How to Route PipeWire Audio with Helvum

Before you start

These instructions apply to a Linux desktop or similar environment where PipeWire is already running as the local audio service. Helvum works locally on that machine: it displays the PipeWire graph that applications and devices are using, but it is not an audio source or effect itself. You need the Helvum package installed and launched from the same user session that is playing or recording audio. No separate server or remote service is required.

Step-by-step instructions

Use the title 'How to Route PipeWire Audio with Helvum' as the scope for this procedure. The steps below cover the main query 'helvum pipewire' for people working with cameras, microphones, video calls, or image tools that handle audio.

Open Helvum

Launch Helvum from the application menu or by running 'helvum' while PipeWire is active. The window may take a few seconds to populate because it is reading the current graph. If it opens empty, close and reopen it or check that audio is playing before you try again.

Read the graph

Helvum shows nodes such as an input device, output device, or application, with links drawn between them. Look for a microphone or camera node if you are routing capture audio, and locate the app that needs that signal. The visible labels depend on how the system names devices and on the current PipeWire version, so the exact wording can vary.

Create a route

To connect an audio source to a destination, drag from the source node to the destination node. For example, you can connect a microphone to a capture application, or connect a media player to a pair of headphones. A new link appears when both nodes accept the connection.

Remove or change a link

Select a drawn link and delete it, or drag a replacement connection between different nodes. Because this changes only the PipeWire graph, the previous setup is recoverable by reconnecting the original nodes. Close the application or reopen Helvum if the graph does not refresh after the change.

Check the output

Confirm that the destination application reports an audio signal. In a meeting or recording tool, use its own level meter or test recording to check whether sound is present. Some applications cache the device selection, so select the PipeWire source that should carry the routed signal if the app offers a choice. Pay attention to input level and sample rate where the application exposes them: a very low input level may sound silent even when the route is correct.

Common problems and next steps

If the expected nodes do not appear, start or restart the application that should produce audio. If a newly created link disappears immediately, check that both nodes are still active and that no volume, mute, or application setting is blocking the signal. Background noise can make a routed microphone signal hard to judge; compare the app meter with and without the source playing to distinguish routing issues from room noise.

When the graph is unusually large, zoom, search, or use the available filtering option in Helvium to reduce the visible nodes. If an application remains silent after correct routing, verify its own input and output device selection and that no other app has exclusive control of the device. Do not assume a missing device is broken: check whether it is unplugged or in use by another process before changing the route.