From: GitHub issues - edited <github@alsa-project.org>
To: alsa-devel@alsa-project.org
Subject: ALSA Pulse plugin returns -EIO from snd_pcm_avail_delay() in case of -PA_ERR_NODATA
Date: Mon, 21 Sep 2026 02:20:55 +0200 (CEST) [thread overview]
Message-ID: <18d72e16c75cd900-webhooks-bot@alsa-project.org> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <18d72e16c7535000-webhooks-bot@alsa-project.org>
alsa-project/alsa-plugins issue #65 was edited from argothiel:
### Environment
- Ubuntu 26.04 under WSL2 / WSLg
- `libasound2-plugins` 1.2.12-2build1
- PulseAudio server available through WSLg
### Problem
Immediately after configuring a playback PCM opened through the ALSA `pulse` plugin, `snd_pcm_avail_delay()` returns `-EIO`. This seems to be an issue with `pulse_delay()` which calls `pa_stream_get_latency()`. PulseAudio documents that this function returns `-PA_ERR_NODATA` when timing information is not available yet. The ALSA Pulse plugin compares the result against positive `PA_ERR_NODATA`; it therefore treats that temporary condition as an unrelated failure and returns `-EIO`:
- ALSA Pulse plugin comparison:
https://github.com/alsa-project/alsa-plugins/blob/ffc8b900792b77764213bac6816ba60f2c8d8025/pulse/pcm_pulse.c#L397-L404
- PulseAudio `pa_stream_get_latency()` documentation:
https://github.com/pulseaudio/pulseaudio/blob/77d25a1e613095bdf87a1d13b65e7c330565077a/src/pulse/stream.h#L725-L726
- The same issue has been fixed in the `shairport-sync` version:
https://github.com/mikebrady/shairport-sync/pull/2119
### Reproducer
```c
#include <alsa/asoundlib.h>
#include <assert.h>
#include <stdio.h>
int main(void)
{
snd_pcm_t *pcm;
snd_pcm_sframes_t avail, delay;
int err;
err = snd_pcm_open(&pcm, "pulse", SND_PCM_STREAM_PLAYBACK, 0);
assert(err == 0);
err = snd_pcm_set_params(
pcm,
SND_PCM_FORMAT_FLOAT_LE,
SND_PCM_ACCESS_RW_INTERLEAVED,
2,
48000,
1,
20000);
assert(err == 0);
err = snd_pcm_avail_delay(pcm, &avail, &delay);
printf("snd_pcm_avail_delay: %s (%d)\n", snd_strerror(err), err);
snd_pcm_close(pcm);
return err < 0;
}
```
Build and run:
```sh
cc main.c -lasound && ./a.out
```
### Actual result
```sh
snd_pcm_avail_delay: Input/output error (-5)
```
### Expected result
`snd_pcm_avail_delay()` should wait until PulseAudio timing information is available, then return the available-frame and delay values.
Issue URL : https://github.com/alsa-project/alsa-plugins/issues/65
Repository URL: https://github.com/alsa-project/alsa-plugins
next parent reply other threads:[~2026-09-21 0:21 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 3+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
[not found] <18d72e16c7535000-webhooks-bot@alsa-project.org>
2026-09-21 0:20 ` GitHub issues - edited [this message]
[not found] <18d72dce2a4a3b00-webhooks-bot@alsa-project.org>
2026-09-21 0:15 ` ALSA Pulse plugin returns -EIO from snd_pcm_avail_delay() in case of -PA_ERR_NODATA GitHub issues - edited
[not found] <18d72d6ada085a00-webhooks-bot@alsa-project.org>
2026-09-21 0:08 ` GitHub issues - opened
Reply instructions:
You may reply publicly to this message via plain-text email
using any one of the following methods:
* Save the following mbox file, import it into your mail client,
and reply-to-all from there: mbox
Avoid top-posting and favor interleaved quoting:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posting_style#Interleaved_style
* Reply using the --to, --cc, and --in-reply-to
switches of git-send-email(1):
git send-email \
--in-reply-to=18d72e16c75cd900-webhooks-bot@alsa-project.org \
--to=github@alsa-project.org \
--cc=alsa-devel@alsa-project.org \
/path/to/YOUR_REPLY
https://kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/docs/git-send-email.html
* If your mail client supports setting the In-Reply-To header
via mailto: links, try the mailto: link
Be sure your reply has a Subject: header at the top and a blank line
before the message body.
This is an external index of several public inboxes,
see mirroring instructions on how to clone and mirror
all data and code used by this external index.