If an FFmpeg stream to YouTube ends when the video reaches its last frame, put -stream_loop -1 before that file’s -i option. For a prerecorded file, use -re as well so FFmpeg reads it at normal speed. If the loop is already placed correctly, check for another finite input, an output limit, an FFmpeg error, or a lost connection to YouTube.
Use the loop option before the input
For one prerecorded video, the basic command pattern is:
ffmpeg -re -stream_loop -1 -i input.mp4
-c:v libx264 -c:a aac
-f flv "rtmp://a.rtmp.youtube.com/live2/YOUR_STREAM_KEY"This is a template, not a tested, universal command. Replace input.mp4 with your file, use the stream destination and key shown for your YouTube broadcast, and choose codecs that suit your source and ingest setup. Never publish a real stream key: it is a credential used by your encoder to send the feed. YouTube’s encoder setup instructions explain where the stream URL and key come from.
Why option order matters
FFmpeg options apply to the next input or output file, and -stream_loop is an input option. In -stream_loop -1 -i input.mp4, the loop setting belongs to input.mp4. If you put the option after that input, it does not configure the input you meant to repeat. Check the position of the option relative to every -i in your actual command.
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What -stream_loop -1 and -re do
-stream_loop -1 tells FFmpeg to repeat that input indefinitely. -re paces a file input at its native frame rate, which is useful when sending a prerecorded file as a live feed. FFmpeg warns that applying a low read rate to actual live inputs can cause packet loss; use -re for file playback, not as a blanket setting for a live capture or network input. See the FFmpeg command-line documentation for the option behavior.
Check other reasons the output can end
A looping video does not guarantee that the whole FFmpeg output will continue. The exact cause cannot be identified without the full command, FFmpeg version, logs, stream mapping, and YouTube’s incoming-stream status. Work through these checks in order.
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- Inspect every input. Confirm
-stream_loop -1appears in the input-option group before the-ifor the file meant to repeat. - Look for another finite input. If audio comes from a separate file, the video’s loop setting does not make that audio file loop too. If it must run for the whole broadcast, give the audio input its own appropriate
-stream_loop -1before its-i. Also check stream mapping and whether an output-shortest setting is present. - Check for an output limit. Look for a duration limit or other option that could intentionally end the output, even while one input continues looping.
- Read FFmpeg’s final stderr lines and exit status. An orderly end at a file boundary is different from an encoder error or output failure. Do not assume which happened without the log.
- Check YouTube Live Control Room. See whether YouTube is still receiving an incoming stream and whether the preview changes when FFmpeg stops or loses its feed. YouTube states that the encoder’s URL and stream key are used to send the feed, and that stopping the encoder feed ends the stream.
- If FFmpeg remains running, investigate delivery separately. If the process is alive but YouTube receives no data, inspect the output connection and ingest status; a loop option cannot fix a lost output feed.
Account for separate audio and encoding choices
If your video and audio are in one file, one loop option on that input repeats both streams together. If they are separate inputs, configure each input that must continue independently and verify that the output maps the intended video and audio streams. A finite audio input or shortest-stream behavior can end output even when the video loops.
The example uses libx264 and aac to illustrate re-encoding. Those choices are not a guarantee of compatibility for every source or YouTube ingest configuration. Stream copying may avoid re-encoding when the existing streams are suitable, while re-encoding can make it possible to choose output settings; the right choice depends on the media and setup. Check the actual command and YouTube’s current ingest guidance before changing codecs.
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Keep the YouTube feed and archive behavior distinct
YouTube’s guidance says, “To end the stream, stop sending content from your encoder.” That means YouTube does not keep an encoder feed alive simply because the source was intended to loop. Fix the input or diagnose the FFmpeg process and delivery path when the encoder stops sending content.
YouTube says streams under 12 hours are automatically archived. That archive guidance is not a loop setting and does not mean YouTube will continue receiving a feed after FFmpeg stops sending content. See YouTube’s live-stream instructions for its encoder workflow.
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Share safe, useful diagnostics
If the loop placement looks right but the stream still ends, gather enough information to distinguish an input problem from a process or delivery problem:
- The complete command, with the stream key replaced by
REDACTED. - Your FFmpeg version and the final stderr lines, again with any credentials removed.
- Which inputs contain video and audio, and whether they are separate files.
- The FFmpeg exit status and whether the process exited or remained running.
- What YouTube Live Control Room showed when the feed stopped.
Never post the actual stream key in a public command line, screenshot, or log. Treat it as a credential and redact it before asking for help.
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