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Cron cannot change the playlist that a running FFmpeg process has already opened. The straightforward scheduled method is to use cron to run a wrapper script that stops the current FFmpeg process at a playlist boundary and starts a new one with the next list. That transition may interrupt YouTube ingest; if you need an uninterrupted encoder connection, you need a separately designed and tested switching pipeline.
What cron can—and cannot—switch
Cron is a scheduler and process launcher: it runs a command when its time fields match. FFmpeg’s concat demuxer reads a playlist file as an input and presents the listed media files in sequence. The documented concat interface is not a cron-based hot-reload mechanism for replacing a playlist already in use. Treat each scheduled change as a process transition: stop FFmpeg, then launch it again with the next playlist.
This is different from scheduling a YouTube broadcast in Studio. Studio creates or schedules the broadcast and provides the server URL and stream key for your encoder; your local scheduler still has to choose the media list and start FFmpeg. YouTube’s encoder guide explains the setup at YouTube’s encoder setup page.
Choose how the playlist boundary should work
| Approach | What happens at the boundary | Best fit |
|---|---|---|
| Cron restarts FFmpeg | The wrapper stops the current process and launches another with the next concat list. Ingest may briefly stop or reconnect, and you must coordinate this with the active YouTube broadcast. | Scheduled blocks where a brief transition is acceptable and a simple, explicit workflow is preferred. |
| Continuous switching pipeline | A purpose-built pipeline switches media while maintaining an encoder session. Its behavior depends on the implementation and must be validated; cron and the concat demuxer alone do not provide a universal hot-switch command. | When continuous ingest is a requirement and you can design and test the specific architecture. |
Before building the schedule, decide whether a boundary may cause a temporary ingest interruption, whether it must remain the same YouTube broadcast, and what should happen if a scheduled job is missed or runs twice. Official guidance does not establish one universal answer for how a reconnect will be handled in every event setup.
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Prepare compatible concat playlists
Make one concat-demuxer list for each scheduled block. The concat demuxer reads listed files in order and adjusts timestamps so later files follow earlier ones. For predictable results, files should have matching streams, including codecs and time bases. Differences in stored duration metadata can cause timestamp gaps or artifacts; FFmpeg’s documented duration directive can override a file’s stored duration when appropriate.
- Use the concat demuxer’s documented list syntax, quoting and path-escaping rules. See the FFmpeg concat demuxer documentation.
- Check that the media files in each list have compatible streams before scheduling them.
- Use stable, explicit playlist paths rather than relying on a working directory that may differ under cron.
- Test transitions with representative video and audio. A file list that parses successfully does not by itself establish that the stream will behave correctly at a boundary.
Set up YouTube’s ingest before automating
- In YouTube Studio, create or schedule the live broadcast you intend to use. Copy the stream URL and stream key provided for the encoder.
- Configure FFmpeg to send the feed to that ingest endpoint. Keep the stream key private: YouTube uses it to identify where the encoder sends the feed and to accept the stream.
- Use YouTube’s current encoder guidance for your chosen codec, resolution and frame rate. YouTube lists RTMP and RTMPS, H.264/H.265/AV1 video options, AAC or MP3 audio options, CBR, and frame rates up to 60 fps. Its bitrate guidance varies by codec, resolution and frame rate, so choose the applicable row rather than treating one bitrate as universal.
- Set a two-second keyframe interval; YouTube recommends two seconds and says not to exceed four seconds. YouTube recommends RTMPS, which it describes as RTMP over TLS/SSL. See YouTube’s live encoder settings and YouTube’s RTMPS guidance.
- Start the encoder, inspect the Live Control Room preview and stream-health indicators, and test audio and motion before relying on the schedule. YouTube explicitly recommends testing and monitoring.
YouTube’s encoder setup guidance says streams under 12 hours are automatically archived. Do not assume that the same archive guidance applies to a longer continuous broadcast.
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Write a wrapper that owns the transition
The wrapper should select a known playlist, stop the existing FFmpeg process cleanly, wait for it to exit, and then launch a new FFmpeg invocation using the next list and the configured YouTube ingest endpoint. Keep the playlist selection and process lifecycle in one place so a cron entry does not start a second FFmpeg job without checking the first.
- Use absolute paths. Specify full paths for FFmpeg, playlists, logs, and any PID or lock file. Cron’s environment is not your interactive shell environment.
- Prevent overlap. Use a lock or equivalent idempotent guard so duplicate or delayed invocations do not leave two FFmpeg processes competing to send to the same event. This safeguard is especially important around repeated local times when daylight-saving time ends.
- Stop, wait, then launch. Ask the current process to stop cleanly, confirm it has exited, and only then start the next invocation. The exact signal and supervision method depend on how you run FFmpeg; do not assume a generic command will target the correct process.
- Log decisions and errors. Record which playlist was selected, when the transition started, and whether the new process launched. Do not print the stream key into a publicly readable script or log.
- Test the actual boundary. Check the preview, audio, motion and stream health after a transition, and verify the result in the intended YouTube broadcast rather than assuming that a successful cron run proves ingest is healthy.
The wrapper is an implementation pattern, not a tested, copy-paste script. The correct process-management commands depend on your operating system, FFmpeg supervision method, playlist boundaries, timezone and whether the YouTube event must remain active through a reconnect.
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Schedule the wrapper with cron
On Linux Cronie, a user crontab contains five time/date fields followed by the command, and commands run as the crontab owner. Cron checks entries each minute. Its default shell is /bin/sh; HOME and LOGNAME come from the owner’s account. Set the intended timezone explicitly when your cron implementation supports it, and label the schedule in the timezone you actually mean.
For Linux Cronie, CRON_TZ can set the schedule timezone, while log timestamps use the daemon’s local timezone. A local time skipped by the spring daylight-saving change does not run; a repeated local time during the autumn change may run twice. If both day-of-month and day-of-week fields are restricted, either may trigger the command. Other cron implementations can differ. Consult the Linux man-pages crontab(5) reference for these Cronie details.
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Once the wrapper is ready, add a user-crontab entry for each intended boundary using the time fields and absolute wrapper path that match your schedule. Do not treat an example cron line as universally safe: the right fields depend on timezone, operating system and cron implementation, and your wrapper must already handle overlap, process shutdown and playlist selection.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshoot missed switches and stream problems
- The old playlist keeps playing: Cron does not edit an input FFmpeg has already opened. Check that the scheduled wrapper actually stopped the old process and launched FFmpeg with the new list.
- The job runs manually but not from cron: Replace relative paths and interactive-shell assumptions with absolute paths. Check the crontab owner, shell compatibility and log output.
- A transition happens at the wrong local time or twice: Check the cron implementation’s timezone behavior and daylight-saving rules. For Linux Cronie, missing local times may be skipped and repeated times may run twice; make the wrapper safe against duplicate execution.
- The next file has gaps, artifacts or fails to join cleanly: Compare the files’ streams, codecs and time bases, and verify duration metadata. Use the concat demuxer’s documented syntax and duration override only where needed.
- YouTube does not show the expected feed: Confirm that FFmpeg is using the stream URL and key for the intended Studio broadcast, then inspect Live Control Room preview and stream-health indicators. Keep the key private while checking configuration.
- The stream is unstable or rejected: Recheck the current YouTube encoder settings for the selected codec, resolution and frame rate, including CBR and the keyframe interval. Test with representative audio and motion rather than relying on a generic bitrate.
- The broadcast ends or archives differently than expected: Distinguish a scheduled Studio event from the local FFmpeg process schedule. YouTube documents automatic archiving for streams under 12 hours; longer continuous streams are outside that stated condition.
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