Display camera usage indicator for privacy awareness.

 ON      # Camera active - blue/info
(hidden)  # Camera inactive - not shown

# macOS - no dependencies needed (uses built-in camera daemons)

# Linux (Debian/Ubuntu)
sudo apt install lsof

# Linux (Fedora)
sudo dnf install lsof

# Linux (Arch)
sudo pacman -S lsof

# Enable plugin
set -g @powerkit_plugins "camera"

# Enable plugin
set -g @powerkit_plugins "camera"

# Icon
set -g @powerkit_plugin_camera_icon "󰄀"

# Cache duration (seconds) - check frequently for privacy
set -g @powerkit_plugin_camera_cache_ttl "2"

Note: Camera activity uses info health level to provide a neutral visual indicator without implying a problem.

The plugin does not return context values (empty string).

Monitors camera-related system processes:

Detection criteria:

• Process must be running
• CPU usage ≥ 1% (indicates active use)

Checks device files for camera access:

# Method 1: lsof
lsof /dev/video*

# Method 2: fuser (fallback)
fuser /dev/video*

set -g @powerkit_plugins "camera"

Combine with microphone for complete privacy awareness:

set -g @powerkit_plugins "camera,microphone"

set -g @powerkit_plugins "camera"
set -g @powerkit_plugin_camera_icon "📷"

Reduce cache TTL for near real-time updates:

set -g @powerkit_plugins "camera"
set -g @powerkit_plugin_camera_cache_ttl "1"

Note: Lower cache TTL increases CPU usage slightly.

Visual indicator during video calls:

set -g @powerkit_plugins "camera,microphone"
# Shows when camera and/or mic are active

Know when your camera is on during meetings:

set -g @powerkit_plugins "camera,datetime"
# Camera indicator appears during video calls

Monitor when screen recording or video capture is active:

set -g @powerkit_plugins "camera"
# Appears when recording software uses camera

If the indicator persists even when no apps are using the camera:

macOS:

1. Check running camera processes:

   ps aux | grep -i camera
   ps aux | grep VDCAssistant

2. Force quit camera processes:

   sudo killall VDCAssistant
   sudo killall AppleCameraAssistant

3. Check which apps have camera access:

   • System Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera

Linux:

1. Check device usage:

   lsof /dev/video0
   fuser -v /dev/video0

2. Identify the process:

   lsof /dev/video* | grep -v COMMAND

macOS:

1. Verify camera processes start when using camera:

   # Open Photo Booth or FaceTime
   # Then check:
   ps aux | grep VDCAssistant

2. The plugin requires CPU usage ≥1% for detection:

   # Check CPU usage of camera processes
   top -l 1 | grep -i camera

Linux:

1. Check if lsof is installed:

   which lsof

2. Install if missing:

   sudo apt install lsof

3. Verify camera device exists:

   ls -l /dev/video*

4. Test camera access:

   # Install v4l-utils
   sudo apt install v4l-utils
   v4l2-ctl --list-devices

If lsof requires elevated permissions:

# Add user to video group
sudo usermod -aG video $USER

# Log out and back in

• macOS: Lightweight process monitoring
• Linux: lsof adds minimal overhead
• Default cache TTL is 2 seconds
• Frequent polling (low cache TTL) increases CPU usage slightly

• Plugin only detects camera usage, doesn't control it
• Provides passive monitoring for awareness
• No data is logged or transmitted
• Purely local detection

• May not detect all third-party camera apps
• Some camera processes may be low CPU when idle but still active
• Background camera access might not be detected

• Requires lsof or fuser for reliable detection
• Some containerized applications may not be detected
• Virtual camera devices (v4l2loopback) may show as active

• FaceTime
• Photo Booth
• Zoom, Teams, Slack (video calls)
• OBS Studio
• QuickTime Player (video recording)
• Safari/Chrome (WebRTC)

• Cheese (webcam app)
• Zoom, Teams (video calls)
• Firefox/Chrome (WebRTC)
• OBS Studio
• ffmpeg/v4l2 capture tools

• PluginMicrophone - Microphone mute status
• PluginBluetooth - Bluetooth device status
• PluginAudiodevices - Audio device selector