Interpret the result in context. Review machine-specific details before sharing output.
Omarchy integration follows the 2026-10-12 quattro snapshot. Match upstream configuration guidance to your installed version. These are documentation-based explanations and diagnostic suggestions, not hardware-tested results.
Connects applications to desktop features such as screen sharing through the portal interface.
Package
xdg-desktop-portal-hyprland
Membership
Core manifest
Purpose and everyday use
Implements desktop-portal functions for Hyprland, notably desktop-mediated capture and sharing. Applications request access rather than directly controlling the compositor.
How it works and connects
The portal service selects a backend; Hyprland supplies desktop access and PipeWire carries media streams. A picker, permission request and media stream are separate steps.
Configuration and customization
Backend selection and desktop environment affect behavior. Preserve the distribution’s portal setup unless diagnosing a specific conflict.
Troubleshooting approach
If sharing fails, compare applications and inspect user portal logs. A working picker with black output suggests a different problem from no request appearing at all.
Limits and change considerations
This is not a recorder UI. Application support and selected backend matter; a package installed on disk does not prove the session is using it.
Local inspection and version checks
Read local package metadata to confirm installation and version. These inspection commands do not install, restart or change configuration; run them in your own Omarchy environment.
pacman -Qi xdg-desktop-portal-hyprland
systemctl --user status xdg-desktop-portal-hyprland --no-pager
Queries can fail when a package is absent, a service is stopped, or the command needs a graphical session or project directory. Interpret the result in context. Review machine-specific details before sharing output.
Omarchy integration follows the 2026-10-12 quattro snapshot. Match upstream configuration guidance to your installed version. These are documentation-based explanations and diagnostic suggestions, not hardware-tested results.
Screen-recording backend; Apple Silicon has a separate wf-recorder fallback in the platform manifest.
Package
gpu-screen-recorder
Membership
Core manifest
Purpose and everyday use
Captures desktop video with GPU-assisted encoding where supported. Omarchy exposes recording through its own workflow, separate from still screenshots.
How it works and connects
Capture, audio input, video encoding and output files form a pipeline. Success in one stage does not ensure the final file contains the intended picture and sound.
Configuration and customization
Choose a recording target, audio source and output format supported by the installed version. Prefer the Omarchy recording entry point to copied hardware-specific commands.
Troubleshooting approach
For black video, distinguish capture failure from encoder support. For silent video, check the chosen audio source and whether the application is muted.
Limits and change considerations
Support depends on GPU and platform. The pinned Apple Silicon manifest supplies wf-recorder as a fallback; do not assume the same backend everywhere.
Local inspection and version checks
Read local package metadata to confirm installation and version. These inspection commands do not install, restart or change configuration; run them in your own Omarchy environment.
pacman -Qi gpu-screen-recorder
Queries can fail when a package is absent, a service is stopped, or the command needs a graphical session or project directory. Interpret the result in context. Review machine-specific details before sharing output.
Omarchy integration follows the 2026-10-12 quattro snapshot. Match upstream configuration guidance to your installed version. These are documentation-based explanations and diagnostic suggestions, not hardware-tested results.
Plays audio and video with keyboard-oriented controls and extensive format support. Useful for checking whether a media file itself is valid outside its originating application.
How it works and connects
Demuxing, decoding, rendering and audio output are separate stages. Hardware acceleration can change the playback path without changing the source file.
Configuration and customization
User settings commonly live in ~/.config/mpv/mpv.conf, with key mappings in input.conf. Separate general playback preferences from file-specific options.
Troubleshooting approach
Compare another file and a minimal configuration. Video-only failure points toward decoding/rendering; system-wide silence calls for checking the audio stack.
Limits and change considerations
Scripts extend behavior but also execute code. It is a player, not a system-wide codec repair tool or media library manager.
Local inspection and version checks
Read local package metadata to confirm installation and version. These inspection commands do not install, restart or change configuration; run them in your own Omarchy environment.
pacman -Qi mpv
mpv --version
Queries can fail when a package is absent, a service is stopped, or the command needs a graphical session or project directory. Interpret the result in context. Review machine-specific details before sharing output.
Omarchy integration follows the 2026-10-12 quattro snapshot. Match upstream configuration guidance to your installed version. These are documentation-based explanations and diagnostic suggestions, not hardware-tested results.
Screen-recording fallback listed for Apple Silicon.
Package
wf-recorder
Membership
Platform-specific
Purpose and everyday use
A Wayland screen-recording tool listed as a fallback for Apple Silicon in the pinned Omarchy manifest. It covers a platform-specific capture path.
How it works and connects
Captures through compositor-supported protocols and encodes the resulting frames. Compositor support and platform graphics layout determine whether this path is appropriate.
Configuration and customization
Use Omarchy’s platform-aware recording workflow first. Direct usage requires choosing compatible capture and output options from the installed tool’s documentation.
Troubleshooting approach
Compare the selected output, compositor support and resulting file. Silent output needs a separate audio-source check from blank video.
Limits and change considerations
The platform manifest does not mean every Omarchy machine uses it. Recording can consume storage quickly, and capture permissions do not imply consent to share.
Local inspection and version checks
Read local package metadata to confirm installation and version. These inspection commands do not install, restart or change configuration; run them in your own Omarchy environment.
pacman -Qi wf-recorder
Queries can fail when a package is absent, a service is stopped, or the command needs a graphical session or project directory. Interpret the result in context. Review machine-specific details before sharing output.
Omarchy integration follows the 2026-10-12 quattro snapshot. Match upstream configuration guidance to your installed version. These are documentation-based explanations and diagnostic suggestions, not hardware-tested results.