| # AutoVol (Tray) | |
| AutoVol is a zero-config Windows tray app that **learns when you turn volume down** and then **automatically ducks volume** when the system audio gets louder than your learned “too loud” levels. | |
| It’s designed to be: | |
| * **Zero-touch**: run it and forget it | |
| * **Self-healing**: tries multiple ways to measure system loudness (loopback audio → peak meter fallbacks) | |
| * **Non-destructive**: stores its data in your local profile folder, not in system locations | |
| ## What it does | |
| * Monitors “how loud the system output is” (best effort loopback capture; fallback peak meters). | |
| * When you manually turn volume **down**, AutoVol records the loudness level at that moment. | |
| * Later, if it detects loudness above your learned threshold, it gently reduces volume. | |
| * Optional speech gating (if available) can reduce ducking during speech-like audio. | |
| ## Requirements | |
| * Windows 10/11 (Windows 11 recommended) | |
| * No admin required (for normal use) | |
| ## Install / Run (Release) | |
| AutoVol is typically shipped as a **folder** (PyInstaller *onedir* build). | |
| 1. Download the release zip. | |
| 2. Extract it anywhere (ex: `C:\Apps\AutoVol\`). | |
| 3. Run: `AutoVol.exe` | |
| 4. Look for the **tray icon** (system tray / “hidden icons” area). | |
| > **Important:** If the release contains a folder like `AutoVol\AutoVol.exe`, you must keep the **whole folder** together. Do not move only the `.exe` out by itself. | |
| ## Tray Menu | |
| Right-click the tray icon for: | |
| * **Observe only (no changes)** — AutoVol will monitor/learn but won’t set volume | |
| * **Pause / Resume** — stops AutoVol from making adjustments (can restore to your resting volume) | |
| * **Reset learning** — clears learned “turn-down” history | |
| * **Open data folder** — opens the app’s local data folder | |
| * **Quit** — exits cleanly | |
| ## Data / Logs Location | |
| AutoVol stores its runtime data under: | |
| `%LOCALAPPDATA%\AutoVol` | |
| You’ll typically see: | |
| * `autovol.log` — rotating logs | |
| * `autovol_learn.json` — learned “turn-down” samples | |
| * `autovol_events.jsonl` — event stream (volume changes, sampler changes, etc.) | |
| * `autovol_crash.txt` — created only if a crash occurs | |
| ## Command-line Options | |
| You can run the exe with options (useful for debugging): | |
| * `--observe` | |
| Start in observe-only mode (no volume changes). | |
| * `--force-dryvol` | |
| Don’t touch system volume (debug mode; logs/stats still run). | |
| * `--reset` | |
| Reset learning before starting. | |
| * `--no-autoinstall` | |
| Disable auto-install of missing Python dependencies (mostly relevant when running from source). | |
| Example: | |
| ```bash | |
| AutoVol.exe --observe | |
| ``` | |
| ## Building from Source (Developer) | |
| Basic steps (example): | |
| 1. Create/activate a venv | |
| 2. Install requirements | |
| 3. Run: | |
| ```bash | |
| python autovol_tray.py | |
| ``` | |
| If you package with PyInstaller, you’ll usually distribute the **onedir** output: `dist\AutoVol\` | |
| ## Troubleshooting | |
| * **No tray icon:** Check the Windows tray “hidden icons” area. | |
| * **No loudness detection / stuck on fallback:** Some machines/drivers don’t support loopback capture; AutoVol will fall back to peak meters. Check `%LOCALAPPDATA%\AutoVol\autovol.log`. | |
| * **It’s too aggressive:** Use *Observe only* while it learns more “turn-down” events, or reset learning and re-train. | |
| ## License | |
| MIT License. | |