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Can You Use StreamYard with OBS for a Continuous YouTube Stream?

StreamYard and OBS each have a documented route to YouTube, but official instructions do not confirm OBS feeding StreamYard or both sending to one event. Here’s how the separate setups work and what to expect from streams over 12 hours.
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Not in a documented, confirmed OBS-to-StreamYard setup. StreamYard documents sending its studio output to an existing YouTube live event through a custom RTMP destination, while YouTube separately documents sending OBS or another encoder directly to YouTube. The official instructions cited here do not confirm that OBS can feed into the StreamYard studio or that both can send to the same YouTube event simultaneously. For a continuous stream, choose one documented route and test it before relying on it.

What the supported workflows do—and do not—establish

There are two documented paths to YouTube, not a confirmed chain in which OBS feeds StreamYard:

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  • StreamYard studio to YouTube: Connect a YouTube event’s RTMP URL and stream key as a custom RTMP destination in StreamYard, then start the broadcast from StreamYard. StreamYard says this feature requires a paid plan. StreamYard’s existing-stream instructions and custom RTMP instructions describe this route.
  • OBS encoder to YouTube: Enter YouTube’s server URL and stream key in the encoder’s stream settings, then start the encoder and complete any required action in Live Control Room. YouTube documents this route in its guide to creating a live stream with an encoder.

Those instructions do not verify OBS as a direct input to the StreamYard studio, nor simultaneous sending by OBS and StreamYard to one YouTube event. Do not assume that combining the two will work or that the senders can share an event safely. If you need to investigate a particular arrangement, test it on an unlisted event before using it for a public or important broadcast.

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Choose the route that matches your production workflow

What you want to operate Documented route What to account for
StreamYard’s studio as the production interface Use StreamYard’s custom RTMP destination with the URL and key for an existing YouTube event. Custom RTMP requires a paid StreamYard plan. StreamYard says YouTube comments will not appear in its studio for this connection, and scheduling is unavailable for it. Confirm the event and destination settings before going live. StreamYard’s instructions
OBS as the encoder Put YouTube’s server URL and stream key in OBS’s stream settings and send the feed to YouTube. Follow YouTube’s Live Control Room workflow; depending on auto-start settings, you may also need to select “Go live” there. YouTube’s encoder guide

The cited official instructions do not provide a tested comparison of these routes for uptime or image quality. Base the choice on which software you intend to operate and whether StreamYard’s paid custom RTMP connection fits your workflow—not on an assumed performance advantage.

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Set up StreamYard with an existing YouTube event

  1. Create or schedule the event in YouTube Live Control Room. Open the event whose broadcast you intend StreamYard to feed.
  2. Enable Auto-start. StreamYard’s instructions place this option under the event’s Additional settings. Check the current event settings before proceeding.
  3. Copy the event’s RTMP stream URL and stream key. These are connection details for the encoder or service, not information to publish publicly.
  4. Add the custom RTMP destination in StreamYard. Enter the YouTube URL and key in the destination settings. This custom connection is available on a paid plan.
  5. Create a StreamYard broadcast and select that destination. Confirm the intended YouTube event is selected.
  6. Click “Go Live” in StreamYard. Check the YouTube Live Control Room preview and stream status to confirm that the event is receiving the feed.

With this custom connection, StreamYard’s help page says YouTube comments will not show in the StreamYard studio and scheduling is unavailable. For current details, see Connect an existing YouTube Live Stream and Connect a custom RTMP destination.

Set up OBS as the encoder to YouTube

  1. Confirm that the channel can livestream. YouTube’s live-streaming tips say the channel needs verification and must not have had live-streaming restrictions in the previous 90 days. Check eligibility before diagnosing encoder settings. YouTube live streaming tips
  2. Open the event in YouTube Live Control Room. Use the server URL and stream key for the event you plan to broadcast.
  3. Enter the YouTube connection details in OBS. Put the server URL and stream key in OBS’s stream settings. YouTube’s guide explains the encoder workflow; consult OBS’s current interface for the exact field labels in your installed version.
  4. Start the encoder and check Live Control Room. Depending on Auto-start settings, you may need to click “Go live” in Live Control Room as well. Wait for the preview and check stream health messages before treating the stream as live.
  5. Test representative audio and video before relying on the broadcast. YouTube recommends testing and monitoring stream health. If preserving the broadcast matters, keep a local recording and verify that the resulting file is intact. YouTube’s live-streaming tips

YouTube’s encoder settings guidance covers recommended settings, bitrates, and resolutions. Choose settings appropriate to the resolution and frame rate you are sending, and check the current recommendations rather than assuming that an OBS preset is suitable for every connection. The cited setup instructions do not establish a special OBS-to-StreamYard setting. YouTube encoder settings, bitrates, and resolutions

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What “continuous” means on YouTube

A stream can remain live for a long time, but that does not guarantee a complete replay or unlimited viewer rewind. YouTube says a stream under 12 hours can be automatically archived; if it exceeds 12 hours, it may not be captured at all. YouTube also says DVR can be limited or unavailable for streams longer than 12 hours. Do not promise viewers a complete archive or full rewind for a broadcast that crosses that threshold. YouTube’s archive guidance · YouTube’s DVR guidance

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If the recording is important, YouTube recommends maintaining a local backup and checking that local archive files are intact and growing. Monitor the Live Control Room preview, stream health, and messages during the broadcast; test the intended setup before announcing a long run. YouTube live-streaming tips

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Keep the stream key private

YouTube describes a stream key as the detail an encoder uses to authenticate and connect to a stream. Treat it as sensitive: do not post it, send it to viewers, or include it in a public screenshot. YouTube says an owner or manager can reset the key if needed. After a reset, update the software or service that sends the stream with the current key before trying again. Manage live stream settings

Troubleshoot before a long broadcast

  • The feed does not appear in YouTube: Check that the correct event’s RTMP URL and key were entered, then verify that the encoder or StreamYard broadcast is actually started. Check the Live Control Room preview and health messages.
  • The encoder is sending, but the event is not live: Review the event’s Auto-start setting. YouTube says a separate “Go live” action in Live Control Room may be required depending on that setting.
  • StreamYard will not connect to the YouTube event: Confirm that custom RTMP is available on the StreamYard plan in use and that the destination contains the URL and key for the intended event.
  • The key no longer works: Check whether it was reset in YouTube Live Control Room, then replace the old key in the sending software or service. Keep the replacement private.
  • You cannot use the channel’s live features: Confirm channel verification and whether the channel has had a live-streaming restriction in the previous 90 days before changing encoder settings.
  • You need a complete replay or dependable rewind beyond 12 hours: YouTube does not guarantee either outcome past that duration. Keep a local recording if preservation matters, and set viewer expectations accordingly.
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