Recording & Streaming

This guide covers every OBS output: recording (including split files and chapter markers), streaming, the virtual camera, the replay buffer (with filename collision-proofing), generic output control, and stream captions.

Recording

Function	Description
`StartRecord()`	Start recording
`StopRecord()`	Stop recording
`PauseRecord()`	Pause recording
`ResumeRecord()`	Resume recording
`ToggleRecord()`	Toggle recording state
`ToggleRecordPause()`	Toggle recording pause state
`GetRecordStatus()`	Fetch current recording status
`IsRecording()`	Check if currently recording

Record Directory

Function	Description
`GetRecordDirectory()`	Fetch current record directory (async)
`SetRecordDirectory(Directory)`	Set record directory (takes effect on next recording)
`GetCachedRecordDirectory()`	Get cached directory value

Note: SetRecordDirectory changes take effect on the NEXT recording start, not immediately.

Record Split & Chapters (OBS 30.2+ / obs-websocket 5.5.0+)

Function	Description
`SplitRecordFile()`	Split current recording into a new file
`CreateRecordChapter(ChapterName)`	Add chapter marker to recording (optional name)

Requirements:

OBS 30.2.0 or later
obs-websocket 5.5.0 or later
Must be actively recording
Chapter markers only work with Hybrid MP4 recording format

Streaming

Function	Description
`StartStream()`	Start streaming
`StopStream()`	Stop streaming
`ToggleStream()`	Toggle streaming state
`GetStreamStatus()`	Fetch current stream status
`IsStreaming()`	Check if currently streaming

Virtual Camera

Function	Description
`StartVirtualCam()`	Start virtual camera
`StopVirtualCam()`	Stop virtual camera
`ToggleVirtualCam()`	Toggle virtual camera
`GetVirtualCamStatus()`	Fetch current virtual camera status
`IsVirtualCamActive()`	Check if active

Replay Buffer

Function	Description
`StartReplayBuffer()`	Start replay buffer
`StopReplayBuffer()`	Stop replay buffer
`ToggleReplayBuffer()`	Toggle replay buffer state
`SaveReplayBuffer()`	Save current buffer to file
`GetReplayBufferStatus()`	Fetch current replay buffer status
`IsReplayBufferActive()`	Check if active
`GetLastReplayPath()`	Get file path of last saved replay

Note: Enable the replay buffer in OBS Settings → Output → Replay Buffer first!

Filename collision-proofing (opt-in)

OBS names replay files by timestamp, so rapid saves can overwrite each other. The Outputs handler can rename each saved file automatically and tag it with an in-engine label. These live on GetClient()->GetOutputs():

Function	Description
`SetReplayCollisionProofing(bEnable)`	Append a millisecond-precise suffix to each saved replay so files never collide
`SetNextReplayContextLabel(Label)`	Tag the next save with a sanitized label (e.g. `"BossKill"`) embedded in the filename
`SaveReplayBufferWithContext(Label)`	Save the buffer now with a one-shot context label

GetLastReplayPath() reports the final (renamed) path. If OBS wrote the file on a different machine, the rename is skipped and the original path is kept.

Generic Output Control

Control any OBS output by name, including custom and plugin outputs.

Function	Description
`GetOutputList()`	Fetch all available outputs (async)
`GetOutputStatus(OutputName)`	Get status of specific output
`GetOutputSettings(OutputName)`	Get settings of output
`SetOutputSettings(OutputName, Settings)`	Set output settings (C++ version)
`SetOutputSettingsFromString(OutputName, JsonSettings)`	Set output settings (Blueprint-friendly)
`StartOutput(OutputName)`	Start specific output
`StopOutput(OutputName)`	Stop specific output
`ToggleOutput(OutputName)`	Toggle output on/off
`GetCachedOutputs()`	Get cached output list

Note: Output names are internal OBS names which may differ from display names. Use GetOutputList() to discover available outputs.

Stream Captions

Function	Description
`SendStreamCaption(CaptionText)`	Send CEA-608 caption text over stream

Requirements:

Stream must be active
Sends closed captions in CEA-608 format

Output Events

OnStreamStateChanged(bActive, State): Fires when the streaming state changes.
OnRecordStateChanged(bActive, State): Fires when the recording state changes.
OnVirtualCamStateChanged(bActive, State): Fires when the virtual camera state changes.
OnReplayBufferStateChanged(bActive, State): Fires when the replay buffer state changes.
OnReplayBufferSaved(FilePath): Fires when a replay is saved to file.
OnRecordFileChanged(NewOutputPath): Fires when recording begins writing to a new file after a split.
OnRecordDirectoryReceived(RecordDirectory): Fires when the record directory is fetched.
OnOutputListReceived(Outputs): Fires when the output list is fetched.
OnOutputStatusReceived(Status): Fires when an output status is fetched.

For the full catalog of events across every OBS domain, see the Events reference.