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https://github.com/prostopasta/linux-privacy-switch

Linux daemon for hardware camera+microphone privacy switch on Lenovo Legion and IdeaPad laptops. System tray indicator, ALSA/PipeWire mute, multi-device support.
https://github.com/prostopasta/linux-privacy-switch

camera gnome lenovo linux microphone privacy systemd tray

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Linux daemon for hardware camera+microphone privacy switch on Lenovo Legion and IdeaPad laptops. System tray indicator, ALSA/PipeWire mute, multi-device support.

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README 

          


  linux-privacy-switch






  MIT License

  Ubuntu

  Python

  systemd




---



**linux-privacy-switch** makes the hardware privacy slider on Lenovo Legion / IdeaPad laptops actually work on Linux — muting the microphone and updating a tray indicator in sync with the camera.



**The problem:** The ITE Embedded Controller fires a key event when the slider moves, but Linux ignores it. The camera is physically cut by the EC, but the microphone stays live and no indicator updates.



**The fix:** A systemd daemon intercepts the `/dev/input/` event, detects the true camera state via V4L2 frame capture, and applies mic mute/unmute + tray icon in sync.



---



## Supported devices



| Device | DMI `product_name` | Status |

|---|---|---|

| Lenovo Legion 5 15IRX10 | 83LY | ✅ Tested |

| Lenovo Legion 5 Gen 6 (AMD) | 82JU | 🔧 Needs testing |

| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 | IdeaPad 5 | 🔧 Needs testing |



Adding a new device takes [~5 minutes](#adding-a-new-device).



---



## Quick install



```bash

git clone https://github.com/prostopasta/linux-privacy-switch.git

cd linux-privacy-switch

sudo bash install.sh

```



Detects your device by DMI, installs both systemd services, starts the tray.



```bash

bash tests/verify.sh   # post-install check

```



---



## How it works



```

Physical slider → ITE EC → /dev/input/eventN

    → privacy-switch daemon  (root, system service)

        ├── V4L2 frame capture → detect true camera state

        ├── amixer sset Capture cap/nocap         (ALSA)

        ├── wpctl set-mute @DEFAULT_AUDIO_SOURCE@  (PipeWire)

        ├── notify-send

        └── heartbeat file  every 10 s

    → privacy-tray  (user service, after graphical-session.target)

        ├── tray icon  ← polls state file every 800 ms

        └── wpctl set-volume 50%  on enable

```



### Startup sequence



On every start the daemon:



1. **Waits** until system uptime ≥ 15 s — gives the ITE EC time to apply the switch position to the camera sensor before probing.

2. **Determines initial state:**

   - *Hardware kill devices* (`has_hw_camera_kill = true`): captures one V4L2 frame. A black frame (< `nonzero_threshold` % nonzero bytes, default 3%) means the slider is **OFF**; a live frame means **ON**. This is necessary because `camera_power` sysfs always reads `0` on affected hardware — the EC controls the sensor directly.

   - *Software-only devices* (`has_hw_camera_kill = false`): the sensor is always powered, so probing is skipped. The daemon reads the last saved state file.

3. **Drains** any buffered EC init-events so they aren't misread as user toggles.

4. **Enters the event loop.** From here, every EC key event is a real slider movement.



### Periodic health check



Every **60 seconds** the daemon re-probes the camera in a background thread. If the result disagrees with saved state (e.g. after a crash-and-restart), it self-corrects automatically.



### Daemon liveness



The daemon writes a Unix timestamp to `/var/lib/linux-privacy-switch/heartbeat` every 10 s. The tray reads it: if the file is older than 30 s the icon switches to **⚠ Daemon not responding** until the service recovers (`Restart=always` in the unit file handles this automatically).



---



## Device modes



The daemon operates in one of two modes depending on the device profile:



| Mode | `has_hw_camera_kill` | V4L2 probe | State source at boot |

|---|---|---|---|

| Hardware kill | `true` | Yes — black frame = OFF | V4L2 reading (authoritative) |

| Software-only | `false` | No | Saved state file |



**Hardware kill** (e.g. Lenovo Legion slider): the ITE Embedded Controller physically disconnects the camera sensor from the bus. A V4L2 frame captured while the slider is OFF contains almost no signal (~1% nonzero bytes), making the probe reliable. The daemon runs it once at startup and repeats every 60 s.



**Software-only** (e.g. Fn+key on IdeaPad 5): the sensor remains powered regardless of the key state. Probing would return a live frame even when "disabled", so the daemon skips V4L2 entirely and relies on the saved state file.



Set `has_hw_camera_kill` appropriately in your device profile. The `install.sh` installer asks this as an interactive question.



---



## Tray indicator



| Icon | Meaning |

|---|---|

| 🟢 Green | Camera and microphone **enabled** |

| 🔴 Red | Camera and microphone **muted** |

| ⏳ Starting | Daemon is running the startup probe (~15–18 s) |

| ⚠️ Not responding | Daemon crashed; systemd auto-restart pending |



The tray is **display-only** — toggle with the physical slider only. Right-click → Quit.



Launched automatically at login via `linux-privacy-tray.service` (systemd user service).



---



## Service management



```bash

# Status

sudo systemctl status linux-privacy-switch

systemctl --user status linux-privacy-tray



# Restart both services at once (waits for startup probe to finish)

sudo privacy-restart



# Live logs

sudo journalctl -u linux-privacy-switch -f

```



---



## Adding a new device



```bash

# 1. Find DMI strings and input device name

sudo python3 src/privacy-switch.py --detect --config config/devices.conf



# 2. Find the slider key code

sudo python3 src/privacy-switch.py --monitor

# Move the slider → you'll see  device_name  and  code=XXX

```



Add a section to `config/devices.conf`:



```ini

[my-laptop-model]

match_sys_vendor       = LENOVO

match_product_name     = 

input_device_name      = 

key_code               = 

alsa_card              = 0

alsa_control           = Capture

has_hw_camera_kill     = false   # see Device modes section

sync_camera            = true

sync_mic               = true

description            = Short description

```



Reinstall to apply:



```bash

sudo bash install.sh

```



### Scenario A — Physical slider (hardware kill, e.g. Legion 5)



1. Run `--detect` to get DMI strings and input device name

2. Run `--monitor` to identify the slider key code

3. Add section to `devices.conf` with `has_hw_camera_kill = true`

4. Reinstall: `sudo bash install.sh`

5. Run `--calibrate` to find the optimal brightness threshold (see below)

6. Test: move slider → camera cuts out, mic mutes, tray icon updates



### Scenario B — Software-only Fn key (e.g. IdeaPad 5)



1. Run `--detect` / `--monitor` as above

2. Add section with `has_hw_camera_kill = false`

3. Reinstall: `sudo bash install.sh`

4. The daemon tracks state in software only — no V4L2 probe is performed

5. Test: press key → mic mutes/unmutes, tray updates; camera indicator changes but the sensor stays live (this is expected)



### Scenario C — No dedicated key



Not yet supported. Would require integrating a hotkey daemon (e.g. xbindkeys). Contributions welcome.



Pull requests with new device profiles are welcome.



---



## Calibration



Only relevant for devices with `has_hw_camera_kill = true`.



The daemon detects camera state by comparing V4L2 frame brightness against a threshold. The default is **3%** nonzero bytes — a safe midpoint between a typical OFF frame (~1.2%) and a typical ON frame (~5–6%).



**When to calibrate:** when adding a new hardware-kill device, or if the indicator flips incorrectly.



**Important:** If your model has no physical lens cover, cover the camera with your finger during the OFF-state measurement — some sensors output a faint residual signal even when the EC cuts power.



```bash

sudo python3 /usr/local/bin/privacy-switch --calibrate

```



The wizard measures brightness in both states, suggests the optimal threshold, and offers to save `nonzero_threshold` to your device profile. The installer also offers to run calibration on first install.



---



## Troubleshooting



**Slider direction is inverted** — toggle once; the daemon self-corrects and stays in sync from then on.



**Device not detected** — run `--detect`, add a profile to `devices.conf`.



**Tray not starting** — `systemctl --user restart linux-privacy-tray`.



**Wrong state after reboot** — the daemon needs ~15–18 s to finish the startup probe. Wait a moment, then check `cat /var/lib/linux-privacy-switch/state`.



**Mic not muting during a video call** — while another app is streaming the camera, the V4L2 probe returns `EBUSY` and is skipped; the daemon uses the last saved state. Toggle the slider once to force a sync.



---



## Future extensions



The hardware privacy switch concept is not limited to camera and microphone. The same daemon architecture can be extended to cut any signal source on toggle:



- **Wi-Fi** — `rfkill block wifi`

- **Bluetooth** — `rfkill block bluetooth`

- **USB ports** — cut power via `uhubctl` or hub-level sysfs

- **Ethernet** — `ip link set eth0 down`



Each source would get its own `sync_*` flag in the device profile, making the slider a universal hardware kill switch for all radio and I/O interfaces. Pull requests adding new sync targets are welcome.



---



## Related projects



- [johnfanv2/LenovoLegionLinux](https://github.com/johnfanv2/LenovoLegionLinux) — fans, power, RGB for Lenovo Legion on Linux



---



## License



[MIT](LICENSE)