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FFmpeg

How to Reconnect FFmpeg Automatically When a YouTube Stream Disconnects

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For a brief interruption to an HTTP-based input, FFmpeg can retry the existing connection automatically. Put its HTTP reconnect options before the input’s -i flag. If the YouTube media URL expires or the live event ends, however, retrying that same URL may not work: you need to reacquire the source or restart the process that extracts it.

Retry a temporary interruption to the same input

Start with this pattern when FFmpeg reads a live or otherwise ongoing HTTP stream and the URL is still valid:

ffmpeg 
  -reconnect 1 
  -reconnect_streamed 1 
  -reconnect_at_eof 1 
  -reconnect_delay_max 30 
  -reconnect_max_retries 100 
  -i "$INPUT_URL" 
  -c copy output.mkv

Replace $INPUT_URL with the actual HTTP input URL. The output name is an example; choose a container and output strategy that fit your workflow. These are FFmpeg HTTP protocol options, not universal retry flags for every input protocol. FFmpeg documents the options in its protocol reference.

  • -reconnect 1 enables reconnection after a disconnect before the input reaches EOF.
  • -reconnect_streamed 1 allows retries for streamed or non-seekable inputs.
  • -reconnect_at_eof 1 treats EOF as an error that can trigger reconnection. FFmpeg describes this as useful for live or endless streams.
  • -reconnect_delay_max 30 caps the reconnect delay at 30 seconds in this example.
  • -reconnect_max_retries 100 bounds the number of retries in this example.
  • -c copy copies the input streams without re-encoding; it does not change how the input URL is obtained or refreshed.

The values 30 and 100 are example limits, not guarantees of recovery. Set delay and retry limits to suit the expected outage window and your operating policy. Keep these input options before the corresponding -i; for commands with multiple inputs, place each input’s options before its own -i.

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Know what FFmpeg can—and cannot—reconnect

The flags retry a connection to the current HTTP URL. They do not establish that FFmpeg can refresh a YouTube media URL, repeat an extraction session, or bring back a live event that has ended. If the URL is expired or the source is unavailable, repeatedly requesting that same URL can fail indefinitely or until the retry limit is reached.

  • Temporary network or server interruption, URL still valid: FFmpeg’s HTTP reconnect options are the relevant first step.
  • EOF while the source is expected to continue: -reconnect_at_eof 1 makes EOF retryable.
  • Expired media URL or failed extraction: restart the extraction step so it can try to obtain a current source URL.
  • Process exits repeatedly: use an outer supervisor with bounded restart delays and a maximum retry policy. Log exit codes and stderr so a permanent failure does not become an unnoticed loop.

The last two actions are operational approaches, not a promise that any particular YouTube failure can be recovered automatically. The FFmpeg protocol documentation covers reconnecting the current input; it does not promise to retrieve a fresh YouTube media URL.

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Use yt-dlp to pass reconnect options to FFmpeg

If yt-dlp is obtaining the livestream input and invoking FFmpeg as an external downloader, its documented interface supports downloader-specific arguments, including FFmpeg input arguments with the ffmpeg_i prefix. A starting form is:

yt-dlp 
  --downloader ffmpeg 
  --downloader-args 'ffmpeg_i:-reconnect 1 -reconnect_streamed 1 -reconnect_at_eof 1 -reconnect_delay_max 30' 
  'YOUTUBE_WATCH_URL'

Check the installed version’s options with yt-dlp --help and inspect verbose logs to confirm how your build invokes FFmpeg. The yt-dlp interface can evolve, and this pattern is not a guarantee that every YouTube livestream disconnection will recover. The project documents external downloader selection and live-stream integration in its README.

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--live-from-start is a separate yt-dlp option for downloading a livestream from its beginning; it is not a reconnect switch. See the yt-dlp live-from-start documentation.

Troubleshoot a stream that still stops

  1. Confirm the input protocol. These reconnect options apply to FFmpeg’s HTTP protocol. Check the input URL and FFmpeg’s logs rather than assuming the same flags cover another protocol.
  2. Check option placement. Put the reconnect options before the -i for the HTTP input they configure. With multiple inputs, scope them to the correct one.
  3. Read the error and exit status. A temporary connection reset differs from an HTTP rejection, an expired media URL, an unavailable live event, or an extraction error. The cause determines whether retrying the current URL is useful.
  4. Look for repeated failures against the same URL. If retries keep returning the same error, reacquire the URL through the extraction step or restart the supervising process. Repeating the same request cannot by itself create a fresh source URL.
  5. Plan output recovery separately. A reconnecting input does not automatically guarantee that a recording file can safely continue after the FFmpeg process exits. Use a container and output approach suited to your workflow; no one output container is established as best for every YouTube recording scenario.
  6. Make failures visible. Capture stderr and exit codes, and make supervisor retries bounded. This helps distinguish a live retry from a permanent end or access failure.
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