Integrations

Integrations

i3-volume integrates with many different tools and programs. This page provides an index of all integration guides.

Status Bars

i3blocks

Best for: i3wm users who want a simple, lightweight status bar

Features:

• Automatic mouse wheel support (scroll to adjust volume)
• Simple configuration
• Native integration

Guide: Usage with i3blocks

Quick Setup:

[i3volume]
label=🔊
command=~/i3-volume/volume output i3blocks
interval=once
signal=10

polybar

Best for: Users who want a highly customizable status bar

Features:

• Custom output formats
• Click actions (left/right/middle)
• Scroll support

Guide: Installation - polybar

Quick Setup:

[module/i3-volume]
type = custom/script
tail = true
exec = ~/i3-volume/volume listen "%i %v %p\n"
scroll-up = ~/i3-volume/volume up
scroll-down = ~/i3-volume/volume down
click-left = ~/i3-volume/volume mute

i3status / i3status-rust

Best for: i3wm users who prefer i3status

Features:

• Native i3status integration
• Custom block configuration

Guide: Installation (see i3status section)

Notification Methods

dunst

Best for: Most users - feature-rich and highly configurable

Features:

• Progress bars
• Notification grouping
• Full-color icons
• Custom styling

Guide: Notifications

Setup:

NOTIFICATION_METHOD="dunst"
USE_DUNSTIFY=true
DISPLAY_NOTIFICATIONS=true

notify-osd

Best for: Ubuntu/Unity users

Features:

• System default notifications
• Simple setup

Guide: Notifications

xob

Best for: Minimalist users who want lightweight notifications

Features:

• Very lightweight
• Minimal dependencies
• Visual volume bar

Guide: Usage with xob

Note: Requires extra setup steps for notifications.

XOSD

Best for: Users who want on-screen display without D-Bus

Features:

• No D-Bus required
• Customizable appearance
• Lightweight

Guide: Usage with XOSD

herbe

Best for: Minimalist users who want daemon-less notifications

Features:

• No daemon required
• Very lightweight
• Simple text notifications

Guide: Usage with herbe

volnoti

Best for: Users who want a dedicated volume notification daemon

Features:

• Dedicated volume notifications
• Customizable appearance

Guide: Usage with volnoti

KOSD

Best for: KDE users

Features:

• Native KDE integration
• KDE-style notifications

Guide: Usage with KOSD

Window Managers

i3wm

Best for: i3wm users

Features:

• Native keybinding support
• Status bar integration
• Full feature support

Guide: Installation - i3wm

Quick Setup:

bindsym XF86AudioRaiseVolume exec --no-startup-id ~/i3-volume/volume -n up 5
bindsym XF86AudioLowerVolume exec --no-startup-id ~/i3-volume/volume -n down 5
bindsym XF86AudioMute exec --no-startup-id ~/i3-volume/volume -n mute

bspwm / sxhkd

Best for: bspwm users or users of sxhkd

Features:

• sxhkd keybinding support
• Works with any window manager

Guide: Keybindings

Quick Setup:

XF86AudioRaiseVolume
    ~/i3-volume/volume up
XF86AudioLowerVolume
    ~/i3-volume/volume down
XF86AudioMute
    ~/i3-volume/volume mute

Integration Comparison

Integration	Mouse Wheel	Click Actions	Custom Format	Notes
i3blocks	✅ Automatic	❌	✅	Easiest setup
polybar	✅	✅	✅	Most customizable
i3status	❌	❌	⚠️ Limited	Basic integration
dunst	N/A	N/A	✅	Best notifications
xob	N/A	N/A	⚠️ Limited	Lightweight OSD
XOSD	N/A	N/A	⚠️ Limited	No D-Bus needed
herbe	N/A	N/A	❌	Minimalist
volnoti	N/A	N/A	⚠️ Limited	Volume-focused
KOSD	N/A	N/A	⚠️ Limited	KDE integration

Choosing an Integration

For Status Bars

• Want simplicity? → Use i3blocks
• Want customization? → Use polybar
• Using i3status? → Use i3status integration

For Notifications

• Want features? → Use dunst
• Want lightweight? → Use xob or herbe
• Using KDE? → Use KOSD
• Ubuntu default? → Use notify-osd

For Window Managers

• Using i3wm? → Use i3wm integration
• Using bspwm? → Use sxhkd
• Other WM? → Use sxhkd or configure manually

Quick Reference

Status Bar Integration

# i3blocks
volume output i3blocks

# polybar
volume listen "%i %v %p\n"

# Custom format
volume output "%i %v%% %p"

Notification Integration

# Enable notifications
volume -n up 5

# Use specific method
volume -n -N dunst up 5
volume -n -N xob up 5

Keybinding Integration

# i3wm
bindsym XF86AudioRaiseVolume exec --no-startup-id volume -n up 5

# sxhkd
XF86AudioRaiseVolume
    volume up

See Also

• Getting Started - Setup guide
• Examples - Integration examples
• Configuration - Configuration for integrations
• Features - All available features