Test button next to Start runs the real private-only go-live pipeline as a session variant (IsTestStream): BeginTestStream -> extracted StartStreamingSession(alsoRecord:false) shared with the dialog path — no Go Live dialog, no 'last live' stamp, no recording. Gold top bar + TEST badge + 'End Test' button face; TEST drawer (third right-rail pull-out, three-way exclusivity) auto-opens once the liveChatId resolves. Chat tooling: Mock Chat Input sends a REAL liveChat/messages.insert (YouTubeStreamService.InsertChatMessageAsync) that round-trips the real ~2s poll and renders through the live overlay; simulated Subscriber/New Member/Super Chat events inject through the poller's MessageReceived seam (YouTubeChatService.InjectSimulatedMessage, ChatMessage.IsSimulated) — the insert API only creates textMessageEvent, so non-text events are local-only by design (ref: developers.google.com/youtube/v3/live/docs/liveChatMessages/insert). Scopes youtube + youtube.force-ssl already cover insert; no re-consent. Good Dog: ytLive.Tests/TestStreamTests.cs — coordinator protocol with fake HTTP + real-window drawer exclusivity/gate. 0 warnings; 314/314 pass (clean run; intermittent host abort is the pre-existing WinRT-webcam flake). Docs ride in the same change: TASKS.md row 41, TASKS/task-41-test-stream-mode.md, ai.md (YouTube Live API constraints), HANDOFF rewrite.
ytLlive
A creator-proof live-streaming and recording app for YouTube — native Windows (C# / WPF / .NET 8).
Screenshot
Design Principle
This software is so intuitive that even the most right-brained person can easily intuit and use it.
Every feature is measured against this. One-click go-live, sane YouTube defaults, visual scene building, and no dead ends — every action has a visible outcome.
Why ytLlive
OBS treats YouTube as an afterthought; SLOBS is Twitch-first with YouTube bolted on. ytLlive is designed and dedicated to YouTube livestreaming and recording, and to YouTube's specific quirks.
Account Assumption
ytLlive assumes you already have a YouTube creator account — connecting uses "Sign in with Google" to link that existing account. ytLlive does not create accounts. If you don't have a YouTube channel yet, set one up on YouTube first, then connect it here.
Audio Assumption
ytLlive uses your default microphone and desktop/game output — it never hunts for a device or contends for one. It assumes your audio is already configured and working (default input and output set, not hijacked by another app). Audio issues are a Windows/device matter outside ytLlive's scope: we don't debug, detect, or try to fix them. If it doesn't sound right, fix the system's audio settings first — it's on the OS, not on us.
Run
dotnet build # Windows only — WPF
dotnet run
Version Roadmap
v1 is the finished product (creator ruling, 2026-09-01 — there are no v1.x releases).
Everything still queueing lands in v1; anything not on the feature list is on the closed
"Out of product — permanently" list in TASKS.md — read that page before asking for a feature.
What v1 ships: the five-scene director's control surface, webcam + screen capture, media + web + text sources, chat on-stream, the social bar, mic/desktop audio with auto-duck and TRAX, local recording, variable quality tiers with auto step-down, one-click go-live + scheduling, stream resilience (auto-reconnect inside YouTube's grace, one-click back on air), built-in monetization awareness (reward capture, session reports, YPP journey tracker), Alerts — all free and ungated; the one-time license only removes the branding flash.
Structure
| Path | Role |
|---|---|
Models/ |
Scene, Source, WebcamSceneConfig, SceneElement, SceneCatalog, QualityOption, StreamConfig/Health, chat, Socials, BroadcastMetadata, Music, MicStatus |
ViewModels/ |
MainViewModel (partial classes per area) + dialogs: GoLive, CameraPicker, MicPicker, HotkeyConfig, Socials, LiveBroadcastForm |
Services/ |
YouTube (OAuth, streams/broadcasts, chat polling), LayoutStore (SQLite), capture (camera/screen-capture/media-file via FFmpeg), SceneCompositor + FramePump, FFmpeg encoder + RTMP, audio pipeline (WASAPI loopback + mic, mixer, filters, ducker, limiter, TRAX), SocialValidator, notifications, hotkeys, SceneGraph, ChatOverlayLayer |
Helpers/ |
ViewModelBase, RelayCommand, ImageCache, AppLog, TokenStore (DPAPI), OAuthCredentials, converters |
Themes/ |
Controls.xaml — the dark-theme control styles, merged once in App.xaml |
MainWindow.xaml |
Dark-theme control surface: thumbnails + central preview, two-state left panel (layers/properties ↔ live chat), top bar, footer |
Distribution.md |
GA-time plan: signing, installer, EULA, hardening — executed as TASK 36 |
Docs (memory map)
schema.md defines the conventions; ai.md is the AI/session guide;
TASKS.md is the task queue. Each code directory carries an index.md.

