How To Connect and Control OBS Studio

Connecting OBS Studio lets SheevChat refresh browser sources and control OBS from Commands, Automations, Timers, and SheevPad.

Enable OBS WebSocket

OBS Studio 28 and newer include OBS WebSocket 5.x.

  1. Open OBS Studio.
  2. Select Tools → WebSocket Server Settings.
  3. Enable the WebSocket server.
  4. Leave Server Port at 4455 unless that port is already in use.
  5. Enable authentication and set a password.
  6. Apply the settings.

Keep OBS open while testing the connection.

Connect SheevChat

  1. Open Settings → Connect → OBS Studio.
  2. Turn on Enable background refresh.
  3. For OBS on the same computer, use:
Host: 127.0.0.1
Port: 4455
  1. Enter the password from OBS WebSocket Server Settings.
  2. Click Test Connection.

The OBS card should report connected.

Connect to OBS on Another Computer

Use the OBS computer's numeric LAN address instead of 127.0.0.1:

Host: 192.168.1.50
Port: 4455

Both computers must be on the same trusted network. Allow OBS WebSocket's port through the OBS computer's firewall, keep authentication enabled, and do not expose the port directly to the internet.

Configure Browser-Source Refresh

SheevChat can refresh browser sources when it launches or when OBS reconnects.

  • Refresh on SheevChat launch refreshes after SheevChat starts and reaches OBS.
  • Refresh when OBS connects refreshes after OBS becomes available again.
  • Auto-detect SheevChat browser sources refreshes sources whose URLs match SheevChat's port and source paths.
  • Refresh all OBS browser sources refreshes every OBS browser source and should be used only when that broader behavior is intentional.

Click Refresh Now to test the selected mode. The card reports how many matching sources were detected and refreshed.

Use OBS Studio Control Actions

In a Command, Automation, Timer, or SheevPad button:

  1. Add an OBS Studio Control action.
  2. Choose an operation.
  3. Select the live OBS scene, source, browser source, or output option required by that operation.
  4. Save and test the parent item.

Available actions can include scene changes, previous scene, source visibility, browser refresh, recording, streaming, replay buffer, and other OBS operations exposed by the action picker.

Refresh the connection or catalog if a recently added OBS scene or source is missing.

Use OBS Scene Triggers and Overlay Builder

Automations can react to OBS Scene Change and use {scene} or {previousScene}. Overlay Builder can also use a connected OBS scene screenshot as a temporary positioning reference.

Saved Overlay Builder layouts can be linked to individual OBS scenes so the displayed layout follows scene changes automatically. Set a fade close to the OBS transition duration when a hard swap would be visible.

For one permanent browser source that follows OBS scenes, see How To Use Master Overlay and OBS Scene Automations.

Keep OBS and Streamlabs Separate

OBS Studio Control and Streamlabs Desktop Control are separate connection and action families. Their scene catalogs, sources, browser refreshes, and output controls are not interchangeable.

If you broadcast with Streamlabs, use How To Connect and Control Streamlabs Desktop instead.

Common Problems

  • Connection refused: Start OBS and confirm its WebSocket server is enabled.
  • Authentication failed: Re-enter the OBS WebSocket password in SheevChat.
  • Wrong port: Make the SheevChat port match OBS WebSocket Server Settings; the default is 4455.
  • Another computer cannot connect: Use the OBS computer's LAN IP and allow the port through its firewall. Do not use 127.0.0.1 across computers.
  • Scene or source is missing: Refresh the OBS connection/catalog after saving it in OBS.
  • Browser source does not refresh: Confirm its URL matches SheevChat when using auto-detect mode, or deliberately test the all-browser-sources mode.
  • Action controls Streamlabs instead: Replace it with the matching OBS Studio Control action.