I was looking for a Linux alternative to the Win + G shortcut in Windows, which opens the Xbox Game Bar. I used this feature for quickly and conveniently managing audio, but there was nothing similar on Linux. So, I created this script to fill the gap.

This script was primarily created for the bspwm tiling window manager but might work with some tweaks on other window managers.

Steps to Use:

Keybind

Edit your keyboard shortcuts in the sxhkdrc file, located at .config/bspwm/.

Example:

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# Audio management durign gameplay
super + g
	~/.config/bspwm/src/Audio_manager

Script

Place the script below in your bspwm script folder (e.g., .config/bspwm/src/ ) and name it Audio_manager

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#!/usr/bin/env bash

# Get a list of active audio streams and their application names, excluding anything starting with "sink-input"
streams=$(pactl list sink-inputs | awk '
  /Sink Input #[0-9]+/ {stream_id = $3}
  /application.name/ {
    app_name = substr($0, index($0,$3))
    gsub(/"/, "", app_name)

    if (app_name !~ /^sink-input/) {
      stream_list[app_name] = stream_id
    }
  }
  END {
    for (app_name in stream_list) {
      print stream_list[app_name], app_name
    }
  }
')

# If no streams are found, show a message
if [[ -z "$streams" ]]; then
    notify-send "No audio streams found"
    exit 1
fi

# Show the list of audio streams in rofi
selected=$(echo "$streams" | rofi -dmenu -i -p "Select Application to Adjust Volume" -no-background -float)

# Debugging: Print the selected stream
echo "Selected: $selected"

# Extract stream ID and app name from the selected entry
# Remove the leading '#' from the stream ID
stream_id=$(echo "$selected" | awk '{print $1}' | sed 's/#//')
app_name=$(echo "$selected" | awk '{print $2}')

# Check if an application was selected
if [[ -z "$stream_id" ]]; then
    notify-send "No application selected"
    exit 1
fi

# Get current volume level of the selected application
current_volume=$(pactl list sink-inputs | grep -A 10 "Sink Input #$stream_id" | grep 'Volume' | awk '{print $5}' | sed 's/%//')

# Show volume selection in rofi
new_volume=$(echo -e "100\n90\n80\n70\n60\n50\n40\n30\n20\n10\n0" | rofi -dmenu -i -p "Adjust volume for $app_name (current: $current_volume%)" -no-background -float)

# If no new volume is selected, exit
if [[ -z "$new_volume" ]]; then
    notify-send "No volume selected"
    exit 1
fi

# Adjust the volume using pactl
pactl set-sink-input-volume "$stream_id" "$new_volume%"

# Notify the user of the volume change
notify-send "Set volume for $app_name to $new_volume%"

Select an application Adjust the volume during gameplay

Quick Audio Management

Win + G; Linux alternative

Steps to Use:

Keybind

Script