[SOLVED] pipewire not using realtime privileges

cprh · 2025-12-19 10:21:43

i installed "realtime-privileges" added my user to the realtime group and restarted, added a .conf file with this inside

context.modules = [
    {
        name = libpipewire-module-rt
        args = {
            nice.level = -20
            rt.prio = 95
            rt.time.soft = -1
            rt.time.hard = -1
        }
        flags = [ ifexists nofail ]
    }
]

however pipewire still seems to not use realtime privileges, according to "ps -eLo user,pid,tid,ni,rtprio,comm" pipewire uses a nice level of "-20" but the rtprio column shows nothing

Last edited by cprh (Yesterday 14:57:17)

seth · 2025-12-19 14:42:44

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/PipeWi … IT_MEMLOCK
Did you fix the ulimits?
(pw by default is a socket activated user service)

cprh · 2025-12-20 13:10:06

according to https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/PipeWi … IT_MEMLOCK installing realtime-privileges should be enouth, ulimit -a reports

real-time non-blocking time  (microseconds, -R) unlimited
core file size              (blocks, -c) unlimited
data seg size               (kbytes, -d) unlimited
scheduling priority                 (-e) 40
file size                   (blocks, -f) unlimited
pending signals                     (-i) 127122
max locked memory           (kbytes, -l) unlimited
max memory size             (kbytes, -m) unlimited
open files                          (-n) 1024
pipe size                (512 bytes, -p) 8
POSIX message queues         (bytes, -q) 819200
real-time priority                  (-r) 98
stack size                  (kbytes, -s) 8192
cpu time                   (seconds, -t) unlimited
max user processes                  (-u) 127122
virtual memory              (kbytes, -v) unlimited
file locks                          (-x) unlimited

also checking pipewire.service and pipewire-pulse.service both show

StartLimitIntervalUSec=10s
StartLimitBurst=5
StartLimitAction=none
ManagedOOMMemoryPressureLimit=0
LimitCPU=infinity
LimitCPUSoft=infinity
LimitFSIZE=infinity
LimitFSIZESoft=infinity
LimitDATA=infinity
LimitDATASoft=infinity
LimitSTACK=infinity
LimitSTACKSoft=8388608
LimitCORE=infinity
LimitCORESoft=infinity
LimitRSS=infinity
LimitRSSSoft=infinity
LimitNOFILE=524288
LimitNOFILESoft=1024
LimitAS=infinity
LimitASSoft=infinity
LimitNPROC=127122
LimitNPROCSoft=127122
LimitMEMLOCK=infinity
LimitMEMLOCKSoft=infinity
LimitLOCKS=infinity
LimitLOCKSSoft=infinity
LimitSIGPENDING=127122
LimitSIGPENDINGSoft=127122
LimitMSGQUEUE=819200
LimitMSGQUEUESoft=819200
LimitNICE=40
LimitNICESoft=40
LimitRTPRIO=98
LimitRTPRIOSoft=98
LimitRTTIME=infinity
LimitRTTIMESoft=infinity
Nice=0
LogRateLimitIntervalUSec=0
LogRateLimitBurst=0

Last edited by cprh (2025-12-20 13:22:33)

seth · 2025-12-22 00:08:39

Do you get https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/PipeWi … s_not_work or other rtkit/pipewire related errors in the journal?

The upstream docu btw. suggests an entirely different approach, https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire … ng#rlimits
pipewire might limit itself to the pipewire GID…

cprh · 2025-12-22 03:20:18

ok i think i got it working, afaik pipewire is not suppose to run in realtime at all but its child processes are "ps" shows pipewire with "TS" but the child process "data-loop.0" with "FF", afaik this is how it should look with rt enabled

seth · 2025-12-22 16:12:59

\o/
Please always remember to mark resolved threads by editing your initial posts subject - so others will know that there's no task left, but maybe a solution to find.
Thanks.

Arch Linux

#1 2025-12-19 10:21:43

[SOLVED] pipewire not using realtime privileges

#2 2025-12-19 14:42:44

Re: [SOLVED] pipewire not using realtime privileges

#3 2025-12-20 13:10:06

Re: [SOLVED] pipewire not using realtime privileges

#4 2025-12-22 00:08:39

Re: [SOLVED] pipewire not using realtime privileges

#5 2025-12-22 03:20:18

Re: [SOLVED] pipewire not using realtime privileges

#6 2025-12-22 16:12:59

Re: [SOLVED] pipewire not using realtime privileges

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