Discord Push-to-Talk (PTT) for Linux

Discord Push-to-Talk for Linux is now a Go tool that enables global PTT for Discord on Linux, including Wayland setups where Discord push-to-talk may not work reliably.

Discord on Linux can have trouble with global Push-to-Talk, especially on Wayland. This project works around that by listening for an input event and sending the configured Discord shortcut.

Use this project if you want global Push-to-Talk for Discord on Linux using a mouse side button or another input device.

What this project does

• Watches a Linux input device such as a mouse side button.
• Detects and saves your device path and button code.
• Sends your configured Discord Push-to-Talk shortcut when that button is pressed and released.
• Can run directly from the repo, from a built binary, or through the included Home Manager module.

Quick start

1. Run Discord in X11 mode so you can set the Discord Push-to-Talk keybind.
2. Install the required packages for your Linux distribution.
3. Choose either the normal install or the Nix install.
4. Detect your input device and button with setup.
5. Start the daemon so push-to-talk works while Discord is running.

Installation

1) Open Discord in X11 mode (important on Wayland)

Run Discord with:

discord --enable-features=UseOzonePlatform --ozone-platform=x11

Use this Discord session to set your keybind.

2) Set Discord PTT keybind

In Discord:

1. User Settings -> Voice & Video
2. Set Input Mode = Push to Talk
3. Set PTT keybind to Shift + =

If you use another combo, it must match your tool config later.

3) Install required packages

Core (required for PTT):

Ubuntu / Debian

sudo apt update
sudo apt install golang-go xdotool

Fedora

sudo dnf install golang xdotool

Arch

sudo pacman -S go xdotool

Optional (for the Home Manager Rofi menu and notifications):

• Ubuntu / Debian: sudo apt install rofi libnotify-bin
• Fedora: sudo dnf install rofi libnotify
• Arch: sudo pacman -S rofi libnotify

Normal install

Build the binary from this repo:

go build -o discord-ptt-go .

Install it to a stable user path:

mkdir -p ~/.local/bin
cp ./discord-ptt-go ~/.local/bin/discord-ptt-go
chmod +x ~/.local/bin/discord-ptt-go

Verify the install:

~/.local/bin/discord-ptt-go help

Nix install

Build with Nix:

nix-build default.nix

Verify the install:

./result/bin/discord-ptt-go help

If you want a development shell instead:

nix-shell
go run . help

Configuration

4) Run setup to detect your device and button

After a normal install:

~/.local/bin/discord-ptt-go setup

After a Nix build:

./result/bin/discord-ptt-go setup

From a dev shell:

go run . setup

setup prompts for the Discord shortcut, defaults to Shift + =, then waits for your button press and saves the detected values.

5) Runtime config location

By default, the tool stores runtime state in:

./state

The directory may contain:

• config.json
• config_detected.json
• shortcut_override.json

If you want to use another location:

~/.local/bin/discord-ptt-go setup --config-dir ~/.config/ptt-go
~/.local/bin/discord-ptt-go daemon --config-dir ~/.config/ptt-go

6) Start the daemon

After a normal install:

~/.local/bin/discord-ptt-go daemon

After a Nix build:

./result/bin/discord-ptt-go daemon

From a dev shell:

go run . daemon

7) Auto-start at login (systemd user service)

If you want it to start automatically, create ~/.config/systemd/user/discord-ptt.service:

[Unit]
Description=Discord Mouse PTT

[Service]
ExecStart=%h/.local/bin/discord-ptt-go daemon --config-dir %h/.config/ptt-go
Restart=always
Environment=DISPLAY=:0

[Install]
WantedBy=default.target

If you built the binary somewhere else, update ExecStart to match your real path.

Enable it:

systemctl --user daemon-reload
systemctl --user enable --now discord-ptt.service

Alternative setup: Nix / Home Manager

This repo includes a Home Manager module:

./ptt.nix

Use this if you manage your desktop setup with Home Manager and want discord-ptt-go, its config files, and the helper scripts installed automatically instead of building and copying the binary by hand.

Add it to your Home Manager config, for example:

{
  imports = [
    ./ptt.nix
  ];
}

Apply Home Manager:

home-manager switch

What ptt.nix does:

• Builds and installs discord-ptt-go
• Writes ~/.config/ptt-go/config.json
• Seeds ~/.config/ptt-go/config_detected.json
• Writes ~/.config/ptt-go/shortcut_override.json
• Installs ~/.config/ptt-go/PTTManager.sh
• Installs ~/.config/ptt-go/RofiPTT.sh

What it does not do:

• It does not auto-detect your mouse button during home-manager switch
• It does not start the daemon by itself until you run the helper scripts or wire it into your own startup flow

Recommended next step after enabling the module:

~/.config/ptt-go/PTTManager.sh setup
~/.config/ptt-go/PTTManager.sh start

Optional Rofi menu

When using the Home Manager module, this repo generates:

• ~/.config/ptt-go/PTTManager.sh
• ~/.config/ptt-go/RofiPTT.sh

Run it with:

~/.config/ptt-go/RofiPTT.sh

What it does:

• Start/stop/restart the PTT daemon
• Run setup to detect a mouse button
• View daemon logs
• Show a simple help entry

Troubleshooting

1. Confirm the Discord keybind matches DISCORD_SHORTCUT in your config.
2. Check the saved config:

go run . print-config

3. Make sure Discord is running with:

discord --enable-features=UseOzonePlatform --ozone-platform=x11

4. If the daemon starts but does not react to button presses, confirm your user can read the chosen input device.
5. If you are using a custom config location, make sure you pass the same --config-dir value to both setup and daemon.

License

MIT. See LICENSE.