If FFmpeg sends a prerecorded video to YouTube but stops at the end instead of repeating, put -stream_loop -1 before that file’s -i. For a file being sent as a live feed, use -re before the input as well. If the stream still ends, check for another finite input, an output limit, FFmpeg errors, or a dropped connection; YouTube ends the encoder stream when it stops receiving content.
Use the loop option before the input
For one prerecorded video file, this command shows the essential option order:
ffmpeg -re -stream_loop -1 -i input.mp4
-c:v libx264 -c:a aac
-f flv "rtmp://a.rtmp.youtube.com/live2/YOUR_STREAM_KEY"This is a template, not a tested command. Replace the filename, destination, stream key, and encoding choices with values appropriate to your setup. Never publish your actual stream key: YouTube identifies it as the credential/address the encoder uses to send the feed.
FFmpeg options generally apply to the next input or output file, and -stream_loop is an input option. Therefore, -stream_loop -1 -i input.mp4 configures that input to repeat indefinitely. Putting the loop option after the input does not configure the earlier file. See the FFmpeg command-line documentation and its advanced options.
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Why the command includes -re
-re reads a file at its native frame rate, pacing it like a live feed rather than sending it as fast as the machine can read it. It is appropriate for a file being used as a live source. FFmpeg warns against using a low read rate with actual live capture or network inputs because it can cause packet loss; do not add it indiscriminately to live inputs. See FFmpeg’s documentation for input options.
Choose codecs for your source and ingest
The example re-encodes video with libx264 and audio with aac to illustrate a common encoding approach. It is not a guarantee that these choices fit every source or YouTube ingest setup. Verify the source streams, your FFmpeg build, and the applicable YouTube requirements before changing codecs or attempting stream copy.
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If the stream still ends, isolate the cause
- Check the option order around every
-i. Confirm that-stream_loop -1is in the input-option group before the intended file. If there are multiple inputs, check each one that must keep repeating. - Look for another way the output could finish. A separate finite audio or video input, an output duration limit, or a shortest-stream setting could end output even while one file loops. Inspect the actual command rather than assuming any of these is present.
- Read FFmpeg’s final stderr lines and exit status. An orderly end at file duration is different from an encoder error or an output/network failure. The command, logs, and exit status are needed to tell which occurred.
- Check the other inputs and stream mapping. If audio comes from a separate file, looping the video does not make that audio repeat. Put an appropriate
-stream_loop -1before that audio file’s own-iif it must continue for the entire stream, then inspect the stream mapping and any shortest-stream behavior. - Check YouTube Live Control Room. Compare its incoming stream or preview state with whether FFmpeg is still running and sending data. YouTube’s encoder setup instructions explain that the encoder sends content using the stream URL and key, and say: “To end the stream, stop sending content from your encoder.”
- If FFmpeg remains running but YouTube receives no data, investigate delivery separately. Check the output connection and ingest status; looping the source cannot fix a lost output feed.
Keep the stream key private while troubleshooting
Redact the key before sharing a command, configuration, screenshot, or log. YouTube describes the stream key as the credential/address the encoder uses to send the feed. If option placement does not solve the problem, the useful details to share are the FFmpeg version, the exact command with the key removed, final stderr output, exit status, stream mapping, and Live Control Room status.
Do not confuse looping with YouTube archiving
YouTube says streams under 12 hours are automatically archived. Archiving is not source looping: it does not make FFmpeg repeat a file or keep an encoder alive after it stops sending content. See YouTube’s live-streaming guidance.
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