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Intel QSV / VAAPI

Alchemist tries Intel VAAPI first and QSV second. That matches current Intel Linux reality: Intel Arc uses VAAPI through the i915 or xe driver, not QSV. QSV remains a fallback path for older Intel hardware and FFmpeg setups.

Supported generations​

GenerationH.264HEVCAV1Notes
Intel iGPU, all supported generationsYes6th gen+12th gen+Alchemist prefers VAAPI, then QSV

Critical note for Intel Arc​

Intel Arc uses VAAPI via the Linux DRM stack. Do not force QSV for Arc unless you have a specific reason and have verified it works in your FFmpeg build. The expected path is VAAPI first.

Host setup​

Install the Intel VAAPI driver and verification tools.

sudo apt install intel-media-va-driver-non-free vainfo

Verify the render node directly on the host:

vainfo --display drm --device /dev/dri/renderD128

For newer systems, renderD129 may be the Intel node. Check ls -l /dev/dri if renderD128 is not Intel.

Docker​

Pass /dev/dri into the container and add the video and render groups. Set LIBVA_DRIVER_NAME=iHD for modern Intel media drivers.

Docker Compose​

services:
  alchemist:
    image: ghcr.io/bybrooklyn/alchemist:latest
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
    volumes:
      - ~/.config/alchemist:/app/config
      - ~/.config/alchemist:/app/data
      - /path/to/media:/media
    devices:
      - /dev/dri:/dev/dri
    group_add:
      - video
      - render
    environment:
      - ALCHEMIST_CONFIG_PATH=/app/config/config.toml
      - ALCHEMIST_DB_PATH=/app/data/alchemist.db
      - LIBVA_DRIVER_NAME=iHD
    restart: unless-stopped

docker run​

docker run -d \
  --name alchemist \
  --device /dev/dri:/dev/dri \
  --group-add video \
  --group-add render \
  -p 3000:3000 \
  -v ~/.config/alchemist:/app/config \
  -v ~/.config/alchemist:/app/data \
  -v /path/to/media:/media \
  -e ALCHEMIST_CONFIG_PATH=/app/config/config.toml \
  -e ALCHEMIST_DB_PATH=/app/data/alchemist.db \
  -e LIBVA_DRIVER_NAME=iHD \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  ghcr.io/bybrooklyn/alchemist:latest

Verify inside the container​

vainfo --display drm --device /dev/dri/renderD128
ffmpeg -encoders | grep -E 'vaapi|qsv'

If VAAPI is healthy, Alchemist should probe av1_vaapi, hevc_vaapi, and h264_vaapi first, then the QSV encoders.

In Alchemist​

Set Settings → Hardware → Preferred Vendor → intel. Only set Device Path if auto detection chooses the wrong render node on a multi-GPU Linux host.