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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Run FFmpeg inside a named tmux session on the remote host, then detach from tmux before closing SSH. The FFmpeg process stays attached to the remote tmux session rather than your local terminal, so an SSH disconnect alone will not stop it. This protects against a lost terminal connection—not a reboot, host failure, FFmpeg crash, or every interruption between the host and YouTube.
Keep FFmpeg running when SSH disconnects
The key is to start FFmpeg on the remote machine from inside tmux. The tmux project describes this use as protecting remote programs from connection drops: tmux Getting Started. If you start FFmpeg in an ordinary SSH shell instead, ending that shell may end the process.
1. Check the remote host and YouTube stream
SSH into the machine that will run FFmpeg. Confirm that both ffmpeg and tmux are available there, and that the host can reach the internet and has enough CPU, memory, storage, and network capacity for the source and output you intend to use. A tmux session cannot keep a machine running if it shuts down or loses connectivity.
Set up the live stream in YouTube Live Control Room and obtain its current server URL and stream key. YouTube’s encoder workflow requires both: the URL is the ingest destination, and the key identifies the stream. See YouTube’s encoder setup instructions. Treat the key like a password: do not show it in screenshots or public logs, and avoid putting it in commands that will remain in shared shell history.
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2. Create or reattach to a named tmux session
From the remote SSH shell, run:
tmux new-session -A -s youtube-liveThis creates a session named youtube-live, or attaches to it if that session already exists. Run the command on the remote host, not on your local computer.
3. Start FFmpeg inside tmux
Run your FFmpeg command from the tmux window. For a file sent in real time, FFmpeg documents this general shape:
ffmpeg -re -i myfile -f flv rtmp://myserver/live/mystreamThis is an illustrative FFmpeg example, not a ready-to-use YouTube command. Replace the input, encoding options, and destination with the values appropriate to your source and the current ingest details shown for your YouTube stream. Do not paste a real stream key into a public example. FFmpeg’s protocol documentation explains the example’s real-time input option and RTMP output pattern.
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YouTube recommends RTMPS for Live ingestion, describing it as a secure extension to RTMP. Use the current server URL and settings presented in your Live Control Room; consult YouTube’s encoder settings guidance for its resolution-, frame-rate-, and codec-specific recommendations. For example, that guidance lists recommended H.264 video bitrates of 14 Mbps for 2160p at 60 fps and 17 Mbps for 1080p at 60 fps. These are YouTube recommendations for those settings, not universal minimum internet speeds; allow for audio and network overhead as well.
4. Detach, then close SSH
Leave FFmpeg running. Press Ctrl+b, release the keys, then press d. This is tmux’s default detach sequence. You should return to the ordinary remote shell while the tmux session remains on the host. You can then exit SSH or close your local terminal.
5. Reconnect and inspect the session
SSH back into the same host as the same account, then run:
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tmux attach-session -t youtube-liveYou will re-enter the session and see its terminal. If FFmpeg is still running, its process and output will be there; if it has exited, inspect the displayed error or logs available from your setup before restarting it. To leave it running again, detach with Ctrl+b, then d.
What tmux does—and what it does not
tmux separates a program’s terminal from the SSH client window, allowing you to detach and later reattach. It does not supervise FFmpeg or make the remote machine resilient to every failure. If the host reboots, loses power or network access, or FFmpeg exits, tmux cannot keep the stream alive by itself. A process manager or service manager may be appropriate when you also need restart-on-failure or start-at-boot behavior; choose and configure that separately, including safe handling of the stream key.
SSH persistence is also different from recovering an output connection to YouTube. You can lose SSH while FFmpeg continues normally; conversely, SSH may remain open while FFmpeg’s connection to YouTube fails.
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Handle a temporary network outage separately
For an output-side interruption, FFmpeg’s FIFO muxer documentation shows a recovery pattern using -f fifo, -fifo_format flv, -attempt_recovery 1, and -recovery_wait_time 1. Its example is:
ffmpeg -re -i ... -c:v libx264 -c:a aac -f fifo -fifo_format flv
-drop_pkts_on_overflow 1 -attempt_recovery 1 -recovery_wait_time 1
-map 0:v -map 0:a rtmp://example.com/live/stream_nameThe manual describes this pattern as continuing real-time processing during a temporary network outage and attempting recovery every second indefinitely. The example destination is not a YouTube ingest address. Adapt the input, codecs, stream mapping, and output to your actual setup, and test it with your FFmpeg build and YouTube endpoint; the documented behavior is not a guarantee for every failure or server. See the FFmpeg documentation for the FIFO muxer options.
YouTube limits and archive behavior to account for
- YouTube’s current guidance says streams under 12 hours are automatically archived. Do not assume the same archive behavior for a stream that runs 12 hours or longer; see YouTube’s encoder instructions.
- YouTube states a limit of 10 active streams per channel and 3 active streams per stream key. These are separate limits; see YouTube’s live-streaming eligibility guidance.
- Use video and audio you have the rights to stream. A long-running stream is still subject to YouTube’s copyright rules and platform policies. Check the current YouTube guidance for your content and channel rather than assuming that looping or using FFmpeg changes those obligations.
Troubleshooting
FFmpeg stops when you close SSH
It may have been started in the normal SSH shell instead of inside tmux. Reconnect, create or attach to the named tmux session, and start FFmpeg from there. Confirm the process remains visible after detaching before closing SSH.
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The tmux session is not found after reconnecting
Check that you connected to the same remote host and account where you created it, then try tmux ls to list available sessions. If the host rebooted or the session ended, it will not be recoverable by attaching; start a new session and investigate why the machine or process stopped.
FFmpeg is present, but YouTube is not receiving the stream
Check the FFmpeg output for connection or authentication errors, then verify the current server URL and stream key in YouTube Live Control Room. Confirm the key has not been mistyped or replaced, and that the host still has outbound network access. Keep the key private when sharing terminal output.
The stream drops during a network interruption
tmux only addresses SSH-client disconnection. Review FFmpeg’s output and consider testing the FIFO recovery pattern above against the actual source and ingest destination. Recovery depends on the failure, configuration, and FFmpeg build; test rather than assuming a reconnect will succeed.
The stream looks soft, stutters, or fails to meet the target
Compare the configured resolution, frame rate, codec, and bitrate with YouTube’s current recommendations at Choose live encoder settings, bitrates, and resolutions. Also check that the remote host can encode and upload at the selected settings without exhausting CPU or network capacity.
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