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FFmpeg

FFmpeg YouTube Stream Goes Offline at the End of a Playlist: Loop the Input

Use FFmpeg’s input option -stream_loop -1 before the file or local concat playlist’s -i to repeat it indefinitely. See what to check if the stream still stops.

By VGSources Team 3 min read
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If FFmpeg is streaming a finite local file or concat-demuxer playlist, make it repeat by adding -stream_loop -1 before the -i that reads that input. For example: ffmpeg -stream_loop -1 -re -i input.mp4 [encoding and output options] [YouTube ingest destination]. The loop option handles input reaching its end; it does not fix a network playlist that stops refreshing or a separate FFmpeg, ingest, or YouTube event problem.

Loop a single local video

-stream_loop is an FFmpeg input option: place it before the corresponding -i, so it applies to the file that would otherwise reach EOF. FFmpeg documents 0 as no looping and -1 as infinite looping.

ffmpeg -stream_loop -1 -re -i input.mp4 [encoding and output options] [YouTube ingest destination]

Keep your existing encoding and output options in place. The bracketed text is explanatory, not literal command syntax: substitute the options and destination from your working command. If you are troubleshooting a command that still stops, check the actual FFmpeg output for errors as well as confirming that the loop option is before the intended input.

Loop a local concat-demuxer playlist

If the playlist is a local text file read with FFmpeg’s concat demuxer, put the loop option before the playlist’s -i:

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ffmpeg -stream_loop -1 -re -f concat -i playlist.txt [encoding and output options] [YouTube ingest destination]

Check the concat syntax and playlist format against the FFmpeg build you have installed. The files in a concat-demuxer sequence need matching streams, codecs, and time base. A loop setting repeats the input; it does not make incompatible files compatible or guarantee seamless transitions. If concatenation fails, inspect FFmpeg’s error output and normalize the component files as needed before trying the sequence again.

What -re does—and does not do

FFmpeg defines -re as reading input at its native frame rate, equivalent to -readrate 1. It can be useful when sending a file to a live output, but it does not repeat the file. Looping is the job of -stream_loop -1.

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Do not add -re indiscriminately to a real-time capture device or live input: FFmpeg cautions that restricting the read rate of those inputs can cause packet loss.

Check what kind of playlist is stopping

Finite local file or local concat list

These inputs can reach EOF. Apply -stream_loop -1 before the relevant -i, then check whether FFmpeg remains running and whether its output reports another error.

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Live or network playlist

A live or network playlist may be expected to refresh rather than reach a finite end. The documented input-loop behavior does not establish that -stream_loop will repair a stopped playlist refresh, network disconnect, encoder failure, or YouTube event or ingest state. Diagnose those separately by checking FFmpeg’s exit and error output and the stream’s status in YouTube.

Troubleshoot a stream that still ends

  • It ends at the same point in the file: verify that -stream_loop -1 appears before the -i for that file. FFmpeg options apply to the next specified input or output, so placing it after the relevant input will not configure that input to loop.
  • The playlist is a concat list and FFmpeg reports an error: check whether its component files have matching streams, codecs, and time base. Looping does not remove those concat-demuxer constraints.
  • FFmpeg exits for another reported error: use the exit and error output to investigate that failure rather than assuming EOF is the cause.
  • The source is live or network-based: investigate playlist refresh and connection behavior separately. Repeating an input is not evidence that those issues will recover.
  • FFmpeg keeps running but YouTube shows no active stream: check FFmpeg’s output and YouTube’s stream status as separate diagnostics. The input-loop option alone does not establish that the ingest or event is healthy.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does -stream_loop 0 mean?

FFmpeg documents 0 as no looping; use -1 for infinite input repetition.

Does -re make a playlist loop?

No. It paces input reading at the native frame rate; -stream_loop -1 is the loop setting.

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