Thanks for the tip!

I created ~/.config/pulse/client.conf with

--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
autospawn = no
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

in it.  Then I ran

--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
pulseaudio -k
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

But pulseaudio keeps restarting.

I've got no programs other than EXWM running in the background.

-- 
Pierre Neidhardt
https://ambrevar.xyz/