pkg.soopen package index

brew / rank 1390

Install switchaudio-osx with Homebrew, MacPorts, Nix

Change macOS audio source from the command-line. Version 1.2.2 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#switchaudio-osx.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install switchaudio-osx

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install switchaudio-osx

MacPorts ports tree · audio/switchaudio-osx/Portfile · source: api.github.com

Linux

Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#switchaudio-osx

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/sw/switchaudio-osx/package.nix · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

Change macOS audio source from the command-line

Commands and aliases

  • SwitchAudioSource

history

Project history and usage

SwitchAudioSource is a macOS command-line utility for switching the system audio source without opening the graphical sound settings. Its appeal is narrow but durable: shell users, automation users, and hotkey-tool users can script audio input, output, system device, mute, and cycling behavior.

Project history

The upstream README describes a command-line-only utility for Mac OS X, tested across OS X 10.7 through macOS 11.2. The license and README credit Devon Weller beginning in 2008 and Christian Zuckschwerdt for migrating the project to GitHub and adding the next-device option.

Adoption history

The README explicitly documents Homebrew installation, and the input package facts show the same utility distributed through Homebrew, MacPorts, and Nix. That spread is typical for small macOS-native command-line tools that remain useful because they wrap a missing shell affordance.

How it is used

Users run SwitchAudioSource to list devices, print the current device, set a device by name, id, or uid, choose input/output/system device type, select human/CLI/JSON output, or toggle mute status for input or output devices. The README gives microphone muting as a hotkey-oriented use case.

Why package nerds care

Package nerds care because this is exactly the kind of tiny Mac utility package managers preserve: a single-purpose CLI that exposes system behavior to scripts, dotfiles, launchers, and keyboard automation.

Timeline

  • 2008: Copyright attribution begins for Devon Weller in the upstream license/README.
  • 2011: Copyright attribution begins for Christian Zuckschwerdt in the upstream README.
  • Homebrew era: The README documents brew install switchaudio-osx.
  • macOS 11.2 era: The README states the utility was tested through OS 11.2.

Related projects

  • The project is related to macOS automation, hotkey managers, and dotfile scripts that need to select audio devices without GUI interaction.

security posture

Risk level: blue

broad file, network, media, or database tool signal.

Risk classifier

blue risk · medium confidence · tool

Why

  • broad file, network, media, or database tool signal

Signals

  • text:audio

Install behavior

  • No Homebrew bottle metadata was recorded.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

executables

Installed executables

CommandKindExposureNote
SwitchAudioSourceexecutableindexed executableDiscovered from the local executable index.

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-08-03
manager version1.2.2
manager updated
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
  • okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:switchaudio-osx
Version1.2.2
Package managerHomebrew
Homepagehttps://github.com/deweller/switchaudio-osx/
Repositoryhttps://github.com/deweller/switchaudio-osx
Bottlenot recorded
Servicenone declared

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Nix95%

switchaudio-osx

nix profile install nixpkgs#switchaudio-osx
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Switchaudio Osx
nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/sw/switchaudio-osx/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
MacPorts95%

switchaudio-osx

sudo port install switchaudio-osx
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Switchaudio Osx
MacPorts ports tree · api.github.com · MacPorts ports tree: audio/switchaudio-osx/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Used sources

  • Geiger risk classifier
  • cross-ecosystem install command graph
  • curated package history
  • external package-manager database matches
  • pkg.so package database
  • pkgdb category and tag curation