pw-top
TLDR
Display interactive view
$ pw-top
Monitor remote instance$ pw-top -r [remote_name]
Run in batch mode$ pw-top -b
Batch mode with iteration limit$ pw-top -b -n [5]
SYNOPSIS
pw-top [-r remote] [-b] [-n iterations]
DESCRIPTION
pw-top displays real-time statistics about PipeWire nodes and devices. It shows CPU usage, buffer statistics, latency, and other performance metrics in a top-like interface.
The tool is essential for diagnosing audio performance issues, identifying xruns, and monitoring PipeWire's behavior under load.
PARAMETERS
-r, --remote _name_
Connect to remote PipeWire instance-b, --batch-mode
Print periodically instead of interactive-n, --iterations _num_
Number of iterations in batch mode-h, --help
Display help information
CAVEATS
Requires running PipeWire daemon. Statistics refresh rate depends on system load. Some metrics may not be available for all nodes.
HISTORY
pw-top is part of PipeWire, providing performance monitoring similar to top but specifically for the audio subsystem. It helps diagnose latency and performance issues.
SEE ALSO
pw-cli(1), pw-dump(1), pw-profiler(1), pipewire(1)
