Obs Config

obs-config

Context: $ARGUMENTS

Install OBS Studio and author its on-disk configuration (profiles, scene collections, encoder JSON, global.ini, service.json) without touching the GUI. Everything lives in a single per-user config directory whose location differs per OS — get that wrong and OBS will silently create a blank second install.

Quick start

• Install OBS on macOS: → Step 1 (brew install --cask obs)
• Install OBS on Windows/Linux: → Step 1
• Find where OBS stores config: → Step 2
• Create a streaming profile from code: → Step 3
• Create a scene collection from code: → Step 4
• Verify the config before launching OBS: → Step 5

When to use

• Scripting a fresh OBS install with known-good defaults (CI box, new streamer, classroom lab).
• Provisioning N identical OBS machines (bitrate, encoder, keyframe interval, hotkeys, service/key all baked in).
• Migrating a profile/collection between machines without the GUI's "Import" dialog.
• Pre-seeding scene collections from a template before handing the machine to a non-technical user.

Do NOT use this skill to remote-control a running OBS — that is obs-websocket. Do NOT use it to write a Python/Lua script that runs inside OBS — that is obs-scripting. Do NOT use it to build a compiled C++ plugin — that is obs-plugins.

Step 1 — Install OBS per platform

Run the right installer for your OS. scripts/obsconfig.py install --platform auto will pick and print the command (use --dry-run first).

• macOS: brew install --cask obs — signed + notarized, handles Gatekeeper. A manual .dmg install requires sudo xattr -rd com.apple.quarantine /Applications/OBS.app.
• Windows: winget install -e --id OBSProject.OBSStudio or choco install obs-studio.
• Ubuntu / Debian: sudo add-apt-repository ppa:obsproject/obs-studio && sudo apt update && sudo apt install obs-studio.
• Any Linux with Flatpak: flatpak install flathub com.obsproject.Studio. Note: Flatpak stores config under ~/.var/app/com.obsproject.Studio/config/obs-studio/, NOT ~/.config/obs-studio/.
• AppImage: download from github.com/obsproject/obs-studio/releases, chmod +x, run. Portable-ish — config still goes to ~/.config/obs-studio/.

Step 2 — Locate the config dir

OBS uses ONE per-user config root. Everything else is relative to it.

Layout inside it:

<CONFIG_DIR>/
  global.ini                        # last-used profile, collection, version
  basic/
    profiles/
      <ProfileName>/
        basic.ini                   # video/output/audio settings
        streamEncoder.json          # encoder-specific JSON for streaming
        recordEncoder.json          # encoder-specific JSON for recording
        service.json                # streaming service (Twitch/YouTube/custom)
    scenes/
      <SceneCollection>.json        # scene graph, sources, transitions
  plugin_config/<plugin_id>/...     # per-plugin JSON/INI
  logs/                             # rolling logs (last ~10 sessions)
  crashes/                          # crash dumps

<ProfileName> is a directory; <SceneCollection>.json is a single file whose basename equals the collection's display name. DO NOT hardcode ~/.config/obs-studio on macOS — that path does not exist there and OBS will not read from it.

Step 3 — Create/edit a profile

A profile is a directory under basic/profiles/. At minimum it needs basic.ini.

[General]
Name=Streaming

[Video]
BaseCX=1920
BaseCY=1080
OutputCX=1920
OutputCY=1080
FPSType=0
FPSCommon=60

[Output]
Mode=Advanced
RecFilePath=~/Videos
RecFormat2=mkv
RecEncoder=obs_x264
StreamEncoder=obs_x264

[SimpleOutput]
VBitrate=6000
ABitrate=160
RecQuality=Stream

[AdvOut]
TrackIndex=1
RecType=Standard
RecTracks=1

[Audio]
SampleRate=48000
ChannelSetup=Stereo

Encoder-specific settings live as JSON siblings (NOT inside basic.ini):

// streamEncoder.json — for obs_x264
{
  "bitrate": 6000,
  "keyint_sec": 2,
  "preset": "veryfast",
  "profile": "high",
  "rate_control": "CBR",
  "tune": "zerolatency",
  "x264opts": ""
}

NVENC / QSV / VideoToolbox use different keys — see references/config.md.

Service (streaming destination) lives in service.json alongside basic.ini:

{
  "type": "rtmp_custom",
  "settings": {
    "server": "rtmp://live.example.com/app",
    "key": "STREAM-KEY-HERE",
    "use_auth": false
  }
}

For built-in services use "type": "rtmp_common" with {"service":"Twitch","server":"auto","key":"live_..."}.

Step 4 — Create/edit a scene collection

A scene collection is ONE JSON file at basic/scenes/<Name>.json. Filename basename = collection display name. Minimum viable file:

{
  "current_scene": "Main",
  "current_transition": "Fade",
  "transition_duration": 300,
  "transitions": [
    {"id": "fade_transition", "name": "Fade"}
  ],
  "scene_order": [{"name": "Main"}],
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "scene",
      "name": "Main",
      "uuid": "11111111-1111-4111-8111-111111111111",
      "settings": {
        "items": [
          {
            "source_uuid": "22222222-2222-4222-8222-222222222222",
            "visible": true,
            "locked": false,
            "pos": {"x": 0, "y": 0},
            "scale": {"x": 1.0, "y": 1.0},
            "bounds_type": 0,
            "align": 5
          }
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "browser_source",
      "name": "Overlay",
      "uuid": "22222222-2222-4222-8222-222222222222",
      "settings": {
        "url": "https://example.com/overlay",
        "width": 1920,
        "height": 1080,
        "fps_custom": false,
        "reroute_audio": false
      },
      "filters": [],
      "flags": 0,
      "volume": 1.0,
      "balance": 0.5,
      "hotkeys": {}
    }
  ],
  "groups": [],
  "quick_transitions": [],
  "modules": {}
}

Source kinds accepted by top-level id (platform-specific noted): scene, group, image_source, color_source_v3, text_gdiplus_v3 (Windows), text_ft2_source_v2, browser_source, ffmpeg_source, vlc_source, dshow_input / wasapi_input_capture / monitor_capture / window_capture / game_capture (Windows), av_capture_input_v2 / coreaudio_input_capture / display_capture / window_capture / macos_game_capture (macOS), v4l2_input / pulse_input_capture / xshm_input / pipewire-screen-capture-source (Linux).

See references/config.md for the full catalog and platform availability.

Step 5 — Verify and point OBS at the new config

Close OBS FIRST — if OBS is running while you edit, it will overwrite your changes on quit.

Set the default profile + collection so OBS picks them up on next launch. Edit global.ini:

[Basic]
Profile=Streaming
ProfileDir=Streaming
SceneCollection=Main
SceneCollectionFile=Main

Or launch with CLI flags (equivalent, one-off):

obs --profile "Streaming" --collection "Main"
# Other useful flags:
# --studio-mode            launch with Studio Mode on
# --startstreaming         begin streaming immediately
# --startrecording         begin recording immediately
# --startreplaybuffer      begin replay buffer immediately
# --startvirtualcam        begin virtual cam immediately
# --minimize-to-tray       hide window on launch
# --portable               force portable mode (looks for config next to the binary)
# --multi                  allow multiple OBS instances (single-instance lock override)
# --safe-mode / --disable-shutdown-check

Then from the checker:

uv run ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/obsconfig.py check --verbose

Available scripts

• scripts/obsconfig.py — stdlib-only CLI: detect platform, install OBS, list/create/delete profiles and scene collections, set encoder + service, export/import a profile+collection bundle as zip.

Workflow

1. See what's already there:

   uv run ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/obsconfig.py check
   

2. Install OBS if missing:

   uv run ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/obsconfig.py install --platform auto --dry-run
   

3. Create profile + collection from templates:

   uv run ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/obsconfig.py profile create --name Streaming --template 1080p60_stream
   uv run ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/obsconfig.py collection create --name Main --template browser-overlay
   

4. Wire streaming destination:

   uv run ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/obsconfig.py service set --profile Streaming \
     --type rtmp_custom --server rtmp://live.example.com/app --key KEY
   

5. Make them default:

   uv run ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/obsconfig.py profile set-default --name Streaming
   uv run ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/obsconfig.py collection set-default --name Main
   

6. Launch OBS and verify.

Reference docs

• Read references/config.md for the full basic.ini key list, every source-kind ID per platform, encoder JSON shape per codec, global.ini keys, service.json variants, CLI flags, and portable mode per OS.

Gotchas

• Config path differs per platform. macOS = ~/Library/Application Support/obs-studio/, NOT ~/.config/obs-studio/. Flatpak on Linux uses ~/.var/app/com.obsproject.Studio/config/obs-studio/.
• OBS must not be running when you edit. OBS reads config at launch and overwrites on quit — concurrent edits get stomped. Quit OBS, then edit.
• Scene collection UUIDs must match. A scene's items[].source_uuid MUST equal the target source's top-level uuid, and all UUIDs must be valid v4. Mismatch = the source silently doesn't render in that scene.
• Filename = collection name. The collection displayed as "My Stream" lives at basic/scenes/My Stream.json. Spaces and unicode are allowed; case matters on Linux/macOS.
• Profile is a directory, not a file. basic/profiles/Streaming/ — not Streaming.ini.
• Switching profile needs a hint. Either pass --profile "Name" on launch, or edit global.ini [Basic] Profile=Name + ProfileDir=Name before launch.
• Encoder IDs vary by platform. obs_x264 (everywhere), obs_qsv11 (Intel), jim_nvenc / ffmpeg_nvenc (NVIDIA), com.apple.videotoolbox.videoencoder.ave.avc (macOS HW H.264), obs_svt_av1, obs_aom_av1, amd_amf_h264 (Windows AMD). An unknown ID = OBS silently falls back to x264.
• RecFormat2, not RecFormat. OBS 28+ uses RecFormat2=mkv; old RecFormat=mkv is ignored in newer builds. Write both if you need to support mixed versions.
• Hotkeys. In basic.ini under [Hotkeys], each value is a JSON-escaped list like "OBSBasic.StartStreaming": "[{\"key\":\"OBS_KEY_F1\"}]". Key names changed subtly between Qt5 (OBS 27.x) and Qt6 (OBS 28+).
• macOS system audio needs a virtual driver. Native system-audio capture is unsupported; install BlackHole or Loopback and reference the device by name.
• Linux Wayland capture is limited. monitor_capture may not work — use pipewire-screen-capture-source (OBS 28+) or fall back to XWayland.
• Portable mode on Windows. Drop an empty portable_mode.txt next to obs64.exe; OBS then writes config to config/ under the install dir.
• First launch creates "Untitled" profile + collection. These are safe to delete/rename once your real ones exist and are set as default in global.ini.
• Back up basic/ first. cp -r <config>/basic <config>/basic.bak before any scripted edits.

Examples

Example 1: Provision a 1080p60 Twitch streamer on macOS

brew install --cask obs
uv run ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/obsconfig.py profile create \
  --name Twitch1080p60 --template 1080p60_stream
uv run ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/obsconfig.py encoder set \
  --profile Twitch1080p60 --codec x264 --bitrate 6000 --preset veryfast
uv run ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/obsconfig.py service set \
  --profile Twitch1080p60 --type rtmp_common --server auto --key live_XXX
uv run ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/obsconfig.py collection create \
  --name Main --template webcam
uv run ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/obsconfig.py profile set-default --name Twitch1080p60
uv run ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/obsconfig.py collection set-default --name Main
open -a OBS

Example 2: Clone a working setup to a second machine

# On machine A
uv run ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/obsconfig.py export \
  --profile Twitch1080p60 --output twitch.zip

# Copy twitch.zip to machine B, then:
uv run ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/obsconfig.py import --archive twitch.zip

Example 3: One scene with a browser overlay on top of a display capture (macOS)

Write basic/scenes/Main.json with two sources (display_capture + browser_source) inside a scene whose items[] references both by UUID. See Step 4 for the shape — add a second items[] entry and a second top-level source with matching UUIDs.

Troubleshooting

Error: OBS launches but shows "Untitled" profile, ignores my new one

Cause: global.ini still points at the default, OR the profile directory name doesn't match [Basic] ProfileDir=. Solution: Open global.ini, set both Profile=Name AND ProfileDir=Name to your profile's directory name (case-sensitive on macOS/Linux). Close OBS fully before editing.

Error: Scene collection loads but a source is missing or shows "Source not found"

Cause: UUID mismatch between sources[].uuid and the referencing items[].source_uuid, or an invalid (non-v4) UUID. Solution: Regenerate UUIDs with python -c "import uuid; print(uuid.uuid4())" and make sure every items[].source_uuid appears exactly once as a top-level sources[].uuid.

Error: Encoder falls back to x264 on a machine with an NVIDIA GPU

Cause: Wrong encoder ID in basic.ini (StreamEncoder/RecEncoder) or streamEncoder.json keys don't match the NVENC encoder. Solution: Use jim_nvenc (modern) or ffmpeg_nvenc (legacy). The JSON keys for NVENC are different from x264 — see references/config.md.

Error: Recording file path is wrong / recordings go to Desktop

Cause: RecFilePath under [Output] (Advanced) or [SimpleOutput] (Simple) is empty or points somewhere else. Solution: Set Mode=Advanced plus RecFilePath=/absolute/path, AND RecFormat2=mkv. Restart OBS.

Error: "Cannot launch, another instance is already running" on CI

Cause: Single-instance lock from a stale session. Solution: Pass --multi to the CLI, OR delete the lock file (~/.config/obs-studio/safe_mode.txt / macOS equivalent) before launch.