Connect & status
Plinken Run runs on your computer; the Plinken web app runs in a tab. Connecting links the two over a local connection on 127.0.0.1, port 27480. Nothing leaves your machine.
Before you connect
Section titled “Before you connect”- Plinken Run is open and its window says Waiting for browser — open app.plinken.com.
- The app is open over
https://on an official Plinken address (app.plinken.com). The runner refuses other origins. - You are using the browser on the same computer as the runner. A runner on another machine, an iPad or a phone cannot be reached.
Connect
Section titled “Connect”- In Plinken, click the Plinken Runner button in the header (the orbit icon), or open Settings → Runner and click Connect.
- The first time, Chrome asks whether the site may access devices on your local network. Click Allow. The runner lives on your loopback address, and this is the permission Chrome uses for it.
- The header button turns green and the Settings card reads Plinken Run is active.
The first connection must be a click. The app probes for a runner once when a page loads, but Chrome only shows the local-network prompt in response to a click, so a runner that is running but not yet allowed stays grey until you click.
What changes when you connect
Section titled “What changes when you connect”- Plinken Run becomes the active audio engine. The browser engine is muted; playback, recording, monitoring and plugins run natively.
- Your interface’s hardware inputs appear as In strips in the Mixer.
- Native CLAP, VST3 and AU plugins appear in the plugin picker and under Settings → Plugins.
- Video import, master bounces and original-quality cuts run on the runner (see Video with Plinken Run).
- Instrument Run becomes available as a track type on the Grid.
Disconnecting reverses all of it at once: audio hands back to the browser engine, native plugins disappear from the picker, and the timeline keeps playing from the browser.
The status card
Section titled “The status card”Settings → Runner shows one of three states:
| Card | Meaning | Button |
|---|---|---|
| Plinken Run is active — version, platform, port, “the runner drives audio and plugins for this browser” | Connected | Disconnect |
| Plinken Run is installed and running — “not connected yet. Connect to use native plugins, your audio interface, and video out.” | The runner answered the probe but you have not connected | Connect |
| Plinken Run is not running on this computer — “Install it below, or open it if it’s already installed — then check again.” | Nothing answered on port 27480 | Check again |
When no runner is found the card also lists the downloads. If an update is available the card says so above the downloads (see Updates).
The header button
Section titled “The header button”The orbit icon sits in the header on every page.
- Grey: no runner detected. Clicking probes again (and triggers the permission prompt the first time).
- Blue, blinking: a runner is running and allowed but not connected. Click to connect.
- Green: connected. Click to disconnect.
- Hover for the detail: “plinken-run connected (port 27480) — right-click for menu”, “Connecting to plinken-run…”, “plinken-run detected — click to connect”, or the last error.
Right-click the button for a menu:
| Item | Goes to |
|---|---|
| Runner settings… | Settings → Runner |
| Engine… | The Native Engine page: status, devices, meters, runner version and a button per display to open the video output window |
| Plugins… | Settings → Plugins |
| Disconnect | Disconnects and un-mutes the browser engine |
The runner’s own window
Section titled “The runner’s own window”The Plinken Run window on your desktop shows:
| Row | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Status | Connected — 1 client or Waiting for browser — open app.plinken.com |
| Audio | The open input and output device, channel count and sample rate, or idle — starts when a client connects. Audio errors appear here too. |
| Input | A peak meter of what the interface is sending in |
| Cache | Size and location of the local asset cache |
| Video | Decode timing and missed frames, while the video output window is open |
| Instance | The runner’s instance id and port |
Show log at the bottom reveals the live log with Copy and Clear. Copy it when you report a problem.
One session at a time
Section titled “One session at a time”A runner serves one browser tab at a time. When that tab disconnects or closes, the runner stops its audio thread and goes back to waiting. The next connect starts fresh, so no mixer state, broadcast or plugin chain leaks from one session into another.