To loop several local videos to YouTube Live with FFmpeg, put their filenames in a text playlist in playback order, then pass that playlist to FFmpeg’s concat demuxer with -stream_loop -1 and real-time input pacing. The playlist is not an automatic folder scan: you choose and order the clips. The command below is a template, not a tested command; adapt its output settings to your files, FFmpeg build, upload connection, and current YouTube Live Control Room ingest details.
1. Create an ordered playlist
Make a plain-text file such as playlist.txt in the directory where you will run FFmpeg. Add one file directive for each video, in the order you want them to play:
file 'video-01.mp4'
file 'video-02.mp4'
file 'video-03.mp4'Paths are interpreted from the playlist’s location. The concat demuxer reads the listed files sequentially; it does not discover files in a folder or sort them for you. See the FFmpeg concat demuxer documentation for playlist syntax and path rules.
Use broader paths carefully
The command below uses -safe 0, which permits broader path forms than FFmpeg’s safe-path default. Use it only with a playlist you control: do not feed it an untrusted playlist. For filenames with special characters, follow the concat script’s quoting and escaping rules in FFmpeg’s documentation.
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2. Choose whether to copy or encode
Re-encode for a consistent output
When clips differ, encoding them to one output format is often the more practical starting point. The example uses H.264 video and AAC audio in an FLV output container, with a 30 fps-oriented keyframe setting. Its bitrate values are illustrative only—not a universal YouTube recommendation—and its -g 60 means a two-second GOP only when the output is 30 fps. Set the GOP to approximately two seconds at your chosen frame rate.
Stream copy only for compatible files
You can try -c copy to avoid re-encoding, but it does not convert incompatible material. FFmpeg’s concat demuxer requires the files to have matching stream layouts, codecs, and time bases; output-container requirements also apply. A folder with mixed resolutions, frame rates, codecs, audio layouts, or time bases may fail, show artifacts, or need preprocessing. Timestamp continuity does not create a crossfade or guarantee seamless audio and video transitions.
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3. Get the current YouTube ingest details
In YouTube Live Control Room, use the encoder settings for the event to obtain the current ingest URL and stream key. Exact endpoint details can vary, so do not rely on a copied example URL. YouTube recommends RTMPS for encrypted ingest and advises resetting a stream key if it is compromised. Keep the key private: do not publish it in a script, screenshot, shared log, or public post. See YouTube’s live stream settings guidance.
4. Run the FFmpeg command
Replace playlist.txt with the actual playlist path and replace the destination placeholder with the exact RTMPS URL and stream key shown in your Live Control Room. Keep the full destination quoted so shell characters in the key are not interpreted. Avoid saving a real key in a shared or publicly readable script.
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ffmpeg -re -stream_loop -1 -f concat -safe 0 -i playlist.txt
-c:v libx264 -preset veryfast -tune zerolatency
-b:v 4500k -maxrate 4500k -bufsize 9000k -g 60
-c:a aac -b:a 128k -f flv
'rtmps://CURRENT_INGEST_URL/CURRENT_STREAM_KEY'Here, -re paces file input at its native rate for live output, and -stream_loop -1 repeats the input indefinitely. They are input options, so they appear before -i. The concat demuxer receives the playlist through -f concat -i playlist.txt. FFmpeg documents its command structure and file and network input/output support in its general documentation.
Set the output to match your event and connection
The sample does not specify a resolution or frame-rate conversion, and its 4.5 Mbps video target should not be treated as a platform-wide setting. YouTube’s current encoder guidance lists up to 60 fps, recommends a two-second keyframe frequency (not over four seconds), and recommends CBR. Its table lists H.264 at 1080p30 as 5 Mbps minimum and 14 Mbps recommended, and 720p30 as 3 Mbps minimum and 8 Mbps recommended. These are YouTube table figures, not a guarantee that your connection can sustain them; choose output resolution, frame rate, and bitrate from the current YouTube encoder settings and bitrate guidance and your measured upload capacity. Automatic resolution detection is the default in YouTube guidance; custom stream keys can be used to set resolution manually.
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5. Test before making the event public
Start the encoder and check the event in Live Control Room before making it public. YouTube recommends testing with audio and motion similar to the intended event and monitoring stream health and messages. Confirm that the ingest is receiving video and audio, that the chosen bitrate remains sustainable, and that the playlist reaches later clips and loops back as intended.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshooting common failures
Playlist or path errors
- FFmpeg cannot open a listed file: check spelling, capitalization, the playlist’s location, and whether each path is relative to that location or correctly specified as an absolute path.
- Paths are rejected as unsafe: verify the playlist is yours to trust, then use
-safe 0as shown if broader paths are required. - The clips play in the wrong order: change the order of the
filedirectives. The demuxer does not automatically sort a directory.
Concat or stream-copy incompatibility
- Stream copy fails or transitions break: inspect whether every file has matching streams, codecs, and time bases. If they do not, re-encode or normalize the sources to a consistent format rather than expecting
-c copyto convert them. - Timing drifts or a transition has a gap: check the source files’ duration metadata and stream compatibility. FFmpeg supports a
durationdirective for advanced timestamp corrections when duration information is inaccurate or missing; it is not a substitute for first validating the files. - There is an abrupt picture or sound change: the concat demuxer joins file packet sequences; it does not add a visual or audio crossfade.
YouTube does not receive a stable stream
- No incoming signal: verify that the event is ready, the current ingest URL and key are copied correctly, and the output reaches the destination shown in Live Control Room. Reset the key if it may have been exposed.
- Health warnings or dropped frames: compare the configured bitrate with YouTube’s current guidance and the upload capacity available to the encoder. A platform recommendation does not prove a particular connection can sustain it.
- Keyframe warnings: set the GOP for roughly two seconds at the output frame rate, and do not exceed YouTube’s four-second maximum guidance.
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