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How to Restart a MediaMTX YouTube Stream Automatically After a Disconnect

For a publisher launched by a MediaMTX path’s runOnInit hook, runOnInitRestart: yes restarts the command when it exits. Here’s how to configure and test it, and what it cannot guarantee.

By DocumentaryTube Team 4 min read
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If MediaMTX starts your YouTube publishing process with a path’s runOnInit hook, set runOnInitRestart: yes to have MediaMTX restart that command when it exits. This restarts an exited process; it does not establish that a still-running but hung process will be detected, or guarantee YouTube will resume the same live event after every interruption.

Set MediaMTX to restart an exited publishing command

  1. Open the configuration file for the MediaMTX version you are running. Find the relevant path under paths. The current configuration template documents path-level hooks, but it tracks the rolling main branch, so check the option names against your installed version: MediaMTX configuration template.

  2. Make sure the publishing command is configured as that path’s runOnInit command. This is the command MediaMTX runs when the path initializes.

  3. Add or set runOnInitRestart: yes for that path. The setting tells MediaMTX to restart the runOnInit command if it exits. See the MediaMTX hooks documentation.

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  4. Keep your existing publisher command, input, codec options, YouTube ingest URL, and stream key intact. The correct FFmpeg arguments depend on your input and output, so there is no universal command to paste safely. Treat the stream key as a secret: do not publish it in logs, screenshots, or shared configuration.

  5. Restart or reload MediaMTX as required by your installation, then test with the intended YouTube event. Confirm that the stream preview receives audio and video, stop the publishing process to check that it is relaunched, and verify what viewers see when it reconnects.

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YouTube’s encoder setup calls for a Live server URL and stream key. Its auto-start and auto-stop controls affect start/stop behavior, but do not guarantee that every reconnection will return to the same event. See YouTube’s encoder setup, stream settings, and live streaming tips.

Choose the recovery hook that matches the failure

Mechanism What triggers it What it does
runOnInitRestart The runOnInit command exits. Restarts that command; this is the direct option for relaunching an exited publisher.
runOnDisconnect A client disconnects from MediaMTX. Runs a command on that client-disconnect event. It is not the restart setting for a runOnInit publisher.
runOnOffline The path goes offline. Runs a hook in response to the path’s offline state; it is distinct from restarting the initialization command.
alwaysAvailable The source is offline. Can serve an offline segment to MediaMTX readers. It does not relaunch the upstream publisher or ensure YouTube ingestion continues.

MediaMTX documents the hooks in its hooks reference and configuration template. The offline-segment behavior is described in its always-available feature documentation.

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What automatic restart does—and does not—recover

runOnInitRestart responds to command exit. The documentation reviewed does not establish that MediaMTX will detect a process that remains alive but has stopped publishing, such as a hung encoder. Nor does restarting the process prove that YouTube will continue the same viewer-facing live event. Test the exact input, publishing command, and YouTube event you intend to use, and monitor audio and video during a reconnect.

A local offline segment can help readers of a MediaMTX path see a fallback while its source is unavailable. It is a separate function from publisher supervision and does not repair the outbound YouTube feed.

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Troubleshoot a stream that does not recover

  • The publisher exits but does not relaunch: Check that the command is actually configured as the path’s runOnInit and that runOnInitRestart: yes is set for that path. Verify the option against the documentation for your installed MediaMTX version; the linked configuration template is rolling documentation.

  • The process is running, but YouTube has no picture or sound: A restart-on-exit option may not address a process that is still running. Inspect the publisher’s output and confirm the configured Live server URL, stream key, and media input. Use YouTube’s stream preview and test settings with the intended event.

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  • A client disconnect triggers a hook, but the publisher stays stopped: runOnDisconnect is for a client disconnect from MediaMTX, not a substitute for runOnInitRestart when the initialization command exits.

  • Local MediaMTX readers see a gap: Consider whether alwaysAvailable and an offline segment fit the local viewing path. This provides fallback content to readers; it does not restore YouTube publishing.

  • The process relaunches, but the YouTube event behaves differently than expected: Check the event’s stream settings and verify the preview and watch page during a controlled test. The official YouTube guidance covers encoder setup and monitoring but does not make a blanket promise for every reconnect scenario.

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