Plinken Runner
The Plinken Runner (plinken-run) is a small native helper application that runs on your computer alongside the browser. It gives the Plinken web app capabilities a browser can’t have on its own. It is included with the Pro and Studio plans.
What the Runner Enables
Section titled “What the Runner Enables”| Capability | Without Runner | With Runner |
|---|---|---|
| WASM plugins | ✓ run in the browser engine | ✓ |
| Native plugins (CLAP / VST3 / AU) | — | ✓ hosted natively |
| Audio input | Browser microphone (up to 2 channels) | Pro audio interfaces via CoreAudio — every hardware input gets its own mixer strip |
| Monitoring latency | One browser audio buffer | Native duplex path with sub-5 ms monitoring |
When the Runner is connected, it becomes the active audio engine: playback, recording, and monitoring run natively while the browser remains the control surface. Disconnecting hands audio back to the in-browser engine seamlessly.
Connecting
Section titled “Connecting”- Launch the Plinken Runner on the same computer as your browser.
- In the web app, open Native Engine (or click the engine badge in the header) and click Connect to Plinken Runner.
- Your browser may ask for permission to access a device on your local network — allow it. The app talks to the Runner over a local connection on your own machine (
127.0.0.1:27480); no audio or plugin data leaves your computer.
Once connected, the badge turns green and the Runner’s audio devices, hardware input strips, and native plugins appear throughout the app.
Native Plugins
Section titled “Native Plugins”The Settings → Plugins page lists two kinds of plugins:
- WASM plugins — always available. They are downloaded from the Plinken registry and run inside the browser engine, no Runner needed.
- Native plugins (CLAP / VST3 / AU) — discovered by scanning your machine’s plugin folders. This requires the Runner: it walks the standard install locations, validates each plugin, and hosts them during playback. Without the Runner these rows are not shown, and include/exclude choices can’t be saved.
Click Rescan all after installing new plugins to refresh the list.
Troubleshooting
Section titled “Troubleshooting”The app says “plinken-run is not running” but the Runner is started.
- Reload the tab, then click Try again (or Connect on the Native Engine page). The first connection must be triggered by a click so the browser can show its local-network permission prompt.
- Check the browser’s site permissions: the app origin needs Local network access allowed. If you dismissed or denied the prompt, re-enable it in the site settings and reload.
- Make sure you’re using the app over
https://on an official Plinken domain — the Runner only accepts connections from Plinken app origins.
The Runner connects but no native plugins are listed.
Click Rescan all on Settings → Plugins. The first scan can take a while on machines with large plugin collections.
Port conflict.
The Runner binds 127.0.0.1:27480. If another process occupies that port, quit it and restart the Runner.