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How to Pull a Live Stream into OBS Studio

Use your RTMP or SRT pull link to bring your Streamhand feed into OBS Studio. This lets you add overlays, mix multiple sources, and build custom layouts before restreaming.

Before you start

1

Find your pull link

Open your dashboard and expand the ingest card you want to pull from. Scroll down to the Pull Links section. You will see two URLs:

  • RTMP Pull URL, e.g. rtmp://ashburn.pull.thestreamhand.com/live/...
  • SRT Pull URL, e.g. srt://ashburn.pull.thestreamhand.com:10080?...

Click the copy button next to the URL you want to use.

2

Add a Media Source in OBS

In OBS Studio:

  1. In the Sources panel, click the + button.
  2. Select Media Source.
  3. Give it a name (e.g. "Streamhand Feed") and click OK.
  4. Uncheck Local File to reveal the network URL input.
3

Paste your pull link

In the Input field, paste the pull URL you copied from the dashboard.

For RTMP

rtmp://ashburn.pull.thestreamhand.com/live/your_stream_key?token=your_token

For SRT

srt://ashburn.pull.thestreamhand.com:10080?streamid=#!::r=live/your_stream_key,m=request&token=your_token
4

Configure recommended settings

Still in the Media Source properties dialog, apply these settings for the best experience:

SettingValue
Restart playback when source becomes activeChecked
Close file when inactiveChecked
5

Go live and verify

Start streaming to your Streamhand ingest (from OBS, your phone, Meta Ray-Ban glasses, or any RTMP/SRT source). Once the ingest shows as connected in the dashboard, the Media Source in OBS should begin displaying your feed within a few seconds.

You can now add overlays, mix in other sources, and use the feed in any OBS scene.

Troubleshooting

Media Source shows a black screen

  • Make sure your ingest is actively receiving a stream. The pull link only works while the ingest is live.
  • Double-check you pasted the full URL including the ?token= parameter.

High latency or buffering

  • Switch from RTMP to SRT for lower latency.
  • Reduce the network buffer to 0 MB in the Media Source settings.
  • Ensure your network has sufficient bandwidth for the stream bitrate.

Connection refused or timeout

  • Check that your firewall allows outbound connections on port 1935 (RTMP) or 10080 (SRT).
Each pull link supports up to 2 concurrent viewers. If you need more, create additional ingests.

Frequently asked questions

What is a pull link?

A pull link is an RTMP or SRT URL that lets you pull a live stream from a server into another application like OBS. Unlike a push, where the encoder sends video to a server, a pull link lets the receiving app request the stream on demand.

Should I use RTMP or SRT?

RTMP is simpler to set up and widely supported. SRT offers lower latency and better resilience over unreliable networks.

Can I pull a stream into OBS without a server?

You need an intermediary server to host the stream. Streamhand acts as that server: your encoder pushes to a Streamhand ingest, and OBS pulls from it using the pull link URL.

Next steps