kubectl-style multi-host wrapper around grigio/obs-cmd for managing OBS Studio over the LAN.

If you've got OBS running on more than one machine (a streaming box + a recording box, your desktop + your laptop, whatever), you want one CLI that knows about all of them. Define your hosts once in a config file, then:

obsctl studio recording toggle
obsctl laptop scene switch "Camera"
obsctl studio info

instead of typing out obs-cmd -w obsws://host:port/password ... every time.

This is a thin bash wrapper. The actual OBS WebSocket work is done by grigio/obs-cmd, which is a v5-protocol-native client written in Rust. obsctl just registers your hosts and shells out to obs-cmd with the right URL.

If you only have one OBS instance, obs-cmd alone is enough. obsctl earns its keep once you have two or more.

• bash 4+ (uses uppercase parameter expansion ${var^^})
• obs-cmd on your $PATH
• OBS Studio 28+ (built-in WebSocket 5.x) on each host, with Tools → WebSocket Server Settings → Enable WebSocket server turned on

git clone https://github.com/solomonneas/obsctl
cd obsctl
./install.sh        # installs to ~/.local/bin/obsctl

Or copy obsctl somewhere on your $PATH yourself:

sudo install -m 0755 obsctl /usr/local/bin/obsctl

Write a starter config:

obsctl init

That creates ~/.config/obsctl/hosts.env (mode 0600) with a single local host pointing at 127.0.0.1:4455. Open it, paste the password from OBS's WebSocket Server Settings, save.

Try it:

obsctl local info
obsctl local scene list

Add more hosts by extending the HOSTS array and the <ALIAS>_HOST/_PORT/_PASS variables:

HOSTS=(local studio laptop)

LOCAL_HOST=127.0.0.1
LOCAL_PORT=4455
LOCAL_PASS='xxxxxxxxxxxxx'

STUDIO_HOST=192.168.1.42
STUDIO_PORT=4455
STUDIO_PASS='yyyyyyyyyyyyy'

LAPTOP_HOST=192.168.1.137
LAPTOP_PORT=4455
LAPTOP_PASS='zzzzzzzzzzzzz'

Aliases are case-insensitive on the command line (obsctl studio resolves the same STUDIO_* vars).

obsctl <host> <whatever> becomes obs-cmd -w obsws://... <whatever>. So anything obs-cmd understands works:

obsctl studio scene list
obsctl studio scene switch "Camera"
obsctl studio recording start
obsctl studio recording stop
obsctl studio streaming toggle
obsctl studio replay save
obsctl studio audio toggle "Mic/Aux"
obsctl studio virtual-camera toggle

Run obs-cmd help for the full upstream list.

Inside OBS:

1. Tools → WebSocket Server Settings
2. Check Enable WebSocket server
3. Set or read the Server Password
4. Apply, OK

On the OBS host, allow inbound TCP 4455 from your LAN (or just the workstation running obsctl). On Linux + ufw:

sudo ufw allow from 192.168.1.0/24 to any port 4455 proto tcp

On Windows, PowerShell as admin:

New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "OBS WebSocket" `
    -Direction Inbound -Action Allow -Protocol TCP `
    -LocalPort 4455 -Profile Private -Enabled True

~/.config/obsctl/hosts.env (or whatever $OBSCTL_CONFIG points at) is plain shell. It's sourced by obsctl at run time. Two requirements:

1. HOSTS=(alias1 alias2 ...) — a bash array of the aliases you want to register.
2. For each alias, set three variables in uppercase: <ALIAS>_HOST, <ALIAS>_PORT, <ALIAS>_PASS.

That's the whole format. Keep it mode 0600 so other users on your box can't read the passwords.

Because the actual work — talking to OBS — is done by obs-cmd. All obsctl does is dispatch the right URL to it. A 100-line bash wrapper has fewer moving parts than any of the alternatives. If you want a richer client, write your obs-cmd calls in your language of choice; this script is one possible UX, not the only one.

• grigio/obs-cmd — the v5-protocol-native CLI we wrap
• obsproject/obs-websocket — the WebSocket plugin bundled in OBS 28+
• solomonneas/deckctl — Stream Deck driver that wires OBS actions through these same hosts

MIT. See LICENSE.