pw-top
Real-time PipeWire performance statistics
TLDR
SYNOPSIS
pw-top [-r remote] [-b] [-n iterations] [-V]
DESCRIPTION
pw-top provides a dynamic real-time view of PipeWire node and device statistics. It shows a hierarchical view of Driver nodes and follower nodes, displaying CPU usage, buffer statistics, latency, xruns, 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. Press q to quit and c to clear error counters.
PARAMETERS
-r, --remote=_name_
The name of the remote instance to monitor. If left unspecified, connects to the default PipeWire instance-b, --batch-mode
Print periodically instead of interactive-n, --iterations=_num_
Exit after specified number of batch iterations. Only used in batch mode-V, --version
Display version information-h, --help
Display help information
INSTALL
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)
