sony-cli

sony-cli.py switches Sony headphones and earbuds between Noise Cancelling and Ambient Sound mode from the command line. The protocol was taken from BudsLink (Sony protocol v2, see src/lib/devices/sony/sonySocketV2.js).

Supported devices

Any Sony device that speaks Sony protocol v2 should work. The script asks the device which noise-cancelling / ambient-sound features it has, so nothing is hardcoded per model. According to BudsLink this includes, among others:

• LinkBuds S
• WF-1000XM4, WF-1000XM5, WF-1000XM6
• WH-1000XM5, WH-1000XM6
• WF-C700N, WH-CH720N

Note: it has mainly been tested on the LinkBuds S. Reports for other models are welcome.

Older models that only speak protocol v1 (e.g. WH-1000XM3, WH-1000XM4) are not supported; the script tells you if it finds one.

Requirements

• Linux with BlueZ, device paired and connected
• /usr/bin/python3 with PyGObject (sudo apt install python3-gi on Debian/Ubuntu/Mint)
• BudsLink (or any other app that talks to the device's Sony service) must not be running

Installation

sony-cli.py is a single standalone script with no dependencies beyond the requirements above. You can run it straight from the repository, or copy it into a bin directory on your PATH to call it from anywhere:

install -Dm755 sony-cli.py ~/.local/bin/sony-cli   # just for you
sudo install -m755 sony-cli.py /usr/local/bin/sony-cli   # system-wide

Make sure ~/.local/bin is on your PATH. Then run e.g. sony-cli toggle.

Usage

./sony-cli.py            # print help
./sony-cli.py toggle     # Noise Cancelling <-> Ambient Sound (Off -> NC)
./sony-cli.py nc         # Noise Cancelling
./sony-cli.py ambient    # Ambient Sound
./sony-cli.py off        # both off
./sony-cli.py status     # battery, codec, NC/ambient mode, EQ and other settings
./sony-cli.py --mac AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF toggle   # pick a specific device
./sony-cli.py -v status  # dump raw frames to stderr for debugging

The connected Sony device is detected automatically; if several are connected, choose one with --mac. On devices without noise cancelling, toggle switches between Ambient Sound and Off.

Focus-on-voice and the ambient level are kept as currently set on the device. Bind /path/to/sony-cli.py toggle to a keyboard shortcut for one-key switching.

Toggle and pause music

examples/sony-toggle-pause.sh toggles the mode and, with the pause argument, pauses the music when switching to Ambient Sound and resumes it when switching back to Noise Cancelling (via playerctl):

examples/sony-toggle-pause.sh          # only toggle, like `sony-cli toggle`
examples/sony-toggle-pause.sh pause    # toggle and pause / resume the music
PLAYER=vlc examples/sony-toggle-pause.sh pause   # control another player (default: spotify)

It uses sony-cli from your PATH if installed, otherwise sony-cli.py from this repository. Handy as a keyboard shortcut for talking to someone.

Fix: connected as hands-free only (mSBC / CVSD)

Sometimes the LinkBuds S connect with only the hands-free profile, so audio is mono mSBC. The bluetoothd log then shows

a2dp-sink profile connect failed for XX:XX:...: Device or resource busy

The earbuds open the A2DP link at the same moment BlueZ does. Both attempts collide, and BlueZ never retries. examples/bt-a2dp-fix.py notices a connected audio device without A2DP and connects just the A2DP profile again, which takes about a second and needs no disconnect. If that keeps failing, it falls back to a full disconnect and reconnect. It works for any Bluetooth headphones, not only Sony ones.

Run it in the background as a systemd user service:

install -Dm755 examples/bt-a2dp-fix.py ~/.local/bin/bt-a2dp-fix
install -Dm644 examples/bt-a2dp-fix.service ~/.config/systemd/user/bt-a2dp-fix.service
systemctl --user enable --now bt-a2dp-fix.service
journalctl --user -u bt-a2dp-fix -f      # see what it does

Or run it by hand (e.g. from a keyboard shortcut):

bt-a2dp-fix fix         # connect A2DP if missing
bt-a2dp-fix reconnect   # full disconnect + connect

--mac AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF limits it to one device.

License

GPL-3.0-or-later (see LICENSE), as the protocol implementation is derived from BudsLink, which is GPL-3.0.

Disclaimer

This project is an independent effort and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Sony. "Sony" and "LinkBuds" are trademarks of their respective holders and are used for identification purposes only.