obs-cmd is a lightweight, command-line interface for controlling OBS Studio via the obs-websocket v5 protocol. It provides a simple and efficient way to automate your streaming and recording workflows.

Features

Scene Management: Switch between scenes, get current scene, manage scene collections
Recording Control: Start, stop, pause, resume recording with chapter creation and status monitoring
Streaming Control: Start, stop, toggle streaming with status checking
Source Control: Toggle filters, mute/unmute audio sources, show/hide scene items
Virtual Camera: Start, stop, toggle virtual camera output
Replay Buffer: Manage replay buffer with save functionality and status tracking
Media Inputs: Full media control with play, pause, stop, restart, and seek capabilities
Input Management: Complete CRUD operations for inputs, settings management, and audio control
- List inputs and available input kinds
- Create, remove, rename, and manage input settings
- Audio controls: volume, mute/unmute/toggle, balance, sync offset, monitor type, tracks
- Get default settings for any input kind
- List special inputs (desktop audio, microphones)
Screenshots: Capture source screenshots with custom dimensions and compression
Hotkeys: Trigger any OBS hotkey by name
Projectors: Open fullscreen and source-specific projectors on multiple monitors
System Info: Get OBS Studio version and connection information
Shell Completion: Auto-completion support for bash, zsh, fish, and other shells

See OBS_WEBSOCKET_V5_STATUS.md for detailed protocol compatibility information.

Installation

Binaries

You can download the latest pre-compiled binaries for your operating system from the Releases page.

Linux/macOS:

# Download and extract the appropriate binary for your system
curl -L https://github.com/grigio/obs-cmd/releases/latest/download/obs-cmd-x64-linux.tar.gz | tar xz
chmod +x obs-cmd
sudo mv obs-cmd /usr/local/bin/

From Source

Ensure you have Rust installed, then run the following commands:

git clone https://github.com/grigio/obs-cmd.git
cd obs-cmd
cargo install --path .

Arch Linux

obs-cmd is available on the Arch User Repository (AUR). You can install it using an AUR helper like yay:

yay -S obs-cmd

Gentoo Linux

media-video/obs-cmd is available on Project:GURU.

sudo emerge -av media-video/obs-cmd

Usage

obs-cmd connects to the OBS WebSocket server. By default, it attempts to connect to obsws://localhost:4455 with the password secret. You can configure the WebSocket settings in OBS under Tools → WebSocket Server Settings.

To override the default connection settings, you can use the --websocket flag or set the OBS_WEBSOCKET_URL environment variable:

# Using the --websocket flag
obs-cmd --websocket obsws://<hostname>:<port>/<password> <command>
# Using an environment variable
export OBS_WEBSOCKET_URL=obsws://<hostname>:<port>/<password>
obs-cmd <command>

Commands Reference

Scene Management

# Get current scene
obs-cmd scene current
# Switch to a scene
obs-cmd scene switch "Scene Name"
# Switch scene collection
obs-cmd scene-collection switch "Collection Name"

Recording Control

# Start/stop/toggle recording
obs-cmd recording start
obs-cmd recording stop
obs-cmd recording toggle
# Pause/resume recording
obs-cmd recording pause
obs-cmd recording resume
obs-cmd recording toggle-pause
# Create recording chapters (requires Hybrid MP4 format)
obs-cmd recording create-chapter
obs-cmd recording create-chapter "Chapter Name"
# Check recording status
obs-cmd recording status
obs-cmd recording status-active

Streaming Control

# Start/stop/toggle streaming
obs-cmd streaming start
obs-cmd streaming stop
obs-cmd streaming toggle
# Check streaming status
obs-cmd streaming status

Virtual Camera

# Start/stop/toggle virtual camera
obs-cmd virtual-camera start
obs-cmd virtual-camera stop
obs-cmd virtual-camera toggle

Replay Buffer

# Start/stop/toggle replay buffer
obs-cmd replay start
obs-cmd replay stop
obs-cmd replay toggle
# Save last replay
obs-cmd replay save
# Get last replay path
obs-cmd replay last-replay
# Check replay buffer status
obs-cmd replay status

Audio Control

# Toggle mute state
obs-cmd audio toggle "Mic/Aux"
# Mute/unmute audio devices
obs-cmd audio mute "Desktop Audio"
obs-cmd audio unmute "Mic/Aux"
# Check audio device status
obs-cmd audio status "Mic/Aux"

Filter Management

# Enable/disable filter
obs-cmd filter enable "Source Name" "Filter Name"
obs-cmd filter disable "Source Name" "Filter Name"
obs-cmd filter toggle "Source Name" "Filter Name"

Scene Items

# Enable/disable scene items (show/hide)
obs-cmd scene-item enable "Scene Name" "Source Name"
obs-cmd scene-item disable "Scene Name" "Source Name"
obs-cmd scene-item toggle "Scene Name" "Source Name"

Media Input Control

# Play/pause/stop/restart media
obs-cmd media-input play "Media Source"
obs-cmd media-input pause "Media Source"
obs-cmd media-input stop "Media Source"
obs-cmd media-input restart "Media Source"
# Set cursor position (format: [hh:]mm:ss)
obs-cmd media-input set-cursor "Media Source" "00:30"
obs-cmd media-input set-cursor "Media Source" "1:23:45"

Screenshots

# Save source screenshot
obs-cmd save-screenshot "Webcam" "png" "/path/to/screenshot.png"
# With custom dimensions
obs-cmd save-screenshot "Display Capture" "jpg" "/path/to/screenshot.jpg" --width 1920 --height 1080
# With compression quality (for JPEG)
obs-cmd save-screenshot "Source" "jpg" "/path/to/screenshot.jpg" --compression-quality 90

Projectors

# Open fullscreen projector on specific monitor
obs-cmd fullscreen-projector --monitor-index 1
# Open source projector on specific monitor
obs-cmd source-projector "Webcam" --monitor-index 2

Hotkeys

# Trigger hotkey by name (check OBS Settings → Hotkeys for exact names)
obs-cmd trigger-hotkey "OBSBasic.StartRecording"
obs-cmd trigger-hotkey "OBSBasic.StopRecording"
# Audio mute/unmute hotkeys
obs-cmd trigger-hotkey "libobs.mute"
obs-cmd trigger-hotkey "libobs.unmute"
# Note: Hotkey functionality comes as-is and may not be reliable
# For most operations, use specific commands like 'recording start' instead

System Information

# Get OBS Studio version and info
obs-cmd info

Shell Completion

obs-cmd supports auto-completion for major shells. Generate completion scripts:

# Bash completion
obs-cmd completion bash > ~/.local/share/bash-completion/completions/obs-cmd
source ~/.local/share/bash-completion/completions/obs-cmd
# Zsh completion
obs-cmd completion zsh > ~/.zsh/completions/_obs-cmd
echo 'fpath+=~/.zsh/completions' >> ~/.zshrc
autoload -U compinit && compinit
# Fish completion
obs-cmd completion fish > ~/.config/fish/completions/obs-cmd.fish
# PowerShell completion
obs-cmd completion powershell | Out-File -Encoding utf8 $PROFILE

After setting up completion, you can use Tab to auto-complete commands:

obs-cmd rec<Tab>        # Completes to "recording"
obs-cmd scene sw<Tab>   # Completes to "scene switch"

Integration Examples

Linux/GNOME Shortcuts

Map obs-cmd commands as global keyboard shortcuts in GNOME Settings:

# Examples for custom shortcuts:
# obs-cmd recording start
# obs-cmd scene switch "Live"
# obs-cmd streaming toggle

Stream Deck Integration

Use obs-cmd with Stream Deck software for one-touch OBS control:

Add "System: Open" action
Point to obs-cmd executable with desired command
Example: /usr/local/bin/obs-cmd recording toggle

Scripting Examples

# Bash script for stream start sequence
#!/bin/bash
obs-cmd scene switch "Starting Soon"
sleep 5
obs-cmd streaming start
sleep 2
obs-cmd scene switch "Live"

Linux Packages

Requirements

OBS Studio 30.0+ with obs-websocket v5.5.0+ plugin (for chapter creation support)
WebSocket Server enabled in OBS (Tools → WebSocket Server Settings)
Default connection: obsws://localhost:4455 with password secret

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

# Test connection
obs-cmd info
# Check if OBS WebSocket is running
# In OBS: Tools → WebSocket Server Settings → Enable WebSocket Server

Common Errors

Connection refused: Ensure OBS WebSocket server is running
Authentication failed: Check password in OBS WebSocket settings
Invalid URL format: Use obsws://hostname:port/password format
Chapter creation failed: Ensure recording is active and using Hybrid MP4 format
Replay buffer saves wrong length (e.g. 3-4 mins vs expected 60s): Replay length is controlled by OBS, not obs-cmd. Verify OBS Settings → Output → Replay Buffer → Maximum Replay Time and Memory Limit, then restart the buffer: obs-cmd replay stop && obs-cmd replay start. The buffer must be restarted after changing settings for the new limits to take effect (see #103).

Debug Mode

Set environment variable for verbose output:

RUST_LOG=debug obs-cmd info

Development

Traditional Rust Development

# Build from source
cargo build --release
# Run tests
cargo test
# Format code
cargo fmt
# Lint code
cargo clippy -- -D warnings

Nix Support

This project supports Nix for reproducible builds and development environments.

Development with Nix

Enter development shell:
```
nix develop
```
Build project:
```
nix build
```
Run from Nix store:
```
./result/bin/obs-cmd --help
```

Nix Flakes

This project uses Nix Flakes for reproducible builds. The flake provides:

obs-cmd package: Build release binary
devShell: Development environment with Rust tools and dependencies

See flake.nix for full configuration.

Donations

If you find this project helpful, please consider making a donation to support its development.

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