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| -rw-r--r-- | docs/design/2026-07-10-audio-failure-taxonomy.org | 444 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | docs/design/2026-07-10-net-bt-failure-taxonomy.org | 434 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | docs/design/2026-07-12-control-grammars-reference.org | 48 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | docs/design/2026-07-14-undeclared-packages-evidence.org | 84 |
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diff --git a/docs/design/2026-07-10-audio-failure-taxonomy.org b/docs/design/2026-07-10-audio-failure-taxonomy.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..efb6e0a --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/design/2026-07-10-audio-failure-taxonomy.org @@ -0,0 +1,444 @@ +#+TITLE: Linux Audio Failure Taxonomy — for the audio doctor +#+AUTHOR: Craig Jennings +#+DATE: 2026-07-10 + +* Purpose + +A catalogue of real, user-reported ways Linux audio input (microphone) and output (speakers/headphones) fail, grounded in forum and issue-tracker reports. Built to feed the audio doctor: each entry will later be triaged into build (an auto/confirm remedy the doctor applies), guide (a diagnosis plus the exact fix the user runs), or out (beyond the doctor's reach). Triage is a later pass — for now the goal is breadth. + +Target: 50 input failure modes and 50 output failure modes, or exhaustion. Each entry names the layer, the symptom as a user reports it, the root cause, the known resolution, and a source. + +** Saturation test (2026-07-10) + +To check whether the nine-cluster-per-direction taxonomy was representative or an artifact of how we first sampled, a blind resample: ten agents drew 108 fresh failure reports through five different doors per direction (specific hardware lines, external devices, non-Arch distros, broad community Q&A, and call/gaming apps), weighted toward 2024-2026 and non-Arch sources, none of them shown the clusters or the existing entries. Every result was then classified against the existing 18 clusters. + +Result: zero of 108 needed a new cluster. Roughly 70 re-found entries already in the catalogue (many hitting the exact same bug and source URL we had cited independently), which is entry-level saturation. The other ~34 were genuinely new distinct root causes, and all of them slotted into existing clusters. The new results spread across every cluster and concentrated where the original catalogue did (cluster 1 firmware/driver, and the app cluster). The app cluster grew densest, which confirms the Chrome incident that started this was representative, not a fluke. + +Conclusion: the clusters — what the doctor's probe ladder and verdict structure rest on — are complete and stable. Entries will keep growing (hardware × kernel × app is unbounded), but the design can rest on the taxonomy. The ~34 new entries the sweep surfaced are folded in below, under a "Saturation resample additions" heading in each direction, each carrying its cluster and remedy class inline. + +* Input (microphone) failure modes + +Built 2026-07-10 from a parallel research sweep across eight layers (kernel/driver/firmware, ALSA, PipeWire/WirePlumber, Bluetooth, USB, app/portal, hardware, config/misc). 64 raw entries deduped to 58 distinct root causes. Each names the layer, the user-reported symptom, the cause, the known fix (with the concrete command where one exists), whether the fix needs root or a reboot, and a source. The =sudo/reboot= field is the first triage signal: a no-sudo, no-reboot fix is a candidate for an auto or guide remedy; a both/physical fix can only ever be a guide. + +** Kernel / driver / firmware + +- Missing SOF firmware for a DSP-attached mic (both). Internal mic not recognised on a modern Intel laptop; speakers fine. Digital mic hangs off the Intel DSP and needs Sound Open Firmware. Fix: =pacman -S sof-firmware alsa-ucm-conf=, reboot. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=287361][arch 287361]] +- Stale =dmic_detect=0= / =dsp_driver=1= modprobe override (both). Mic dead after an old "fix"; no DMIC input. A leftover =/etc/modprobe.d= option forces the legacy HDA path and bypasses the SOF driver that owns the digital mic. Fix: delete the override, install sof-firmware, rebuild initramfs, reboot. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=260827][arch 260827]] +- Missing codec model / ADC quirk, ALC236/ALC256 (both). Capture controls visible and unmuted, but =arecord= records silence. =snd_hda_intel= lacks the board-specific pin/ADC-gain quirk, so the ADC is never routed. Fix: =options snd-hda-intel model=...= workaround; real fix is a kernel patch_realtek entry. [[https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/alsa-driver/+bug/2142994][launchpad 2142994]] +- Kernel-version regression broke a working mic (both). Internal mic recorded fine until a kernel update, then stopped. A regression between builds broke ALC256 capture routing. Fix: boot the last-good kernel or install linux-lts until a fixed build lands. [[https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/2117316][launchpad 2117316]] +- AMD ACP6x DMIC needs a DMI quirk, not firmware (both). Ryzen laptop internal array mic absent or silent; sof-firmware changes nothing. The acp6x mic array needs the laptop's DMI entry in the =SND_SOC_AMD_YC_MACH= quirk table. Fix: newer kernel with the board's DMI quirk, or add the entry and rebuild. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=311093][arch 311093]] +- Missing NHLT ACPI table in firmware (both). No DMIC; dmesg shows "NHLT table not found". The platform firmware omits the NHLT table, so SOF can't discover the digital-mic count. Fix: flash firmware that supplies NHLT, or override the dmic count via SOF modprobe params. [[https://github.com/MrChromebox/firmware/issues/920][mrchromebox 920]] +- Brand-new AMD ACP7.0 (Strix Halo) has no mic driver/UCM yet (both). Internal DMIC non-functional on very recent AMD hardware. The kernel ACP7.0 SOF driver and UCM profile weren't upstreamed yet. Fix: wait for the kernel + alsa-ucm-conf that add ACP7.0 support. [[https://github.com/alsa-project/alsa-ucm-conf/issues/745][ucm-conf 745]] + +** ALSA (profiles, UCM, mixer, pins, state) + +- Wrong card profile, no input route (no). Speakers work, no capture device appears, only a ".monitor". The card sits on an output-only profile so ALSA never exposes the capture PCM. Fix: =pactl set-card-profile <card> output:analog-stereo+input:analog-stereo=. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=269173][arch 269173]] +- ACP vs UCM detection mismatch (no). alsa-card-profiles fixes the mic but PipeWire breaks it again. WirePlumber's ACP probing (or an auto-selected UCM) mis-detects the capture ports. Fix: set =api.alsa.use-acp = false= (or =use-ucm = true=) in WirePlumber, restart wireplumber. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=291807][arch 291807]] +- Capture / Internal Mic switch muted in mixer (no). Mic recognized but records silence. The "Capture" or "Internal Mic" mixer switch is toggled off in ALSA state. Fix: =amixer set Capture cap= (or Space on the item in alsamixer). [[https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Advanced_Linux_Sound_Architecture/Troubleshooting][archwiki alsa]] +- Input Source enum on the wrong pin (no). Plugged-in mic silent; the wrong jack is live. The "Input Source" control selects a different pin (Rear vs Front Mic). Fix: =amixer set 'Input Source' 'Front Mic'=. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=145531][arch 145531]] +- alsactl restores a muted capture at boot (yes). Mic works after manual unmute, muted again every reboot. alsa-restore replays a saved state with capture muted. Fix: unmute, then =sudo alsactl store=. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=183211][arch 183211]] +- Internal Mic Boost at zero (no). Mic works but far too quiet to use. The "Mic Boost" gain sits at 0. Fix: =amixer set 'Internal Mic Boost' 100%=. [[https://forum.manjaro.org/t/microphone-array-input-too-quiet-alsamixer-mic-boost-not-changing-anything/90904][manjaro 90904]] +- Auto-Mute Mode disabling capture (no). Internal mic cuts out, often tied to headphone-jack state. The codec's "Auto-Mute Mode" mutes internal capture when a jack is sensed. Fix: =amixer set 'Auto-Mute Mode' Disabled=. [[https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Advanced_Linux_Sound_Architecture/Troubleshooting][archwiki alsa]] +- Wrong default capture in .asoundrc (no). Apps with no picker record from the wrong card. =pcm.!default= points at the wrong capture card. Fix: set =pcm.!default= to the right =plughw= in =~/.asoundrc=; find it with =arecord -l=. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=274238][arch 274238]] +- Missing UCM capture profile for the codec (no). No input profile offered at all for the built-in mic. alsa-ucm-conf lacks a UCM definition for the card. Fix: fall back to ACP (=use-ucm = false=) or install/patch the card's UCM config. [[https://github.com/alsa-project/alsa-ucm-conf/issues/594][ucm-conf 594]] + +** PipeWire / WirePlumber + +- WirePlumber fails to start on old/empty config (no; sudo only if under /etc). No audio devices at all after an update; wpctl lists nothing. WirePlumber won't parse a leftover 0.4-era config or empty drop-in and dies. Fix: remove the offending config, =systemctl --user restart wireplumber=. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=294649][arch 294649]] +- Capture source muted on startup, stale WP state (no). Mic dead every boot until you mute then unmute it. Stale state in =~/.local/state/wireplumber= restores the source muted. Fix: stop wireplumber, =rm -r ~/.local/state/wireplumber=, start; or =wpctl set-mute <id> 0=. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=297727][arch 297727]] +- Default source is a monitor / wrong device, and not persisted (no). Apps pick up silence or loopback; the "mic" is a sink Monitor, or the default resets to the wrong card each reboot. WirePlumber's auto-selection picks the wrong node and doesn't persist a manual default. Fix: =wpctl set-default <mic-id>=, and pin it with a node.name rule to survive reboot. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=285076][arch 285076]] +- pipewire-pulse dead or wrong socket (no). pactl apps report "connection refused"; pw-cat may still work. pipewire-pulse isn't running, or XDG_RUNTIME_DIR is wrong so =/run/user/1000/pulse/native= is missing. Fix: correct XDG_RUNTIME_DIR, =systemctl --user restart pipewire pipewire-pulse wireplumber=. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=281062][arch 281062]] +- Node suspended, never resumes (no). Mic works once, then silent when idle; drop when an app reopens it. =session.suspend-timeout-seconds= parks the source and it fails to wake on some 0.5.x builds. Fix: drop-in setting =session.suspend-timeout-seconds = 0=, restart wireplumber. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=309630][arch 309630]] +- A filter/virtual source shadows the real mic (no). Only a virtual "echo-cancel" or EasyEffects source shows; apps capture nothing, or apps get the raw unfiltered mic instead of the processed one. module-echo-cancel / filter-chain / EasyEffects creates a virtual source with the wrong node.target or default. Fix: fix node.target, or =wpctl set-default <right-id>=. [[https://docs.pipewire.org/page_module_echo_cancel.html][pw echo-cancel]] +- Broken ~/.config/wireplumber override disables the node (no). Internal mic stops defaulting after a config edit; system configs seem ignored. A malformed or disabling user drop-in shadows the system defaults. Fix: remove/repair the drop-in, restart wireplumber. [[https://discussion.fedoraproject.org/t/wireplumber-not-connecting-microphone/63354][fedora 63354]] +- Forced or mismatched sample rate locks the source (no). Mic stuck at 48 kHz, or silent, or apps fail to open it; also seen on USB interfaces that only do 48k. A global =default.clock.rate= / =node.force-rate= pins the graph to a rate the device or app can't negotiate, with no allowed-rates fallback. Fix: set =default.clock.allowed-rates= to a list rather than forcing one, restart pipewire; runtime =pw-metadata -n settings 0 clock.force-rate 0=. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=288932][arch 288932]] + +** Bluetooth + +- Headset stuck in A2DP, no mic input (no). Headphones play great but the mic never appears. A2DP is sink-only, no microphone source. Fix: =pactl set-card-profile <bt-card> headset-head-unit=. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=280718][arch 280718]] +- oFono installed but unconfigured, HFP profile absent (yes, to remove pkg). No HFP/HSP profile listed after moving to PipeWire. oFono grabs the HFP backend but is never configured. Fix: remove oFono (=pacman -R ofono=) or set =bluez5.hfphsp-backend = "native"=, restart pipewire. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=269195][arch 269195]] +- mSBC codec not enabled / unavailable (no). Headset won't offer mSBC; mic is muffled CVSD or missing. mSBC role/codec not enabled in WirePlumber. Fix: set =bluez5.codecs = [ sbc sbc_xq msbc ]= and enable =hfp_hf=, restart wireplumber. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=266252][arch 266252]] +- Auto-switch to headset profile never triggers (no). Open a call app and the mic stays dead; nothing flips to HFP. WirePlumber's autoswitch isn't firing. Fix: confirm autoswitch is on, or switch manually with set-card-profile. [[https://forum.endeavouros.com/t/my-bluetooth-headphone-mic-not-reconisied-after-switching-to-pipewire/17586][endeavour 17586]] +- Codec negotiation silently drops to baseline (no). Mic works but quality is terrible; preferred codec never applies. Negotiation fails and PipeWire quietly falls back. Fix: pin codec order in a WirePlumber =bluez5.codecs= rule, restart wireplumber. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=300230][arch 300230]] +- Adapter/headset rejects hsp_ag and hfp_ag together (no). Enabling both roles breaks the profile on some headsets (Sony WH-1000XM3). Fix: restrict roles to =hfp_hf=/=hfp_ag= (drop =hsp_ag=), restart wireplumber. [[https://pipewire.pages.freedesktop.org/wireplumber/daemon/configuration/bluetooth.html][wp bluetooth]] +- BT mic invisible to arecord / /proc/asound (no). ALSA tools show no Bluetooth mic, so the user thinks it's undetected. The bluez5 mic is a PipeWire node, not an ALSA card, by design. Fix: list it with =wpctl status=, record with =pw-record=. [[https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/PipeWire][archwiki pipewire]] +- Switching to the mic profile tanks playback quality (no; expected). Music turns to tinny phone-call audio the moment the mic works. HFP shares narrow bandwidth for duplex. Fix: expected tradeoff; switch back to A2DP off-call, or enable mSBC to soften it. [[https://webcodr.io/2024/10/fixing-no-a2dp-with-bluetooth-headsets-on-linux/][webcodr]] + +** USB microphones + +- USB autosuspend powers the mic down while idle (both). Mic works at first, then silent or vanishes after sitting unused. Kernel autosuspend puts the idle device to sleep and it never wakes cleanly. Fix: a udev rule pinning =power/control=on= for the device, or =usbcore.autosuspend=-1=. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=199504][arch 199504]] +- Focusrite Scarlett needs a quirk / device_setup (both). XLR interface enumerates but capture is broken or wrong-channel. The device mis-reports config; snd-usb-audio needs a quirk (or the scarlett2 driver, built-in from 6.7). Fix: =options snd_usb_audio ... device_setup=1= on older kernels, or run kernel >= 6.7. [[https://blog.rtrace.io/posts/fedora-support-focusrite-scarlett/][rtrace scarlett]] +- Intermittent disconnect with URB resets (no). Mic drops mid-use; dmesg shows disconnect and "cannot submit urb". A flaky bus/hub/cable link causing URB failures. Fix: use a direct motherboard port or powered hub, swap the cable. [[https://linux-usb.vger.kernel.narkive.com/MdlWpDZG/cannot-submit-urb-0-error-22-internal-error-followed-by-usb-hung-tasks][linux-usb list]] +- Bus/hub can't supply enough power (no). Interface fails to power up or drops out, often through an unpowered hub. A bus-powered interface exceeds what a USB2 port or passive hub delivers. Fix: powered hub or the interface's PSU; a direct rear port. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=267926][arch 267926]] +- Mic dead after boot until physically replugged (both). USB mic gives no input after cold boot; replug fixes it every time. Ports stay powered through shutdown, so the device never power-cycles to enumerate at boot. Fix: enable ErP / "power off USB on shutdown" in BIOS. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=280206][arch 280206]] +- WirePlumber cached a no-input card profile for the USB device (no). Card present but no capture source appears. WirePlumber remembers a profile with input off, or a corrupt state cache. Fix: =pactl set-card-profile <card> input:...=; if it won't stick, clear =~/.local/state/wireplumber=. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=294444][arch 294444]] + +** Application / browser / portal / sandbox + +- Wayland browser returns an empty mic list to WebRTC (no). Google Meet shows no microphone, no permission prompt (Firefox/Chrome/Zen on Wayland). The WebRTC PipeWire capturer isn't active so enumerateDevices() yields nothing. Fix: launch with =--enable-features=WebRTCPipeWireCapturer --ozone-platform=wayland= (Chromium) or the portal prefs (Firefox). [[https://github.com/zen-browser/desktop/issues/9745][zen 9745]] +- Flatpak app lacks device / pulse permission (no). Discord (Flatpak) can't hear the mic. The sandbox withholds the mic; no =--device= or pulse access. Fix: =flatpak override --user --device=all <app>= (or Flatseal). [[https://lionir.ca/flathub-discord-permissions-explained/][flathub discord]] +- Flatpak app has no audio socket exposed (no). Zoom/Viber Flatpak sees no mic at all. The sandbox lacks the audio socket (=--socket=pulseaudio= / =xdg-run/pipewire-0=). Fix: =flatpak override --user --socket=pulseaudio <app>=. [[https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=456895][mint 456895]] +- Snap audio-record interface not connected, or AppArmor mediation (yes). Mumble/OBS snap gets no mic; or pipewire-pulse breaks on a confined client's connect. The =audio-record= interface is off by default and doesn't auto-connect; the AppArmor/LSM path can block or crash. Fix: =sudo snap connect <snap>:audio-record=, or the pipewire-pulse SystemCallFilter drop-in. [[https://forum.snapcraft.io/t/i-am-unable-to-record-audio-from-several-snaps/18703][snapcraft 18703]] +- xdg-desktop-portal not started under Hyprland (no; relogin). Screen/mic capture silently fails, no portal prompt on Hyprland. The portal needs =graphical-session.target=, which a bare Hyprland exec never raises. Fix: import the environment and raise the session target in the Hyprland startup. [[https://github.com/hyprwm/Hyprland/discussions/10841][hyprland 10841]] +- Permission-store caches a stale "deny" (no). An app was denied once and never re-prompts. The portal permission store persists the earlier "no". Fix: =flatpak permission-reset <app-id>= (or =permission-remove devices microphone=). [[https://man.archlinux.org/man/flatpak-permission-reset.1.en][flatpak permission-reset]] +- Browser per-site mic permission set to Block (no). A site says mic blocked though the OS mic works. Chrome stores a per-origin "Not allowed" rule. Fix: Site settings, reset Microphone to Ask/Allow. [[https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/2693767][chrome mic]] +- An app grabs the mic exclusively, starving others (no). While OBS/Discord runs, other apps get no mic; or arecord reports the device busy. The app opens the node (or raw ALSA hw) in exclusive mode. Fix: point the app at shared pipewire capture instead of the raw device source. [[https://obsproject.com/forum/threads/mic-echos-into-all-outputs-arch-pipewire.150207/][obs 150207]] + +** Hardware / physical / BIOS + +- Hardware mic-mute / privacy kill-switch (physical). All ALSA levels up and unmuted, still no signal. A physical slider or EC-level mute holds capture off below software. Fix: toggle the physical switch; some models need a BIOS re-enable. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=182671][arch 182671]] +- Laptop mic-mute key not honored, e.g. ThinkPad Fn+F4 (no). The LED toggles but the key never mutes/unmutes, and pactl is out of sync. The key maps to F20 and the EC mute isn't wired to the audio stack. Fix: bind keycode 190 (F20) to a pactl source-mute toggle. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=268269][arch 268269]] +- Combo jack keeps the internal mic selected (yes, if model option). Headset plugged in but the internal mic stays active. The shared combo jack doesn't expose "Headset Microphone"; an auto-mute/model quirk. Fix: pick "Headset Microphone" in pavucontrol, or =model=headset-mode= / disable Auto-Mute. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=252594][arch 252594]] +- Jack retasked to the wrong function (both). A mic port never registers a device, or is seen as line-out. A buggy BIOS pin-config assigns the jack the wrong default function. Fix: =hdajackretask=, override the pin to Microphone, install boot override, reboot. [[https://fossies.org/linux/alsa-tools/hdajackretask/README][hdajackretask]] +- TRRS wiring mismatch, CTIA vs OMTP (physical). Audio plays but the headset mic is dead. The headset is wired to the opposite standard (mic/ground swapped). Fix: an OMTP-to-CTIA adapter, or a USB dongle. [[https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=336989][mint 336989]] +- Broken / loose 3.5mm jack (physical). Mic cuts in/out when the cable is flexed, or nothing detected. Bent contacts or a cracked solder joint. Fix: confirm on another device; use a USB dongle if the jack is dead. [[https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=452191][mint 452191]] +- A webcam's built-in mic is a separate USB device (yes, for udev rule). The system switches to low-quality audio from the webcam the user didn't know had a mic. The webcam enumerates as its own USB Audio Class interface. Fix: select the intended mic as default, or blacklist the webcam's audio interface with a udev rule. [[https://www.mjt.me.uk/posts/blacklisting-certain-microphones-linux/][mjt blacklist]] +- BIOS/UEFI disables the internal mic or audio controller (both). No capture device present at all in Linux. A firmware setting turns off the mic or the audio controller. Fix: re-enable it in BIOS setup. [[https://www.dell.com/community/en/conversations/inspiron/bios-setting-to-disable-onboard-microphone/7331179][dell inspiron]] + +** Config / permissions / misc + +- PulseAudio and pipewire-pulse both installed (yes). Mic worked on PulseAudio, took no input after switching; both seem to run. Leftover pulseaudio auto-spawns and grabs the device, fighting pipewire-pulse. Fix: remove pulseaudio, set =autospawn = no=, enable =pipewire-pulse.socket=. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=283345][arch 283345]] +- User lacks realtime privileges / RTKit denied (both). Mic crackles or drops; logs show "could not make thread realtime using RTKit". No polkit session and user not in the realtime group. Fix: =pacman -S realtime-privileges=, add user to =realtime=, re-login. [[https://forum.manjaro.org/t/pulseeffects-cant-get-realtime-priority/42584][manjaro 42584]] +- XDG_RUNTIME_DIR unset in ssh/cron/non-login session (no). Recording works in the desktop terminal but fails from ssh or cron. Non-login sessions skip pam_systemd, so the socket in =/run/user/<uid>= isn't found. Fix: run as the seat user with =XDG_RUNTIME_DIR= set. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=286176][arch 286176]] +- Auto-gain (AGC) pulling the mic level toward zero (no). The mic gets progressively quieter; something keeps lowering the input volume. An app or WirePlumber is allowed to auto-adjust the source gain and only ratchets down. Fix: a WirePlumber access rule blocking the client from changing gain. [[https://www.lumeh.org/wiki/audio/stop-adjusting-my-microphone/][lumeh]] + +** Saturation resample additions (2026-07-10) + +Genuinely-new input root causes from the blind resample, each tagged with the cluster it fits and its remedy class (so this doubles as their triage). Zero forced a new cluster. + +- Mic boost too high, records static/distortion (cluster 3 · AUTO). The inverse of boost-at-zero. Fix: lower Mic Boost. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=211318][arch 211318]] +- App auto-gain zeroes the mic, Zoom/Discord (cluster 7 · GUIDE). The app's own auto-input-adjust drives the level to 0. Fix: disable "automatically adjust microphone volume" / input-sensitivity. [[https://community.zoom.com/t5/Meetings/Zoom-for-Linux-not-working-well-with-newer-distributions/m-p/22805][zoom community]] +- App selects the wrong input, "monitor of output", Teams (cluster 7 · GUIDE). Fix: set the device before launch, avoid the in-call chooser. [[https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/183216/in-ms-teams-for-linux-microphone-stopped-working][ms teams]] +- App requires PulseAudio, fails on bare ALSA, Signal/Webex (cluster 7 · GUIDE). WebRTC won't enumerate devices without the Pulse layer. Fix: install pipewire-pulse. [[https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-Desktop/issues/5099][signal 5099]] +- Browser WebRTC captures one channel only, Jitsi/Firefox (cluster 7 · GUIDE). Firefox-specific channel handling. Fix: Chrome as workaround. [[https://github.com/jitsi/jitsi-meet/issues/16828][jitsi 16828]] +- Mic classified as an output device, Pop COSMIC (cluster 2 · GUIDE). A desktop-environment device-role bug. Fix: none confirmed; tracked upstream. [[https://github.com/pop-os/cosmic-epoch/issues/1368][cosmic 1368]] +- SOF topology-file mismatch, DMIC visible but silent (cluster 1 · PRIV, REBOOT-TAIL). The firmware is present but the wrong .tplg loads. Fix: swap the topology file in firmware-sof. [[https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1772498][rh 1772498]] +- Webcam mic needs a USB init-delay quirk, Logitech C922 (cluster 1 · REBOOT-TAIL). Fix: kernel with USB_QUIRK_DELAY_INIT for the device. [[https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1885259][lp 1885259]] +- USB interface implicit-feedback / clock-source stutter, Behringer UMC (cluster 4 · REBOOT-TAIL). Fix: =implicit_fb= modprobe, or kernel 5.19+. [[https://nandakumar.org/blog/2023/01/upgrade-linux-for-umc202hd.html][nandakumar]] +- USB dual-channel device won't do input and output at once until a profile toggle, Elgato Wave (cluster 4 · AUTO). Fix: toggle the Pro Audio vs Duplex profile. [[https://forum.level1techs.com/t/elgato-wave-3-fails-to-work-as-microphone/221807][level1techs]] +- USB mic not reliably enumerated, a port/controller issue or a PipeWire add-race (cluster 4 · AUTO). Fix: restart PipeWire, or a different port. [[https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/pipewire/-/issues/1534][pw 1534]] +- PipeWire buffer/scheduling failure, source active but no samples (cluster 5 · GUIDE). "port_use_buffers" / "scheduling stopped node" in the log. Fix: unresolved upstream. [[https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/issues/271847][nixpkgs 271847]] +- Sudo-run audio tools corrupt the WirePlumber state (cluster 9 · AUTO). Fix: =rm -r ~/.local/state/wireplumber=; never run audio tools under sudo. [[https://www.kubuntuforums.net/forum/currently-supported-releases/kubuntu-24-04-nitpick-noble-lts/hardware-support-bg/681510-kubuntu-24-04-microphone-volume-at-100-per-cent-on-every-reboot][kubuntu]] +- Audio-group membership blocks per-session access, older udev/ConsoleKit distros (cluster 9 · PRIV). Fix: remove the user from the =audio= group. [[https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Audio/TheAudioGroup][ubuntu audio group]] +- Windows fast-startup wedges audio on a dual-boot (cluster 9 · GUIDE). Fix: disable Windows fast boot, or reload the sof module. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=279824][arch 279824]] +- Dead mic transducer / faulty mic module (cluster 8 · GUIDE). Fix: hardware defect, replaced under warranty. [[https://community.frame.work/t/fedora-41-13th-gen-intel-core-microphone-not-working/64010][framework 64010]] + +* Input triage + +The 58 input failure modes sorted into nine symptom clusters, each owned by a probe the doctor runs (or would run). Every entry carries a remedy class: + +- *AUTO* — user-scope, reversible, runs anywhere and on any machine. The existing Auto/Confirm tiers apply. +- *PRIV* — needs sudo. Runs silently where passwordless sudo exists (every archsetup install), prompts on a CLI with a tty, degrades to Guide only in a GUI with neither. Defaults to Confirm/Arm, never silent Auto. +- *REBOOT-TAIL* — the applicable part runs (often PRIV), then the doctor instructs the reboot it cannot complete or verify past. +- *GUIDE* — nothing to run: a physical action, a BIOS setting, an app-permission the doctor can't grant, or a wait-for-upstream fix. Diagnose and print the instruction. + +Rough distribution: ~26 AUTO, ~6 PRIV, ~6 REBOOT-TAIL, ~20 GUIDE (a handful are AUTO now plus PRIV to persist). The buildable share (AUTO plus the runnable part of PRIV/REBOOT-TAIL) is a little over half. Triage is a proposal — correct the class on any line. + +** Cluster 1 — no capture device at all +Probe: kernel =/proc/asound= plus the unit tier. New work: dmesg-pattern hints would let the doctor name the specific cause (firmware-load-fail, NHLT-missing) rather than a generic "no hardware". + +- Missing SOF firmware :: REBOOT-TAIL — install =sof-firmware= (PRIV), reboot to finish, verify after. +- Stale dmic_detect / dsp_driver modprobe override :: REBOOT-TAIL — remove the override, rebuild initramfs (PRIV), reboot. +- Missing codec model / ADC quirk :: REBOOT-TAIL — the =model=...= modprobe workaround (PRIV) plus reboot; GUIDE the real kernel-quirk fix. +- Kernel regression broke the mic :: GUIDE — boot the previous kernel or install linux-lts; the doctor can't choose your boot kernel. +- AMD ACP6x DMIC DMI quirk :: GUIDE — needs a newer kernel carrying the board quirk; nothing to run. +- Missing NHLT ACPI table :: GUIDE — flash firmware that supplies NHLT; out of reach. +- New AMD ACP7.0 unsupported :: GUIDE — wait for the kernel plus UCM support. +- Focusrite Scarlett needs a quirk :: REBOOT-TAIL — =device_setup= modprobe (PRIV) plus reboot on old kernels; GUIDE "run kernel >= 6.7" otherwise. + +** Cluster 2 — device present but records silence +Probe: semantic tier (source mute, volume, pin, default). This is the input mirror of the output side's silenced and stale-default rules. + +- Wrong card profile, no input route :: AUTO — =set-card-profile= to a duplex/input profile. +- Capture / Internal Mic switch muted :: AUTO — unmute via wpctl/pactl (and the ALSA capture switch via amixer). +- Input Source enum on the wrong pin :: AUTO — set Input Source to the connected pin. +- alsactl restores a muted capture at boot :: AUTO + PRIV — unmute now (AUTO); persist with =sudo alsactl store= (PRIV). +- Auto-Mute Mode disabling capture :: AUTO — set Auto-Mute Disabled. +- Wrong default capture in .asoundrc :: AUTO — set the right default source (the PipeWire-era fix, not the legacy file). +- Default source is a monitor / wrong device :: AUTO — =set-default= to the real mic, pin it. +- Capture source muted on startup (stale WP state) :: AUTO — unmute; clear the stale WirePlumber state. +- Filter / virtual source shadows the real mic :: AUTO — =set-default= to the real source, or fix node.target. + +** Cluster 3 — works but too quiet +Probe: semantic volume/gain. + +- Internal Mic Boost at zero :: AUTO — raise Mic Boost. +- Auto-gain (AGC) pulling the level to zero :: AUTO — a WirePlumber rule blocking the client from changing gain. + +** Cluster 4 — works then dies or drops out +Probe: node state over time / suspend. New work: a re-probe-after-idle check to catch the suspend cases. + +- Node suspended, never resumes :: AUTO — =session.suspend-timeout-seconds = 0= drop-in plus restart. +- Forced or mismatched sample rate :: AUTO — =allowed-rates= config plus restart. +- USB autosuspend powers the mic down :: PRIV — a udev =power/control=on= rule (or =usbcore.autosuspend=-1=, REBOOT-TAIL). +- Intermittent USB disconnect (URB resets) :: GUIDE — swap the cable or use a direct port; physical. +- USB bus/hub can't supply power :: GUIDE — a powered hub or the interface PSU; physical. +- Mic dead after boot until replug :: GUIDE — enable ErP in BIOS so the port power-cycles; physical/BIOS. + +** Cluster 5 — the sound server lost a device the hardware has +Probe: kernel-vs-graph (the mic-unrecognized rule) plus WirePlumber liveness. This is where the spec's coarse set-emptiness rule lives. + +- ACP vs UCM detection mismatch :: AUTO — set =use-acp=/=use-ucm= plus restart wireplumber. +- Missing UCM capture profile :: AUTO — fall back to ACP; GUIDE the UCM patch/install. +- WirePlumber fails to start on old config :: AUTO — remove the user drop-in plus restart (PRIV if the file is under =/etc=). +- pipewire-pulse dead or wrong socket :: AUTO — restart the user services; check XDG_RUNTIME_DIR. +- Broken ~/.config/wireplumber override :: AUTO — remove/repair the drop-in plus restart. +- WirePlumber cached a no-input profile (USB) :: AUTO — =set-card-profile input:...=; clear stale state if it won't stick. + +** Cluster 6 — Bluetooth mic +Probe: bluez card profile plus codec. Needs the graph-first gate from the review so a BT mic never reads as no-mic-hardware. + +- Headset stuck in A2DP, no mic :: AUTO — =set-card-profile headset-head-unit=. +- oFono installed but unconfigured :: PRIV — remove oFono (or set the native backend in config, AUTO). +- mSBC codec not enabled :: AUTO — codecs config plus restart wireplumber. +- Auto-switch to headset profile never triggers :: AUTO — set-card-profile / autoswitch config. +- Codec negotiation drops to baseline :: AUTO — pin codec order. +- Adapter rejects hsp_ag plus hfp_ag together :: AUTO — restrict roles in config. +- BT mic invisible to arecord :: GUIDE — not a fault; it's a PipeWire node. The graph-first gate prevents a false no-mic-hardware here. +- Switching to the mic profile tanks playback :: GUIDE — expected A2DP/HFP tradeoff. + +** Cluster 7 — stack healthy, an app can't hear me +Probe: none in-stack. This is the tail on a healthy verdict: name the likely app/portal cause and print the fix. The Chrome incident lives here. + +- Wayland browser returns an empty mic list :: GUIDE — the WebRTC/PipeWire launch flags or browser prefs. +- Flatpak app lacks device permission :: GUIDE — print =flatpak override --user --device=all <app>=. +- Flatpak app has no audio socket :: GUIDE — print =flatpak override --user --socket=pulseaudio <app>=. +- Snap audio-record interface not connected :: GUIDE — print =sudo snap connect <snap>:audio-record=. +- xdg-desktop-portal not started under Hyprland :: GUIDE — fix the Hyprland startup env / session target. +- Permission-store cached a deny :: GUIDE — print =flatpak permission-reset <app>=. +- Browser per-site mic block :: GUIDE — the browser's site settings. +- An app grabs the mic exclusively :: GUIDE — change the app to shared capture. + +** Cluster 8 — hardware / physical +Probe: kernel tier plus a signature test (issue an unmute, re-probe; a mute that doesn't clear is a hardware switch). + +- Hardware mic-mute / privacy kill-switch :: GUIDE — flip the physical switch; the doctor detects the unmute-doesn't-stick signature. +- Laptop mic-mute key not honored (F20) :: GUIDE — bind the key to a pactl toggle (a config change). +- Combo jack keeps the internal mic selected :: AUTO + PRIV — select Headset Mic (AUTO); the =model== option to persist (PRIV, reboot). +- Jack retasked to the wrong function :: REBOOT-TAIL — hdajackretask override plus install plus reboot. +- TRRS wiring mismatch (CTIA/OMTP) :: GUIDE — a wiring adapter; physical. +- Broken / loose 3.5mm jack :: GUIDE — physical/hardware. +- Webcam's built-in mic is a separate device :: AUTO + PRIV — =set-default= away from the webcam (AUTO); a udev blacklist to persist (PRIV). +- BIOS/UEFI disables the internal mic :: GUIDE — re-enable it in BIOS; physical/firmware. + +** Cluster 9 — environment / config +Probe: process plus environment checks (a leftover pulseaudio process, XDG_RUNTIME_DIR, group membership). + +- PulseAudio and pipewire-pulse both installed :: PRIV — remove pulseaudio, set =autospawn = no=. +- User lacks realtime privileges / RTKit :: PRIV — =limits.d= plus the realtime group (relogin/reboot). +- XDG_RUNTIME_DIR unset in ssh/cron :: GUIDE — set it in the non-login context; environment-specific. + +* Output (speakers / headphones) failure modes + +Built 2026-07-10 from a parallel sweep across eight output-specific layers (kernel/driver/firmware, ALSA mixer/pin, PipeWire routing, Bluetooth, HDMI/DisplayPort, USB DAC + hardware/BIOS, app/browser, and audio quality: crackle/xrun/latency). 64 raw entries deduped to 59 distinct root causes. Same fields and =sudo/reboot= triage signal as the input section. + +** Kernel / driver / firmware + +- SOF DSP firmware not installed (both). Fresh install shows only "Dummy Output"; nothing in =/proc/asound/cards=; dmesg "failed to load DSP firmware". The Intel DSP needs Sound Open Firmware to boot. Fix: =pacman -S sof-firmware=, reboot. [[https://github.com/basecamp/omarchy/issues/6110][omarchy 6110]] +- Cirrus CS35L41 smart amp, missing ACPI _DSD (both). Card present, speakers dead on 2023 ASUS/HP; dmesg "ACPI _DSD Properties are missing for HID CSC3551". BIOS omits the props the =cs35l41-hda= driver needs, and the amp firmware is required. Fix: install =firmware-cirrus=, apply the _DSD override, or kernel >= 6.9 / BIOS update. [[https://asus-linux.org/guides/cirrus-amps/][asus-linux cirrus]] +- TI TAS2781 smart amp, driver/firmware absent (both). Lenovo Legion speakers silent; "Direct firmware load for TIAS2781RCA2.bin failed". The =SND_HDA_SCODEC_TAS2781= driver isn't built and the RCA firmware is undistributable. Fix: kernel with the option enabled + TI firmware in =/lib/firmware=. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=289379][arch 289379]] +- Wrong HDA model autodetection, speaker dead (both). ALSA works but the internal speaker is silent; only headphone/HDMI plays. =snd_hda_intel= picked the wrong codec model so the speaker pin/amp isn't enabled. Fix: =options snd-hda-intel model=<quirk>= in =/etc/modprobe.d/=. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=1109929][arch 1109929]] +- snd_soc_skl grabs the card, only Dummy Output (both). After a kernel update, sound gone; only "Dummy Output". The SST driver claims the controller and the DMIC probe fails, leaving no playback path. Fix: =options snd-hda-intel dmic_detect=0= + =blacklist snd_soc_skl=. [[https://www.linuxuprising.com/2018/06/fix-no-sound-dummy-output-issue-in.html][linuxuprising]] +- AMD Ryzen HDA codec probe timeout (both). No internal speakers; =/proc/asound= shows only the HDMI codec. The analog codec probe fails ("no codecs initialized") on Renoir/Cezanne. Fix: newer kernel/firmware; =probe_mask=1= / =dmic_detect=0= workaround. [[https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=448906][mint 448906]] +- Kernel regression killed HDA output (both). Speakers worked, went silent after a kernel bump. An HDA/codec regression in the new kernel. Fix: boot the previous kernel or linux-lts until a fix lands. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=278370][arch 278370]] + +** ALSA (mixer, pins, jack, state) + +- Master / PCM channel muted, MM in alsamixer (no). No sound from any output. The mixer channel is left muted. Fix: =amixer sset Master unmute; amixer sset PCM unmute=. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=200955][arch 200955]] +- Auto-Mute Mode silences speakers (no). Speakers muted when headphones are (un)plugged, or stay muted with nothing plugged. The codec's Auto-Mute ties speaker output to jack-sense. Fix: =amixer sset 'Auto-Mute Mode' Disabled=. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=185098][arch 185098]] +- alsactl restores a muted master at boot (yes). Sound works after manual unmute, muted every reboot. alsa-restore replays a muted state, or runs before the card enumerates. Fix: unmute, =sudo alsactl store=; add a delay to alsa-restore if it races. [[https://bugs.archlinux.org/task/35438][arch bug 35438]] +- Front/Surround/Center/LFE channel muted (no). Only some speakers play. Per-channel mixer controls muted by default on multi-channel codecs. Fix: =amixer set Surround/Center/LFE 100% unmute=; verify =speaker-test -c 6=. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=172793][arch 172793]] +- Dead headphone pin needs hdajackretask (both). Speakers work, headphone jack silent and undetected. A BIOS pin-config leaves the headphone pin unconnected. Fix: =hdajackretask=, override the pin to Headphone, install boot override, reboot. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=229296][arch 229296]] +- Phantom jack-sense keeps speakers muted (yes). Speakers stay muted because the codec reports headphones plugged when nothing is. A spurious/stuck jack-detect state. Fix: force re-detect via hdajackretask reconfigure, or disable jack-detect for the speaker path. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=265363][arch 265363]] +- Wrong codec model quirk, no headphone or speaker (both). The auto-parser misdetects the board and picks the wrong pin routing. Fix: =options snd-hda-intel model=<quirk>= in =/etc/modprobe.d/=, reboot. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=252295][arch 252295]] +- Headphone path maps volume to the wrong control (yes). Headphone slider does nothing / headphones silent. The card-profile mixer path sets the Speaker element =volume = off=, breaking routing. Fix: edit =analog-output-headphones.conf=, change =volume = off= to =merge=, restart audio. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=237456][arch 237456]] + +** PipeWire / WirePlumber routing + +- Default sink lands on HDMI instead of speakers (no). Boot with silence; playback goes to HDMI while speakers idle. WirePlumber auto-selects the HDMI node as default. Fix: =wpctl set-default <speaker-id>=. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=309588][arch 309588]] +- Default keeps reverting to the wrong sink (no). set-default holds until reboot, then flips back every session. Each sink's =priority.session= re-picks the wrong default. Fix: set =priority.session= per node in a WirePlumber rule, restart wireplumber. [[https://gist.github.com/DasBen/df9c2f6c18fff54a0ad6d19304915429][dasben gist]] +- Sink suspended on idle, doesn't resume, and pops on start/stop (no). After a few seconds of silence the sink stays suspended; a loud pop/click and a delay when it wakes. =session.suspend-timeout-seconds= parks the node and the codec power-cycles. Fix: drop-in =session.suspend-timeout-seconds = 0=, restart wireplumber. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=264337][arch 264337]] +- WirePlumber fails to start or a stale config jams routing (no; sudo if under /etc). Total silence; wpctl reports no sinks. The service crashes on a bad/incompatible config (user drop-in or a leftover =/etc/wireplumber/wireplumber.conf=). Fix: =journalctl --user -u wireplumber=, remove/move the offending config, restart. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=294649][arch 294649]] +- Corrupted WirePlumber restore state (no). No output after an update; sink present but never usable, or wrong routing persists. A corrupt =~/.local/state/wireplumber/= wedges default-node selection. Fix: =rm -rf ~/.local/state/wireplumber/=, restart pipewire pipewire-pulse wireplumber. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=290825][arch 290825]] +- pipewire-pulse dead, Pulse apps silent (no). Some apps play, but pactl/Pulse clients fail "Connection refused". The pipewire-pulse socket/service isn't running. Fix: =systemctl --user enable --now pipewire-pulse.socket pipewire-pulse.service=. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=281062][arch 281062]] +- Sink present but silent until a mute/unmute toggle (no). Correct default, un-suspended, but no sound until volume is touched or mute toggled. WirePlumber restores a muted / 0-volume state, or the node never opens until a mute change forces activation. Fix: =wpctl set-mute @DEFAULT_AUDIO_SINK@ 0= and =set-volume ... 1.0=. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=300427][arch 300427]] + +** Bluetooth output + +- A2DP Sink profile deselects itself / unavailable (yes). A2DP switches back off when picked; only HSP/HFP shows. Stale pairing state in =/var/lib/bluetooth= from a PulseAudio-era config confuses bluez negotiation. Fix: stop bluetooth, remove/rename =/var/lib/bluetooth=, restart, re-pair. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=280717][arch 280717]] +- LDAC/aptX never negotiates, falls to SBC (no). Headphones connect but sound bad, stuck on SBC. Decoder libs absent, or =bluez5.codecs= order drops to baseline. Fix: install the codec packages, set =bluez5.codecs = [ ldac aptx_hd aptx aac sbc ]=, re-pair. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=290413][arch 290413]] +- Playback drops to HSP/HFP mid-song (no). Music goes mono/tinny when an app opens the mic. WirePlumber autoswitch-to-headset-profile fires on any input stream. Fix: =wpctl settings --save bluetooth.autoswitch-to-headset-profile false=; force =a2dp-sink=. [[https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Bluetooth_headset][archwiki bt]] +- BT sink not made default on connect (no). Headphones connect but audio keeps playing from laptop speakers. No switch-on-connect; the new sink's priority doesn't beat the built-in. Fix: =wpctl set-default <bt-sink-id>=, or a priority.session rule, or module-switch-on-connect. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=304269][arch 304269]] +- Silent sink after suspend/resume despite reconnect (no). After waking, headphones reconnect but running apps play no sound. The stream isn't re-initialized on the resumed sink; a seat-monitoring race. Fix: =monitor.bluez.seat-monitoring = disabled= drop-in; workaround =systemctl --user restart wireplumber pipewire=. [[https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?p=2781321][mint 2781321]] +- Volume slider does nothing, absolute-volume conflict (no). OS volume has no effect on the headphones. PipeWire's absolute-volume passthrough hands volume to the device. Fix: =bluez5.enable-hw-volume = false= in a WirePlumber rule to restore software volume. [[https://wiki.debian.org/BluetoothUser/a2dp][debian a2dp]] +- Adapter/dongle never exposes an audio sink (both). Dongle pairs but no A2DP sink; dmesg shows a firmware load failure. Controller firmware missing/outdated (e.g. MediaTek MT7921). Fix: install/update linux-firmware, reload btusb or reboot. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=296026][arch 296026]] + +** HDMI / DisplayPort + +- GPU HDMI codec never initializes (both). No HDMI sink appears; aplay shows no HDMI device. The DSP/legacy driver-path selection is wrong so the HDMI codec is skipped. Fix: =options snd_intel_dspcfg dsp_driver=3=, rebuild initramfs. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=290824][arch 290824]] +- NVIDIA GPU audio removed by a runtime-PM udev rule (both). The NVIDIA HDMI card is missing or "inactive," only profile "off". An old NVIDIA runtime-PM udev rule powers down the audio function. Fix: comment out the audio-removal lines in the udev rule, reload/reboot. [[https://forums.developer.nvidia.com/t/no-audio-over-hdmi-linux-only/236341][nvidia 236341]] +- NVIDIA HDMI audio needs DRM modesetting (both). Video works over HDMI, no audio sink. Without nvidia-drm modeset the HDMI audio function isn't exposed. Fix: =options nvidia_drm modeset=1=, rebuild initramfs. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=264504][arch 264504]] +- HDMI audio dies after suspend/resume, codec state (yes). Sound before suspend, silent after; dmesg "spurious response". The HD-Audio codec state isn't restored across resume. Fix: =sudo alsa force-reload= after resume, or =alsactl store=/=restore=. [[https://forums.developer.nvidia.com/t/nvidia-hdmi-audio-errors-after-resume-snd-hda-intel-spurious-response-last-cmd/149003][nvidia 149003]] +- Empty ELD after resume marks the port disconnected (yes). HDMI port shows unavailable post-resume; WirePlumber logs "ELD info empty". A kernel regression fails to re-read the ELD on resume. Fix: boot linux-lts until fixed; replug the cable to force an ELD re-read. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=306343][arch 306343]] +- Wrong monitor is the audio sink, multi-monitor (no). Two displays on one GPU; audio goes to the wrong one. Only one HDMI/DP profile is active and the default picks the wrong port. Fix: =pactl set-card-profile <card> output:hdmi-stereo-extraN= for the right port. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=295404][arch 295404]] +- HDMI sink present but silent until daemon restart (no). HDMI profile selectable but no sound until PipeWire restarts. WirePlumber didn't pick up the sink on hotplug. Fix: =systemctl --user restart pipewire pipewire-pulse wireplumber=. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=280352][arch 280352]] +- HDMI sample-rate mismatch, display rejects the stream (no). HDMI audio crackles or drops on some content; the TV/monitor rejects non-48k rates. PipeWire negotiates a rate the display's ELD doesn't accept. Fix: pin the rate, =pw-metadata -n settings 0 clock.force-rate 48000= or set allowed-rates. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=288932][arch 288932]] + +** USB DAC and hardware / BIOS + +- USB autosuspend powers the DAC down when idle (both). DAC plays, then silent after inactivity; sometimes needs a replug. The kernel autosuspends the port and severs the stream. Fix: =usbcore.autosuspend=-1=, or a udev rule setting =power/control=on=, or a silent keep-alive stream. [[https://destinmoulton.com/notes/howto/linux-usb-audio-keep-alive-service/][destinmoulton]] +- USB DAC not auto-selected as default output (no). Sound keeps coming from onboard after the DAC is plugged in. WirePlumber gives the DAC an equal/lower node priority. Fix: a WirePlumber rule raising =priority.session=/=priority.driver= for the device, restart wireplumber. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=290341][arch 290341]] +- Kernel USB-audio regression, DAC has only an "Off" profile (both). After an upgrade the DAC (MOTU M4) enumerates but the only profile is "Off". A snd-usb-audio regression breaks stream setup for some devices. Fix: boot linux-lts or wait for the fixed kernel; downgrade as a stopgap. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=279889][arch 279889]] +- DAC needs an implicit-feedback quirk to sync (both). Playback stutters or drops to silence and won't recover; the device has no explicit feedback endpoint. snd-usb-audio doesn't apply generic implicit-feedback sync. Fix: =options snd_usb_audio implicit_fb=1= (or the per-device quirk_flags bit) in =/etc/modprobe.d/=. [[https://lkml.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/2206.0/08494.html][lkml usb-audio]] +- Headphone jack not detected, speakers keep playing (both). Plugging headphones doesn't mute the speakers; no auto-switch on insert. The HDA auto-parser picks the wrong model so jack events aren't wired to the switch. Fix: =options snd-hda-intel model=<board>= in =/etc/modprobe.d/=, reboot. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=265363][arch 265363]] +- Front-panel headphone jack not wired by BIOS pin config (both). The front jack produces nothing and never appears; rear jacks work. The BIOS marks that codec pin "not connected". Fix: =hdajackretask= override the pin to Headphone/Line-out, install the boot override, reboot. [[https://github.com/alsa-project/alsa-tools/blob/master/hdajackretask/README][hdajackretask]] +- BIOS-disabled onboard audio, or a GPU HDA controller hides it (both). No card detected (empty =aplay -l=), or only the GPU/HDMI device appears. Onboard audio is disabled in BIOS, or the GPU's HDA controller takes over ordering. Fix: re-enable onboard audio in BIOS; =options snd-hda-intel enable=1,0= to disable the GPU's audio function. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=221296][arch 221296]] + +** Application / browser / sandbox + +- Flatpak app has no PulseAudio socket (no). A Flatpak app is silent while native apps play. The manifest was built without =--socket=pulseaudio=. Fix: =flatpak override --user --socket=pulseaudio <app>=. [[https://github.com/flatpak/flatpak/issues/878][flatpak 878]] +- Flatpak silent on a PipeWire-only system (no). App with pulse permission still has no sound on pure PipeWire. Flatpak has no native PipeWire socket permission. Fix: =flatpak override --user --filesystem=xdg-run/pipewire-0 <app>=. [[https://github.com/flathub/com.valvesoftware.Steam/issues/1451][flathub steam 1451]] +- Snap app can't play, audio-playback interface unconnected (no). A snap (often =--dangerous=) produces no sound. Locally-installed snaps skip the auto-connect assertion. Fix: =snap connect <snap>:audio-playback=. [[https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1685284][mozilla 1685284]] +- Browser per-tab mute zeroes the app stream (no). Firefox/Chrome plays nothing; the app stream shows muted, device fine. A tab was muted, muting the per-stream sink-input. Fix: Unmute Tab, or un-mute the app's stream in pavucontrol. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=275694][arch 275694]] +- Wine/Proton game silent, wrong audio driver (no; sudo for 32-bit libs). A Wine/Proton game has no output. The Wine driver is set wrong, or 32-bit audio libs are missing. Fix: winecfg output device to System default; install =lib32-libpulse= / =lib32-pipewire=. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=135032][arch 135032]] +- App hard-coded to raw hw:0, device busy (no). MPD/shairport errors "Device or resource busy" and stays silent, blocking others. The app points at raw =hw:0=, grabbing the card exclusively. Fix: change the app's device to =default= or =plughw=; =fuser -v /dev/snd/*= to find the holder. [[https://community.volumio.com/t/fix-mpd-failed-to-open-alsa-device-hw-0-0-device-busy/686][volumio mpd]] +- Chromium doesn't follow the default-sink change (no). After switching the default output, Chrome keeps playing to the old sink. Chromium latches its stream to the start-time sink. Fix: reassign the Chromium stream in pavucontrol; PipeWire remembers it. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=116888][arch 116888]] +- Electron app routed to the wrong sink (no). Discord is silent while YouTube works; its stream went elsewhere. Electron apps share a generic stream name so a prior routing rule misdirects it. Fix: move the app's stream to the right sink in pavucontrol while it plays. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=277447][arch 277447]] + +** Audio quality (crackle, xruns, latency) + +- Quantum drops too low under load (no). Crackling/popping that worsens under CPU load. PipeWire's dynamic quantum negotiates a buffer that underruns the sink. Fix: =default.clock.min-quantum = 1024= (raise as needed) in a pipewire.conf.d drop-in, restart pipewire. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=303024][arch 303024]] +- Realtime scheduling denied, RTKit (yes). Xruns/dropouts uncorrelated with CPU load; the audio thread misses deadlines. PipeWire can't get SCHED_FIFO (RTKit unavailable or capped). Fix: rtkit-daemon running, user in =realtime=, =/etc/security/limits.d/= granting rtprio + memlock; re-login. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=283334][arch 283334]] +- Timer-based scheduling on a fussy USB DAC (no). Periodic crackle on a USB interface. tsched mis-estimates the batch USB device's buffer position. Fix: a WirePlumber ALSA rule with =api.alsa.disable-tsched = true= and a modest headroom, or the Pro Audio profile. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=284888][arch 284888]] +- Forced global sample rate causes resample artifacts (no). Distortion on 44.1k content, or a stream stuck upsampling; also seen on USB DACs that only accept a limited rate set. A hard =default.clock.rate= forces everything through the resampler. Fix: set =default.clock.allowed-rates= to a list so the device follows the source, restart pipewire. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=288932][arch 288932]] +- Small quantum fine for music, too tight for browser/games (no). Audio crackles only in Chrome/Firefox or games, clean elsewhere. The heavy client can't keep the small global quantum fed. Fix: launch with =PIPEWIRE_LATENCY=2048/48000=, or a WirePlumber stream rule setting =node.latency= for that app. [[https://forum.endeavouros.com/t/pipewire-guide-audio-crackling-popping-and-latency/69602][endeavour 69602]] +- HDA codec power-save clicks and BT-latency hits (yes). Loud click/pop on first play after idle on internal HDA; also wrecks Bluetooth latency. =snd_hda_intel power_save= cuts codec power and clicks on wake. Fix: =options snd_hda_intel power_save=0 power_save_controller=N= in =/etc/modprobe.d/=. [[https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=186531][mint 186531]] +- Insufficient ALSA headroom on an emulated/quirky device (no). Constant fine crackle from a sink whose hardware pointer PipeWire can't track (VM audio, cheap onboard). The default small =api.alsa.headroom= leaves no slack. Fix: a WirePlumber ALSA rule adding =api.alsa.headroom = 2048=. [[https://pipewire.pages.freedesktop.org/wireplumber/daemon/configuration/alsa.html][wp alsa config]] + +* Output triage + +The 59 output failure modes sorted into nine symptom clusters, same remedy classes as the input triage (AUTO / PRIV / REBOOT-TAIL / GUIDE — see that section's legend). The clusters shift for output: no mic-specific groups, but HDMI/DisplayPort and degraded-audio (crackle/xrun) each earn a dedicated cluster, and speaker-vs-headphone jack routing replaces the input pin cluster. + +Rough distribution: ~24 AUTO, ~8 PRIV, ~11 REBOOT-TAIL, ~16 GUIDE. Output leans more REBOOT-TAIL than input, because its hardware tail (smart-amp firmware, HDA model quirks, hdajackretask, GPU modeset) is heavier. Triage is a proposal — correct the class on any line. + +** Cluster 1 — no sound at all / dummy output +Probe: units + kernel =/proc/asound= + =dsp_driver=. The output mirror of input cluster 1. + +- SOF DSP firmware not installed :: REBOOT-TAIL — install =sof-firmware= (PRIV), reboot. +- Cirrus CS35L41 smart amp, missing _DSD :: REBOOT-TAIL — =firmware-cirrus= + the _DSD override (PRIV), reboot; GUIDE the BIOS-update path. +- TI TAS2781 smart amp absent :: GUIDE — needs a kernel built with the driver + TI firmware; nothing to run on a stock stack. +- Wrong HDA model autodetection :: REBOOT-TAIL — =model== modprobe (PRIV) + reboot. +- snd_soc_skl grabs the card, only Dummy Output :: REBOOT-TAIL — =dmic_detect=0= + blacklist =snd_soc_skl= (PRIV) + reboot. +- AMD Ryzen HDA codec probe timeout :: REBOOT-TAIL — the =probe_mask=/=dmic_detect= workaround (PRIV) + reboot; GUIDE a newer kernel. +- Kernel regression killed HDA output :: GUIDE — boot the previous kernel / linux-lts. +- Kernel USB-audio regression, DAC "Off" profile :: GUIDE — boot linux-lts / wait for the fix. +- BIOS-disabled onboard, or a GPU HDA controller steals ordering :: GUIDE + PRIV — re-enable in BIOS (GUIDE); =enable=1,0= modprobe to demote the GPU's audio (PRIV, reboot). + +** Cluster 2 — sound plays but from the wrong device +Probe: default sink + priority. The output side of routing. + +- Default sink lands on HDMI instead of speakers :: AUTO — =set-default= to the speakers. +- Default keeps reverting to the wrong sink :: AUTO — a =priority.session= rule. +- WirePlumber fails to start / stale config jams routing :: AUTO — remove the drop-in + restart (PRIV if under =/etc=). +- Corrupted WirePlumber restore state :: AUTO — =rm= the state + restart. +- pipewire-pulse dead, Pulse apps silent :: AUTO — restart the user services. +- USB DAC not auto-selected as default :: AUTO — a =priority.session= rule. + +** Cluster 3 — right default but silent (muted or zero) +Probe: semantic sink mute/volume. The output mirror of input cluster 2. + +- Master / PCM channel muted :: AUTO — unmute. +- Auto-Mute Mode silences speakers :: AUTO — disable Auto-Mute. +- alsactl restores a muted master at boot :: AUTO + PRIV — unmute now (AUTO); =sudo alsactl store= to persist (PRIV). +- Front/Surround/Center/LFE channel muted :: AUTO — unmute the channels. +- Sink present but silent until a mute/unmute toggle :: AUTO — =set-mute 0= / =set-volume=. + +** Cluster 4 — speakers work but headphones don't (or the reverse) +Probe: jack-sense + pin config. Mostly hdajackretask/model-quirk territory, so this cluster leans REBOOT-TAIL. + +- Dead headphone pin needs hdajackretask :: REBOOT-TAIL — hdajackretask override + install + reboot. +- Phantom jack-sense keeps speakers muted :: REBOOT-TAIL — hdajackretask reconfigure; GUIDE if it needs a codec quirk. +- Wrong codec model quirk, no headphone or speaker :: REBOOT-TAIL — =model== modprobe + reboot. +- Headphone path maps volume to the wrong control :: PRIV — edit the alsa-card-profile mixer path (a system file), restart audio. +- Headphone jack not detected, speakers keep playing :: REBOOT-TAIL — =model== modprobe + reboot. +- Front-panel headphone jack not wired by BIOS :: REBOOT-TAIL — hdajackretask override + install + reboot. + +** Cluster 5 — works then dies or pops +Probe: node state / suspend + re-probe-after-idle. + +- Sink suspended on idle, pops on start/stop :: AUTO — =session.suspend-timeout-seconds = 0= drop-in + restart. +- USB autosuspend powers the DAC down :: PRIV — a udev =power/control=on= rule (or =usbcore.autosuspend=-1=, REBOOT-TAIL). +- DAC needs an implicit-feedback quirk :: REBOOT-TAIL — =implicit_fb= modprobe (PRIV) + reboot. + +** Cluster 6 — Bluetooth output +Probe: bluez profile + codec. + +- A2DP Sink profile deselects / unavailable :: PRIV — clear =/var/lib/bluetooth= + re-pair (or a config fix, AUTO). +- LDAC/aptX never negotiates, falls to SBC :: PRIV — install the codec packages; AUTO for the codecs config. +- Playback drops to HSP/HFP mid-song :: AUTO — autoswitch off; force =a2dp-sink=. +- BT sink not made default on connect :: AUTO — =set-default=; a switch-on-connect rule. +- Silent sink after suspend/resume :: AUTO — a seat-monitoring drop-in; restart as the workaround. +- Volume slider does nothing (absolute volume) :: AUTO — =enable-hw-volume = false=. +- Adapter never exposes a sink (firmware) :: REBOOT-TAIL — update linux-firmware, reload/reboot. + +** Cluster 7 — HDMI / DisplayPort +Probe: GPU audio codec + ELD. Output-only cluster. + +- GPU HDMI codec never initializes :: REBOOT-TAIL — =dsp_driver= modprobe + initramfs + reboot. +- NVIDIA GPU audio removed by a PM udev rule :: PRIV — edit the udev rule (reload/reboot). +- NVIDIA HDMI audio needs DRM modesetting :: REBOOT-TAIL — =modeset=1= modprobe + initramfs + reboot. +- HDMI audio dies after suspend/resume :: PRIV — =sudo alsa force-reload= (or alsactl store/restore). +- Empty ELD after resume (kernel regression) :: GUIDE — boot linux-lts; replug to force an ELD re-read. +- Wrong monitor is the audio sink :: AUTO — =set-card-profile= to the right hdmi-extra port. +- HDMI sink present but silent until daemon restart :: AUTO — restart the user services. +- HDMI sample-rate mismatch, display rejects :: AUTO — pin the rate. + +** Cluster 8 — degraded audio (crackle, xrun, latency) +Probe: xrun counters (pw-top) + config. Output-only cluster; sound plays but is degraded. + +- Quantum drops too low under load :: AUTO — a =min-quantum= drop-in + restart. +- Realtime scheduling denied (RTKit) :: PRIV — =limits.d= + the realtime group (relogin). +- Timer-based scheduling on a fussy USB DAC :: AUTO — a =disable-tsched= rule. +- Forced global sample rate causes resample artifacts :: AUTO — =allowed-rates= config. +- Small quantum too tight for browser/games :: AUTO — per-app =PIPEWIRE_LATENCY= / a stream rule. +- HDA power-save clicks (and BT-latency hits) :: PRIV — =power_save=0= modprobe. +- Insufficient ALSA headroom :: AUTO — a =headroom= rule. + +** Cluster 9 — stack healthy, an app is silent +Probe: none in-stack; the tail on a healthy verdict. The output mirror of input cluster 7. + +- Flatpak app has no PulseAudio socket :: GUIDE — print =flatpak override --user --socket=pulseaudio <app>=. +- Flatpak silent on a PipeWire-only system :: GUIDE — print =flatpak override --user --filesystem=xdg-run/pipewire-0 <app>=. +- Snap audio-playback interface unconnected :: GUIDE — print =snap connect <snap>:audio-playback=. +- Browser per-tab mute zeroes the stream :: GUIDE — unmute the tab, or the app's stream. +- Wine/Proton game silent, wrong audio driver :: GUIDE — winecfg output device; install the 32-bit audio libs. +- App hard-coded to raw hw:0, device busy :: GUIDE — change the app's device to =default= / =plughw=. +- Chromium doesn't follow the default-sink change :: GUIDE — reassign the stream in pavucontrol. +- Electron app routed to the wrong sink :: GUIDE — move the stream in pavucontrol. + +** Saturation resample additions (2026-07-10) + +Genuinely-new output root causes from the blind resample, each tagged with the cluster it fits and its remedy class. Zero forced a new cluster. + +- App picks the wrong audio backend, Spotify (cluster 9 · GUIDE). The app's built-in backend mis-routes. Fix: force the pulseaudio backend in the launch flags (=--audio-api=pulseaudio=). [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=285730][arch 285730]] +- A PipeWire regression breaks game audio, Proton XAudio2 titles (cluster 9 · GUIDE). Fix: downgrade PipeWire, or update to the fixed release. [[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues/8730][proton 8730]] +- App muted in the desktop per-app mixer, KDE Chrome (cluster 9 · AUTO). The Flatpak permission is fine; the app's stream is muted in the DE volume applet. Fix: unmute the app there. [[https://github.com/flathub/com.google.Chrome/issues/297][chrome 297]] +- App connection stale after an audio-stack update, Firefox (cluster 9 · AUTO). Fix: restart the app or the audio daemon. [[https://forum.endeavouros.com/t/solved-no-audio-in-firefox-from-pipewire-or-pulseaudio-update/26032][endeavour 26032]] +- Output defaults to the wrong digital out, needs alsactl init, Framework 16 (cluster 2 · AUTO). Fix: =alsactl init=, then select the analog output. [[https://community.frame.work/t/solved-framework-16-ai-300-series-ubuntu-24-04-speakers-work-but-not-headphones/81363][framework 81363]] +- WirePlumber disabled in config, no enumeration, NixOS (cluster 2 · AUTO). Fix: enable wireplumber in the config, rebuild. [[https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/issues/402999][nixpkgs 402999]] +- A distro update drops an audio package, openSUSE =wireplumber-audio= (cluster 1 · PRIV). Fix: reinstall and lock the package. [[https://forums.opensuse.org/t/no-output-or-input-devices-after-zypper-dup-only-dummy-output-in-pipewire-on-tumbleweed/185154][opensuse 185154]] +- USB audio module not auto-loaded after a kernel update (cluster 1 · PRIV). Fix: add =snd_usb_audio= to =modules-load.d=. [[https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=443590][mint 443590]] +- Stray =model=generic= modprobe forces the wrong codec (cluster 1 · REBOOT-TAIL). Left by OEM/installer tooling. Fix: delete the leftover =/etc/modprobe.d= line. [[https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/2092728][lp 2092728]] +- SOF driver aborts when the codec is hda_generic, Acer Swift (cluster 1 · REBOOT-TAIL). Fix: kernel 5.8+; =dmic_detect=0= workaround. [[https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1877757][lp 1877757]] +- Cirrus CS35L56 smart-amp firmware not applied, ROG G14 2024 (cluster 1 · REBOOT-TAIL). A newer amp than the CS35L41 already catalogued. Fix: newer kernel + firmware. [[https://www.mail-archive.com/debian-kernel@lists.debian.org/msg139811.html][debian-kernel]] +- Creative CA0132 card needs a kernel quirk, AE-5 Plus (cluster 1 · GUIDE). Reuses an existing PCI id with a different config. Fix: no userspace fix; kernel patch. [[https://forum.manjaro.org/t/soundblaster-creative-ae-5-plus-no-sound/60516][manjaro 60516]] +- ALC4080 enumerates as USB not HDA, front-panel node not exposed (cluster 4 · AUTO). Fix: an explicit ALSA sink in =pipewire.conf= pointing at the FP device. [[https://discussion.fedoraproject.org/t/headphone-audio-not-working-asus-rog-strix-z590-f-alc4080/76380][fedora 76380]] +- GPU HDMI audio KAE regression, Intel Arc DG2 (cluster 7 · GUIDE). Fix: kernel fix disables KAE for DG2; update kernel. [[https://www.phoronix.com/news/Intel-DG2-Audio-Fix-Linux-KAE][phoronix]] +- USB DAC silent at a specific sample rate, FiiO 44.1k (cluster 8 · AUTO). Fix: set =allowed-rates=. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=180561][arch 180561]] +- BIOS firmware bug, crackle or dead speakers fixed by a BIOS update, MSI GF63 (cluster 1 · GUIDE). Broke on Windows too. Fix: flash the vendor BIOS update. [[https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=424474][mint 424474]] +- USB sound device not reliably enumerated after boot, an init race, Creative/Schiit (cluster 5 · GUIDE). Fix: replug; pin the profile. [[https://forum.zorin.com/t/usb-soundcard-creative-sound-blaster-hd-not-always-recognized-after-boot/66177][zorin 66177]] +- Audio-group membership blocks access, older udev/ConsoleKit distros (cluster 9 · PRIV). The same cross-cutting trap the input side hit. Fix: remove the user from the =audio= group. [[https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Audio/TheAudioGroup][ubuntu audio group]] + +* Sources + +Every entry carries its source inline as an org link. Reports span the Arch/Manjaro/EndeavourOS/Fedora/Ubuntu/Mint/openSUSE forums, askubuntu, the PipeWire and WirePlumber docs, ALSA and Flatpak issue trackers, kernel bug trackers, and vendor forums (NVIDIA, Dell). Collected 2026-07-10. diff --git a/docs/design/2026-07-10-net-bt-failure-taxonomy.org b/docs/design/2026-07-10-net-bt-failure-taxonomy.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..74790c6 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/design/2026-07-10-net-bt-failure-taxonomy.org @@ -0,0 +1,434 @@ +#+TITLE: Linux Network and Bluetooth Failure Taxonomy — for the net and bt doctors +#+AUTHOR: Craig Jennings +#+DATE: 2026-07-10 + +* Purpose + +A catalogue of real, user-reported ways Linux networking (WiFi/ethernet/DNS/egress) and Bluetooth fail, grounded in forum and issue-tracker reports. Built to feed the net-panel and bt-panel doctors the same way the audio taxonomy fed the audio doctor: each entry is triaged into a remedy class — AUTO (the doctor applies a user-scope reversible fix), PRIV (needs root; runs where passwordless sudo exists), REBOOT-TAIL (a privileged fix that only takes hold after a reboot), or GUIDE (nothing to run — a physical action, a config decision, or an upstream/venue problem). This mirrors [[file:2026-07-10-audio-failure-taxonomy.org][the audio taxonomy]] and reuses its four-class privilege model. + +The net and bt doctors already exist (=~/.dotfiles= =net/= and =bluetooth/=). This taxonomy grounds their *expansion* — widening the diagnosis space and hardening the verdict/remedy structure — the way the audio input-side spec grew from the audio taxonomy. It fed two DRAFT specs: [[file:../specs/2026-07-11-net-doctor-expansion-spec.org][the net doctor expansion]] and [[file:../specs/2026-07-11-bt-doctor-expansion-spec.org][the bt doctor expansion]]. + +** Method + +Built 2026-07-10 from a blind, by-layer parallel research fan-out — the same first-sweep method as the audio taxonomy. Eleven agents (six network, five bluetooth), each scoped to one layer and blind to any cluster structure, drew real failure reports from Arch BBS/wiki, kernel bugzilla/launchpad/gitlab, distro forums, and upstream issue trackers, weighted toward 2023-2026 and the Arch / NetworkManager / systemd-resolved / bluez stack. Each entry names the layer, the user-reported symptom, the root cause, the known fix (with the concrete command where one exists), the privilege/reboot signal, and a source. + +The =(privilege signal)= after each title is the first triage cue: =no= = user-scope, no reboot; =yes= = needs root; =both= = root AND a reboot; =physical= = a hardware/physical/BIOS action. A =no= is an AUTO candidate; =both= or =physical= can only ever be REBOOT-TAIL or GUIDE. + +A saturation resample (the audio taxonomy's blind-different-axis check) is a later pass, noted at the end. + +* Network failure modes + +Six layers, mirroring the net doctor's probe ladder (link → IP/DHCP → gateway/route → DNS → egress) plus the NetworkManager control plane that sits beside all of them. ~98 raw entries from the sweep; the obvious cross-layer duplicates (VPN route capture, PMTUD blackhole, broken-IPv6/happy-eyeballs, unmanaged device, dhcpcd-vs-NM, wifi powersave, connectivity-check false negative, MAC randomization, iwd/wpa_supplicant backend) are merged inline and cross-noted, leaving ~74 distinct root causes. + +** Link / radio / driver / firmware / rfkill + +- Missing iwlwifi firmware for a very recent Intel card (both). No wifi interface in =ip link=; dmesg "Direct firmware load for iwlwifi-… failed with error -2". The installed linux-firmware predates the card's blob. Fix: update/install linux-firmware (or linux-firmware-git), reboot. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=193570][arch 193570]] +- iwlwifi firmware-load regression after a kernel update (both). Wifi vanished right after an upgrade; dmesg shows iwlwifi failing to load firmware it loaded before. A kernel-side change broke firmware negotiation for that module. Fix: boot linux-lts or update to the fixed kernel, reboot. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=304848][arch 304848]] +- Realtek rtw89 in-tree module shadowed by an AUR DKMS driver (both). RTL8852BE wifi disappeared after an update; two conflicting modules present. A stale 8852be/rtw89-dkms-git overrides the in-tree rtw89_8852be. Fix: remove the AUR DKMS package, ensure linux-firmware is current, reboot. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=286109][arch 286109]] +- MediaTek mt7921e broken by a linux-firmware update (both). Wifi worked, then a pacman upgrade killed it; firmware load timeout / "hardware init failed" for WIFI_RAM_CODE_MT7961. A regression in the packaged blob fails to init the chip. Fix: downgrade/pin linux-firmware-mediatek to the last-good version, reboot. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=308360][arch 308360]] +- Broadcom BCM4360 needs the proprietary wl driver (both). "No wifi adapter"; lspci shows BCM4360 but no wlan interface. The open brcm/b43/bcma drivers claim it but can't drive it. Fix: install broadcom-wl-dkms, blacklist b43/bcma/brcmsmac/brcmfmac/ssb, rebuild initramfs, reboot. [[https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Broadcom_wireless][archwiki broadcom]] +- broadcom-wl (non-DKMS) breaks after a kernel upgrade (both). Wifi gone after a kernel bump; wl won't load against the new kernel. The prebuilt module isn't rebuilt automatically. Fix: switch to broadcom-wl-dkms, reboot. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=305252][arch 305252]] +- USB wifi dongle needs an out-of-tree DKMS driver (both). An RTL8811AU/8812AU/8821AU dongle enumerates in lsusb but no wlan interface appears. No in-tree driver binds it. Fix: install the matching DKMS package with kernel headers, reboot. [[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/rtl8812au-dkms-git][aur rtl8812au]] +- Wifi soft-blocked by rfkill (no). =rfkill list= reports "Soft blocked: yes"; the radio is off. Software (a prior toggle, a hotkey, NM state) set the soft block. Fix: =rfkill unblock wifi= (or =nmcli radio wifi on=). [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=236715][arch 236715]] +- Wifi hard-blocked by a physical switch / airplane / BIOS (physical). "Hard blocked: yes"; no software clears it. A kill-switch, Fn toggle, or BIOS setting physically disables the radio. Fix: flip the physical/Fn switch or enable the radio in BIOS. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=207376][arch 207376]] +- rfkill stuck hard-blocked after suspend from competing WMI modules (both). Wifi comes back hard-blocked after resume and unblock won't clear it. Two vendor WMI modules (acer_wmi + hp_wmi) both claim the switch and wedge it. Fix: blacklist the wrong WMI module, rebuild initramfs, reboot. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=236657][arch 236657]] +- iwlwifi crashloops on resume, needs a module reload (yes). Wifi dead after suspend; dmesg shows microcode errors / firmware crashloop until the driver reloads. Firmware state isn't restored across resume. Fix: =modprobe -r iwlmvm iwlwifi && modprobe iwlwifi= (or a system-sleep hook). [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=293404][arch 293404]] +- ath11k (QCA6390/QCNFA765) firmware crash, dead until reload (yes). Wifi drops after resume or at random; dmesg "ath11k_pci … firmware crashed: MHI_CB_SYS_ERROR". The card's firmware faults and doesn't recover. Fix: =modprobe -r ath11k_pci && modprobe ath11k_pci=. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=310363][arch 310363]] +- WiFi powersave drops the connection (yes; merges the auth-layer and NM-layer duplicates). Wifi connects then stalls/disconnects, worse on battery. Aggressive power management (driver =power_save= and/or NM =wifi.powersave=3=) breaks association with some APs. Fix: =iw dev wlan0 set power_save off= now; persist via NM =[connection] wifi.powersave=2= drop-in and/or =options iwlwifi power_save=0= in modprobe.d. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=171342][arch 171342]] +- USB wifi dongle killed by USB autosuspend (yes). A working dongle drops out after idle and returns on replug; =power/control= reads "auto". Autosuspend powers the device down mid-use. Fix: a udev rule pinning =power/control=on= (or disable USB autosuspend in TLP). [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=184823][arch 184823]] +- RTL8125 ethernet flips from r8125 to in-tree r8169 after a kernel update (both). Wired network dies after an upgrade; the NIC binds r8169 and shows NO-CARRIER. A kernel update overrode the AUR r8125 module. Fix: blacklist r8169, install/force r8125-dkms, reboot. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=262120][arch 262120]] +- RTL8125 link downshifts / won't negotiate full speed (yes). The 2.5GbE NIC links but only at 1Gbps/100Mbps; ethtool shows the reduced speed. EEE / Giga-Lite negotiation downshifts the PHY. Fix: =ethtool --set-eee <if> eee off= (or force speed via =ethtool -s=), or swap cable/port. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=264742][arch 264742]] +- Ethernet NO-CARRIER from an unplugged/faulty cable or dead switch port (physical). Interface UP but NO-CARRIER, no IP ever assigned. No link partner: cable unseated/broken or switch port down. Fix: reseat/replace the cable, try another port — no software repair until carrier returns. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=268745][arch 268745]] +- Adapter present but left "unmanaged" by NetworkManager (no/yes; merges the NM-layer duplicate). =nmcli device= lists the device "unmanaged". Another daemon (iwd, systemd-networkd) owns it, or an =unmanaged-devices= rule / =NM_MANAGED=no= excludes it. Fix: =nmcli device set <dev> managed yes= (AUTO); remove the config rule or disable the rival manager to persist (PRIV). [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=291445][arch 291445]] + +** WiFi association / authentication + +- Wrong PSK, NM state 120 / secrets required (no; TERMINAL). "Secrets were required, but not provided"; journal "4-Way Handshake failed — pre-shared key may be incorrect". NM stored the wrong key — no repair fixes it; the user must re-enter. Fix: =nmcli con modify <name> wifi-sec.psk <key>= or re-enter in the picker. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=306757][arch 306757]] +- Pure WPA3-SAE won't associate (no). "No PSK available for association" / "SME: Failed to set WPA key management" on a WPA3-only AP. The profile defaults to WPA-PSK key-mgmt with no PMF, which a pure-SAE AP rejects. Fix: =nmcli con modify <name> wifi-sec.key-mgmt sae 802-11-wireless-security.pmf 3=. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=256573][arch 256573]] +- PMF mismatch on a WPA2/WPA3 transition AP (no). SAE assoc rejected on mixed-mode; connects to WPA2 but not the SAE path. Transition mode requires PMF-capable and rejects SAE when 802.11w isn't negotiated. Fix: match the AP's PMF — =nmcli con modify <name> 802-11-wireless-security.pmf 2=. [[https://hostap.shmoo.narkive.com/38Iowl2x/ieee-802-11w-support-in-wpa-supplicant-management-frame-protection-required-but-client-did-not][hostap 802.11w]] +- SAE H2E-only AP vs hunt-and-peck client (yes). WPA3 assoc fails "unspecified failure" on a Hash-to-Element-only AP. wpa_supplicant defaults to hunt-and-peck; the PWE method mismatches. Fix: =sae_pwe=2= in wpa_supplicant global config. [[https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Wpa_supplicant][archwiki wpa_supplicant]] +- eduroam PEAP cert validation failed (no). "Certificate verification failed"; EAP drops. Missing/wrong CA cert, or NM ignoring system CA certs. Fix: set the correct CA cert / server-name in 802-1x (temporarily =system-ca-certs=false= to test). [[https://debianforum.de/forum/viewtopic.php?t=169560][debianforum 169560]] +- iwd eduroam bad_certificate (no). iwd refuses eduroam "bad_certificate" though it works elsewhere. iwd's EAP needs the server CA cert and a matching domain. Fix: add =EAP-PEAP-CACert=<ca.pem>= (and Domain/ServerDomainMask) to the iwd profile. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=291921][arch 291921]] +- 802.1X won't save/verify the CA cert (no). Enterprise wifi only connects with "No CA certificate required" ticked. NM wants a PEM (not DER) bundle and mishandles the ca-cert setting. Fix: =nmcli con modify <name> 802-1x.ca-cert /etc/ssl/certs/ca-certificates.crt=. [[https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1455833][redhat 1455833]] +- Wrong eduroam anonymous/outer identity (no). Auth rejected at the RADIUS server. The outer identity has the wrong realm, or the anonymous ID is reused as the inner identity. Fix: set =anonymous_identity="anonymous@realm"= and =identity="user@realm"= to the home realm. [[https://community.jisc.ac.uk/library/network-and-technology-service-docs/2021-04-advisory-android-11-configuration-issues][jisc eduroam]] +- Hidden SSID never connects (no). A saved non-broadcast SSID doesn't auto-connect; "No network with SSID found". NM won't send a directed probe unless the profile is flagged hidden. Fix: =nmcli con modify <name> wifi.hidden yes=. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=39839][arch 39839]] +- Randomized MAC breaks captive portal / MAC allow-list (no; merges the NM-layer duplicate). Connects but the portal re-prompts every time, or a MAC-filtered router refuses the device. Per-connection random MAC changes each connect. Fix: =nmcli con modify <name> wifi.cloned-mac-address stable= (or =permanent=). [[https://fedoramagazine.org/randomize-mac-address-nm/][fedora NM MAC]] +- scan-rand-mac-address breaks scan/assoc on some drivers (yes). After an NM upgrade no networks appear, or assoc fails "Authentication timeout" (ath9k/ath9k_htc, some Realtek/Atheros). The driver can't handle the randomized scan MAC. Fix: =[device] wifi.scan-rand-mac-address=no= drop-in. [[https://github.com/qca/open-ath9k-htc-firmware/issues/132][qca ath9k-htc 132]] +- Wrong regulatory domain hides/blocks channels (yes). A 5GHz AP is invisible / "no suitable AP"; the card won't use the AP's channels. Regulatory domain unset or wrong, so the kernel forbids those frequencies. Fix: =iw reg set <CC>=, persist via =WIRELESS_REGDOM= (install wireless-regdb). [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=249979][arch 249979]] +- Won't roam, stuck on a weak AP (no). The client clings to a weak BSSID even with a stronger same-SSID AP in range. NM+wpa_supplicant roaming is conservative. Fix: bounce the connection, tune bgscan / lock a bssid, or try the iwd backend. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=291466][arch 291466]] +- 4-way-handshake timeout / deauth loop, reason 15 (both). "4way_handshake_timeout" or repeated deauth (Reason 15) on iwlwifi/some drivers. An 802.11n handshake bug or AP port-security kicks the client mid-handshake. Fix: =options iwlwifi 11n_disable=1= (reboot), or try the other backend. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=264378][arch 264378]] +- iwd associates but NM(wpa_supplicant) doesn't (yes; see also the NM backend entries). Standalone iwd connects but NM's wpa_supplicant path fails to associate on the same AP. Backend-specific supplicant behavior differs. Fix: =[device] wifi.backend=iwd= drop-in, disable standalone iwd.service, restart NM. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=292603][arch 292603]] + +** IP / DHCP / gateway / routing / VPN policy + +- dhcpcd competing with NM's internal DHCP client (yes; merges the two DHCP-conflict duplicates). Interface never gets an IPv4 address; NM stuck "getting IP configuration". A standalone =dhcpcd.service= and NM's internal client fight over the interface. Fix: =systemctl disable --now dhcpcd= and let NM own DHCP. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=165793][arch 165793]] +- dhcpcd 9 backend breaks NM IPv4 (yes). No IPv4 after a dhcpcd upgrade; IPv6 may still work. NM's dhcpcd backend was incompatible with dhcpcd 9's changed behavior. Fix: =dhcp=internal= in NetworkManager.conf (or NM ≥1.30.4-3), restart NM. [[https://bugs.archlinux.org/task/66231][arch fs66231]] +- APIPA / link-local only, no DHCP answer (no). The interface self-assigns 169.254.x.x; only local-link hosts reachable. No DHCP server answered in the timeout. Fix: re-trigger DHCP — =nmcli device reapply <dev>=; a recurring case is a server-side fault. [[https://oneuptime.com/blog/post/2026-03-20-fix-apipa-169-254-address/view][apipa 169.254]] +- Default route never installed by the connection (yes). Has an IP and pings the LAN, but no default route. The profile has =ipv4.never-default yes= ("use only for resources on its network"). Fix: =nmcli con modify <name> ipv4.never-default no=, up. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=84453][arch 84453]] +- DHCP gateway in a different subnet than the lease (yes). IP assigned but no default route; "SIOCADDRT: No such process". The DHCP-offered gateway is off the assigned prefix, so the on-link route is refused. Fix: add the on-link route then default (=ip route add <gw> dev <iface>; ip route add default via <gw>=), or fix the DHCP scope. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=72685][arch 72685]] +- Duplicate IPv4 on the LAN, address skipped by ACD (yes). Connection comes up but no usable address; journal logs the conflicting MAC. NM's RFC 5227 conflict detection found the IP already in use. Fix: change the offending host / DHCP reservation, or set a distinct static IP. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=287424][arch 287424]] +- IPv6 RA not received, no SLAAC address or route (yes). No IPv6 address/route; interface hangs "configuring". =accept_ra=0=, forwarding enabled without =accept_ra=2=, or an upstream RA-guard drops ICMPv6 type 134. Fix: =sysctl net.ipv6.conf.<iface>.accept_ra=2= (or unblock RA at the router). [[https://oneuptime.com/blog/post/2026-03-20-ipv6-ra-not-received/view][ipv6 ra]] +- DHCPv6-only network, address but no route (yes). An IPv6 address via stateful DHCPv6, but no default route. Routing lives in the RA, not DHCPv6. Fix: ensure the router sends an RA with the M flag and let NM process both (=ipv6.method auto=). [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=273336][arch 273336]] +- Happy-eyeballs stall on broken IPv6 (no; the routing angle — see also the DNS AAAA and egress v6 entries). Pages load with a visible hang; IPv6 is present but black-holed. Dual-stack apps race IPv6 first and wait to fall back. Fix: =nmcli con modify <name> ipv6.method disabled= (or fix the upstream v6 path). [[https://oneuptime.com/blog/post/2026-03-20-ipv6-happy-eyeballs-issues/view][happy-eyeballs]] +- WireGuard AllowedIPs=0.0.0.0/0 strands the host when the tunnel drops (no). Everything offline after the VPN drops; ping and DNS fail. Full-tunnel installed a default route through wg0 with no live peer. Fix: bring the tunnel down (=wg-quick down <iface>= / =nmcli con down <vpn>=) to restore the physical route. [[https://discourse.coreelec.org/t/wireguard-client-not-connected-when-allowedips-0-0-0-0-0/18187][wg allowedips]] +- WireGuard split-tunnel misconfig captures the LAN (yes). VPN connects but LAN devices/printers become unreachable. =AllowedIPs=0.0.0.0/0= used where a split tunnel was intended. Fix: set AllowedIPs to only the intended subnets, re-up. [[https://oneuptime.com/blog/post/2026-03-20-wireguard-allowedips-ipv4-split-tunneling/view][wg split-tunnel]] +- OpenVPN redirect-gateway route left behind after an abnormal disconnect (yes). No internet/DNS after the tunnel dies; can't even reconnect. redirect-gateway rewrote the default route and a hard link-down never restored it. Fix: =ip route del default dev tun0; systemctl restart openvpn-client@<name>= (use =def1= going forward). [[https://forums.openvpn.net/viewtopic.php?t=22572][openvpn redirect-gw]] +- Tailscale exit node captures the default route (no). Internet dies after selecting an exit node; tailnet peers still reachable. The exit-node route conflicts with the working one, or policy lacks =autogroup:internet=. Fix: =tailscale set --exit-node== to drop back to the local default route. [[https://github.com/tailscale/tailscale/issues/2654][tailscale exitnode]] +- Docker bridge subnet collides with a real external subnet (yes). A specific external host (172.17.x.x) is unreachable while the rest of the internet works. docker0 claimed 172.17.0.0/16. Fix: set ="bip": "172.26.0.1/16"= in daemon.json, prune, restart docker. [[https://github.com/moby/moby/issues/36619][moby 36619]] +- libvirt virbr0 subnet collides with the real network (yes). Host/VMs can only reach the bridge/host, not the WAN. virbr0 came up on a range overlapping the LAN. Fix: re-address the virtual net via =virsh net-edit default=, destroy/start it. [[https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=811967][rhbz 811967]] +- Wifi + ethernet up with conflicting metrics, traffic exits the dead link (yes). Intermittent/no connectivity with two links up; egress uses the wrong interface. Both installed a default route and the lower metric wins even when it can't reach the internet. Fix: raise the bad link's metric — =nmcli con modify <name> ipv4.route-metric <higher>=. [[https://www.baeldung.com/linux/change-network-routing-metric][route-metric]] + +** DNS / resolver / DoT / DNSSEC + +- Dangling resolv.conf symlink after resolved is disabled/not started (yes). Can ping 1.1.1.1 but nothing resolves; =/etc/resolv.conf= symlinks to a stub file that doesn't exist. The stub only exists while systemd-resolved runs. Fix: =systemctl enable --now systemd-resolved= (or repoint the link at a real file). [[https://github.com/systemd/systemd/issues/5395][systemd 5395]] +- resolv.conf not pointing at the stub while resolved runs (yes). Names fail though resolved is up; resolv.conf is a stale static file. An installer/upgrade replaced it. Fix: =ln -sf /run/systemd/resolve/stub-resolv.conf /etc/resolv.conf=, verify with =resolvectl status=. [[https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Systemd-resolved][archwiki resolved]] +- systemd-resolved stub 127.0.0.53 unreachable / port 53 conflict (yes). resolv.conf says 127.0.0.53 but every query is connection-refused. A second resolver (dnsmasq, bind) holds port 53, so the stub never binds. Fix: stop the conflicting resolver or set DNSStubListener, restart resolved. [[https://github.com/systemd/systemd/issues/10298][systemd 10298]] +- NetworkManager not integrated with resolved (yes). resolved is up but knows no upstream servers; NM writes its own resolv.conf. =dns=systemd-resolved= not set, so DHCP servers never reach resolved. Fix: add =dns=systemd-resolved= under [main] in NetworkManager.conf, restart NM. [[https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Systemd-resolved][archwiki resolved]] +- DNSSEC=yes rejects a non-compliant venue resolver (yes). Pages won't load on hotel/ISP wifi though ping works; "DNSSEC validation failed". resolved rejects the venue resolver that mangles DNSSEC records. Fix: =DNSSEC=allow-downgrade= (or no) in resolved.conf, restart resolved. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=240427][arch 240427]] +- DNSSEC "no-signature" verdict sticks after a network change (yes). Resolution dies sporadically after reconnecting; resolved reuses a cached bogus/downgrade verdict from the previous network. Fix: =resolvectl reset-server-features= (and flush), or DNSSEC=allow-downgrade. [[https://github.com/systemd/systemd/issues/12388][systemd 12388]] +- DoT strict mode with port 853 blocked (yes). Everything stalls; DNSOverTLS=yes forbids fallback and the network drops 853. Fix: =DNSOverTLS=opportunistic= (or no) in resolved.conf, restart resolved. [[https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Systemd-resolved][archwiki resolved]] +- DoT strict to an unreachable / cert-mismatched server (yes). "Failed to invoke gnutls_handshake: Error in the certificate verification"; the pinned DoT server is down or MITM'd. Strict mode plus IP#hostname pinning rejects the cert and won't fall back. Fix: correct the server/#hostname, switch provider, or relax to opportunistic, restart resolved. [[https://github.com/systemd/systemd/issues/16531][systemd 16531]] +- DHCP handed a broken resolver (no). Nothing resolves on one network though egress works; the DHCP DNS server is dead/filtering. Fix: =nmcli con mod <con> ipv4.ignore-auto-dns yes ipv4.dns "1.1.1.1 9.9.9.9"=, up. [[http://adam.younglogic.com/2019/05/using-nmcli-to-set-nameservers/][nmcli dns]] +- Manually-pinned 8.8.8.8 blocked by the venue (no). A hard-set public DNS resolves nothing though 1.1.1.1 pings; the network blocks external port 53. Fix: drop the manual pin and use DHCP DNS (=ipv4.ignore-auto-dns no=, clear =ipv4.dns=), reconnect. [[https://forum.netgate.com/topic/187060/port-53-dns][netgate port 53]] +- Stale poisoned cache after captive-portal login (yes). First lookups after the portal keep returning the portal/blocked address. Pre-login hijacked answers were cached. Fix: =resolvectl flush-caches=. [[https://oneuptime.com/blog/post/2026-03-20-flush-dns-cache-linux-macos-windows/view][flush-caches]] +- VPN split-DNS not applied / leaks to the ISP resolver (no). Internal/corp names fail (or a censored ISP resolver still answers) after connecting the VPN. NM/resolved didn't install the VPN link's domain as a routing domain. Fix: =resolvectl domain <vpn-link> '~corp.example'= and =resolvectl default-route <vpn-link> false=. [[https://blogs.gnome.org/mcatanzaro/2020/12/17/understanding-systemd-resolved-split-dns-and-vpn-configuration/][catanzaro split-dns]] +- IPv6 AAAA lookups stall resolution (yes; the DNS angle of the broken-v6 family). Every name takes ~5s then works; A and AAAA go in parallel and AAAA is never answered. Broken/half-configured IPv6 swallows the AAAA query. Fix: fix or disable IPv6 on the link, or =options single-request timeout:1=. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=262926][arch 262926]] +- Another daemon overwrites resolv.conf (yes). DNS works then breaks (or breaks after VPN up/down) as dhcpcd/openvpn/openresolv rewrites resolv.conf. Multiple tools claim it with no coordination. Fix: pick one manager (openresolv =resolvconf=NO=, dhcpcd =nohook resolv.conf=), point resolv.conf at the stub, restart resolved. [[https://github.com/adrienverge/openfortivpn/issues/674][openfortivpn 674]] +- nsswitch.conf hosts line broken (yes). All resolution fails, or LAN/mDNS names never resolve; the hosts line lacks =resolve=/=dns= in the right order or references an uninstalled nss module. Fix: set =hosts: mymachines resolve [!UNAVAIL=return] files myhostname dns=. [[https://man.archlinux.org/man/nss-resolve.8.en][nss-resolve]] +- Avahi/.local mDNS not resolving (yes). *.local names don't resolve though unicast DNS works. nss-mdns not wired in, or resolved's built-in mDNS collides with avahi. Fix: install nss-mdns, add =mdns_minimal [NOTFOUND=return]= before =resolve=, enable avahi-daemon, disable resolved MulticastDNS if both run. [[https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Avahi][archwiki avahi]] + +** Egress / captive portal / MTU / proxy / clock / upstream + +- Captive portal held state, no auto-popup (no). Wifi associates and gets a lease but every site fails; no login window appears. Without a DE NetworkManager integration or a dispatcher script, NM detects the PORTAL state but nothing opens the login page. Fix: open a plain-HTTP probe (=xdg-open http://neverssl.com=) or the URL NM reports; add an nm-dispatcher script to auto-launch. [[https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NetworkManager#Captive_portals][archwiki captive portals]] +- Connectivity check over HTTPS never triggers the portal redirect (no). Behind a portal the login popup never fires. NM's connectivity URI was probed over HTTPS, which the portal can't transparently redirect. Fix: point NM's check at an HTTP URI (=20-connectivity.conf= =uri=http://…=) and open a plain-HTTP page. [[https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1252839][redhat 1252839]] +- Custom DNS / DoT / DNSSEC hides the captive portal (yes). No portal page ever resolves and the machine stays cut off. resolved pinned to 1.1.1.1 with DoT/DNSSEC bypasses the portal's DNS hijack, so lookups just fail. Fix: drop DoT/DNSSEC for the captive network (=resolvectl dnsovertls <iface> no; resolvectl dnssec <iface> no=), log in, restore. [[https://github.com/systemd/systemd/issues/27485][systemd 27485]] +- HSTS blocks the portal redirect in the browser (no). The login page won't load; the browser shows a cert/HSTS error instead of the form. The first site was HSTS-pinned, so the browser refuses the portal's HTTP redirect. Fix: browse to a non-HSTS plain-HTTP address (http://neverssl.com, http://captive.apple.com). [[https://community.ui.com/questions/Solution-for-HSTS-issues-with-captive-portal/17b033e7-3dfe-4830-af8f-bf6ead23d8b0][ui hsts portal]] +- PMTUD blackhole from dropped ICMP (no; merges the IP-layer duplicate). Small requests and DNS work, pages start then stall, large downloads/SSH hang. A middlebox drops ICMP "fragmentation needed", so PMTUD never learns the real MTU and oversized packets vanish. Fix: lower the interface MTU (=nmcli con modify <con> 802-11-wireless.mtu 1400=), or MSS-clamp. [[https://ipfyi.com/scenario/path-mtu-blackhole/][pmtud blackhole]] +- PPPoE / VPN link with a lower MTU not clamped (no). Browsing works but big transfers / some HTTPS hang. A PPPoE (1492) or VPN path has a smaller MTU and the too-large segments get dropped. Fix: set the tunnel/link MTU down (=.mtu 1420= for VPN, 1492 for PPPoE) or MSS-clamp on the gateway. [[https://thelineman.ca/articles/article-8-mtu-vpn-mss][vpn mtu/mss]] +- Stale http_proxy env var points at a dead proxy (no). Every curl/wget/pacman fails though the network is fine; browsers may work. A leftover =http_proxy= points at an offline/off-network proxy. Fix: unset the vars, remove the export from =~/.profile= / =/etc/environment=. [[https://everything.curl.dev/usingcurl/proxies/env.html][curl proxy env]] +- Unreachable PAC file off the corporate network hangs everything (no). Away from the office the browser stalls with no error. A system proxy set to "automatic" with a PAC URL that only resolves on the corporate LAN blocks waiting instead of falling back to DIRECT. Fix: switch system proxy to None (=gsettings … org.gnome.system.proxy mode 'none'=) or clear the PAC URL. [[https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1121800][ff pac hang]] +- Clock skew breaks every TLS handshake (yes). "Your connection is not private" on every HTTPS site though ping/DNS work; the clock is hours/years off. A dual-boot Windows RTC-localtime, unsynced NTP, or a dead CMOS battery leaves the clock wrong. Fix: =timedatectl set-ntp true= (=set-local-rtc 0= on dual-boot), replace the CMOS battery if it recurs. [[https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/System_time][archwiki system time]] +- Firewall default-deny drops all egress (yes). No traffic leaves right after enabling a firewall, or after both ufw and firewalld are on; even DNS fails. A default outgoing-deny policy, or two firewalls fighting over nftables. Fix: allow egress (=ufw default allow outgoing=) and run only one firewall. [[https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Uncomplicated_Firewall][archwiki ufw]] +- VPN kill-switch / leftover iptables rule strangles egress after VPN drops (yes; distinct from the route-capture case). Internet dies the moment the VPN disconnects and never returns until reboot. A kill-switch rule pinned traffic to tun0 and the leftover rule keeps dropping everything on the real interface. Fix: flush the stale rules (=iptables -F; iptables -P OUTPUT ACCEPT=, or restart the firewall), reconnect. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=300104][arch ufw killswitch]] +- IPv6 egress broken while IPv4 works (no; the egress angle of the broken-v6 family). Pages load slowly/intermittently; IPv4-only hosts are fine. The network advertises IPv6 with no working route and Happy Eyeballs keeps trying the dead AAAA path. Fix: =nmcli con modify <con> ipv6.method disabled= until the network's IPv6 is fixed. [[https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WebBrowsingSlowIPv6IPv4][ubuntu slow ipv6]] +- False "limited connectivity" from a local DNS/VPN service (no; merges the NM-layer connectivity-check duplicate). The applet shows "limited/no internet" and apps that gate on NM refuse to work, yet browsing functions. NM's check to its connectivity URI fails — a local Pi-hole/VPN blocks the probe host, a false negative. Fix: point =20-connectivity.conf= at a reachable 204 endpoint, or =[connectivity] enabled=false=, reload NM. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=272292][arch nm limited]] +- ISP outage or modem stuck in a bad state — not locally fixable (physical). Everything downstream is "connected, no internet"; the router's WAN IP is 0.0.0.0. The upstream link is down or the modem latched into a bad state. The doctor must recognize this and STOP. Fix: power-cycle modem then router; check ISP status / contact the provider. [[https://whizz-tech.com/support/wifi-router-fixes/wifi-stops-working-after-power-outage/][modem bad state]] +- Specific outbound port blocked while web works (no). Browsing is fine but email won't send or a service times out. The network/ISP blocks that port (SMTP 25, some VPN ports). A partial block, not a full outage. Fix: use an allowed alternate (submission 587, VPN over 443/TCP), or switch networks — the policy isn't host-fixable. [[https://help.dreamhost.com/hc/en-us/articles/217071167-Port-25-Blocking][port 25 blocking]] + +** NetworkManager control plane / backends / config + +- NetworkManager service masked or failed to start (yes). No networking at all; "Unit NetworkManager.service is masked" or the unit dies immediately. The unit was masked, or an invalid unit file / malformed NetworkManager.conf blocks startup. Fix: =systemctl unmask NetworkManager && systemctl start NetworkManager=; reinstall if the unit is corrupt, validate the conf. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=193036][arch 193036]] +- NetworkManager segfaults and restart-loops (yes). Connectivity drops intermittently; journal "Failed with result 'core-dump'" and repeated respawns. A bug in the running NM build crashes the daemon. Fix: =coredumpctl info NetworkManager=, then update/downgrade the package, restart NM. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=236562][arch 236562]] +- iwd and wpa_supplicant both active, backends fight (both). Wifi scans but never associates, or associates then drops; both daemons drive one radio. Fix: pick one backend, =systemctl disable --now= the other, set =[device] wifi.backend==, reboot. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=292603][arch 292603]] +- wifi.backend=iwd configured but iwd not installed/running (both). No wifi device appears at all; NM acts as if there's no radio. NM is told to use iwd but the package isn't installed or its service can't start. Fix: =pacman -S iwd= (or remove the drop-in to fall back), reboot. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=305442][arch 305442]] +- systemd-networkd and NetworkManager both managing the link (both). The interface gets an IP then loses it, or flaps; two managers own one NIC. Fix: =systemctl disable --now systemd-networkd systemd-networkd.socket= (mask if dbus-activated), reboot. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=184164][arch 184164]] +- Keyfile permissions void a saved connection (yes). A saved network shows in nmcli but never activates; journal marks it insecure and skips it. The =.nmconnection= isn't 600 root-owned. Fix: =chmod 600= and =chown root:root= the file in system-connections, =nmcli connection reload=. [[https://docs.redhat.com/en/documentation/red_hat_enterprise_linux/8/html/configuring_and_managing_networking/assembly_networkmanager-connection-profiles-in-keyfile-format_configuring-and-managing-networking][rhel keyfile]] +- Autoconnect disabled on the profile (no). The network works when activated by hand but never comes up on boot/resume. =connection.autoconnect=no=. Fix: =nmcli connection modify <name> connection.autoconnect yes= (user-scope). [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=281611][arch 281611]] +- Duplicate/conflicting profiles for one SSID (no). Two entries for the same network; the wrong one activates. Leftover =.nmconnection= files created a second profile with conflicting settings. Fix: =nmcli connection delete <uuid>= the stale one, or raise the good one's =autoconnect-priority=. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=274552][arch 274552]] +- A dispatcher script errors and blocks connectivity (yes). Network events don't complete, or a connectivity hook silently doesn't run. A script in dispatcher.d fails on a permission/ownership problem or loops. Fix: make it root-owned and non-group-writable or remove it; debug via =journalctl -u NetworkManager-dispatcher=. [[https://man.archlinux.org/man/NetworkManager-dispatcher.8.en][arch dispatcher]] +- Polkit won't authorize a non-root user to control networking (no). =nmcli= up/modify fails "Not authorized to control networking". No polkit agent, or the login has no active seat session. Fix: start a polkit agent and ensure a proper loginctl session (relogin via the display manager), or add a polkit rule. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=141465][arch 141465]] +- No reconnect after suspend/resume (yes). After waking, wifi/wired stays down until the service is kicked. On resume NM doesn't re-establish the link. Fix: =systemctl restart NetworkManager= (the doctor's nm-restart); durable fix is a system-sleep hook. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=234725][arch 234725]] +- NetworkManager-wait-online hangs boot (both). Boot stalls ~90s on NetworkManager-wait-online; the desktop is late. The service waits for connectivity that never arrives (unplugged NIC, non-autoconnect port). Fix: =systemctl disable NetworkManager-wait-online.service= (or drop the unused profile); effective next boot. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=298817][arch 298817]] + +* Bluetooth failure modes + +Five layers, mirroring the bt doctor's chain (adapter present → rfkill → bluetooth.service → adapter powered → per-device → audio profile). ~70 raw entries from the sweep; hardware-block duplicates (a Bluetooth hard-block appears in every one of the first three layers) and the pairing/connection overlaps are merged inline, leaving ~55 distinct root causes. + +** Adapter / hardware / driver / firmware + +- btusb module not auto-loaded (yes). lsusb shows the adapter but no hci0, =/sys/class/bluetooth= empty, "No default controller available". btusb didn't load at boot (missing modules-load entry or a blacklist). Fix: =modprobe btusb=, persist via =/etc/modules-load.d/bluetooth.conf=. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=267428][arch 267428]] +- Intel ibt-*.sfi firmware missing/mismatched (both). No controller; dmesg "Direct firmware load for intel/ibt-NN-N.sfi failed with error -2". linux-firmware lacks the exact .sfi/.ddc the controller requests. Fix: update linux-firmware (or symlink the requested name), reboot. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=302314][arch 302314]] +- Intel "Failed to send firmware data" during load (both). Adapter present then dies; "hci0: Failed to send firmware data (-38)/(-110)". Firmware transfer aborts (USB/init timing, often kernel-specific). Fix: =options btusb reset=1= and reload, or downgrade the kernel, reboot. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=248784][arch 248784]] +- Intel AX200/AX210 controller lost after a kernel update (both). WiFi fine, BT gone, "No default controller available" right after an upgrade. A kernel/firmware regression stops the BT half enumerating. Fix: boot linux-lts or downgrade until fixed, reboot. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=282611][arch 282611]] +- Intel broken-initial-NCMD init hang (both). "hci0: command tx timeout" during setup; the controller never comes up. Some Intel controllers need the BTUSB_INTEL_BROKEN_INITIAL_NCMD quirk absent on older kernels. Fix: run a kernel new enough to carry the quirk, reboot. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=226312][arch 226312]] +- MediaTek MT7921/MT7961 firmware filename mismatch (both). No adapter; "Direct firmware load for mediatek/BT_RAM_CODE_MT7961_1a_2_hdr.bin failed with error -2". linux-firmware ships the blob compressed or under a different name. Fix: decompress/rename to the requested file, reload btusb, reboot. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=296026][arch 296026]] +- MediaTek MT7922 btmtk regression after a kernel bump (both). BT stopped initializing after a specific kernel; WiFi unaffected. A regression in the mt7921e/btmtk path. Fix: downgrade to the last working kernel (or linux-lts), reboot. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=313561][arch 313561]] +- MediaTek MT7922 stuck in a residual power state (physical). "No Bluetooth adapters found" persists across warm reboots; only a full power-off clears it. The controller latched in a bad state a soft reboot doesn't reset. Fix: shut down, pull power ~10s, cold boot. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=308169][arch 308169]] +- MediaTek MT7920/MT7922 bogus firmware in linux-firmware (both). WiFi works, BT half fails "Failed to set up firmware" after a linux-firmware update. A shipped BT blob is broken in the current package. Fix: downgrade linux-firmware-mediatek to the prior version, reboot. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=311544][arch 311544]] +- MediaTek MT7925 killed by aggressive USB autosuspend (both). BT flaky/absent on a recent kernel; "Opcode 0x0c03 failed: -16". Kernel power-saving suspends the controller. Fix: =usbcore.autosuspend=-1 btusb.enable_autosuspend=n= on the kernel cmdline, reboot. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=306366][arch 306366]] +- Realtek RTL8761B(U) firmware name mismatch (yes). USB dongle dead; driver requests rtl_bt/rtl8761bu_fw.bin but firmware ships rtl8761b_fw.bin. Fix: symlink to the bu names in /lib/firmware/rtl_bt (or update linux-firmware), replug — no reboot. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=309671][arch 309671]] +- Realtek RTL8852BU/newer dongle needs an out-of-tree driver (both). A recent combo dongle isn't recognized at all; no in-kernel support. Fix: build the vendor DKMS driver (lwfinger/rtl8852bu), reboot. [[https://github.com/lwfinger/rtl8852bu][rtl8852bu]] +- Fake/clone CSR dongle resets and times out (yes). A cheap 0a12:0001 "CSR" dongle works briefly then "command tx timeout"; "Unbranded CSR clone detected". A counterfeit controller mishandles CSR reset. Fix: rely on the kernel clone quirks, or =options btusb reset=1 enable_autosuspend=0=, reload btusb. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=272230][arch 272230]] +- Qualcomm WCN6855/QCA6390 version read fails (both). No BT; "Reading QCA version information failed (-110)" via ath11k. Missing/mismatched QCA firmware or a btqca init-timing bug. Fix: update linux-firmware and run a newer kernel (or reload ath11k_pci/btusb), reboot. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=284506][arch 284506]] +- Broadcom BCM .hcd patch file missing (both). Adapter enumerates then stalls; "hci0: BCM: Patch brcm/BCMxxxxx-….hcd not found". The .hcd firmware isn't in linux-firmware. Fix: install broadcom-bt-firmware (AUR) or drop the correct .hcd into /lib/firmware/brcm, reboot. [[https://github.com/winterheart/broadcom-bt-firmware/issues/30][broadcom-bt-fw 30]] +- USB autosuspend powers the adapter off after suspend/idle (both; the hardware angle — see also the resume entry in the rfkill layer). BT works at boot, then hci0 vanishes after a suspend/resume or idle; only a full shutdown restores it. btusb autosuspend cuts power and the controller doesn't recover. Fix: =btusb.enable_autosuspend=0= on the kernel cmdline (or exclude the device in TLP), reboot. [[https://forum.manjaro.org/t/bluetooth-adapter-disappears-after-suspend-only-shutdown-can-fix/157919][manjaro 157919]] +- Bluetooth hard-blocked by a BIOS/hardware switch (physical; the canonical hard-block — appears identically across the rfkill layer). No adapter and =rfkill list= shows Bluetooth "Hard blocked: yes" (or hci0 absent) after a wireless switch/Fn toggle or a BIOS setting. Fix: flip the physical switch / Fn key, or enable Bluetooth in BIOS/UEFI — no software can clear a hard block. [[https://github.com/systemd/systemd/issues/4117][systemd 4117]] + +** rfkill / power / service + +- Soft-blocked adapter needs manual unblock (no). =rfkill list= shows Bluetooth "Soft blocked: yes"; bluetoothctl "Failed to set power on: org.bluez.Error.Failed". A prior software toggle left the soft-block set and bluetoothd won't power a blocked adapter. Fix: =rfkill unblock bluetooth= (then =bluetoothctl power on=). [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=169530][arch 169530]] +- AutoEnable off leaves BT powered down every boot (yes). Adapter present and service running, but "Powered: no" at every login. bluez main.conf has AutoEnable=false (also the static default when main.conf is absent), so bluetoothd never powers the controller. Fix: =AutoEnable=true= under [Policy] in main.conf, restart bluetooth. [[https://github.com/bluez/bluez/issues/886][bluez 886]] +- bluetooth.service masked (yes). =systemctl start bluetooth= returns "Unit bluetooth.service is masked". The unit was masked by an earlier disable or a tuning guide. Fix: =systemctl unmask bluetooth.service && systemctl enable --now bluetooth=. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=220081][arch 220081]] +- bluetooth.service not enabled at boot (yes). BT works after a manual start but is "inactive (dead)" on every fresh boot. On Arch the service ships disabled, so nothing starts bluetoothd at boot. Fix: =systemctl enable --now bluetooth.service=. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=287428][arch 287428]] +- D-Bus policy blocks bluetoothd from owning org.bluez (yes). "D-Bus setup failed: Connection is not allowed to own the service 'org.bluez'"; bluetoothctl can't reach bluez. A missing/broken =/usr/share/dbus-1/system.d/bluetooth.conf= policy (partial install/upgrade). Fix: reinstall bluez to restore the policy, restart dbus and bluetooth. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=283337][arch 283337]] +- bluez upgrade leaves a bad unit-file setting (yes). After a bluez update "Unit bluetooth.service has a bad unit file setting". A changed ExecStart path or a removed option in the shipped unit breaks parsing until daemon-reload. Fix: reconcile the .pacnew, correct ExecStart to =/usr/lib/bluetooth/bluetoothd=, =daemon-reload && restart bluetooth=. [[https://github.com/bluez/bluez/issues/736][bluez 736]] +- Airplane mode / physical switch hard-blocks BT (physical; the rfkill-layer view of the shared hard-block). =rfkill list= "Hard blocked: yes"; software toggles and unblock do nothing. A physical/firmware kill switch, Fn key, or BIOS airplane state holds the block. Fix: turn airplane mode off / flip the switch, or enable BT in BIOS. [[https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=713006][rh 713006]] +- WiFi rfkill toggle also kills BT on a combo chip (no). Turning WiFi off drops Bluetooth too, and both come up soft-blocked at boot. A shared WiFi/BT combo exposes a coupled rfkill so the wlan block cascades. Fix: =rfkill unblock bluetooth= after the toggle; unblock all at boot. [[https://forum.artixlinux.org/index.php/topic,5062.0.html][artix 5062]] +- TLP disables Bluetooth on startup (yes). BT is soft-blocked at every boot on a TLP laptop though the service is fine. TLP's =DEVICES_TO_DISABLE_ON_STARTUP= includes bluetooth (or RESTORE_DEVICE_STATE restores off). Fix: remove bluetooth from that list in =/etc/tlp.conf=; =rfkill unblock bluetooth= now. [[https://dev.to/sharafat/disable-bluetooth-at-startup-in-tlp-2k8d][tlp startup]] +- systemd-rfkill restores a stale soft-block at boot (yes). BT was on before shutdown but boots soft-blocked, or airplane-off never sticks. systemd-rfkill saved a blocked state to =/var/lib/systemd/rfkill= and reapplies it (a hotplug race can overwrite the good state). Fix: =rfkill unblock bluetooth=; clear the saved state (or mask systemd-rfkill if TLP owns radio state). [[https://github.com/systemd/systemd/issues/42148][systemd 42148]] +- rfkill block puts bluetoothd into a 100% CPU loop (yes). After =rfkill block bluetooth= (an airplane toggle) bluetoothd spins at 100% CPU and the adapter is unresponsive even after unblock. A bluez rfkill-handling regression busy-loops. Fix: =systemctl restart bluetooth= after unblocking; upgrade/downgrade bluez past the affected version. [[https://github.com/bluez/bluez/issues/785][bluez 785]] +- Adapter powers back off after a desktop-driven power-off (no). =bluetoothctl power on= fails specifically after BT was switched off in GNOME/desktop settings; only the desktop toggle restores it. The desktop's saved off-state re-blocks the adapter under the CLI. Fix: re-enable from the desktop toggle, or =rfkill unblock bluetooth= and power on. [[https://discourse.gnome.org/t/cannot-power-on-bluetooth-from-bluetoothctl-if-it-was-powered-off-from-the-gnome-settings/24782][gnome 24782]] +- BT soft-blocked/unresponsive on resume, needs a module reload (yes; distinct from the hardware-autosuspend case — here power state is stuck, not cut). After suspend/resume the adapter is lost or soft-blocked; toggling "shows" enabled but does nothing and restarting the service doesn't help. btusb fails to re-init on resume, leaving a stuck rfkill/power state. Fix: =rmmod btusb && modprobe btusb= (then restart bluetooth); automate via a post-resume sleep hook. [[https://forums.opensuse.org/t/btusb-broken-after-resuming-from-sleep/133499][opensuse 133499]] +- Wrong/missing default controller with multiple adapters (no; see also the multi-controller pairing case). "No default controller available" or commands hit the wrong hciN when a dongle and an onboard radio are both present. bluez picked a different default than the user wants. Fix: =bluetoothctl select <MAC>= then power on; pin it if needed. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=286766][arch 286766]] + +** Pairing / bonding + +- Generic AuthenticationFailed on pair (no). "Failed to pair: org.bluez.Error.AuthenticationFailed" on an audio device. A half-written or contested bond from a prior attempt makes the device reject the new authentication. Fix: bluetoothctl disconnect, untrust, remove <mac>, restart bluetooth, pair from a clean scan; factory-reset the device if it persists. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=267381][arch 267381]] +- Paired but not trusted, no auto-reconnect (no). Device pairs but never reconnects on its own after a reboot/power cycle; =info= shows "Trusted: no". bluez won't auto-accept a connection from an untrusted bond. Fix: =bluetoothctl trust <mac>=. [[https://techwiser.com/fix-bluetooth-device-doesnt-auto-connect-in-linux/][techwiser autoconnect]] +- Stale link key after a dual-boot re-pair (yes). A device paired in Windows no longer connects in Linux with AuthenticationFailed. A device stores one link key per host; re-pairing under the other OS overwrote it. Fix: =bluetoothctl remove <mac>= and pair again, or sync the keys between OSes (bt-dualboot / edit the LinkKey under /var/lib/bluetooth). [[https://armujahid.me/blog/dual-boot-bluetooth-pairing/][armujahid dualboot]] +- No default pairing agent registered (no). Pairing a PIN/keyboard device silently fails or the passkey prompt never appears (esp. headless). bluetoothctl's built-in agent is unregistered once it exits, so nothing answers the request. Fix: =agent on= then =default-agent= (or a persistent bt-agent / NoInputNoOutput agent for unattended Just Works). [[https://technotes.kynetics.com/2018/pairing-agents-bluez/][kynetics agents]] +- BLE device never appears in scan (no). A BLE peripheral shows in other OSes but never in =bluetoothctl scan=, while BR/EDR devices scan fine. The scan defaults to BR/EDR-only or LE isn't enabled. Fix: =menu scan / transport le= (or =btmgmt le on=); last resort =ControllerMode = le= in main.conf. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=281064][arch 281064]] +- Corrupt device cache survives remove (yes). Repeated pairing failures for one device; =remove= reports success but the cache stays and the bad state returns. bluez doesn't fully purge =/var/lib/bluetooth/<adapter>/<mac>=. Fix: stop bluetooth, =rm -rf= the stale device dir, start bluetooth, pair fresh. [[https://github.com/bluez/bluez/issues/191][bluez 191]] +- ConnectionAttemptFailed / br-connection-page-timeout (yes). Pairing or first connect fails "Page Timeout" / "br-connection-page-timeout", often after a bluez upgrade. The daemon's baseband page times out; a version regression triggered it. Fix: =systemctl restart bluetooth= and retry; downgrade bluez if it recurs after an update. [[https://github.com/bluez/bluez/issues/230][bluez 230]] +- Re-pair loop: pairs then instantly disconnects (yes). Device pairs, drops within seconds, and re-pairing only works until the next attempt. A corrupt in-memory bond/device DB wedges the daemon. Fix: =rm -rf /var/lib/bluetooth/*= (or the device dir) and =systemctl restart bluetooth=, then pair once cleanly. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=267233][arch 267233]] +- Headset un-pairs itself on disconnect (yes). A headset loses its bond every time it disconnects. The device sends an HID virtual_cable_unplug on disconnect and bluez treats it as an un-pair. Fix: pair again; no clean user setting — avoid fully powering the device off; restart bluetooth if the bond is gone. [[https://github.com/bluez/bluez/issues/2048][bluez 2048]] +- BLE address rotates every session (physical). A BLE device pairs once but can't reconnect; its address differs each power cycle. It uses a random/resolvable-private address, so a bond keyed to the old address won't match unless IRK resolution works. Fix: pair so the IRK is exchanged (bond, not just connect), or disable address privacy on the device; re-pair to the current identity. [[https://github.com/hbldh/bleak/issues/363][bleak 363]] +- Legacy keyboard needs the PIN typed on the device (physical). A legacy BT keyboard fails with an authentication timeout during pairing. It uses legacy PIN/passkey-entry: bluez shows a passkey that must be typed on the keyboard itself. Fix: register a KeyboardDisplay agent, type the displayed passkey on the keyboard, press Enter within the timeout. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=174239][arch 174239]] +- Too many bonded devices, keys lost (yes). With many devices paired, after a reboot or dongle re-insert none connect. Past ~14 bonds bluez fails to restore the LTKs. Fix: =bluetoothctl remove= enough devices to drop below the limit, restart bluetooth. [[https://github.com/bluez/bluez/issues/201][bluez 201]] +- Dual-mode device pairs on the wrong transport (yes). A dual-mode device (AirPods) refuses to pair/connect because bluez tries BR/EDR when the device needs LE, with no per-device override. Fix: =ControllerMode = bredr= (or le) in main.conf [General], restart, pair, then restore =dual=. [[https://github.com/bluez/bluez/issues/514][bluez 514]] +- Adapter Pairable/Discoverable off (no). Scan finds nothing or the controller rejects pairing. The adapter has =Pairable: no= / =Discoverable: no=. Fix: =power on=, =pairable on=, =scan on= (or set the main.conf defaults). [[https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Bluetooth][archwiki bt]] +- Target device not in pairing mode (physical). A peripheral never appears in scan though the adapter works. The device is powered but not advertising. Fix: hold the pairing button until the LED signals, re-run =scan on=. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=261540][arch 261540]] +- Paired without a bond via blueman (no). A gamepad/mouse paired through blueman connects but is unusable, while bluetoothctl works. blueman completed pairing without establishing bonding, so no usable link key was stored. Fix: remove the device and =bluetoothctl pair <mac>= (which bonds), then trust and connect. [[https://github.com/blueman-project/blueman/issues/2219][blueman 2219]] + +** Connection stability + +- Xbox/PS controller drops seconds after connecting unless ERTM is off (both). A controller pairs and connects, then disconnects within seconds, repeatedly. bluez's Enhanced Retransmission Mode is incompatible with these controllers' L2CAP handling. Fix: =echo 1 > /sys/module/bluetooth/parameters/disable_ertm=, persist =options bluetooth disable_ertm=1= in modprobe.d, reboot. [[https://github.com/atar-axis/xpadneo/issues/295][xpadneo 295]] +- Paired+trusted device never reconnects on boot/resume (no). A trusted HID/audio device stays disconnected after boot or resume and needs a manual connect each time. AutoEnable only powers the adapter; it doesn't initiate outbound connections to peripherals that don't self-reconnect. Fix: install and enable bluetooth-autoconnect (a systemd service that connects trusted devices when the adapter powers on, including post-resume). [[https://github.com/jrouleau/bluetooth-autoconnect][bt-autoconnect]] +- ReconnectIntervals/AutoEnable policy leaves the link dead after a drop (yes). After a device drops out of range and returns, bluetoothd doesn't re-establish the link. The [Policy] AutoEnable and [GATT] ReconnectIntervals settings are unset or too sparse. Fix: set =AutoEnable=true= and =ReconnectIntervals=1,2,4,8,16,32,64= in main.conf, restart bluetooth. [[https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Bluetooth][archwiki bt]] +- USB 3.0 port radio noise degrades BT on the same side of the chassis (physical). A BT mouse/headset stutters or drops, worst under USB load or with an external SSD in an adjacent USB3 port; SuperSpeed signaling adds ~20 dB of broadband noise across 2.4-2.5 GHz. Fix: move the dongle/device off the USB3 port (USB2 port or an extension cable to distance the receiver). [[https://www.usb.org/sites/default/files/327216.pdf][usb-if 327216]] +- WiFi/BT coexistence on a 2.4GHz combo chip causes stutter and drops (yes). On an AX200 (and similar combos) BT audio/HID stutters and 2.4GHz WiFi collapses when both radios are active, sharing one antenna path. Fix: move WiFi to 5GHz, or tune coexistence via =/etc/modprobe.d/iwlwifi.conf=, reload iwlwifi. [[https://community.intel.com/t5/Wireless/Wi-Fi-6-AX200-Bluetooth-causing-WiFi-to-disconnect-randomly/td-p/1437797][intel ax200]] +- btusb USB autosuspend causes input lag/dropout after idle (both; the connection-health view of the adapter-layer autosuspend cause). A BT mouse/keyboard lags or briefly disconnects after no input, then wakes sluggishly; the kernel autosuspends the btusb controller. Fix: =btusb.enable_autosuspend=0= on the kernel cmdline (or a udev =power/control=on= rule), reboot. [[https://community.frame.work/t/solved-bluetooth-mouse-lag-linux-autosuspend/26763][framework autosuspend]] +- Adapter dead / devices won't reconnect after suspend-resume (yes; the same resume-init failure the rfkill layer's module-reload entry names, from the device-connection side). After resume the adapter is gone or devices refuse to reconnect (dmesg shows btusb resume errors). The controller doesn't survive suspend/resume cleanly on some kernels. Fix: a systemd sleep hook that runs =rmmod btusb; modprobe btusb= (or restarts bluetooth) post-resume. [[https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2100761][rh 2100761]] +- BLE device disconnects with reason 0x08 from a too-aggressive supervision timeout (yes). A BLE peripheral connects then drops after a few seconds with reason 0x08 (Timeout); the negotiated supervision timeout is too short for the interval and latency. Fix: raise it via =/sys/kernel/debug/bluetooth/hci0/supervision_timeout=, persist with a startup service (debugfs resets on reboot). [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=279872][arch 279872]] +- Realtek RTL8761B wrong-firmware reconnect-loop (yes; same root cause as the adapter-layer name-mismatch entry, manifesting as a fast reconnect loop). An RTL8761B/BU dongle disconnects and reconnects several times a second; autodetect requests the wrong firmware name (or a bad blob). Fix: symlink the correct blob in /lib/firmware/rtl_bt, reload btusb. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=309671][arch 309671]] +- Disconnected/loose internal antenna gives a few-feet range then drops (physical). BT works only within a couple of feet and cuts out beyond; a U.FL antenna lead popped off the card or none is attached. Fix: reseat the U.FL coax, or use an external USB adapter; keep the device closer as a stopgap. [[https://community.intel.com/t5/Wireless/How-can-I-deal-with-the-extremely-limited-range-of-Bluetooth-in/td-p/692325][intel range]] +- "Software caused connection abort" on connect-after-scan (no). A device with a fine bond aborts with "Software caused connection abort" (err 103) when a scan was stopped just before connecting; stopping discovery races the connection attempt in bluez. Fix: keep discovery running across the connect, or retry without a preceding scan-stop. [[https://github.com/hbldh/bleak/issues/631][bleak 631]] +- A2DP audio stutters whenever a BT mouse is also connected (no). Headset audio skips only while a BT mouse/HID is connected on the same adapter; the two profiles contend for the single controller's scheduling. Fix: switch the audio codec (SBC → SBC-XQ/LDAC) to lower airtime, or move the mouse to a separate dongle; disconnecting the mouse clears it. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=279749][arch 279749]] +- BT mouse stutters at ~20 Hz unless a scan is active (no). Mouse motion is choppy but becomes smooth the instant a scan starts; without background inquiry the controller's scheduling starves the HID link. Fix: keep discovery on as a workaround, or apply the connection-parameter fix below. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=261632][arch 261632]] +- BLE mouse lag from a too-high negotiated connection interval (yes). A BLE mouse feels laggy because it negotiated a power-saving (long) connection interval and high slave latency. Fix: set =[ConnectionParameters]= (MinInterval=6, MaxInterval=9, Latency=44, Timeout=216) in =/var/lib/bluetooth/<adapter>/<device>/info=, restart bluetooth. [[https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Bluetooth_mouse][archwiki bt mouse]] + +** Bluetooth audio profiles / device classes + +Bluetooth-specific audio failures the bt doctor names at its last chain link. The generic PipeWire/WirePlumber internals are owned by [[file:2026-07-10-audio-failure-taxonomy.org][the audio taxonomy]]; these are the ones a bt-panel probe would surface for a connected BT audio device. + +- Stale bluez pairing state hides A2DP (yes). Headset connects but only HSP/HFP exist, no A2DP sink. Corrupt/partial pairing records in /var/lib/bluetooth leave A2DP unadvertised. Fix: =rm -rf /var/lib/bluetooth/<adapter>/<dev>=, restart bluetooth, re-pair. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=280717][arch 280717]] +- Leftover pulseaudio-bluetooth module steals the endpoint (yes). After moving to PipeWire the device connects but no sink shows. pulseaudio-bluetooth still installed grabs the bluez D-Bus endpoint so pipewire-pulse never creates the card. Fix: =pacman -Rns pulseaudio-bluetooth pulseaudio=, install pipewire-pulse, restart the session. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=267690][arch 267690]] +- bluez SPA plugin not installed, no card at all (yes). Device connects at the protocol level but pw-dump shows no bluez node; "api.bluez5.enum.dbus could not be loaded". The libspa bluetooth plugin is missing, so WirePlumber's bluez monitor can't enumerate it. Fix: install the PipeWire bluetooth SPA plugin (libspa-0.2-bluetooth on split distros), restart wireplumber. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=304688][arch 304688]] +- WirePlumber seat-monitoring drops the node (no). A connected BT audio device intermittently has no card/node on a non-logind or nested seat. WirePlumber gates node creation on an active logind seat and misfires. Fix: =monitor.bluez.seat-monitoring = disabled= drop-in, restart wireplumber. [[https://pipewire.pages.freedesktop.org/wireplumber/daemon/configuration/bluetooth.html][wp bt config]] +- Autoswitch-to-headset fires on any input stream (no). Music drops to mono phone-call quality whenever any app opens the mic. WirePlumber's =bluetooth.autoswitch-to-headset-profile= flips to HSP/HFP on any capture stream and doesn't switch back. Fix: =wpctl settings --save bluetooth.autoswitch-to-headset-profile false=, or force =a2dp-sink= via set-card-profile. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=1973004][arch 1973004]] +- Codec falls back to SBC, wanted codec never negotiates (no). aptX/LDAC-capable headphones connect but only SBC is active. Default codec order drops to the SBC baseline, or the wanted codec isn't in the allowed set. Fix: =bluez5.codecs = [ ldac aptx_hd aptx aac sbc ]= in a wireplumber drop-in, reconnect. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=300230][arch 300230]] +- AAC unavailable because PipeWire lacks fdk-aac (yes). An AAC-only headset never offers AAC and lands on SBC. PipeWire was built without the fdk-aac module (non-free, omitted on some builds). Fix: install libfdk-aac and a PipeWire build with =bluez5-codec-aac= enabled. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=289177][arch 289177]] +- LDAC negotiates but adaptive bitrate stays low (no). LDAC is active yet sounds no better than SBC; bitrate never reaches 990k. The default =ldac.quality = auto= collapses to the low tier on a busy 2.4GHz link. Fix: pin =bluez5.a2dp.ldac.quality = "hq"= in a monitor.bluez.rules drop-in, reconnect. [[https://www.guyrutenberg.com/2025/01/09/configuring-ldac-quality-in-pipewire/][guyrutenberg ldac]] +- BT sink not made default, audio stays on laptop speakers (no). Headphones connect but sound keeps coming from the built-in speakers until switched by hand. WirePlumber doesn't promote a freshly-connected BT sink, and the default isn't restored across reconnect. Fix: =wpctl set-default <bt-sink-id>= now; persist with a priority.session bump or default-target restore. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=300751][arch 300751]] +- Absolute-volume passthrough makes the slider a no-op (both). The OS volume slider does nothing or only toggles mute/max. AVRCP absolute-volume hands volume to device hardware that only honors 0/100. Fix: =bluez5.enable-hw-volume = false= in a wireplumber drop-in, restart pipewire+wireplumber. [[https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Bluetooth_headset][archwiki bt headset]] +- Silent sink after suspend/resume despite reconnect (no; the BT-transport view of the audio taxonomy's resume-silence family). After wake the device reconnects but the playing stream is silent; audio returns only on a new track. The resumed transport isn't re-initialized for the existing stream. Fix: =wpctl set-default= to bounce the stream, or disable suspend-on-idle for the node; scripted disconnect/reconnect on resume as a workaround. [[https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?p=2781321][mint 2781321]] +- oFono present blocks native HFP / mSBC (yes; overlaps the audio taxonomy's BT-mic cluster — kept here for the bt-doctor probe). No HFP profile or only CVSD narrowband; mSBC never appears. An installed-but-unconfigured oFono claims the HFP backend so the native backend (which offers mSBC) stays inactive. Fix: remove ofono (or set the native HFP backend), restart pipewire, reconnect. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=266252][arch 266252]] +- mSBC wideband unsupported by adapter/kernel (physical). HFP mic works only in muffled narrowband; mSBC never negotiates even on the native backend. mSBC needs adapter+kernel support for USB ALT6 / the transparent SCO path, which some controllers lack. Fix: none in software — use a different adapter, or accept CVSD narrowband. [[https://www.collabora.com/news-and-blog/news-and-events/pipewire-bluetooth-support-status-update.html][collabora bt]] +- HFP profile output dead, mic works (no). In HSP/HFP the mic captures fine but there's no playback through the headset. The native HFP backend's SCO output path fails to route on certain PipeWire versions/devices. Fix: force a2dp-sink for playback and only enter HFP for the call; try switching the HFP backend or a PipeWire version without the regression. [[https://discussion.fedoraproject.org/t/no-audio-output-with-bluetooth-headset-in-hsp-hfp-profile-mic-works-output-doesn-t/155135][fedora hfp-output]] +- Device seen as LE/GATT-only, no audio class (yes). A headset connects but is treated as a data/LE device with no A2DP sink. bluez brings it up over LE (GATT only) instead of Classic/BR-EDR. Fix: =DisableLE= (or =ControllerMode = bredr=) in main.conf, restart bluetooth, remove and re-pair. [[https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=303288][arch 303288]] +- Battery percent never reported (yes). =bluetoothctl info= shows no Battery line and the tray shows no BT battery. bluez's battery provider is gated behind experimental mode. Fix: =Experimental = true= under [General] in main.conf, restart bluetooth, reconnect (the device must expose the Battery Service). [[https://github.com/bluez/bluez/issues/362][bluez 362]] +- Multi-device: first-connected BT audio wins, wrong default (no). Two BT audio devices paired; audio always goes to whichever connected first and the other can't be made default cleanly. WirePlumber keeps the earlier sink as default. Fix: =wpctl set-default <desired-sink-id>=; give the preferred device a higher priority.session via a monitor.bluez.rules match. [[https://0110.be/posts/Connecting_two_Bluetooth_headsets_to_your_Linux_system:_audio_routing_in_PipeWire][0110.be dual bt]] +- HFP narrowband mic during calls is an expected tradeoff (no; GUIDE). Opening the mic (calls/meetings) tanks playback to tinny mono. Inherent to HFP/HSP sharing one low-bandwidth SCO link for bidirectional audio; A2DP has no mic path. Fix: none to repair — keep A2DP for listening, accept HFP for calls, or use a duplex codec (FastStream / aptX-LL) that carries the mic without leaving A2DP. [[https://webcodr.io/2024/10/fixing-no-a2dp-with-bluetooth-headsets-on-linux/][webcodr a2dp]] + +* Network triage + +The ~74 network failure modes sorted into eight symptom clusters, each owned by a tier the net doctor already probes (link → IP → route → DNS → egress), plus a control-plane cluster for NetworkManager itself and a drops cluster for intermittent faults. Every entry carries a remedy class, using the audio taxonomy's four: + +- *AUTO* — user-scope, reversible, no root. For net this is the nmcli surface the doctor already drives (bounce/reset, =con modify= for dns/mtu/ipv6/mac/autoconnect, tunnel-down, portal-open) plus user-service restarts. Polkit on an active session (or passwordless sudo on an archsetup install) covers these. +- *PRIV* — needs root: =systemctl restart NetworkManager/systemd-resolved=, editing =/etc/=, installing a firmware/driver package, a modprobe option. Runs silently where passwordless sudo exists, else Confirm/Arm. +- *REBOOT-TAIL* — the runnable part (often PRIV: firmware/driver install, initramfs rebuild, kernel change, a modprobe option) then the reboot the doctor instructs but can't verify past. +- *GUIDE* — nothing to run: the user must supply a secret/cert, flip a physical switch, change a BIOS setting, make a config trade-off, or wait out a venue/ISP outage. + +Rough distribution: ~30 AUTO, ~14 PRIV, ~12 REBOOT-TAIL, ~24 GUIDE (several are AUTO-now-plus-PRIV-to-persist, or AUTO-plus-GUIDE where the fix is a decision). The buildable share (AUTO plus the runnable part of PRIV/REBOOT-TAIL) is a little over half — the same shape as audio. Triage is a proposal; correct any class. + +Two structural notes carried from the audio design. First, the clusters map onto the probe ladder, so the fix/guide boundary falls along tiers the doctor already walks — cluster N is "the fault the Nth probe step catches". Second, the AUTO core is a handful of primitives (bounce/reset, an nmcli-setter, tunnel-down, a user-service restart, portal-open); the breadth is in the *diagnosis*, not the remedies — exactly as the audio doctor's ~50 diagnoses collapsed to five remedy primitives. + +** Cluster 1 — no link (radio/carrier down) +Probe: the link step (=_step_link=: rfkill, has-wifi-device, carrier). New work: a dmesg firmware-load hint would let the doctor name the specific blob (iwlwifi/rtw89/mt7921) rather than a generic "no adapter". + +- Wifi soft-blocked by rfkill :: AUTO — =rfkill unblock wifi= / =nmcli radio wifi on= (the doctor's rfkill repair). +- Wifi hard-blocked by a physical switch / BIOS :: GUIDE — flip the switch or enable in BIOS. +- rfkill stuck hard-blocked after suspend (WMI conflict) :: REBOOT-TAIL — blacklist the wrong WMI module, rebuild initramfs, reboot. +- Missing iwlwifi/mt7921/rtw89 firmware for a new card :: REBOOT-TAIL — install/update linux-firmware (PRIV), reboot. +- Firmware-load regression after a kernel/firmware update :: REBOOT-TAIL — boot linux-lts or pin the last-good firmware, reboot. +- Realtek rtw89 shadowed by an AUR DKMS driver :: REBOOT-TAIL — remove the DKMS package, reboot. +- Broadcom BCM4360 needs the wl driver / wl breaks after a kernel upgrade :: REBOOT-TAIL — install broadcom-wl-dkms, blacklist the open drivers, reboot. +- USB wifi dongle needs an out-of-tree DKMS driver :: REBOOT-TAIL — install the DKMS package, reboot. +- Ethernet NO-CARRIER (cable/switch) :: GUIDE — reseat/replace the cable, try another port. +- RTL8125 flips to r8169 after a kernel update :: REBOOT-TAIL — blacklist r8169, install r8125-dkms, reboot. +- RTL8125 downshifts / won't negotiate speed :: PRIV — =ethtool --set-eee eee off= (GUIDE the cable/switch swap). +- Adapter left "unmanaged" by NetworkManager :: AUTO + PRIV — =nmcli device set managed yes= (AUTO); remove the config rule / disable the rival manager to persist (PRIV). Also lives in cluster 7. + +** Cluster 2 — associated but no IP +Probe: the DHCP step (=_step_dhcp=). New work: distinguish "no DHCP answer" (server-side) from "conflict/ACD refused" (a duplicate on the LAN) so the message points the right way. + +- dhcpcd competing with NM's internal client :: PRIV — =systemctl disable --now dhcpcd=. Also cluster 7. +- dhcpcd 9 backend breaks NM IPv4 :: PRIV — =dhcp=internal= in NetworkManager.conf. +- APIPA / no DHCP answer :: AUTO — re-trigger DHCP (=nmcli device reapply=); a recurrence is server-side (GUIDE). +- Duplicate IPv4, address skipped by ACD :: GUIDE — change the conflicting host/reservation (a network decision). +- IPv6 RA not received, no SLAAC :: PRIV — =sysctl accept_ra=2= (or GUIDE the router RA-guard). +- DHCPv6-only network, address but no route :: GUIDE — the router must send an RA with the M flag; =ipv6.method auto= is AUTO but the fix is router-side. + +** Cluster 3 — have IP, no route to the internet +Probe: gateway + route + VPN-policy steps (=_step_gateway=, =_step_route=, =_vpn_policy_signal=). This is where the doctor's tunnel-down repair and the "VPN owns the route" terminal case live. + +- Default route never installed (=never-default=) :: AUTO — =nmcli con modify never-default no=, up. +- DHCP gateway off the lease's subnet :: PRIV — add the on-link route then default (GUIDE the DHCP-scope fix). +- Wifi+ethernet conflicting metrics, exits the dead link :: AUTO — raise the bad link's =ipv4.route-metric=. +- WireGuard AllowedIPs=0.0.0.0/0 strands the host :: AUTO — bring the tunnel down (the doctor's tunnel-down repair). +- WireGuard split-tunnel captures the LAN :: GUIDE — fix AllowedIPs (a config decision). +- OpenVPN redirect-gateway route left behind :: PRIV — flush the stale route, restart the client. +- Tailscale exit node captures the default route :: AUTO — =tailscale set --exit-node==. +- Docker bridge / libvirt virbr0 subnet collision :: PRIV — re-address the bridge (a config decision, GUIDE-adjacent). + +** Cluster 4 — authentication rejected (mostly terminal) +Probe: NM state 120 + GENERAL.REASON + the journal tail (the doctor's =_recent_auth_failure=). This is the cluster the classifier already marks TERMINAL and refuses to loop repairs on — the fix is almost always the user supplying a correct secret or cert. + +- Wrong PSK, NM state 120 :: GUIDE (TERMINAL) — the user re-enters the key; no repair fixes it. +- Pure WPA3-SAE won't associate :: AUTO — set =key-mgmt sae= + PMF on the profile. +- PMF mismatch on a transition AP :: AUTO — match the AP's =pmf=. +- SAE H2E-only vs hunt-and-peck :: PRIV — =sae_pwe=2= in wpa_supplicant config. +- eduroam/enterprise cert validation failed (PEAP/iwd/802.1X/anon-identity) :: GUIDE — supply the correct CA cert / server-name / realm; the doctor can't invent institutional certs. +- Hidden SSID never connects :: AUTO — =wifi.hidden yes= on the profile. +- Randomized MAC breaks a portal / allow-list :: AUTO — =cloned-mac-address stable= (or =permanent=). +- scan-rand-mac-address breaks scan/assoc :: PRIV — a =wifi.scan-rand-mac-address=no= drop-in. +- Wrong regulatory domain hides channels :: PRIV — =iw reg set=, persist via wireless-regdom. +- Won't roam, stuck on a weak AP :: AUTO — bounce the connection (GUIDE the bgscan/backend tuning). +- 4-way-handshake timeout / deauth loop :: REBOOT-TAIL — =11n_disable=1= modprobe option, reboot. + +** Cluster 5 — route works, names don't +Probe: dns-config + resolver-health + dns-resolve + the doctor's dns-test (which proves venue-resolver-broken vs egress-dead) and its dns-override/revert repair. + +- Dangling resolv.conf symlink / resolv.conf not at the stub :: PRIV — enable resolved or repoint the symlink. +- resolved stub unreachable / port-53 conflict :: PRIV — stop the conflicting resolver, restart resolved. +- NM not integrated with resolved :: PRIV — =dns=systemd-resolved= in NetworkManager.conf. +- DNSSEC rejects a venue resolver / sticky no-signature verdict :: PRIV — =DNSSEC=allow-downgrade= (=resolvectl reset-server-features= is AUTO for the sticky case). GUIDE the trade-off decision. +- DoT strict with 853 blocked / unreachable server :: PRIV — =DNSOverTLS=opportunistic=. GUIDE the trade-off. +- DHCP handed a broken resolver / pinned public DNS blocked :: AUTO — the doctor's dns-override (switch to working DNS) / drop the pin. +- Stale poisoned cache after a portal login :: AUTO — =resolvectl flush-caches=. +- VPN split-DNS not applied :: AUTO — =resolvectl domain/default-route= on the VPN link. +- IPv6 AAAA lookups stall :: AUTO — disable IPv6 on the link (or the single-request option). Also cluster 8. +- Another daemon overwrites resolv.conf :: PRIV — pick one manager, point resolv.conf at the stub. +- nsswitch.conf hosts line / avahi mDNS broken :: PRIV — fix the hosts line, install nss-mdns. + +** Cluster 6 — names resolve, egress blocked +Probe: the http/egress-edges steps + the terminal upstream outcome. This is the cluster where the doctor most often must STOP and say "not locally fixable" rather than loop repairs. + +- Captive portal held state / no auto-popup / HTTPS-check miss / HSTS block :: AUTO — the doctor's portal-open (load a plain-HTTP probe); PRIV to fix NM's connectivity URI to http. +- Custom DNS/DoT hides the captive portal :: AUTO + PRIV — drop DoT/DNSSEC for the network, log in, restore. +- PMTUD blackhole / PPPoE-VPN MTU not clamped :: AUTO — the doctor's mtu-test then mtu-override (lower the interface MTU). +- Stale http_proxy env / unreachable PAC :: AUTO — clear the proxy env / set system proxy to None. +- Clock skew breaks TLS :: PRIV — the doctor's clock-sync (=timedatectl set-ntp true=); GUIDE the CMOS-battery replacement. +- Firewall default-deny / VPN kill-switch leftover rule :: PRIV — allow egress / flush the stale rule. +- IPv6 egress broken while IPv4 works :: AUTO — disable IPv6 on the connection. Also cluster 8. +- False "limited connectivity" from a local DNS/VPN :: PRIV — fix NM's connectivity URI (AUTO to disable the check). Also cluster 7. +- ISP outage / modem in a bad state :: GUIDE (TERMINAL) — power-cycle the modem, contact the ISP; the doctor recognizes and stops. +- Specific outbound port blocked :: GUIDE — use an allowed alternate or switch networks; not host-fixable. + +** Cluster 7 — control plane broken (NetworkManager itself) +Probe: process/service state + config checks. New work: a "two managers fighting" detector (dhcpcd / systemd-networkd / iwd co-active with NM) and a keyfile-permission check, since these fail silently with a healthy-looking radio. + +- NM masked / failed to start :: PRIV — =systemctl unmask && start=; reinstall if corrupt. +- NM segfaults / restart-loops :: PRIV — coredump triage, update/downgrade the package. +- iwd + wpa_supplicant both active / backend mismatch / iwd configured-not-installed :: REBOOT-TAIL — pick one backend, disable the other, reboot. +- systemd-networkd + NM both managing the link :: REBOOT-TAIL — disable networkd, reboot. +- Keyfile permissions void a saved connection :: PRIV — =chmod 600=, =chown root=, reload. +- Autoconnect disabled :: AUTO — =connection.autoconnect yes=. +- Duplicate/conflicting profiles for one SSID :: AUTO — delete the stale profile / raise the good one's priority. +- Dispatcher script errors and blocks connectivity :: PRIV — fix ownership or remove the script. +- Polkit won't authorize a non-root user :: GUIDE — start a polkit agent / relogin for an active seat session. +- NetworkManager-wait-online hangs boot :: PRIV — disable the wait-online service. + +** Cluster 8 — flaky / drops / powersave +Probe: over-time / event-log signals (the panel's eventlog) plus a re-probe-after-idle check — the least-developed tier, the net analogue of the audio "works then dies" cluster. New work: correlate drop events with powersave/roam/suspend transitions. + +- WiFi powersave drops the connection :: AUTO — =iw set power_save off= now; PRIV to persist the NM/modprobe setting. +- USB wifi dongle killed by autosuspend :: PRIV — a udev =power/control=on= rule. +- iwlwifi/ath11k firmware crashloop on resume :: PRIV — reload the module (a sleep hook to persist). +- No reconnect after suspend/resume :: AUTO — the doctor's nm-restart; PRIV for a durable sleep hook. +- IPv6 happy-eyeballs stalls :: AUTO — disable IPv6 on the link. Shared with clusters 5/6 — same broken-v6 family, three probe points (route absent, egress black-holed, AAAA unanswered). + +* Bluetooth triage + +The ~55 bluetooth failure modes sorted into five symptom clusters, each owned by a link in the bt doctor's existing chain (adapter → rfkill/service/powered → per-device → audio). Same four remedy classes. The bt doctor's design already encodes a key constraint that shapes this triage: *connecting and pairing are user intents, not health repairs* — so the doctor never auto-connects or auto-pairs, and the destructive re-pair is always user-confirmed. That pushes clusters 3 and 4 heavily toward GUIDE and user-initiated actions, with far fewer silent AUTO fixes than the net side. + +Rough distribution: ~12 AUTO, ~16 PRIV, ~12 REBOOT-TAIL, ~15 GUIDE. The buildable share is lower than net's because the adapter/firmware cluster is almost entirely PRIV/REBOOT-TAIL/GUIDE and the pairing cluster is mostly user-driven. The doctor's existing safe-auto tiers (unblock, power-on, service-restart, a2dp) all live in clusters 2 and 5 — which is exactly where the buildable share concentrates. + +** Cluster 1 — no adapter +Probe: the adapter step (=btctl.show=). New work: a dmesg firmware-load hint would name the vendor blob (ibt-*.sfi, BT_RAM_CODE_MT7961, rtl8761, QCA, BCM .hcd) instead of a generic "no adapter found" — the direct parallel to the audio cluster-1 dmesg-hint proposal. + +- btusb not auto-loaded :: PRIV — =modprobe btusb=, persist via modules-load.d. +- Intel/MediaTek/Realtek/Qualcomm/Broadcom firmware missing or mismatched :: REBOOT-TAIL — update linux-firmware or symlink/decompress the requested blob (PRIV), reboot. +- Intel "failed to send firmware data" / broken-initial-NCMD :: REBOOT-TAIL — =btusb reset=1= or a newer kernel, reboot. +- Controller lost after a kernel update (Intel AX / MT7922 / QCA) :: REBOOT-TAIL — boot linux-lts or downgrade, reboot. +- MediaTek MT7922 stuck in a residual power state :: GUIDE — full power-off, pull power ~10s, cold boot. +- Realtek/Broadcom dongle needs an out-of-tree driver or .hcd :: REBOOT-TAIL — build the DKMS driver / install the firmware, reboot. +- Fake CSR clone resets/times out :: PRIV — the kernel clone quirks or =btusb reset=1=, reload. +- MT7925 killed by USB autosuspend :: REBOOT-TAIL — =btusb.enable_autosuspend=n= on the cmdline, reboot. Also cluster 4. +- Bluetooth hard-blocked by BIOS/switch :: GUIDE — flip the switch / enable in BIOS. + +** Cluster 2 — adapter blocked, unpowered, or the daemon is down +Probe: the rfkill + service + powered steps. This is where all four of the doctor's safe auto-repairs (unblock, service-restart, power-on) live. + +- Soft-blocked adapter :: AUTO — the doctor's unblock (=rfkill unblock bluetooth=). +- Airplane / physical hard-block :: GUIDE — turn airplane mode off / flip the switch (the doctor deliberately won't touch this radio). +- AutoEnable off, powered down every boot :: PRIV — =AutoEnable=true= in main.conf. +- bluetooth.service masked / not enabled :: PRIV — =systemctl unmask / enable --now= (service-restart is the AUTO tier for a stopped-but-enabled service). +- D-Bus policy blocks org.bluez / bad unit-file after a bluez upgrade :: PRIV — reinstall bluez / reconcile the .pacnew, daemon-reload. +- WiFi rfkill toggle also killed BT (combo chip) :: AUTO — the doctor's unblock. +- TLP disables BT on startup / systemd-rfkill restores a stale block :: PRIV — remove BT from the TLP list / clear the saved rfkill state (unblock is AUTO now). +- rfkill block spins bluetoothd at 100% CPU :: AUTO — service-restart after unblock. +- Adapter powers back off after a desktop toggle :: AUTO — unblock + power-on (or re-enable from the desktop). +- BT stuck/soft-blocked on resume, needs a module reload :: PRIV — reload btusb (a sleep hook to persist). Also cluster 4. +- Wrong/missing default controller (multiple adapters) :: AUTO — =bluetoothctl select <MAC>= then power-on. + +** Cluster 3 — won't pair / bond +Probe: none in-chain — pairing is a user intent the panel offers, not something the doctor health-repairs. The doctor's one destructive tier here (re-pair = remove + pair) is always user-confirmed, never chained. New work: a "stale bond / corrupt cache" signature (a device that fails auth repeatedly with a bond present) would let the doctor *offer* the re-pair with confidence rather than guess. + +- Generic AuthenticationFailed / re-pair loop / corrupt cache survives remove :: PRIV (user-confirmed) — stop bluetooth, =rm -rf= the stale =/var/lib/bluetooth/<adapter>/<mac>=, restart, re-pair. +- Stale link key after a dual-boot re-pair :: GUIDE — remove and re-pair (or sync keys between OSes); a user decision. +- Paired but not trusted, no auto-reconnect :: AUTO — =bluetoothctl trust <mac>= (a safe, non-connecting fix). Bridges to cluster 4. +- No default pairing agent :: GUIDE — register an agent (=agent on=); mostly a headless-setup concern. +- BLE device never appears in scan / not in pairing mode / adapter not pairable :: GUIDE — enable LE transport / put the device in pairing mode / =pairable on= — user actions. +- ConnectionAttemptFailed / page-timeout after a bluez upgrade :: PRIV — restart bluetooth; downgrade bluez if it recurs. +- Headset un-pairs itself on disconnect / BLE address rotates :: GUIDE — re-pair; a device-behavior limitation. +- Legacy keyboard needs the PIN typed on-device :: GUIDE — type the passkey on the keyboard. +- Too many bonded devices, keys lost :: PRIV (user-confirmed) — remove devices below the ~14 limit, restart. +- Dual-mode device pairs on the wrong transport / seen as LE-only :: PRIV — =ControllerMode = bredr= in main.conf, restart, re-pair. Shared with cluster 5. +- Paired without a bond via blueman :: GUIDE — re-pair with =bluetoothctl pair= (which bonds). + +** Cluster 4 — paired but the link won't hold +Probe: the per-device connected-state step. A disconnected paired device is information, not a failure; reconnecting is user-initiated. New work: connection-parameter / coexistence hints (name USB3 noise, 2.4GHz coexistence, or a too-aggressive supervision timeout) so a "keeps dropping" verdict points somewhere. + +- Paired+trusted device never reconnects on boot/resume :: PRIV — install bluetooth-autoconnect, or set =ReconnectIntervals= in main.conf. +- Xbox/PS controller drops unless ERTM is off :: REBOOT-TAIL — =disable_ertm=1= modprobe option, reboot. +- USB3 port radio noise / loose antenna / short range :: GUIDE — move the device off the USB3 port, reseat the antenna, close the distance. +- WiFi/BT 2.4GHz coexistence stutter :: PRIV — move WiFi to 5GHz / tune the coexistence modprobe option (GUIDE the band move). +- btusb autosuspend input lag / adapter dead after resume :: REBOOT-TAIL — =btusb.enable_autosuspend=0= on the cmdline (PRIV sleep hook for the resume case). Shared with clusters 1/2. +- BLE supervision-timeout / connection-interval too aggressive :: PRIV — raise the timeout / set =[ConnectionParameters]= (a startup service to persist debugfs). +- RTL8761B wrong-firmware reconnect loop :: PRIV — symlink the correct blob, reload. Same cause as cluster 1's name-mismatch. +- "Software caused connection abort" on connect-after-scan :: AUTO — retry the connect without a preceding scan-stop. +- A2DP stutters with a BT mouse also connected / mouse stutters without a scan :: GUIDE — lower audio-codec airtime or move the mouse to a dongle; a contention trade-off. + +** Cluster 5 — connected but audio is wrong +Probe: the audio-profile step (=audio.pw_dump=, card/sink for the device). The doctor's a2dp repair (force the A2DP profile) is the AUTO tier here. The generic sound-server internals belong to the audio taxonomy; these are the BT-specific ones the bt panel names. + +- No A2DP sink / stale bluez state hides A2DP :: PRIV (user-confirmed) — clear the stale =/var/lib/bluetooth= record, re-pair (the a2dp repair is AUTO when the card is merely on the wrong profile). +- Stuck in HSP/HFP, autoswitch-to-headset fired :: AUTO — the doctor's a2dp repair / disable autoswitch. +- Leftover pulseaudio-bluetooth steals the endpoint / bluez SPA plugin missing :: PRIV — remove pulseaudio-bluetooth / install the SPA plugin. +- WirePlumber seat-monitoring drops the node :: PRIV — a =seat-monitoring = disabled= drop-in. +- Codec falls back to SBC / LDAC stuck low / AAC missing :: AUTO — a =bluez5.codecs= / ldac-quality drop-in (PRIV/REBOOT for the fdk-aac rebuild). +- BT sink not made default :: AUTO — =wpctl set-default= (the audio taxonomy's set-default primitive). +- Absolute-volume slider no-op :: PRIV — =enable-hw-volume = false= drop-in. +- Silent sink after resume :: AUTO — bounce the stream via set-default. +- oFono blocks native HFP / mSBC :: PRIV — remove ofono / set the native backend. +- mSBC unsupported by adapter / HFP output dead :: GUIDE — a hardware or PipeWire-version limitation. +- Device seen as LE/GATT-only, no audio class :: PRIV — =ControllerMode = bredr=, re-pair. Shared with cluster 3. +- Battery percent never reported :: PRIV — =Experimental = true= in main.conf. +- Multi-device, wrong audio default :: AUTO — =wpctl set-default= / a priority.session rule. +- HFP narrowband mic during calls :: GUIDE — an inherent A2DP/HFP trade-off. + +* Saturation test + +Deferred to a later pass, mirroring the audio taxonomy's blind-different-axis resample. When run, it must sample on a *different* axis than this by-layer first sweep — by hardware vendor, by distro, by device class (headset vs mouse vs controller vs enterprise-wifi vs VPN), weighted toward non-Arch 2024-2026 sources — and run the agents blind to these clusters, so it tests whether the eight net / five bt clusters are representative rather than re-deriving them. The audio resample forced zero new clusters from 108 fresh reports; the expectation here is the same, but it is unproven until run. + diff --git a/docs/design/2026-07-12-control-grammars-reference.org b/docs/design/2026-07-12-control-grammars-reference.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..4d5e028 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/design/2026-07-12-control-grammars-reference.org @@ -0,0 +1,48 @@ +#+TITLE: Control Grammars and Interaction Taxonomies — Reference Note +#+AUTHOR: Craig Jennings +#+DATE: 2026-07-12 + +Source material for the widget-gallery classification brainstorm (todo.org "Widget gallery upgrades" → "Component classification taxonomy"). The gallery is at 100 cards; every card's spec sheet already records its input model. This note collects the vocabulary and the literature the taxonomy should build on, so the brainstorm starts from named prior art instead of re-deriving it. + +* The named control grammars + +A control grammar is the sentence structure of an interaction — what order the operator supplies action, operand, and commitment. The kit already holds an exemplar of each: + +- Verb-noun :: action first, then operand. DSKY (R41): VERB 35 ENTR. Command lines and vi's =d2w= are the software descendants. +- Noun-verb (object-action) :: select the thing, then act on it. Every modern GUI; in the kit, the waveform region editor (R19) — pick a flag, then move it. +- Modal :: the same inputs mean different things depending on a mode set elsewhere. The keyed mode switch (N06) is the hardware form; vi is the canonical software one. +- Quasimode (held state) :: the state exists only while physically maintained; release returns to baseline. Dead-man button (R38), push-to-talk, the shift key. Term coined by Raskin. +- Chorded :: simultaneous inputs form one command. Key chords; the two-hand anti-tie-down control is the safety-hardware form. +- Arm-then-commit :: a two-step grammar where the first action only enables the second. Arm-to-fire (08), guarded toggle (R29). +- Direct manipulation :: no grammar — the operand is dragged itself. Faders, the response graph (R26), the attitude indicator (R43). Shneiderman's term. + +* The literature + +No single canonical registry of control grammars exists. The concept is split across these traditions, listed by usefulness to this project: + +- Moran, "The Command Language Grammar" (1981, Int. J. Man-Machine Studies) :: origin of the phrase; models a whole interface as a layered grammar (task, semantic, syntactic, interaction levels). +- Foley, Wallace & Chan, "The Human Factors of Computer Graphics Interaction Techniques" (1984, IEEE CG&A) :: the classic six elemental interaction tasks — select, position, orient, path, quantify, text. The strongest single candidate for the taxonomy's use-axis; most of the 100 cards drop cleanly into one of the six. +- Buxton, "Lexical and Pragmatic Considerations of Input Structures" (1983) and the three-state model of graphical input (1990) :: formal state machines for hover/drag/click; the right lens for the drag-vs-click portability question (Emacs has states 0 and 2 but not smooth state-1 motion). +- Card, Mackinlay & Robertson, "A Morphological Analysis of the Design Space of Input Devices" (1991) :: a design-space grid (linear/rotary × position/force × dimensions) that classifies the physical inputs themselves. +- Raskin, *The Humane Interface* (2000) :: modes vs quasimodes, and why held state beats latched state for safety-relevant functions. +- Shneiderman, "Direct Manipulation: A Step Beyond Programming Languages" (1983, IEEE Computer) :: the case for grammar-free interaction. +- MIL-STD-1472 (Human Engineering) and NASA's Human Integration Design Handbook (HIDH, NASA/SP-2010-3407) :: the closest thing to "the definition of them all" for physical controls — catalogs of control types (toggle, rotary selector, thumbwheel, legend switch, handwheel...) with selection criteria, spacing, resistance, and coding rules. FAA HF-STD-001 is the aviation equivalent. + +* Proposed axes for the classification brainstorm + +Starting point, to be argued in the brainstorm, not settled here: + +1. Elemental task (Foley) :: select / position / orient / path / quantify / text — plus the display-side tasks the gallery adds (indicate state, indicate quantity, indicate history, indicate spatial status). +2. Input model :: none (display) / click / click-step / drag-1D / drag-2D / held / composed. Already on every spec sheet; drives Emacs portability directly. +3. Grammar :: the seven above. Orthogonal to input model — a click can belong to any grammar. +4. Cardinality of the value :: binary / one-of-N / many-of-N / many-to-many / continuous scalar / 2-axis / bitmap / compound. +5. State authority :: operator-set / system-set (breaker trip, servo needle) / co-set (heading bug vs actual). +6. Persistence :: latched / held / transient / mechanical-persistent (flip-disc). +7. Era :: the period field, where not timeless. + +The gap-finding move the brainstorm exists for: cross axes 1×4 and look for empty cells — a use-case with no component is a cell the catalogue cannot fill. + +* Related + +- Gallery: [[file:../prototypes/panel-widget-gallery.html][docs/prototypes/panel-widget-gallery.html]] (100 cards, spec sheets carry input model + period). +- Source survey: takuzu =working/research/ui-components/historical-panel-components.org= (processed 2026-07-12; build + banked + stale verdicts recorded in todo.org). diff --git a/docs/design/2026-07-14-undeclared-packages-evidence.org b/docs/design/2026-07-14-undeclared-packages-evidence.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..86fa0aa --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/design/2026-07-14-undeclared-packages-evidence.org @@ -0,0 +1,84 @@ +#+TITLE: Undeclared ratio packages — include/ignore evidence +#+AUTHOR: Craig Jennings +#+DATE: 2026-07-14 + +Evidence sweep for the "Review undeclared ratio packages for installer inclusion" task. Source: =make package-diff= run on ratio 2026-07-14 (64 explicit packages installed but not declared; the June run saw 62). Per package: pacman's description, what requires it (dependency vs standalone), and the install date. The include/ignore decisions are Craig's; the buckets below carry the default lean. + +Rerun =make package-diff= after any include pass to confirm the count drops. + +** Candidates to declare (30) +Explicitly installed apps and tools with nothing requiring them. Each needs Craig's include/ignore call. +- =aws-cli-v2= :: Universal Command Line Interface for Amazon Web Services (version 2) · installed 2026-04-25 +- =baobab= :: A graphical directory tree analyzer · installed 2026-07-08 +- =bats= :: Bash Automated Testing System · installed 2026-04-21 +- =blueman= :: GTK+ Bluetooth Manager · installed 2026-01-25 +- =drawio-desktop= :: Official Electron build of draw.io · installed 2026-07-08 +- =emacs= :: The extensible, customizable, self-documenting real-time display editor · installed 2026-05-03 +- =flatpak= :: Linux application sandboxing and distribution framework (formerly xdg-app) · installed 2026-06-13 +- =geeqie= :: Lightweight image viewer · installed 2026-07-13 +- =git-lfs= :: Git extension for versioning large files · installed 2026-04-24 +- =github-cli= :: The GitHub CLI · installed 2026-07-08 +- =hugo= :: Fast and Flexible Static Site Generator in Go · installed 2026-07-13 +- =imv= :: Image viewer for Wayland and X11 · installed 2026-07-13 +- =inform= :: The Inform 6 compiler · installed 2026-07-11 +- =lc0= :: UCI-compliant chess engine designed to play chess via neural network, specifically those of the LeelaChessZero project. · installed 2026-05-16 +- =ledger= :: Double-entry accounting system with a command-line reporting interface · installed 2026-04-25 +- =libreoffice-fresh= :: LibreOffice branch which contains new features and program enhancements · installed 2026-07-13 +- =minidlna= :: A DLNA/UPnP-AV Media server (aka ReadyDLNA) · installed 2026-05-16 +- =openai-codex= :: OpenAIs lightweight coding agent that runs in your terminal · installed 2026-07-13 +- =pacoloco= :: Pacman caching proxy server · installed 2026-07-08 +- =proton-vpn-gtk-app= :: ProtonVPN GTK app, Maintained by Community · installed 2026-07-08 +- =protontricks= :: Run Winetricks commands for Steam Play/Proton games among other common Wine features · installed 2026-05-09 +- =python-pip= :: The PyPA recommended tool for installing Python packages · installed 2026-06-04 +- =python-pipx= :: Install and Run Python Applications in Isolated Environments · installed 2026-07-08 +- =python-sphinx= :: Python documentation generator · installed 2026-04-29 +- =shortwave= :: Internet radio player · installed 2026-03-22 +- =spotify-launcher= :: Client for spotify's apt repository in Rust for Arch Linux · installed 2026-06-04 +- =tidal-dl-ng= :: A tool for downloading music and albums from TIDAL · installed 2026-01-30 +- =typescript-language-server= :: Language Server Protocol (LSP) implementation for TypeScript using tsserver · installed 2026-03-02 +- =whisper.cpp= :: Port of OpenAI's Whisper model in C/C++ · installed 2026-06-04 +- =zoom= :: Video Conferencing and Web Conferencing Service · installed 2026-07-08 + +** Dependencies of other packages (6) +Something installed requires these; leaving them to dependency resolution is the default lean. +- =blas-openblas= :: An optimized BLAS library based on GotoBLAS2 1.13 BSD (Provides BLAS/CBLAS/LAPACK/LAPACKE system-wide) · required by: gsl python-numpy suitesparse · installed 2026-05-16 +- =lc0-network-sm= :: Small network for lc0 chess engine, requires ~1.6 GB of memory, recommended for CPU usage. · required by: lc0 · installed 2026-05-16 +- =openblas= :: An optimized BLAS library based on GotoBLAS2 1.13 BSD · required by: blas-openblas lc0 libggml-git · installed 2026-04-25 +- =pkcs11-helper= :: A library that simplifies the interaction with PKCS11 providers for end-user applications using a simple API and optional OpenSSL engine · required by: openvpn · installed 2026-02-20 +- =proton-vpn-daemon= :: Daemons for Proton VPN Linux client (split tunneling service) · required by: proton-vpn-cli proton-vpn-gtk-app · installed 2026-05-05 +- =python-lyricsgenius= :: A Python client for the Genius.com API, that provides a simple interface to the song, artist, and lyrics data stored on Genius.com · required by: tidal-dl · installed 2026-01-25 + +** Libraries with no requirer (7) +The task's library watchlist: likely former dependencies now orphaned, or toolchain pieces. Lean: ignore unless a build recipe needs them pinned. +- =eigen= :: Lightweight C++ template library for vector and matrix math, a.k.a. linear algebra · installed 2026-04-05 +- =freerdp= :: Free implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) · installed 2026-07-08 +- =lib32-openal= :: Cross-platform 3D audio library, software implementation (32-bit) · installed 2026-05-12 +- =rust-bindgen= :: Automatically generates Rust FFI bindings to C (and some C++) libraries · installed 2026-07-08 +- =sane= :: Scanner Access Now Easy · installed 2026-02-24 +- =tk= :: A windowing toolkit for use with tcl · installed 2026-02-26 +- =webkit2gtk= :: Web content engine for GTK · installed 2026-05-03 + +** Structural (pacstrap / VM harness / kernel) (21) +Already excluded by the task's 2026-06-14 analysis; listed so the report matches the raw diff count. +- =archiso= :: Tools for creating Arch Linux live and install iso images · installed 2026-04-05 +- =base= :: Minimal package set to define a basic Arch Linux installation · installed 2026-02-12 +- =bridge-utils= :: Utilities for configuring the Linux ethernet bridge · installed 2026-01-26 +- =btrfs-progs= :: Btrfs filesystem utilities · required by: archinstall grub-btrfs libguestfs snap-pac snapper · installed 2026-05-12 +- =dnsmasq= :: Lightweight, easy to configure DNS forwarder and DHCP server · installed 2026-06-08 +- =efibootmgr= :: Linux user-space application to modify the EFI Boot Manager · installed 2026-05-10 +- =ex-vi-compat= :: The ex and vi commands based on vim's compatibility modes · installed 2026-02-06 +- =grub= :: GNU GRand Unified Bootloader (2) · required by: grub-btrfs · installed 2026-01-25 +- =libguestfs= :: Access and modify virtual machine disk images · installed 2026-07-08 +- =linux= :: The Linux kernel and modules · installed 2026-07-13 +- =linux-headers= :: Headers and scripts for building modules for the Linux kernel · installed 2026-07-13 +- =linux-lts= :: The LTS Linux kernel and modules · installed 2026-07-13 +- =linux-lts-headers= :: Headers and scripts for building modules for the LTS Linux kernel · installed 2026-07-13 +- =linux-lts-strix= :: The LTS Linux with Strix Halo PMFW VPE-idle-pg workaround patch kernel and modules · installed 2026-04-30 +- =logrotate= :: Rotates system logs automatically · installed 2026-04-19 +- =qemu-full= :: A full QEMU setup · required by: libguestfs · installed 2026-07-13 +- =sudo= :: Give certain users the ability to run some commands as root · required by: base-devel devtools · installed 2026-07-08 +- =virt-manager= :: Desktop user interface for managing virtual machines · installed 2026-01-26 +- =virt-viewer= :: A lightweight interface for interacting with the graphical display of virtualized guest OS. · installed 2026-01-26 +- =yay= :: Yet another yogurt. Pacman wrapper and AUR helper written in go. · installed 2026-07-08 +- =zram-generator= :: Systemd unit generator for zram devices · installed 2026-06-08 + |