Update 2023-04-29

The setup described in this guide was intended as a workaround. Since then more and more software started supporting Wayland. Screen sharing in sway works (for me) now with the following packages out-of-the-box:

• pipewire
• wireplumber
• xdg-desktop-portal
• xdg-desktop-portal-wlr

Firefox and Chromium-based browser can use xdg-desktop-portal for screen-sharing. Setting QT_QPA_PLATFORM=xcb for OBS is not needed anymore since it runs natively on wayland. OBS supports screen capturing from pipewire too.

All that makes this guide kinda obsolete.

I leave this guide here if anyone still wants to use this hacky workaround. But I strongly discourage it.

Screen Sharing with OBS Studio on Arch Linux and Sway

Please read the instructions of the listed self-built projects. They explain more than I do and may have changed.

1. Used Software
2. Install OBS Studio
3. Install the v4l2loopback kernel module
4. Install the wlrobs OBS-plugin
5. Usage of wlrobs
6. Versions of the used projects at the time of writing (2021-02-04)

Used Software

• OBS Studio
• v4l2loopback
• wlrobs

Install OBS Studio

OBS Studio can be downloaded from the Arch Community Repository.

pacman -S obs-studio

Install the v4l2loopback kernel module

'This module allows you to create "virtual video devices".' - from the v4l2loopback github page. Visit it for more information about it.

This is needed to feed an video output from OBS and be used as a screen or a camera by applications.

The DKMS Version is available in the Arch Community Repository. More information about DKMS can be found in the Arch Wiki.

pacman -S v4l2loopback-dkms linux-headers

sudo dkms add -m v4l2loopback -v 0.12.5
sudo dkms build -m v4l2loopback -v 0.12.5
sudo dkms install -m v4l2loopback -v 0.12.5

dkms status v4l2loopback/0.12.5

# load the module and
# create one virtual video device
modprobe v4l2loopback 

Further helpful commands:

# the ones with the highest numbers are created by v4l2loopback
ls /dev/video*

# unloads the kernel module
modprobe -r v4l2loopback

# creates 4 virtual video devices
modprobe v4l2loopback devices=4

Install the wlrobs OBS-plugin

This plugin is responsible for actually recording screens from wlroots-based compositors. It can be installed from the AUR

Usage of wlrobs

Now choose Wayland output(scpy) as new input source.

I had to flip the blue and red values from the source, in order to display colors correctly. This can be done in the source preferences.

Now you should be able to share your screen i.e. in Firefox. You can test it here.

Thank you for reading.

Versions of the used projects at the time of writing (2022-01-06)

Linux 5.15.12.arch1-1

SwayWM 1:1.6.1-2

OBS 27.1.3-3

v4l2loopback-dkms 0.12.5-1

wlrobs 1.0-1 (AUR)