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Beatbar

by Ryan Robitaille

A live, theme-reactive PipeWire frequency garden for the Omarchy bar

GitHub

Security review

No obvious issues detected

Deterministic scan — not a security guarantee

None
Risk level
None
Analyzed commit
3bcb1d4
Scanned
1 month ago

No potentially dangerous behavior detected in the analyzed commit.

Automated analysis only — not a security guarantee.

AI advisory review

No obvious issues detected

Language-model assessment · ~deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash-latest — advisory only

None
AI risk level
None
Recommendation
install
Model
~deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash-latest
Analyzed commit
3bcb1d4
Reviewed
1 month ago

This is a benign audio visualizer that launches the user-installed cava executable via setpriv, parses its raw stdout, and renders a spectrum in the bar. It performs no network access, no persistence, no privilege escalation, and no system modification. The code is transparent, the documentation is accurate, and the deterministic scan found no issues.

How this check works

This review combines the deterministic scan (the rule-based results above) with an independent look at the plugin's code by a language model. The model reads a trimmed sample of the repository's files, the manifest, and the README, then gives a plain-language risk level and a recommendation: install (no notable danger), review (look closer first), or avoid (clearly dangerous).

It runs on the same analyzed commit as the deterministic scan and is strictly advisory — it is not a security guarantee and never blocks a plugin by itself. A human moderator still reviews plugins before they are listed.

AI advisory only — automated analysis, not a security guarantee.

Install
$ omarchy plugin add https://github.com/ryrobes/omarchy-beatbar --enable
Widgets #bar #quickshell #media

Omarchy Beatbar

Beatbar is a live, theme-reactive frequency visualizer for the Omarchy 4.x Quickshell bar. It listens to the monitor of the current default PipeWire sink, so every application routed to that output contributes to the visualization. It does not record, save, or transmit audio.

The plugin runs one CAVA analyzer for the graphical session and shares its 24-band spectrum with every monitor's bar widget. Garden grows frequency reeds from the bar edge, Mirror expands around a centerline, and Aurora draws a filled spectral ribbon with a left-to-right, bass-driven light wave. Low-frequency transients add a short configurable spring kick. All colors bind to Omarchy's live bar palette and change with the active theme.

Beatbar running in the center of the Omarchy bar

Install

Beatbar requires the cava executable to already be available on PATH. Install that dependency separately using your normal trusted system software workflow, then confirm it is present:

command -v cava

If CAVA is unavailable, Beatbar remains idle and shows one Omarchy OSD directing the user to this README. The check does not fetch software, invoke a package tool, or alter the system. Beatbar also uses setpriv from Omarchy's base util-linux package only to stop CAVA when the shell exits.

Add Beatbar from its public repository:

omarchy plugin add https://github.com/ryrobes/omarchy-beatbar.git --enable

Beatbar declares the center as its default bar section. Omarchy asks you to confirm placement when enabling it. Beatbar itself never invokes a package manager, installs dependencies, or requests elevated access.

Interact

  • Left click cycles Garden -> Mirror -> Aurora.
  • Mouse wheel changes visual gain from 40% to 250%.
  • Widget settings control mode, width, gain, bass motion, the Aurora sweep, and the silent baseline.

Inspect or restart the analyzer service:

omarchy-shell ryrobes.beatbar status | jq
omarchy-shell ryrobes.beatbar restart

Update or remove

omarchy plugin update ryrobes.beatbar
omarchy plugin remove ryrobes.beatbar

cava is shared system software and is deliberately not removed with the plugin. Manage that separate prerequisite through your normal system software workflow.

Audio and permissions

  • External dependency: the Arch package cava.
  • Platform utility: setpriv, supplied by Omarchy's base util-linux package.
  • Audio access: CAVA reads source = auto, the monitor of the current default PipeWire output. This normally includes browsers, players, games, calls, and omarchy-motion; it intentionally excludes microphone input.
  • Runtime process: Beatbar starts setpriv --pdeathsig TERM cava -p <plugin>/cava.conf as the current desktop user. The process ends with the Omarchy shell.
  • Privileges: Beatbar runs entirely as the current desktop user. It does not request administrator or root access.
  • Network and storage: no network requests, audio files, recordings, databases, or background system services.

Like all Omarchy shell plugins, Beatbar runs unsandboxed inside the shell. Read SECURITY.md for the complete trust boundary and data flow.

Local development

The repository intentionally contains no installer or setup helper. The community installation path is Omarchy's own plugin manager. Validate a source checkout with:

./tests/test.sh
qmllint -I /usr/share/omarchy/shell BarWidget.qml

The system Qt 6.8 qmllint does not understand Quickshell IPC functions with typed return values, so Service.qml is covered by Omarchy plugin validation, the structural tests, and the live status IPC check.

License

MIT