btsw

A tiny Linux CLI that quickly connects and disconnects paired bluetooth devices.

• List Bluetooth adapters
• List paired devices on any bluetooth adapter
• Connect/disconnect paired devices by id

btsw talks to BlueZ over the system D‑Bus using github.com/godbus/dbus.

Requirements

• Linux with BlueZ running (bluetoothd on the system bus)

Note On NixOS. Enable Bluetooth in your system configuration:

hardware.bluetooth.enable = true

Install

Nix flakes

Run with flakes:

• nix run https://flakes.adriano.fyi/btsw -- adapters
• nix run https://flakes.adriano.fyi/btsw -- devices
• nix run https://flakes.adriano.fyi/btsw -- connect 0
• nix run https://flakes.adriano.fyi/btsw -- disconnect 4

Flake input

inputs.btsw = {
  url = "https://flakes.adriano.fyi/btsw";
  inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";
};

Build from source (Go)

• git clone http://github.com/acaloiaro/btsw
• Build:
  • go build -o btsw .
• Optionally install to your PATH:
  • install -m 0755 btsw /usr/local/bin/

Usage

Usage:
  btsw [--adapter=hciX] <command> [args]

Commands:
  adapters                List all available Bluetooth adapters.
  devices                 List paired devices on the selected adapter (default: hci0).
  connect <id>            Connect to a paired device by its numeric ID (from 'devices').
  disconnect <id>         Disconnect from a paired device by its numeric ID (from 'devices').

Options:
  --adapter=hciX          Specify which Bluetooth adapter to use (default: hci0).
  --version               Print the version. 

Examples:
  btsw adapters               # List available bluetooth adapaters 
  btsw devices                # List available devices on the chosen bluetooth adapter 
  btsw --adapter=hci1 devices # List devics on hci1
  btsw connect 0              # Connect to device 0 (from 'devices' list)
  btsw disconnect 1           # Disconnect from device 1 (from 'devics' list)

Notes:

• The device index is stable per run, sorted by MAC address.
• Only paired devices are shown and targetable.

Troubleshooting

• No adapters found:
  • Ensure bluetoothd is running (systemctl status bluetooth)
  • On NixOS: hardware.bluetooth.enable = true
• No paired devices:
  • Pair first using bluetoothctl (scan on, pair, trust)
• Permission denied / not authorized:
  • Some systems require Polkit authorization for connect/disconnect
  • Try from a logged-in user session; avoid sudo unless necessary

Acknowledgments

• Uses github.com/godbus/dbus to speak to BlueZ on the system D‑Bus.