To show the current playlist filename on a YouTube Live broadcast, play the playlist through OBS’s VLC Video source and place a separate OBS text source over it. The text source needs to read a text file that is updated whenever the playlist changes. One possible no-code route is the community TUNA plugin; a custom OBS script can provide the same file-to-overlay handoff, but requires version-specific setup and testing.
Be careful about what the overlay displays: a media item’s embedded title metadata is not necessarily its filename. If the filename itself matters, the text-file writer must extract it from the item’s path.
What you need
- OBS Studio and VLC installed. OBS’s Media Sources guide says the VLC Video source supports playlists and requires VLC; for 64-bit OBS, install 64-bit VLC.
- A playlist added to an OBS VLC Video source.
- An OBS text source layered above the video, set to read a text file.
- A plugin or script that updates that file with the current item when playback advances.
The VLC source plays the playlist; the text source renders the overlay. The file is the handoff between them.
Set up the video and overlay in OBS
- Install VLC with matching architecture. If you use 64-bit OBS, install 64-bit VLC so OBS can use its VLC source.
- Add the playlist source. In the OBS Sources dock, select + and choose VLC Video Source. Add your media files to its playlist and confirm the videos play in the preview.
- Create the text file. Make a plain-text file at a stable location that OBS and your chosen plugin or script can access. The updater should replace its contents with the current item’s filename when playback changes.
- Add the text overlay. In Sources, select + and add a text source. Choose the option to read from a file, then browse to the text file. Set the font, size, color, and outline or background for legibility; position it over the video where you want the filename to appear.
- Check the layer order. Keep the text source above the VLC Video source in the Sources list. If it is below the video, the video can cover it.
- Test playback changes. Preview the scene while the playlist advances. Confirm the overlay changes at the right time, the text fits on screen, and the displayed value is the filename rather than another media label.
Choose how OBS updates the text file
Try the TUNA plugin
OBS forum users have suggested TUNA as a way to write details about the playing item to a text file, which an OBS text source can display. One forum member described that workflow, but it is an anecdotal report rather than an official OBS compatibility guarantee. Another discussion includes a report that TUNA did not work for a video use case. Plugin behavior may depend on the installed OBS, plugin, media format, and operating system, so test it with your actual playlist before relying on it in a live production.
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OBS’s official media-source documentation covers the VLC source, not a guaranteed TUNA setup for filename overlays. Use the plugin’s own documentation for its current installation and configuration steps rather than assuming a particular menu path or option.
Build a custom script
OBS supports Lua and Python scripting, as described in its Scripting Guide. A custom script can be designed to detect a playlist item change, read the item path, extract the filename, and write it to the text file used by the text source.
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The OBS scripting guide establishes that scripting is supported; it does not provide a ready-made recipe for this specific overlay. Event handling and API details can vary with OBS versions and platforms. Validate the implementation against your installed OBS and VLC source before using it for a scheduled broadcast.
Make sure the overlay says filename, not title
A media item can have a path, a playlist name, and title metadata. These are distinct values in VLC’s model; an embedded title can differ from the name of the file on disk. The current VLC-source implementation and VideoLAN’s VLC Lua API documentation are relevant references for those distinctions.
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If you need the actual filename, have the updater take the final component of the item’s path rather than blindly displaying a title field. For example, a path ending in boss-fight.mp4 should produce boss-fight.mp4, even if the embedded title says something else. Remote URLs and URL-encoded paths need deliberate handling: percent-encoded characters, query strings, and URL path components may not correspond directly to a local filename. Test these cases if your playlist includes remote media.
Include a test file with title metadata that intentionally differs from its filename. If the overlay shows the title, the pipeline is reading metadata instead of extracting the filename from the path.
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Compare the two implementation routes
| Approach | What it can do | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| TUNA plugin | Community reports describe writing playing-item details to a text file that OBS can render. | Whether your installed plugin and OBS version work with your video files; whether the output is the actual filename or title metadata. |
| Custom OBS script | Can be designed to watch item changes, extract a filename from a path, and update the overlay’s text file. | Version-specific event/API behavior, local versus remote paths, and ongoing maintenance. |
The available documentation and forum accounts do not establish controlled reliability or setup-time comparisons between these routes. Test the exact media and software combination you plan to use.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshoot a missing or incorrect filename
- The VLC source is unavailable or does not play the playlist: confirm VLC is installed and that its architecture matches OBS; for 64-bit OBS, use 64-bit VLC.
- The text source is blank: check that it is configured to read the intended file, that the file exists at that path, and that the plugin or script has permission to update it.
- The overlay never changes: verify that the updater detects playlist transitions and writes new content, then preview more than one playlist item.
- The overlay shows the wrong label: check whether the updater writes embedded title metadata or a playlist name instead of extracting the final component of the media path.
- Remote items display oddly: inspect how the updater handles URL encoding, query strings, and remote paths; do not assume a URL’s final text is a clean filename.
- TUNA works for audio but not video, or fails on one system: treat that as a compatibility issue to test, not evidence that every installation behaves the same. Try a custom script only if you can validate and maintain its version-specific behavior.
Keep the YouTube broadcast and media rights in view
This overlay changes what viewers see; it does not grant permission to broadcast the playlist’s contents. Use videos and music you have the rights to stream, and check YouTube’s applicable copyright rules before going live. A filename label is not a substitute for permission or attribution requirements.
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