fix(linux): enable PulseAudio/PipeWire system audio capture#396
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belisards wants to merge 3 commits intoZackriya-Solutions:devtestfrom
Closed
fix(linux): enable PulseAudio/PipeWire system audio capture#396belisards wants to merge 3 commits intoZackriya-Solutions:devtestfrom
belisards wants to merge 3 commits intoZackriya-Solutions:devtestfrom
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- Use pactl to enumerate monitor sources and expose them as system audio devices - Follow default sink via pactl get-default-sink (works with Bluetooth, USB, HDMI) - Set PULSE_SOURCE env var and capture via pulse ALSA device - Add default_system_audio_device() for Linux recording path - Stop CPAL from adding raw ALSA devices as spurious system audio options
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Fixes #383
Type of Change
Description
System audio capture was not implemented on Linux — the code explicitly bailed
out for non-macOS platforms, so only microphone audio was transcribed. Browser
meeting tools (Teams, Zoom, Meet in Chrome) were never captured.
On Linux, PulseAudio and PipeWire expose monitor sources for each output sink —
input devices that capture whatever plays through the corresponding output.
Changes:
pactl list sources shortto enumerate monitor sources and show themin the System Audio device selector
pactl get-default-sinkto auto-select the correct monitor regardlessof output type (Bluetooth, built-in, HDMI, USB)
PULSE_SOURCE=<monitor>and capture via the"pulse"ALSA device soCPAL handles it as a normal input stream
default_system_audio_device()for the Linux recording pathdiscovery.rsto stop CPAL from adding raw ALSA names (pulse,default,hw:*) as spurious system audio options in the UIPrerequisites
pulseaudio-alsaorpipewire-alsa(default on Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian desktop).Testing
Tested on
Documentation
Relation to PR #309
Implements the same core approach as #309 but as a focused, standalone fix
without the unrelated feature removals bundled in that PR.
Note
This fix was developed using Claude Code (claude-sonnet-4-6).