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If your YouTube rotation keeps returning to its first clip, check where -stream_loop -1 sits in the FFmpeg command. It is an input option: it applies to the next input, so placing it before a single video can loop that video rather than the concat playlist. If FFmpeg exits and another process starts it again, that is a separate problem.
First identify what is restarting
Watch the FFmpeg process and its output. If the process remains running while playback returns to the first clip, investigate the input loop and playlist. If the process exits and a service, script, container policy, or scheduler launches a new one, investigate that external restart mechanism instead. The symptom alone does not establish which is happening.
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Check which input receives -stream_loop
FFmpeg options normally apply to the next specified file. The documentation defines -stream_loop as an input option; -1 means loop indefinitely. That makes option placement important: put the loop option immediately before the concat-list input, not before an individual clip input.
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ffmpeg -re -stream_loop -1 -f concat -safe 0 -i playlist.txt ... OUTPUTThis illustrates the intended input-option order for looping a concat playlist. It is not a complete, tested command for every setup: adapt encoding, output destination, path-safety settings, and other options to your files and streaming configuration. See the FFmpeg command-line documentation.
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Verify the concat playlist itself
The concat demuxer reads a text script of files and directives, then presents their packets one after another. It adjusts timestamps so each file starts where the preceding one ends. Review the script and confirm that it lists every intended clip in the right order, and that each path resolves from the working directory used to start FFmpeg.
file 'clip-one.mp4'
file 'clip-two.mp4'
file 'clip-three.mp4'Those lines show the basic shape of a list; use your actual filenames and paths. The concat demuxer’s safe-path check is enabled by default. -safe 0 allows paths that the default check would reject, but use it only when needed and only with a playlist you trust. The FFmpeg formats documentation explains the concat demuxer and its path-safety behavior.
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Check file compatibility and transitions
The concat demuxer expects the inputs to have matching streams, including compatible codecs and time bases. Incorrect duration information can cause artifacts. If FFmpeg reaches later clips but stalls, glitches, or fails at joins, inspect the files’ stream layouts and duration metadata rather than assuming the playlist is restarting.
When the clips do not meet the demuxer’s requirements, the concat filter may be a better fit, but it requires re-encoding in the scenarios described by FFmpeg. The FFmpeg FAQ distinguishes the concat demuxer from the concat filter and discusses when to use each.
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Work through the diagnosis
- Inspect the full command. Find
-stream_loop -1and identify the very next input. If it is a single clip, move the option so it applies to the concat-list input. - Confirm the input is the list. Check that the intended input uses
-f concatand points to the playlist file, rather than to an individual video. - Read the list in order. Check every
fileentry, its path, and the working directory from which FFmpeg runs. - Distinguish looping from relaunching. Determine whether the same FFmpeg process remains alive or exits before another process starts. If it exits, inspect the service, script, container policy, or scheduler responsible for restarting it.
- Investigate joins if later clips play. Check stream compatibility and duration metadata; consider the concat filter and re-encoding if the inputs cannot be concatenated as required.
- Check playlist automation if applicable. If a script generates or updates the list, inspect whether it replaces or truncates the file. Whether your playlist changes dynamically depends on your setup.
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