What have I done wrong?

[seamusdemora]

Trying to follow the build instructions:

• cloned
• cd bluez-alsa
• mkdir build
• cd build
• ../configure --enable-a2dpconf --enable-manpages --enable-systemd --with-systemdbluealsadargs --with-bluealsaduser=pi --with-bluealsaaplayuser=pi
• make
• sudo make install # no errors
• reboot

Afterwards, I do not find any systemd service:

Unit bluealsad.service could not be found.
$ systemctl status bluealsad
Unit bluealsad.service could not be found.

and

$ bluealsactl status
bluealsactl: E: CMD "status": D-Bus error: The name org.bluealsa was not provided by any .service files

[arkq]

The service name is bluealsa.service. From where do you have bluealsad.service?

[arkq]

Maybe some fix in configure.ac is required, because ../configure --enable-systemd --with-systemdbluealsadargs has broken it apparently.

EDIT:
@seamusdemora quick fix for you would be to remove --with-systemdbluealsadargs from configuration step, or use it with arguments, e.g. --with-systemdbluealsadargs="-p a2dp-sink -p a2dp-source --all-codecs"

[seamusdemora]

Maybe some fix in configure.ac is required, because ../configure --enable-systemd --with-systemdbluealsadargs has broken it apparently.

EDIT: @seamusdemora quick fix for you would be to remove --with-systemdbluealsadargs from configuration step, or use it with arguments, e.g. --with-systemdbluealsadargs="-p a2dp-sink -p a2dp-source --all-codecs"

OK, but the instructions in the wiki seemed fairly clear:

bluealsad arguments to be used in the installed bluealsa.service file, defaults to '-S -p a2dp-source -p a2dp-sink' if not specified

RESULTS:

~/bluez-alsa/build $ ../configure --enable-a2dpconf --enable-manpages --enable-systemd  --with-bluealsaduser=pi --with-bluealsaaplayuser=pi
# ...  completed without errors 

~/bluez-alsa/build $ make 
# ... completed without errors 

~/bluez-alsa/build $ sudo make install
# ... completed without errors

~/bluez-alsa/build $ sudo reboot 

$ systemctl status bluealsa
○ bluealsa.service - BlueALSA service
     Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/bluealsa.service; disabled; preset: enabled)
     Active: inactive (dead)
       Docs: man:bluealsad(8)

$ sudo systemctl start bluealsa
Job for bluealsa.service failed because the control process exited with error code.
See "systemctl status bluealsa.service" and "journalctl -xeu bluealsa.service" for details.

$ systemctl status bluealsa.service
× bluealsa.service - BlueALSA service
     Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/bluealsa.service; disabled; preset: enabled)
     Active: failed (Result: exit-code) since Wed 2025-05-14 16:37:40 UTC; 11min ago
       Docs: man:bluealsad(8)
    Process: 849 ExecStart=/usr/bin/bluealsad yes (code=exited, status=1/FAILURE)
   Main PID: 849 (code=exited, status=1/FAILURE)
        CPU: 288ms
May 14 16:37:40 rpi2w systemd[1]: bluealsa.service: Scheduled restart job, restart counter is at 5.
May 14 16:37:40 rpi2w systemd[1]: Stopped bluealsa.service - BlueALSA service.
May 14 16:37:40 rpi2w systemd[1]: bluealsa.service: Start request repeated too quickly.
May 14 16:37:40 rpi2w systemd[1]: bluealsa.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.
May 14 16:37:40 rpi2w systemd[1]: Failed to start bluealsa.service - BlueALSA service.

$ journalctl -xeu bluealsa.service 
░░ The job identifier is 1078.
May 14 16:37:39 rpi2w bluealsad[849]: bluealsad: E: It is required to enabled at least one BT profile
May 14 16:37:39 rpi2w bluealsad[849]: Try '/usr/bin/bluealsad --help' for more information.
May 14 16:37:39 rpi2w systemd[1]: bluealsa.service: Main process exited, code=exited, status=1/FAILURE
░░ Subject: Unit process exited
░░ Defined-By: systemd
░░ Support: https://www.debian.org/support
░░
░░ An ExecStart= process belonging to unit bluealsa.service has exited.
░░
░░ The process' exit code is 'exited' and its exit status is 1.
May 14 16:37:39 rpi2w systemd[1]: bluealsa.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.
░░ Subject: Unit failed
░░ Defined-By: systemd
░░ Support: https://www.debian.org/support
░░
░░ The unit bluealsa.service has entered the 'failed' state with result 'exit-code'.
May 14 16:37:39 rpi2w systemd[1]: Failed to start bluealsa.service - BlueALSA service.
░░ Subject: A start job for unit bluealsa.service has failed
░░ Defined-By: systemd
░░ Support: https://www.debian.org/support
░░
░░ A start job for unit bluealsa.service has finished with a failure.
░░
░░ The job identifier is 1078 and the job result is failed.
May 14 16:37:40 rpi2w systemd[1]: bluealsa.service: Scheduled restart job, restart counter is at 5.
░░ Subject: Automatic restarting of a unit has been scheduled
░░ Defined-By: systemd
░░ Support: https://www.debian.org/support
░░
░░ Automatic restarting of the unit bluealsa.service has been scheduled, as the result for
░░ the configured Restart= setting for the unit.
May 14 16:37:40 rpi2w systemd[1]: Stopped bluealsa.service - BlueALSA service.
░░ Subject: A stop job for unit bluealsa.service has finished
░░ Defined-By: systemd
░░ Support: https://www.debian.org/support
░░
░░ A stop job for unit bluealsa.service has finished.
░░
░░ The job identifier is 1154 and the job result is done.
May 14 16:37:40 rpi2w systemd[1]: bluealsa.service: Start request repeated too quickly.
May 14 16:37:40 rpi2w systemd[1]: bluealsa.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.
░░ Subject: Unit failed
░░ Defined-By: systemd
░░ Support: https://www.debian.org/support
░░
░░ The unit bluealsa.service has entered the 'failed' state with result 'exit-code'.
May 14 16:37:40 rpi2w systemd[1]: Failed to start bluealsa.service - BlueALSA service.
░░ Subject: A start job for unit bluealsa.service has failed
░░ Defined-By: systemd
░░ Support: https://www.debian.org/support
░░
░░ A start job for unit bluealsa.service has finished with a failure.
░░
░░ The job identifier is 1154 and the job result is failed.
pi@rpi2w:~ $
pi@rpi2w:~ $ systemctl status bluealsa.service
× bluealsa.service - BlueALSA service
     Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/bluealsa.service; disabled; preset: enabled)
     Active: failed (Result: exit-code) since Wed 2025-05-14 16:37:40 UTC; 11min ago
       Docs: man:bluealsad(8)
    Process: 849 ExecStart=/usr/bin/bluealsad yes (code=exited, status=1/FAILURE)
   Main PID: 849 (code=exited, status=1/FAILURE)
        CPU: 288ms

May 14 16:37:40 rpi2w systemd[1]: bluealsa.service: Scheduled restart job, restart counter is at 5.
May 14 16:37:40 rpi2w systemd[1]: Stopped bluealsa.service - BlueALSA service.
May 14 16:37:40 rpi2w systemd[1]: bluealsa.service: Start request repeated too quickly.
May 14 16:37:40 rpi2w systemd[1]: bluealsa.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.
May 14 16:37:40 rpi2w systemd[1]: Failed to start bluealsa.service - BlueALSA service.

Could it have something to do with:

May 14 16:37:39 rpi2w bluealsad[849]: bluealsad: E: It is required to enabled at least one BT profile
???

[seamusdemora]

I just repeated the process outlined above, following the same steps except for the .. configure ...:

../configure --enable-a2dpconf --enable-manpages --enable-systemd --with-systemdbluealsadargs="-p a2dp-sink -p a2dp-source --all-codecs" --with-bluealsaduser=pi --with-bluealsaaplayuser=pi

But the result was exactly the same as before :(

[arkq]

It's possible that the configuration is "cached". Try make clean before make.

[seamusdemora]

OK... will do. And FWIW:

$ groups pi
pi : pi adm dialout cdrom sudo audio video plugdev games users input render netdev bluetooth spi i2c gpio

[seamusdemora]

This looks like progress :)

$ systemctl status bluealsa
○ bluealsa.service - BlueALSA service
     Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/bluealsa.service; disabled; preset: enabled)
     Active: inactive (dead)
       Docs: man:bluealsad(8)
pi@rpi2w:~ $ systemctl --user status bluealsa
Unit bluealsa.service could not be found.
$ sudo systemctl start bluealsa.service
$ systemctl status bluealsa
● bluealsa.service - BlueALSA service
     Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/bluealsa.service; disabled; preset: enabled)
     Active: active (running) since Wed 2025-05-14 17:54:43 UTC; 13s ago
       Docs: man:bluealsad(8)
   Main PID: 833 (bluealsad)
      Tasks: 4 (limit: 416)
        CPU: 306ms
     CGroup: /system.slice/bluealsa.service
             └─833 /usr/bin/bluealsad -p a2dp-sink -p a2dp-source --all-codecs
May 14 17:54:43 rpi2w systemd[1]: Starting bluealsa.service - BlueALSA service...
May 14 17:54:43 rpi2w systemd[1]: Started bluealsa.service - BlueALSA service.

$ bluealsactl status
Service: org.bluealsa
Version: v4.3.1-63-gf9e8f16
Adapters: hci0
Profiles:
  A2DP-source : SBC
  A2DP-sink   : SBC

Just one more Question:

• I used the --with-bluealsaduser=pi option in configure, and from the wiki:

When used with bluez <= 5.50, USER must be a member of the "bluetooth" group. This option configures the bluealsa.service file and also configures D-Bus to permit USER to own the service name org.bluealsa.

• I expected to get a systemd service that required --user for most operations (e.g. systemctl --user status bluealsa) ... but that hasn't happened. FWIW, the pipewire & wireplumber services are set up as --user, but AFAIK this is not a big deal... I was curious though... did I mis-read the wiki??

[borine]

I've updated to installation wiki page, changing the wording from "if not specified" to "if this option is not given"; and I've updated the "systemd integration" wiki page to make it clear that the unit files are intended for use as system services only.

It is possible to run bluealsa-aplay as a user service (for example see the bluealsa-aplay section in the pipewire integration wiki page), but not bluealsad because that program requires to register to the D-Bus system bus, whereas user services register only with the D-Bus session bus.

[seamusdemora]

By "system services only", I assume you mean "non-user services" - is that correct?

If so, will the configuration item --with-bluealsaduser=USER be removed from the wiki?
If not, what situation is this config item applicable to?

[borine]

Please read the systemd integration notes in the wiki, especially the usage section.

[seamusdemora]

I read them... did you?