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linux-voice-assistant/docs/debugging.md
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2026-02-01 20:20:46 +01:00

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# Debugging
## Explanation of the audio system:
The Linux audio stack consists of multiple layers working together:
```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ HOST SYSTEM │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ User Applications │ │
│ │ (Browser, Media Player, Voice Assistant, etc.) │ │
│ └────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ┌────────────────▼────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ PipeWire / PulseAudio │ │
│ │ (Sound Server) │ │
│ │ - Audio mixing & routing │ │
│ │ - Device abstraction │ │
│ │ - Network audio support │ │
│ │ - Per-application volume control │ │
│ └────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ┌────────────────▼────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ ALSA │ │
│ │ (Advanced Linux Sound Architecture) │ │
│ │ - Kernel-level audio driver framework │ │
│ │ - Direct hardware access │ │
│ │ - Controls: /dev/snd/ │ │
│ └────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ┌────────────────▼────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Hardware (Sound Card) │ │
│ │ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────────────┐ │ │
│ │ │Microphon│ │ Speaker │ │ DSP/Codec │ │ │
│ │ └─────────┘ └─────────┘ └───────────────────┘ │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
│ XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=/run/user/1000 │
│ └── Socket: /run/user/1000/pipewire-0 │
│ Socket: /run/user/1000/pulse/native │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
│ Device Passthrough
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ DOCKER CONTAINER │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Container Process │ │
│ │ (Linux Voice Assistant) │ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ Accesses audio via: │ │
│ │ - PipeWire/PulseAudio client library │ │
│ │ - Uses same XDG_RUNTIME_DIR socket path │ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ Environment Variables: │ │
│ │ - XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=/run/user/1000 (host path) │ │
│ │ - AUDIO_INPUT_DEVICE="default" │ │
│ │ - AUDIO_OUTPUT_DEVICE="default" │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
│ Device Access: │
│ - Socket: /run/user/1000/pipewire-0 (volume mount) │
│ - Socket: /run/user/1000/pulse/native (volume mount) │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```
### How it works:
1. **Host Layer**:
- ALSA provides kernel drivers for audio hardware
- PipeWire/PulseAudio sits on top of ALSA as a sound server
- Applications connect to PipeWire/PulseAudio, not directly to ALSA, otherwhise the container would need access to the ALSA devices. If you use ALSA only only one application can connect to the device at a time.
2. **Docker Integration**:
- The XDG_RUNTIME_DIR socket must be mounted from host to container
- The container user must have matching UID/GID with host user or the audio group is added.
3. **Communication Flow**:
```
Container App → PipeWire Client Library → Host PipeWire/PulseAudio
↓ ↓
(via mounted socket) (via ALSA drivers)
↓ ↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Audio Data flows to Hardware │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```
4. **Key Configuration Points**:
- `XDG_RUNTIME_DIR` must point to host's runtime directory
- Container user UID/GID should match host user
### Docker Compose Example:
```yaml
services:
voice-assistant:
image: ghcr.io/ohf-voice/linux-voice-assistant:latest
environment:
- XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=/run/user/1000
- AUDIO_INPUT_DEVICE=default
- AUDIO_OUTPUT_DEVICE=default
volumes:
- /run/user/1000:/run/user/1000:rw
devices:
- /dev/snd:/dev/snd
group_add:
- audio
```
## List available audio devices:
To list available audio devices, run:
```bash
# List audio devices
docker run --rm -it -e LIST_DEVICES="1" ghcr.io/florian-asche/linux-voice-assistant:develop-final-docker-version
```
Update the `.env` file with your device names:
``` ini
AUDIO_INPUT_DEVICE="default"
AUDIO_OUTPUT_DEVICE="default"
```
## Pipewire runtime directory (Optional):
If you work with the root user, you need to:
``` sh
export XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=/run/user/${USER_ID}
```
💡 **Note:** Replace `$USER_ID` with your actual user id that you want to run the voice assistant.
## Troubleshooting:
### Audio Device Not Found:
If the container cannot access audio devices, ensure:
1. The USER_ID in `.env` matches your actual users ID (run `id -u $USER` to check)
2. The XDG_RUNTIME_DIR path exists on the host
### Permission Denied Errors:
tbd
### Low Audio Quality:
If you experience audio quality issues:
1. Check the audio device settings with `alsamixer`
2. Try setting `AUDIO_INPUT_DEVICE` and `AUDIO_OUTPUT_DEVICE` explicitly
3. Adjust the microphone gain in your system settings
## More debugging documentation:
See [PiCompose](https://github.com/florian-asche/PiCompose/blob/main/docs/pipewire_debugging.md) for more debugging information.