Cron cannot replace a playlist inside an FFmpeg process that is already running. The straightforward scheduled method is to use cron to launch a wrapper that cleanly stops the current FFmpeg job and starts a new one with the next playlist. That handoff can interrupt YouTube ingest, so test whether it fits your broadcast before relying on it.
What cron can—and cannot—switch
Cron is a calendar-based command launcher: it runs a command when its schedule matches, under the crontab owner’s account. FFmpeg’s concat demuxer reads a playlist file as an input and plays its listed files in sequence; the documented interface does not make cron a way to change that file inside an already-running FFmpeg process. The practical scheduled switch is therefore a process transition: stop the current invocation, then start another with a different concat list.
This approach suits scheduled blocks when a brief ingest interruption is acceptable. If the encoder must remain continuously connected, treat that as a separate pipeline design requiring implementation-specific planning and testing. Do not assume a cron job or a changed concat file creates a gapless hot switch.
Choose what should happen at the playlist boundary
| Approach | What happens | Best fit and trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Cron restarts FFmpeg | A scheduled wrapper stops the old FFmpeg process and launches a new one with the next playlist. | Straightforward for scheduled blocks when a brief interruption is acceptable. Coordinate the restart with the active YouTube broadcast; confirm how the event behaves when ingest stops and resumes. |
| Continuous switching pipeline | A purpose-built pipeline changes content while keeping encoder transmission active. | Consider when uninterrupted ingest is essential. It requires a specific implementation and testing; there is no universal cron-and-concat hot-switch method established by the documented interfaces. |
Before choosing, decide whether a boundary may interrupt ingest, whether the same YouTube broadcast must remain active, and how you will recover from a missed or duplicate scheduled run. YouTube Studio’s scheduled event and your local playlist schedule are separate: Studio supplies the stream URL and key, while your local process chooses and sends the media.
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Prepare the playlists and YouTube stream
Build and check each concat list
Create a stable concat-demuxer list for every scheduled block. FFmpeg’s concat demuxer presents the listed files in order and adjusts timestamps so later files follow earlier ones. The files need matching streams, including codecs and time bases. Incorrect duration metadata can cause timestamp gaps or artifacts; the concat demuxer’s duration directive can override a stored duration. Follow the FFmpeg concat demuxer documentation for list syntax, path quoting, and escaping.
Use absolute paths in the lists and wrapper. Test the exact media in sequence, including audio and transitions, rather than assuming that files with similar names or formats are compatible.
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Create or schedule the YouTube broadcast
- In YouTube Studio, create or schedule the live stream you intend to use.
- Copy the server URL and stream key from Studio into the encoder configuration. YouTube’s setup guidance explains that the encoder needs both to send the feed: YouTube live encoder setup.
- Keep the key out of publicly readable scripts, shared examples, and logs. YouTube treats it as the credential that directs the encoder feed and allows YouTube to accept it.
- Start the encoder and check the Live Control Room preview and stream-health indicators. YouTube recommends testing with representative audio and motion and monitoring health before depending on a stream.
Scheduling a YouTube event does not select or change the media on your computer or server. The wrapper and cron schedule handle that local work; Studio handles the broadcast and its event timing.
Set encoder output to current YouTube guidance
YouTube’s encoder guidance, checked October 3, 2026, lists RTMP and RTMPS ingest, H.264, H.265, or AV1 video, AAC or MP3 audio, constant bitrate (CBR), and frame rates up to 60 fps. It recommends a two-second keyframe interval and says not to exceed four seconds. Use the current YouTube bitrate table for your exact codec, resolution, and frame-rate combination rather than treating one bitrate as universal. YouTube recommends RTMPS, which carries RTMP over TLS/SSL. See YouTube’s live encoder settings and RTMPS guidance; platform recommendations can change.
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Write a wrapper that performs the handoff
The wrapper should identify the active FFmpeg process reliably, ask it to stop cleanly, wait for it to exit, and then launch the next invocation with the correct concat list and YouTube endpoint. Use a lock or equivalent idempotence safeguard so two scheduled invocations cannot overlap. The details depend on how you supervise FFmpeg; do not use a broad process-kill command that could stop an unrelated encoder.
- Use explicit absolute paths for FFmpeg, every playlist, logs, and PID or lock files.
- Keep the stream key in a protected configuration or secret store, not in a world-readable script or diagnostic log.
- Record start, stop, selected playlist, exit status, and errors so you can diagnose a missed transition.
- Wait for the old process to exit before launching the next one; overlapping FFmpeg jobs can compete for resources and send conflicting feeds.
- Decide and test how YouTube should handle the transition. Stopping the encoder ends the content being sent; a reconnect may not behave like an uninterrupted feed or preserve the event in the way you expect.
This is an implementation pattern, not a tested, universal script. A safe wrapper depends on your operating system, process supervisor, event design, and key-handling method. Validate it with a test broadcast before scheduling a real program.
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Schedule the wrapper with cron
On Linux Cronie, a user crontab line has five time/date fields followed by the command. Cron checks entries each minute, and the command runs as the crontab owner. Cronie uses /bin/sh by default and sets HOME and LOGNAME from that account, so do not rely on an interactive shell’s aliases, PATH, or startup files. See the crontab(5) reference; other cron implementations can differ.
- Choose the schedule timezone deliberately. Cronie supports
CRON_TZfor the schedule timezone; log timestamps still use the daemon’s local timezone. - Install the entry in the crontab of the account that owns the wrapper and has permission to read the media and run FFmpeg.
- Use the wrapper’s absolute path as the command, and direct standard output and errors to a protected log or system logging destination.
- Check that the calendar fields express the intended boundary. On Cronie, if both day-of-month and day-of-week are restricted, either matching field can trigger the job.
- Test the scheduled invocation and its logs, not just a manual run of the wrapper. Verify the correct playlist starts and the YouTube preview and health indicators recover as expected.
Daylight-saving changes need explicit attention. Cronie does not run a job scheduled in a local time that does not exist during the spring clock change; a repeated local time can run twice during the autumn change. A lock and idempotent wrapper help prevent duplicate starts, but they do not resolve what local time your programming schedule should mean. For a schedule that must follow a fixed zone, document and configure that zone intentionally.
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Test the whole boundary and troubleshoot failures
- The old playlist keeps playing: Cron may not have run, or the wrapper may target the wrong process. Check the crontab owner, schedule timezone, cron logs, wrapper log, and the process identifier logic.
- Two FFmpeg processes overlap: A duplicate run or a slow shutdown may have started the next job too soon. Make the wrapper wait for confirmed exit and use a lock or equivalent duplicate-run guard.
- The new process starts but YouTube shows no feed: Check the server URL and key, network access, FFmpeg exit status, and encoder configuration. Inspect Live Control Room preview and health rather than assuming the local process is delivering valid ingest.
- There are glitches or timestamp gaps at file joins: Confirm concat inputs have matching streams, codecs, and time bases. Review duration metadata and the documented concat
durationdirective where needed. - The job runs at an unexpected hour or twice: Verify the cron timezone, day-of-month/day-of-week fields, and daylight-saving behavior for your cron implementation. Cronie’s documented behavior is not necessarily universal.
- The stream stops archiving as expected: YouTube’s encoder setup guidance says streams under 12 hours are automatically archived. Do not assume the same archive guidance applies to a continuous stream lasting 12 hours or longer.
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