# Livecade Documentation
Full text of the Livecade documentation. Source: https://livecade.io/docs/
---
# Getting Started
Category: Getting Started
URL: https://livecade.io/docs/getting-started/
Create your account, copy your overlay URL, and follow the path to your first live interactive game with Livecade.
Livecade turns your TikTok Live stream into an interactive game show. Viewers join in from chat and
gifts, and the action plays out on a browser overlay you put on screen in TikTok Live Studio. This
guide gets you set up in the dashboard, then points you to the next steps to go live.
## Create your account
[Register a Livecade account](https://app.livecade.io/register) with your email, or sign in with
Google or Discord. There is a free plan to start, so you can set everything up before going live.
When you first sign in, onboarding asks for the TikTok account you will go live on. Enter your
username without the @. You can add more accounts later in settings.
## Pick a game
In the dashboard **Connection** panel, choose a game from the dropdown. Each game has its own
settings, like round length and how viewers interact. You can preview a game before going live to
make sure it looks right.
## Copy your overlay URL
Livecade gives you one overlay URL. It never changes, so you set it up once and every session appears
on it automatically.
Click **Overlay URL** at the top right of the dashboard preview, then click **Copy**.
_The Overlay URL button sits above the preview, on the right._
**Tip:** Keep this URL handy. You will paste it into TikTok Live Studio in the next step.
## Your path to going live
You are set up in the dashboard. Two steps remain:
1. **Get the overlay on screen.** There are a few ways to do it, and
[how to go live](/docs/how-to-go-live/) compares them so you can pick one.
2. **Start a live session.** Connect Livecade to your live TikTok stream so chat and gifts flow into
the game. See [Start a Live Session](/docs/connect-to-live/).
---
# How to go live
Category: Going Live
URL: https://livecade.io/docs/how-to-go-live/
Every way to put your Livecade overlay on your TikTok stream, and how to choose between them. Screen capture, OBS, the Windows app, straight from your phone, or the built-in Link source.
You have your overlay URL from the dashboard. Now you need it on your stream. There are several ways
to do it, and they all end up in the same place, so pick the one that fits how you already stream.
**The first question is whether you stream from a computer or from your phone.** If you go live from
the TikTok mobile app, skip straight to [Go live from your phone](/docs/go-live-from-your-phone/) —
none of the desktop setup below applies to you.
Everything else on this page runs through **TikTok LIVE Studio**, so install that first if you have
not already. It is free from [TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/studio/download) and runs on Windows and
macOS. You also need LIVE creator access on your TikTok account to stream with it.
If you are on a computer and not sure which method to pick, **screen capture** is the quickest to set
up because it adds nothing beyond LIVE Studio and the browser you already have.
## Which one should you use?
Three things decide it for most people:
- **Do you have a computer at all?** If not, the phone route is the whole answer. It needs no PC and
nothing installed, at the cost of the handful of games you play yourself rather than your viewers.
- **Do you want your camera showing behind the overlay?** On a computer, only the OBS browser source
can do that, and your camera has to be a source in the same OBS scene. Screen capture and the
Windows app capture a window, which carries no transparency, so the overlay is a solid image.
- **Are you on a Mac?** Use screen capture or OBS. LIVE Studio runs on macOS, but our desktop app is
Windows-only.
**Tip:** Your overlay URL never changes, so switching methods later means re-adding a source, not setting Livecade up again.
## A fourth option: the LIVE Studio Link source
LIVE Studio can load a URL directly: **Add source**, choose **Link**, paste your overlay URL. Nothing
to add beyond LIVE Studio itself.
**Warning:** The Link source tends to lag, and the same overlay runs smoothly through every other method here. Use it to confirm your overlay loads, then switch to one of the options above before going live.
## Next step
Once the overlay is on screen, start your session in the dashboard so chat, gifts, and likes reach
the game. See [Start a Live Session](/docs/connect-to-live/).
---
# Connect to TikTok Live Studio
Category: Going Live
URL: https://livecade.io/docs/connect-to-live-studio/
Put your Livecade overlay on screen in TikTok Live Studio. Use OBS and its Virtual Camera for smooth playback, with a quick Link source for testing and clean game audio via VB-Cable.
Prefer to watch? This video walks through the entire setup, from installing the apps to going live.
You have your overlay URL from the dashboard. The next step is putting it on screen inside
TikTok Live Studio. The recommended way is through OBS and its Virtual Camera, which gives you smooth,
reliable playback. TikTok Live Studio's built-in Link source works too, but it tends to lag, so use it
only for a quick test.
This guide also covers routing the game's audio cleanly with VB-Cable, so the sound your viewers hear
is the game itself and not whatever else is playing through OBS.
**Note:** OBS is the only route that keeps the overlay transparent, so use it if you want your camera visible behind the game. If you do not need that, [screen capture](/docs/screen-capture/) or the [Windows app](/docs/livecade-desktop-app/) are simpler. See [how to go live](/docs/how-to-go-live/) for a comparison.
## Before you start
- Your overlay URL copied from the dashboard. See [Getting Started](/docs/getting-started/) if you
have not set this up yet.
- [OBS Studio](https://obsproject.com/download) installed (for the recommended method).
- [TikTok Live Studio](https://www.tiktok.com/studio/download) installed.
- [VB-Cable](https://vb-audio.com/Cable/) installed if you want clean game audio (covered below).
## Find your way around OBS
Before the steps, here is where things live in OBS. You will use three areas:
- **Sources** (bottom left): the list of things on your screen. You add the overlay here.
- **Controls** (bottom right): buttons like Start Streaming and **Start Virtual Camera**.
- **Settings** (in Controls, or **File -> Settings**): where the canvas size and audio options live.
## Recommended: OBS Virtual Camera
You load the overlay in OBS, start the Virtual Camera, then add that virtual camera to TikTok Live
Studio as a normal Camera source. OBS captures the overlay cleanly and hands TikTok a smooth feed.
### Set the OBS canvas to vertical
TikTok is a vertical 9:16 screen. Match it in OBS first, or the overlay will be cropped or
letterboxed.
1. In OBS, open **Settings** (bottom right, in the Controls panel).
_Open Settings from the Controls panel._
2. Click the **Video** tab on the left.
3. Set **Base (Canvas) Resolution** to **1080x1920**.
4. Set **Output (Scaled) Resolution** to **1080x1920** as well.
5. Set **Common FPS Values** to **30** or **60** (your choice), then click **OK**.
_Both resolutions set to 1080x1920, aspect ratio 9:16._
### Add the overlay to OBS
1. In the **Sources** panel (bottom left), click the **+** button.
2. Choose **Browser** from the list, give it a name, and click **OK**.
_Add a new Browser source from the Sources panel._
3. Paste your overlay URL into the **URL** field. It looks like `https://overlay.livecade.io/...`.
4. Set **Width** to **1080** and **Height** to **1920**.
5. Check **Control audio via OBS**. This is required for the VB-Cable audio routing below to work.
6. In **Custom CSS**, make sure this line is present so the overlay background is transparent:
```css
body { background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); margin: 0px auto; overflow: hidden; }
```
7. Leave **Use custom frame rate** unchecked. The overlay follows your canvas FPS. Click **OK**.
_URL and size set, Control audio via OBS checked, transparent background CSS in place._
### Add your camera in OBS, not in Live Studio
Skip this if you are not showing your face.
If you want your camera behind the overlay, **it has to go in the same OBS scene**. In the
**Sources** panel click **+**, choose **Video Capture Device**, pick your webcam, and drag it
**below** the overlay in the list so the overlay draws on top.
**Warning:** The overlay is only transparent inside OBS. The Virtual Camera sends a finished video frame, and video frames carry no transparency, so anything see-through is already flattened by the time Live Studio receives it. Put a camera underneath it there and you will not see it: the overlay's background arrives as solid black. Compose everything in OBS and let Live Studio receive one finished picture.
### Start the Virtual Camera
1. In the **Controls** panel (bottom right), click **Start Virtual Camera**. Leave it running for the
whole stream.
_Start the Virtual Camera. Keep OBS open while you are live._
### Add the Virtual Camera in TikTok Live Studio
1. In TikTok Live Studio, click **Add source** and choose **Camera**.
_Add a Camera source in TikTok Live Studio._
2. Set the **Camera** to **OBS Virtual Camera** and the **Resolution** to **1080x1920**.
_Select OBS Virtual Camera at 1080 x 1920._
3. If the overlay looks mirrored, click **Flip** under **Adjustments** so text and the layout read
the right way around. Then add the source.
4. Drag the corners to fill the canvas, then go live.
## Audio: route game sound cleanly with VB-Cable
This applies to the OBS Virtual Camera method. By default, TikTok can pick up everything playing
through OBS, including background music. VB-Cable is a free virtual audio cable that sends only the
game's sound to TikTok. It also lets you hear the game's own audio cleanly in the dashboard, without
OBS music bleeding in.
The flow is: **OBS game audio -> CABLE Input -> TikTok Live Studio audio source (CABLE Output)**.
1. Install [VB-Cable](https://vb-audio.com/Cable/) and reboot if prompted.
2. In OBS, open the **Audio Mixer**, click the gear on your overlay source, and choose
**Advanced Audio Properties**.
3. Set the source's **Audio Monitoring** to **Monitor and Output**.
_Set the overlay source to Monitor and Output._
4. Open **Settings -> Audio**, scroll to **Advanced**, and set **Monitoring Device** to
**CABLE Input (VB-Audio Virtual Cable)**. Click **OK**.
_Point the OBS Monitoring Device at CABLE Input._
5. In TikTok Live Studio, open the **Audio mixer** and set the **Audio** (speaker) source to
**CABLE Output (VB-Audio Virtual Cable)**.
_TikTok Live Studio capturing game audio from the VB-Cable device._
**Tip:** Now only the game's audio reaches your viewers, and you can hear the same clean feed in the dashboard preview. Other system sounds and OBS background music stay out of the broadcast.
## Quick test: Link source
If you just want to check that the overlay loads, you can add it directly in TikTok Live Studio.
1. Click **Add source** and choose **Link**.
2. Paste your overlay URL and add it.
_Add the overlay URL as a Link source to quickly test that it loads._
**Warning:** The Link source is fine for a quick look, but it tends to lag. Use the OBS Virtual Camera method above for actual streaming.
## Next step
With the overlay on screen, start your dashboard session so chat and gifts flow into the game. See
[Start a Live Session](/docs/connect-to-live/) to start a session.
## System requirements
OBS and TikTok Live Studio run at the same time, so give the machine enough headroom for both. A
dedicated GPU lets OBS encode the virtual camera in hardware instead of loading the CPU, which keeps
the overlay smooth.
| Component | Minimum | Recommended |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CPU | 4-core (Intel i3-10100, Ryzen 3 3100) | 6-core (Intel i5-10400, Ryzen 5 3600) or newer |
| RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB |
| GPU | Integrated | Dedicated GPU |
---
# Go live with screen capture
Category: Going Live
URL: https://livecade.io/docs/screen-capture/
Put your Livecade overlay on stream by capturing a browser window in TikTok Live Studio. No OBS and no extra software.
The quickest way to get your overlay on stream: open it in a browser window and have TikTok LIVE
Studio capture that window. Beyond LIVE Studio and a browser, there is nothing extra to install.
The trade-off is that you are capturing a real browser, so the overlay is a solid image (your camera
cannot show behind it) and anything that pops up over the window can end up on stream. Both are
manageable, and this page covers how.
## Before you start
- Your overlay URL, copied from the dashboard. See [Getting Started](/docs/getting-started/) if you
do not have it yet.
- [TikTok LIVE Studio](https://www.tiktok.com/studio/download) installed and open, with LIVE creator
access on your TikTok account.
**Note:** The steps below use Windows keys and menu names. LIVE Studio also runs on macOS and the approach is the same, but the fullscreen shortcut and some labels differ.
## Open the overlay in its own window
1. Open a **new browser window**, not just a tab in the one you already use.
**Tip:** Whatever is in that window is what goes on stream. Keeping it separate means your other tabs, bookmarks, and notifications cannot appear mid-broadcast.
2. Paste your overlay URL and load it.
3. Keep it as a **normal window**, not fullscreen. A fullscreen or minimised window often does not
appear in the list you are about to use.
## Add the window in LIVE Studio
1. In LIVE Studio, click **Add source**.
_Add source sits under the sources list on the left._
2. Choose **Window capture**, then click **Add**.
_Window capture takes a single window, unlike Display capture which takes a whole screen._
3. Open **Select program** and pick your browser from the list. It is listed by program name and
window title, for example `chrome.exe`.
_Pick the browser window that has your overlay open, then click Add source._
**Warning:** It is almost always because the window is fullscreen or minimised. LIVE Studio says the same thing in that dialog: *"If the window is minimized, the video source may lose its signal."* Restore the window, resize it slightly, and reopen the list.
## Frame it so only the game shows
Right after adding the source you will see the **whole browser window**, including the tab bar and
whatever else is on the page.
_Straight after adding the source, everything in the window is on stream._
Drag the source's corners and edges in the LIVE Studio canvas until only the game fills the frame.
Crop the browser chrome out and scale the overlay to fill the vertical canvas.
_Resize until only the game is visible. This is what your viewers see._
Leave the browser window open for the whole stream. It can sit behind other windows, but **do not
minimise it**, or the capture can lose its signal.
**Tip:** You can also press **F11** in the browser to hide the tab bar, which means less cropping. Add the source first and go fullscreen after, since a fullscreen window may not show up in the list.
## Get the audio across
Window capture takes the picture only, so the game's sound needs adding separately.
1. Open the **Audio mixer** from the toolbar at the bottom of LIVE Studio.
2. Next to **Audio**, click **Add**.
3. Set **Type** to **Application** and **Device** to your browser, for example `chrome.exe`.
4. Click **Add**.
_Capture the browser as an application so viewers hear the game._
**Warning:** Play a sound in the game and watch the meter move in the mixer. A silent stream looks completely normal from your side, so the meter is the only way to know viewers can hear it.
Because the browser is playing the sound, you will hear it too. To avoid hearing two copies, mute the
dashboard preview and let the browser be your monitoring.
Muting the browser tab itself is riskier: depending on how LIVE Studio captures the audio, it may
mute the stream as well. If you try it, re-check the meter afterwards.
## Check the shape
TikTok is a vertical 9:16 screen. In LIVE Studio, open **Settings, Video** and set
**Screen adaptation** to **Portrait, Fit to screen**. Fill screen crops the edges, and the overlay is
already the right shape.
If the overlay looks stretched or cropped after that, see
[the overlay is not showing correctly](/docs/overlay-not-showing/).
## Common problems
### The overlay is a solid rectangle over my camera
Expected. Window and screen capture cannot carry transparency. If you want your camera behind the
overlay, use the [OBS browser source](/docs/connect-to-live-studio/) route instead, and add your
camera as a source in OBS too. A camera added in Live Studio will stay hidden behind the overlay.
### My browser is not in the Select program list
Almost always because the window is **fullscreen or minimised**. Windows only offers a window to
capture tools while it is drawn as a normal window.
1. Exit fullscreen with **F11**, or restore the window if it is minimised.
2. Drag its edge to resize it slightly. That forces it to redraw, which is usually enough to make it
appear.
3. Reopen **Select program**. It should now be listed.
4. Select it, add the source, and press **F11** afterwards.
If it is still missing, close and reopen the browser window, then check the list again before
launching anything else.
### The source went black after restarting the browser
LIVE Studio binds to a specific window. Closing the browser or restarting it creates a new window
that the old source no longer points at. Remove the source and add it again.
### Viewers cannot hear the game
Check LIVE Studio's audio mixer is capturing the browser and not just your microphone. Muting the
tab in the browser does not stop application capture, but muting the browser in **Windows Volume
mixer** does.
### The overlay pauses or stutters when I switch windows
Some browsers throttle background windows. Keep the overlay window visible on a second monitor if you
have one, or use the [Livecade Windows app](/docs/livecade-desktop-app/), which is built to keep
rendering while parked out of the way.
## Next step
With the overlay on screen, start your session in the dashboard so chat and gifts reach the game. See
[Start a Live Session](/docs/connect-to-live/).
---
# Livecade desktop app for Windows
Category: Going Live
URL: https://livecade.io/docs/livecade-desktop-app/
An optional Windows app that renders your overlay for TikTok LIVE Studio without OBS. Install it, add it as a source, and route the game audio.
The Livecade desktop app is an **optional** way to get your overlay on stream. It opens the overlay
in its own window for TikTok LIVE Studio to capture, and handles the window sizing and audio routing
for you.
You do not need it. It is one of [four ways to go live](/docs/how-to-go-live/), and the others work
with software you already have.
## Should you use it?
**Info:** - You want your **camera visible behind the overlay**. Window capture has no transparency, so the overlay is always a solid image. Use the [OBS browser source](/docs/connect-to-live-studio/). - You are on **macOS**. The app is Windows-only. LIVE Studio itself runs on macOS, so use [screen capture](/docs/screen-capture/) or OBS there. - You just want the quickest route. [Screen capture](/docs/screen-capture/) adds nothing beyond the browser you already have.
The app suits you if you are on Windows, the overlay fills the whole screen, and you would rather not
run OBS or babysit a browser window.
## Download
Download Livecade for Windows
Windows 10 or 11. Around 82 MB.
## Installing it
Your browser and Windows may show extra prompts for an app they have not seen many times yet. How
many you get depends on your machine and browser: some people see all of the ones below, some only
the first, some none at all. Work through whichever appear.
**Info:** Always download Livecade from `cdn.livecade.io` using the button above, so you know you are getting the real thing.
### 1. Your browser asks you to confirm the download
Chrome flags the download and holds it. Open the **downloads** icon in the toolbar, find
`Livecade-Setup.exe`, and click **Download suspicious file** to let it finish.
_Step 1. Click Download suspicious file. The wording is Chrome's, not ours._
Chrome shows this for any installer it has not seen many times yet. Edge words it differently and
uses **Keep** or **Keep anyway**.
### 2. If Windows shows a blue box, click More info
Some machines show a blue **"Windows protected your PC"** box when you run the installer. If yours
goes straight to the next step, skip this.
The button you want is hidden until you expand it, which is the only reason this catches people out.
1. Click **More info**. It is the small link under the message.
2. Click **Run anyway**, which appears at the bottom once expanded.
{/*
_Step 2. Click More info to reveal the button._
*/}
{/*
_Step 2. Then click Run anyway._
*/}
### 3. Allow the install
Windows asks for permission to install for everyone on the PC. Click **Yes**. This is the same
prompt OBS and most desktop apps show, because the installer writes to Program Files.
{/*
_Step 3. Click Yes to allow the install._
*/}
## The VB-CABLE option
During setup, on the **Choose Install Location** page, there is a checkbox offering to install
**VB-CABLE**, a free virtual audio driver by VB-Audio. It is ticked by default, but it is
**not required**. Viewers hear the game either way.
_Untick this if you would rather not add a driver. Both choices work._
**Without VB-CABLE**, LIVE Studio captures the app's audio directly. In its **Audio mixer**, pick
**Livecade** from the list of applications. You then hear the game from the app itself, so mute the
dashboard tab (right-click the browser tab, **Mute site**) and you are back to hearing exactly one
copy of the audio while still working in the dashboard.
**With VB-CABLE**, the app's audio goes down a silent virtual device instead, so your PC stays quiet
and you monitor through the dashboard.
| | VB-CABLE installed | Declined |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Game audio on stream | yes | yes |
| You monitor from | the dashboard | the app, with the dashboard tab muted |
| Your volume and the stream's | separate | the same setting |
| Extra driver | yes, and it may ask to restart Windows | none |
The real difference is that last row. With the cable, turning your own volume down does not affect
what viewers hear. Without it, one volume controls both. Pick the cable if you want that separation,
skip it if you do not.
Skipping is not final: you can install VB-CABLE later from the Livecade tray menu, and the app's
audio output is changeable there at any time.
**Warning:** VB-Audio's installer sets CABLE Input as the Windows default output device. If your music, Discord, or notifications go quiet after installing, open **Windows Settings, System, Sound** and set your usual speakers or headphones back as the default. Livecade keeps working either way.
VB-CABLE is developed and licensed by [VB-Audio](https://vb-audio.com/Cable/) as donationware. If you
find it useful, consider donating to them.
## First run
1. Launch **Livecade** from the Start menu.
2. Paste your **overlay URL** when it asks. You will find it in the dashboard, in the top right of
the preview, under **Overlay URL**.
3. The overlay appears in a plain window with no title bar. Leave it open.
To move the window, **hold Alt and drag** anywhere on it. It has no title bar to grab, so this is the
only way. Everything else lives in the **tray icon** near the clock: hide the window, reload the
overlay, change the audio output or capture size, and quit.
## Add it to TikTok LIVE Studio
**Warning:** LIVE Studio will not pick up a window that is parked off-screen. If you have already used **Hide**, open the tray menu and choose **Show window** first, add the source, confirm you can see the overlay in LIVE Studio, and only then hide it again. Hiding after the source is working is fine.
1. In LIVE Studio, click **Add source**.
_Add source sits under the sources list on the left._
2. Choose **Window capture**, then click **Add**.
_Window capture takes the Livecade window on its own._
3. Open **Select program** and pick **Livecade.exe**. It is listed by program name, which is why the
app is named that way.
4. Click **Add source**, then drag the corners so it fills the canvas. The app already renders at
9:16, so it should need very little adjusting.
### Set the audio
Window capture takes the picture only, so add the sound separately. Open the **Audio mixer** from the
toolbar at the bottom, then:
- **With VB-CABLE:** set the speaker source to **CABLE Input (VB-Audio Virtual Cable)**.
_With the cable installed, point LIVE Studio at CABLE Input._
- **Without VB-CABLE:** next to **Audio** click **Add**, set **Type** to **Application** and
**Device** to **Livecade.exe**.
**Warning:** Play a sound in the game and watch the meter move in the mixer. A silent stream looks completely normal from your side, so the meter is the only way to know viewers can hear it.
**Tip:** In LIVE Studio, open **Settings, Video** and set **Screen adaptation** to **Portrait, Fit to screen**. Fill screen crops the edges, and the overlay is already the right shape. If the Screen adaptation section is missing entirely, see [the stream looks squashed](#the-stream-looks-squashed-or-cropped) below.
## Hiding the window
The tray menu has a **Hide** option that parks the window off-screen so it is not in your way. LIVE
Studio keeps capturing it, because the window still exists and is still rendering.
**Warning:** Hiding a window that is already being captured works. Adding the source while the window is hidden does not: LIVE Studio needs to see it on screen to start capturing, and you get a black source. Always add the source with the window visible, check the overlay appears in LIVE Studio, then hide it. If you added Livecade as a **Game** source, confirm the overlay still shows after hiding before you go live. Do not close the window: closing it stops the capture and LIVE Studio shows an error.
## Troubleshooting
### Viewers cannot hear the game
Open the tray menu and check **Audio output**. If it is set to a cable that is not installed, switch
it to your PC's output. Then confirm LIVE Studio's audio mixer is capturing the matching source, and
watch its meter while the game makes a sound.
### The source is black
The Livecade window looks perfectly normal on your desktop, but the source in LIVE Studio is solid
black. This is a LIVE Studio capture problem, not the overlay: the app is still rendering the whole
time. Work through these in order, checking after each one.
1. **Make sure the window is on screen.** If you have used **Hide**, open the tray menu and choose
**Show window**. LIVE Studio cannot start capturing a window that is parked off-screen. Hide it
again once the source is working.
2. **Set both apps to the same graphics performance.** Open Windows **Settings, System, Display,
Graphics**. Add **TikTok LIVE Studio** and **Livecade** if they are not listed, then set both to
**High performance**. Restart both apps afterwards. This matters most on laptops with two graphics
chips, where Windows can otherwise run the two apps on different ones. Some creators have had a
black source fixed by this step alone, and
[this walkthrough](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUSTtxQHQuU) shows it being done for LIVE
Studio.
3. **Delete every source in the scene, then add Livecade again.** Not just the Livecade source,
all of them. LIVE Studio picks how it captures a window when the source is created and remembers
that choice, and clearing the scene is what makes it choose again. This is the fix that works
when the first two do not.
4. **If it went black after changing the capture size,** that creates a new window LIVE Studio no
longer recognises. Remove and re-add the source.
**Info:** Bring the window back on screen from the tray, then delete and re-add the source as above. We have seen this happen once after about half an hour of streaming and have not been able to reproduce it since. If it happens to you, please tell us what you were doing at the time. It helps more than you would think.
### The stream looks squashed or cropped
This is a LIVE Studio configuration problem, not the app. The giveaway is that
**Settings, Video** offers only landscape resolutions, or the **Screen adaptation** section is
missing. Close LIVE Studio completely and reopen it. If it persists, contact us and we will walk you
through resetting its stored video settings.
### The overlay is a solid rectangle over my camera
Expected. Window capture cannot carry transparency, so the app cannot composite the overlay over a
camera. Use the [OBS browser source](/docs/connect-to-live-studio/) route for that, and note that
your camera has to be a source inside OBS as well. A camera added in Live Studio will stay hidden
behind the overlay.
### Updates
The app does not update itself yet. When a new version ships, download it from this page and install
it over the top. Your overlay URL and settings are kept.
## Next step
With the overlay on screen, start your dashboard session so chat and gifts reach the game. See
[Start a Live Session](/docs/connect-to-live/).
---
# Start a Live Session
Category: Going Live
URL: https://livecade.io/docs/connect-to-live/
Start a session from the dashboard, connect to your live TikTok stream, and let viewers interact with your game in real time.
Once your overlay is on screen in TikTok Live Studio and a game is picked, the last step is
connecting Livecade to your live TikTok stream. This lets the game read chat messages and gifts so
viewers can play along.
## Before you connect
- Your overlay on screen in TikTok Live Studio. See
[Connect to TikTok Live Studio](/docs/connect-to-live-studio/) if you have not done this yet.
- Your stream started. Click **Go LIVE** in TikTok Live Studio first. Livecade connects to an active
stream, so you need to be live before connecting.
- A game selected and your TikTok account added in the dashboard.
## Start a session
1. In the dashboard **Connection** panel, select a **game** and your **TikTok account**.
2. Click **Connect**. This starts the session and loads the game on your overlay.
_Pick a game and account, then click Connect._
3. Click **Connect TikTok** to link the session to your live stream. The status moves from
**Connecting** to **Live**.
_Connect TikTok. When the status reads Live, events are flowing._
When the status reads **Live**, the overlay is receiving events from your stream. Send a test message
or gift from another account to confirm it shows up.
## Connection status
The dot at the top of the Connection panel shows the current state.
| Status | What it means |
| --- | --- |
| Ready | A session is open but not connected to TikTok yet. |
| Connecting to TikTok | Livecade is linking to your live stream. |
| Live | Connected. Chat and gifts are flowing into the game. |
| Not live right now | The account is not streaming. Click Go LIVE in TikTok Live Studio, then click Check again. |
| Reconnecting | The connection dropped and is being restored automatically. |
| Daily limit reached | You hit your plan's daily live minutes. The game keeps running; the TikTok feed pauses. |
| Connection failed | Could not connect. Check the username and try again. |
**Warning:** Double-check that you are live in TikTok Live Studio and that the account is spelled exactly as it appears on your profile.
## While you are live
The Connection panel gives you live controls without ending the session:
- **Pause Game / Resume Game** freezes or resumes the action.
- **Restart Game** discards the current round and starts over.
- **Send Message** pushes a shoutout to the overlay.
## Going offline
When your stream ends, click **End Session** in the dashboard. This disconnects from TikTok and
closes the session cleanly, so the overlay is ready for next time.
---
# How to go live on TikTok with interactive games from your phone
Category: Going Live
URL: https://livecade.io/docs/go-live-from-your-phone/
Stream TikTok LIVE games from your phone with no PC and no OBS. Step-by-step with screenshots. Use TikTok's Mobile gaming source and run Livecade from your phone browser so viewers play with chat and gifts.
You do not need a computer to run interactive games on your TikTok LIVE. If you go live from the
TikTok app on your phone, you can run a Livecade game from that same phone, with the dashboard open
in your mobile browser. Your viewers play with chat, likes, and gifts exactly as they would on a
PC stream.
No OBS. No TikTok LIVE Studio. No PC anywhere in the setup.
This guide walks the whole thing with screenshots from a real phone.
## What you need
- A TikTok account that can go LIVE from mobile. That is normally **1,000+ followers**, and you must
be 18 or older.
- A Livecade account, opened in your phone's browser. Chrome and Safari both work.
- Your TikTok username added in the Livecade dashboard. See
[Getting Started](/docs/getting-started/) if you have not done that yet.
**Tip:** One phone is running the broadcast and the game. Charge it, and stop the screen auto-locking before you start, since a locked screen can pause the browser and stall the game.
## Step 1. Open the TikTok camera
In the TikTok app, tap the **+** button in the bottom bar.
_Step 1. Tap + to open the camera._
## Step 2. Switch to LIVE, then Mobile gaming
Along the bottom, select the **LIVE** tab. Then pick **Mobile gaming** as your source, not Device
camera and not LIVE Studio.
**Mobile gaming is the key to this whole method.** It broadcasts your phone screen, which is what
lets your Livecade overlay reach your viewers.
_Step 2. Select Mobile gaming as the LIVE source._
## Step 3. Pick a game so the stream goes portrait
Tap the hashtag field and set a game. This matters more than it looks: choosing a portrait game
such as **Wordscapes** makes TikTok stream in **portrait mode**, which is the shape Livecade
overlays are built for. TikTok confirms it with a "This game works better in portrait mode" notice.
Pick a landscape game and your LIVE goes out sideways, with the overlay letterboxed.
_Step 3. A portrait game keeps the LIVE vertical._
## Step 4. Go LIVE
Add a title if you want one, then tap **Go LIVE**.
_Step 4. Tap Go LIVE._
## Step 5. Start the broadcast
Your phone asks to share the screen. Make sure **TikTok** is selected, then tap **Start Broadcast**.
_Step 5. Confirm the screen broadcast._
**Warning:** Screen sharing captures notifications too. Turn on Do Not Disturb before you go live so a message preview does not land on your stream.
## Step 6. Open the Livecade dashboard
Leave TikTok running and switch to your browser. Go to **app.livecade.io** and sign in. Check that
the right TikTok account is selected at the top of the Controls tab.
## Step 7. Choose your game
Open the **Game** tab at the bottom and pick the game you want to stream.
_Step 7. Pick a game from the Game tab._
## Step 8. Connect TikTok
Go back to the **Controls** tab and tap **Connect TikTok**.
_Step 8. Tap Connect TikTok._
Wait for the status in the top right to change from **Ready** to **Live**. That is the confirmation
that chat, gifts, and likes are reaching your game.
_Step 8. Status reads Live once the feed is connected._
**Warning:** You have to actually be live on TikTok before connecting. If it will not connect, check your LIVE is running and that the username in the dashboard matches the account you are streaming from.
## Step 9. Expand the game
Back on the **Game** tab, tap the expand icon in the top right. The game takes the whole screen,
which is what your viewers see.
_Step 9. Tap expand to hand the screen to the game._
That is it. You are live, and your viewers can play.
_Live, with the game filling the screen._
## Running the stream from your phone
The dashboard splits into three tabs on a phone:
- **Controls** — pause the game, send a message, end the session.
- **Game** — the live game and the game switcher.
- **Pad** — your DJ Pad sounds, GIFs, and music.
While the game is expanded you still get a **sounds** button and a **pause** button in the top
corner, so you can fire a DJ Pad sound without leaving the game view. Tap the **X** to come back to
the normal view.
Your last tab is remembered, so if you reload you land where you left off.
## Moving your HUD on a phone
You can reposition overlay elements like the timer or leaderboard by dragging them in the preview.
On a phone there is no hover, so **tap an element first** to select it. Its outline, name, and
resize handle appear together, and you can then drag it, or drag the corner to resize. Tap
elsewhere to deselect.
While the game is expanded this is switched off on purpose, so a tap meant for the game cannot
nudge your layout mid-stream.
## What does not work from a phone
**Games you control yourself.** A few games are played by the streamer with a keyboard or with
mouse aiming, and a phone has neither. Those are not playable from a mobile-only setup yet.
Everything driven by your viewers works normally, which is the large majority of the catalogue.
Chat games, gift battles, quizzes, and viewer-vs-viewer games all run fine.
## Adding your camera
TikTok handles this for you, so there is nothing to set up on the Livecade side. Use **Camera** on
the LIVE setup screen, or **Add camera** on the countdown before you go live.
## If the sound stops
If you switch away from your browser for a while and come back to silence, reload the dashboard
page. Phone browsers suspend audio for backgrounded pages, and a reload restores it.
## Next step
Moving to a PC setup later? See [How to go live](/docs/how-to-go-live/) for the desktop methods.
---
# Edit Your Game Content
Category: Games
URL: https://livecade.io/docs/edit-your-game-content/
Export your question bank to a spreadsheet, add your own, remove what you do not want, then import it back. Works for every Livecade game with a built-in bank.
Every Livecade game with a built-in bank lets you make it yours. Add your own questions, remove the
ones that do not suit your stream, and fix anything that reads wrong. The fastest way to do it in
bulk is a spreadsheet: export the bank, edit it, import it back.
Your changes apply to **your streams only**. The built-in bank is shared, so nothing you do here
affects anyone else.
## Games you can edit
Everything below works the same way for all of them. Only the columns differ, since a trivia
question and a roast are not the same shape.
## Open the bank
In the dashboard, open a game's settings and click **Your question bank**. That opens Game Data,
which lists everything your game currently draws from: the built-in content plus anything you have
added.
Pick the language you want at the top left. **Each language is a separate bank**, so exporting
Russian and importing it into English will be refused rather than silently mixing them.
## Export
Click **Export** and choose a format:
| Format | Use it for |
|---|---|
| **CSV** | Editing in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers. This is the one you want for bulk changes. |
| **JSON** | Keeping a backup, or moving your bank to another account. |
Both hold the same thing: your whole bank for that language.
_Export gives you the whole bank in either format._
## What the columns mean
Open the CSV and you will see a row per question, with two columns at the front that are not part of
the question itself:
| Column | What it is |
|---|---|
| `ref` | Our id for a built-in question. **Leave it exactly as it is.** |
| `source` | `platform` for our content, `yours` for something you added. Just a label, we do not read it back. |
Everything after those two is the question. The exact columns depend on the game — Roast Your Photo
has `text` and `intensity`, Million Quiz has `question`, four options, `correct`, `category` and
`difficulty`.
_Every built-in roast carries its ref. Leave that column alone._
**Warning:** The `ref` column is how we recognise a question we already have. Never make one up, copy one onto a different row, or renumber the column. If you do, we fall back to matching on the question text, which usually still works but is not something to rely on.
## Make your changes
Four things you can do, all in the same file:
### Add your own
Add a row at the bottom and **leave `ref` empty**. That is the whole trick: an empty `ref` means
"this is new", and it becomes yours on import.
Fill in the language column with the same code as every other row (`ru`, `en`, and so on) and fill in
the rest of the question. Leave `source` blank too.
_A row of your own: ref and source empty, everything else filled in._
### Remove what you do not want
Delete the whole row. On import, that question stops appearing in your game.
Nothing is deleted permanently. Removed questions stay in Game Data with a **Hidden** tag. Set the
last filter to **Hidden only** to see exactly what you removed, select them, and click **Restore**.
Deleting a row from the file is just a faster way of doing what the Hide button does.
_Filter to Hidden only to find what you removed, then Restore it._
### Fix a question
Edit the text in place and leave `ref` alone. We store your version as a change on top of ours, so if
we later correct a different part of that question, you still get the correction.
### Change a tier or category
Edit that column like any other. Use exactly the values the game already uses — for Roast Your Photo
that is `gentle`, `medium` or `spicy`. An unknown value is reported as an error on that row instead of
being guessed at.
## Import it back
Click **Import**, pick your file, and you get a preview before anything is saved. Only the outcomes
that will actually happen are shown, so a small edit produces a short preview:
- **new** — questions being added to your bank
- **updated** — your own questions being changed
- **edited** — built-in questions you reworded
- **hidden** — questions you removed from the file
- **merged** — the same question twice in one file, collapsed to the last copy
- **errors** — rows we could not read, listed with a reason
_One roast added and two removed. Anything that would disappear is spelled out._
Check those numbers, then confirm. If the file would hide a large part of your bank we ask again with
the exact count, because that usually means the file was cut short rather than deliberately trimmed.
**Tip:** Export and import straight back without editing and the result is zero of everything. That is worth trying once, just to see that the file is safe.
## Things worth knowing
**Rows you did not touch stay ours.** They keep getting our corrections and they do not count against
your plan's limit. Only questions you actually add are yours.
**Errors do not stop the import.** A row we cannot read is skipped and reported, and — importantly —
its question is left exactly as it was. A mangled row never removes anything.
**Save as CSV, not as a spreadsheet file.** Excel will offer to save as `.xlsx`; we cannot read that.
Use *Save as → CSV UTF-8*, which keeps accents and non-Latin alphabets intact.
**Keep the language column filled.** It is how we check that the file belongs to the bank you are
importing into. Rows with a blank or wrong language are reported as errors rather than being filed
under the wrong language.
## Limits
| | |
|---|---|
| File size | 16 MB |
| Rows per import | 20,000 |
| Questions you can add | Depends on your plan. Removing and editing built-in questions is unlimited on every plan. |
Importing is available on paid plans. Exporting is always available, on every plan, so you can
always get your content out.
---
# Clip Machine
Category: Games
URL: https://livecade.io/docs/clip-machine/
How to make your own videos for Clip Machine. The copy-paste prompt setup that keeps a set of AI clips looking like one character, what it costs, and the upload limits.
Clip Machine plays videos you choose. A background loops, and when a viewer sends a gift, comments,
follows, shares or likes, it cuts to the clip you bound to that trigger.
It ships with a working pack, so this guide is only about replacing it with your own.
## What you need
Two kinds of video, and they follow opposite rules.
| | What it is | Length | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Idle videos** | The background loop. On screen most of your stream | up to 60s | 25 MB |
| **Reaction clips** | What a trigger plays, once | up to 15s | 12 MB |
Vertical (9:16). Five videos is a real game: one idle, plus reactions for a cheap gift, a big
gift, a follow and a share.
## The one rule that matters
**Every clip must start from the same still image.** Make one picture of your scene, then feed
that same picture into your video tool as the starting frame for every clip. Change only the
action.
All three came from this one frame. Same cat, same cart, same lighting, so a trigger cuts cleanly
instead of jumping to what looks like a different video.
Skip this and your clips will not match, whatever tool you use.
## Making them on Replicate
This is exactly how the shipped pack was made. Copy it.
**1. Make your reference image.** Any image generator. Vertical, 9:16. This is your character and
your set, so get it right before making any video.
**2. Open the model.** [replicate.com/bytedance/seedance-2.0-fast](https://replicate.com/bytedance/seedance-2.0-fast)
**3. Set these inputs:**
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| `image` | your reference image |
| `duration` | `4` |
| `resolution` | `480p` |
| `aspect_ratio` | `9:16` |
**4. Build the prompt.** Paste these three blocks first, every time, unchanged apart from your own
character description in the first one. Each exists because leaving it out broke a clip.
**Identity** — stops the character changing between clips:
```
The character is the same [YOUR CHARACTER] in the same [YOUR SETTING].
Keep them and the background exactly as they appear in the first frame.
Do not change them, their colour, their markings or their face.
```
**Framing** — stops the model zooming, which reads on stream as the picture jumping:
```
CRITICAL: the camera framing must match the first frame EXACTLY for the whole clip.
Do not zoom in, do not zoom out, do not push in, do not crop tighter, do not move the
camera closer or further away. Everything must stay exactly the same SIZE and in exactly
the same position in the frame as in the first frame. Locked-off static camera, identical
shot size from first frame to last.
```
**Lighting** — stops each clip being re-lit, which steps visibly at every cut:
```
The lighting, exposure and colour grade must stay exactly the same as the first frame for
the entire clip, and must not be re-lit or re-graded. Same brightness, same colour
temperature, same background tone. Do not darken, do not brighten, do not add shadows,
do not change the mood or the time of day.
```
**5. Add your action, then the ending rule.** This is the only part that changes per clip.
For a **reaction clip**:
```
[YOUR ACTION, e.g. "the cat holds up a doughnut and grins"]
The entire action completes within the first 2 seconds, then holds steady and still for the
remainder. The camera never moves.
Do not use any green colors anywhere in the scene.
```
For an **idle video** — note this is the opposite instruction, and it matters:
```
[YOUR ACTION, e.g. "the cat tidies the counter and straightens the cups"]
The character keeps moving gently and continuously for the entire clip. It must never freeze
or hold a still pose.
The clip must loop seamlessly: it begins and ends in exactly the same neutral resting
position, so the last frame flows back into the first frame without a jump.
The camera never moves.
Do not use any green colors anywhere in the scene.
```
**Note:** A reaction clip lands its beat early then holds. An idle never holds, and must end where it started or the loop visibly snaps. Swapping these two is the most common way a set goes wrong.
**6. Run it, watch it, then do the rest.** Roughly **$0.28** per 4-second clip. The whole shipped
pack was a few dollars. A clip that comes back wrong still costs, so check the first one before
queueing eight.
### Make more than one idle
A single background loop repeating gets noticed within a minute. The shipped pack uses four,
shuffled: one near-static resting shot that plays most of the time, and three small bits of
business.
## Other tools
Any generator that accepts a starting image works, and the three prompt blocks above transfer
unchanged. Runway, Kling, Pika, Luma, Hailuo and Sora all qualify.
Filming yourself also works, and the same rule applies: lock the camera on a tripod, do not change
the lighting or your clothes, shoot everything in one session, and start and end each take in the
same position.
## Adding them to the game
In the game panel, each trigger row takes a video, an icon and a name, and you choose what fires
it: a specific gift, any gift over an amount, a comment keyword, a follow, a share or a like. Up to
thirty rows.
A row can hold up to four videos. Click its video and use **Add video**. Each time the trigger
fires, one of them plays, so a gift that gets sent all stream does not show the same clip every
time. The **Multiple videos** setting picks how: Shuffle plays a random one and never the same one
twice in a row, In order plays them one after another.
Your idle videos go in the **Idle Videos** field. Clear it and add your own to replace the pack.
If your videos are not vertical, set **Video fit** to Contain to letterbox them, or Cover to fill
the frame and lose the edges.
---
# TikTok Live Restrictions
Category: Troubleshooting
URL: https://livecade.io/docs/fix-live-restrictions/
Why TikTok restricts Live streams, what its rules actually say, and what lowers the risk when you stream a game. Restrictions come from TikTok, not from Livecade, and no tool can remove or appeal one for you.
Restrictions come from TikTok's automated moderation, not from Livecade. **No tool can remove, lift,
or appeal one for you**, and false positives happen. Nothing here is a guaranteed fix: it is what
TikTok's own rules point to, quoted so you can check them.
## The short version
1. **Be on camera and talk to your viewers.** TikTok's own rules ask for this directly.
2. **Pause the Live when you step away.** Don't leave the game running unattended.
3. **Turn the trigger panel down.** Smaller, fewer at a time, or off.
4. **Host team battles, don't just run them.** Two sides plus gifts is a format TikTok's rules name.
## Which restriction did you get?
TikTok's inbox notification names the feature, the reason and how long it lasts. Past ones are in
**Creator tools → LIVE Center → Rules and guidance → Restrictions**.
| What TikTok told you | What it means | What helps |
| --- | --- | --- |
| "Not eligible for recommendation", "restricted in search results" | **Feed eligibility.** Below TikTok's bar for being recommended. Often time-boxed. | Presence, camera, trigger panel |
| "Unoriginal or reproduced content" | **Originality.** Read as a recording, a loop, or reused content. | Presence, [make the game look like yours](#make-the-game-look-like-yours) |
| "Fake engagement", "inorganic gift solicitation" | **Gift solicitation.** Gift asks read as mechanical or pressuring. | Trigger panel, team battles, presence |
| "Integrity and Authenticity", "suspicious activity" | **Authenticity.** About account behaviour, not overlay design. | See [Authenticity flags](#authenticity-flags) |
| "Gifting is suspended", "LIVE monetization restricted" | **Monetization.** The most serious tier. Repeated feed ineligibility can lead here. | Everything below |
## What TikTok actually says
Using games and other third-party tools is allowed. TikTok's [Community
Guidelines](https://www.tiktok.com/community-guidelines/en/accounts-features) say creators *"can use
TikTok's LIVE Studio or third-party tools to share the device screen to showcase gameplay."* What gets
restricted is how the stream comes across. From TikTok's [LIVE Monetization
Guidelines](https://www.tiktok.com/live/creators/en-US/rules_and_guidance/live_monetization_guidelines),
which list what *"we may demonetize"*:
> Content that is generated or operated primarily through automated systems, such as AI or other
> third-party tools, **without meaningful creator presence, interaction, or facilitation** of the LIVE
> experience.
> Content that is largely passive or unattended, such as sleeping during LIVE or performing routine or
> task-based activities without interaction or engagement with viewers.
> Content that tricks, manipulates, or **mechanically and repeatedly solicits** viewers to increase
> Gifts or engagement metrics through deceptive, inauthentic, baiting, or non-interactive behaviors.
> Content or behaviors where creators **solely present two or more opposing viewpoints** and ask
> viewers to send Gifts, comments, likes, or shares.
And from TikTok LIVE Studio's [rules for Live
creators](https://www.tiktok.com/live/studio/help/article/Before-you-go-LIVE/Community-Guidelines?lang=en):
> Using a no-face effect might be easily regarded as low interaction, and LIVE might be regarded as a
> recording. Creators are recommended to be present and on screen throughout the duration of the LIVE.
On-screen gift information is not banned in itself. TikTok's own [Small Gift
Guidance](https://www.tiktok.com/live/studio/help/article/Monetize-your-creativity/Small-Gift-Guidance-How-to-Encourage-Low-Cost-Gifts-in-Your-LIVE?lang=en)
gives *"Rose 🌹 = Pick my next character" on screen* as an example. The line TikTok draws is between a
creator running the show and a stream that runs itself.
TikTok also makes you responsible for your tools. Its guidelines say Live creators are *"responsible
for anything that happens during their sessions"*, third-party tools included.
## Be present on stream
- **Show your face.** LIVE Studio's rules say *"Make sure your face is visible on camera."* Give the
camera real space, not a corner tile.
- **Talk and react.** Read comments out, greet people, call the score. TikTok's rules recommend
*"reading comments in real-time."*
- **Pause instead of leaving.** *"If you need to step away, pause the LIVE."* In TikTok LIVE Studio,
**Pause LIVE** is under the end Live button. A game left running with nobody there is the
"unattended" case above.
- **Don't mirror your camera.** Mirrored background text looks like reprocessed video.
The only number anyone quotes for screen space is roughly **half the frame** for the game and
overlays together.
**Note:** The ~50% figure comes from TikTok Shop's quality rules for shopping Lives plus third-party guidance. It is a design budget, not an official threshold for game streams. TikTok publishes no exact number.
**Warning:** Some guides suggest running a camera hidden behind a scene element so a camera is technically active. There is no evidence it works, and it fakes the signal rather than meeting it.
## Turn the trigger panel down
A large, always-on gift panel is the overlay element creators blame most. In most games it is also
the only thing telling new viewers how to join, so shrink it before removing it. In **HUD settings**
on the control panel:
| Setting | Effect |
| --- | --- |
| Icon size **S** | Takes less of the frame |
| At a time **1**, **2** or **3** | Shows a few triggers and rotates through the rest every few seconds |
| Auto-hide briefly | Stops the panel being permanently on screen |
| Grey gift icons | Removes the saturated gift artwork |
| Show **Labels** off | Drops the action names under each icon |
| Trigger HUD off | Removes the panel entirely |
Binding fewer gifts also shrinks it. Keep gift instructions out of your **stream title and
description** too, since that text is read directly. And keep other platforms' handles, links and
QR codes off screen: LIVE Studio's rules say *"Do not display QR codes"* and *"Do not show
information from a third-party platform."*
### Or use TikTok's own gift bar
Switch **Trigger HUD** off and let TikTok show viewers what to send. **Viewer Wishes** in TikTok LIVE
Studio (**Tools → Engage**) lists your chosen gifts and renders TikTok's own gift bar over the
stream.
_Tools → Engage → Viewer Wishes in TikTok LIVE Studio._
- **Your game still works.** Gifts trigger Livecade actions from the live feed, not from the panel.
You only lose the on-overlay reminder of which gift does what.
- **It holds a few wishes**, so it suits headline gifts rather than a full trigger list.
Some creators report fewer restrictions after turning the HUD off. We cannot confirm cause and effect.
**Note:** If you switch the panel off, watch a round back and check a new viewer could still tell how to join in. You can also say it out loud, which counts as interaction too.
## Team battle games
Games where viewers pick a side and gifts push it forward, such as **Boys vs Girls** and **Messi vs
Ronaldo**, match one of TikTok's examples closely: *"creators solely present two or more opposing
viewpoints and ask viewers to send Gifts, comments, likes, or shares."* We read **solely** as the key
word: a creator who hosts the battle is doing more than that, and a battle left running on its own
is not.
- **Host it.** Commentate, react to big pushes, talk to both sides.
- **Leave instant wins unbound.** "One gift wins the round" is the most pay-to-win thing these games
can show. Pushes alone keep the game playable.
- **Don't run it for hours on end.** Mix in other games and keep the stream varied.
## Make the game look like yours
For **"unoriginal or reproduced"** flags. Many streams run the same games with the same art, so
change what you can:
- **Art, sounds and music** in a game's asset manager (**Pro**, on a growing set of games; the manager
opens on any plan so you can see the slots first).
- **Questions and prompts** with [Edit Your Game Content](/docs/edit-your-game-content/).
- **Background, layout and intro** in your own scene, on any plan.
Static or looping screens are also named in TikTok's rules. Live gameplay usually covers this; long
stretches where nothing happens do not.
## Authenticity flags
Integrity and Authenticity and suspicious activity flags are about account behaviour. Layout changes
will not clear one. (A fake engagement message that mentions gifts is the gift solicitation case in
the table above.)
Joining your own stream from other accounts, inflated likes, comments or follows, and coordinated
engagement draw them. If none of that applies, it is likely a false positive.
## If you are already restricted
- **Appeal from the inbox notification, and do it straight away.** One appeal per decision, and once
the Live has ended an appeal is generally no longer available because the content has expired.
Creators report instant automated denials.
- **Short restrictions expire on their own**, from minutes to hours.
- **Repetition escalates.** Repeated violations lead to longer restrictions and can become permanent
for monetization features. Change something between sessions.
- **In the EU**, you can escalate for free to a certified out-of-court dispute settlement body under
the Digital Services Act. It is the only recovery route with published success rates.
## What we do not know
- **No verified case** exists where one change demonstrably stopped restrictions. Everything here is
risk reduction.
- TikTok publishes no thresholds, strike counts, or fixed durations, and says it enforces with *"a
combination of technology and moderators."*
- Creators using no interactive tools get the same messages, so these are not specific to overlay
software.
- Developers who removed all overlay text, chat and nicknames still got restricted, which is why this
page points at presence and composition rather than wording alone.
- Adding features (alerts, goals, voice) does not make a stream safer. They are for your viewers.
If restrictions keep coming after you change how you stream, tell us what changed and what TikTok's
message said. Patterns across creators help us fix games.
---
# Overlay Not Showing
Category: Troubleshooting
URL: https://livecade.io/docs/overlay-not-showing/
The overlay is blank, black, cropped, or mirrored in OBS or TikTok Live Studio. The most common causes and how to fix each one, fast.
If your overlay is not appearing correctly on screen, it is almost always one of a few setup issues.
Work down this list in order. Most streams are fixed by the first two.
## The overlay is blank or black
1. **Check the URL.** In your OBS Browser source, make sure the URL is your full overlay URL from the
dashboard (`https://overlay.livecade.io/...`), pasted with no spaces before or after.
2. **Refresh the source.** In OBS, right-click the Browser source and choose **Refresh** (or delete
and re-add it). Overlays can go blank if OBS loaded the page before your connection was ready.
3. **Start a session.** The overlay only shows a game once a session is running. Open the dashboard,
pick a game, and click **Connect**. See [Start a Live Session](/docs/connect-to-live/).
4. **Check the size.** In the Browser source properties, **Width** should be **1080** and **Height**
**1920**. A zero or tiny size shows nothing.
## The overlay has a black box around it
The overlay background needs to be transparent so only the game shows. In your OBS Browser source
properties, the **Custom CSS** field must contain this line:
```css
body { background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); margin: 0px auto; overflow: hidden; }
```
If it is missing or edited, paste it back in and click **OK**. Full setup is in
[Connect to TikTok Live Studio](/docs/connect-to-live-studio/).
## The overlay is cropped or letterboxed
Your canvas is not vertical. TikTok is a 9:16 vertical screen, so OBS must match it.
1. In OBS, open **Settings -> Video**.
2. Set both **Base (Canvas) Resolution** and **Output (Scaled) Resolution** to **1080x1920**.
3. Click **OK**, then drag the overlay to fill the canvas.
## The overlay looks mirrored (text is backwards)
In TikTok Live Studio, open your Camera source and click **Flip** under **Adjustments**. This only
affects the mirrored preview, not what you see in OBS.
## It works in OBS but not in TikTok Live Studio
Make sure **Start Virtual Camera** is running in OBS (Controls panel, bottom right), and that your
TikTok Live Studio **Camera** source is set to **OBS Virtual Camera** at **1080x1920**. If you added
the overlay as a **Link** source instead, note that Link tends to lag and can appear blank. Use the
OBS Virtual Camera method for streaming.
**Tip:** Close and reopen OBS, refresh the Browser source, and confirm a session is Live in the dashboard. That clears the large majority of overlay issues.
---
# No Sound on Stream
Category: Troubleshooting
URL: https://livecade.io/docs/no-sound/
Viewers cannot hear the game, or the wrong audio is going out. How to route clean game sound to TikTok with VB-Cable, and the quick checks that fix most audio problems.
If your viewers cannot hear the game, or they are hearing the wrong audio (your music, system
sounds), it is an audio routing issue. Start with the quick checks, then confirm the VB-Cable setup.
## Quick checks
1. **Is the source unmuted?** In OBS, open the **Audio Mixer** and make sure your overlay Browser
source is not muted and the level moves when the game makes sound.
2. **Is "Control audio via OBS" on?** In the Browser source properties, **Control audio via OBS** must
be checked. Without it, OBS cannot pass the game's sound through.
3. **Is a game actually playing sound?** Some moments are silent. Trigger an event or start a round to
confirm the game is producing audio in the first place.
## Viewers hear nothing (VB-Cable routing)
If you followed the recommended setup, the game's sound travels:
**OBS game audio -> CABLE Input -> TikTok Live Studio (CABLE Output)**. If any link is missing, sound
never reaches viewers. Check each one:
1. **VB-Cable installed.** Install [VB-Cable](https://vb-audio.com/Cable/) and reboot if it asks.
2. **OBS source monitoring.** In the OBS Audio Mixer, click the gear on your overlay source ->
**Advanced Audio Properties** -> set **Audio Monitoring** to **Monitor and Output**.
3. **OBS monitoring device.** In **Settings -> Audio -> Advanced**, set **Monitoring Device** to
**CABLE Input (VB-Audio Virtual Cable)**.
4. **TikTok Live Studio input.** In its **Audio mixer**, set the audio source to
**CABLE Output (VB-Audio Virtual Cable)**.
Full walkthrough with screenshots is in
[Connect to TikTok Live Studio](/docs/connect-to-live-studio/#audio-route-game-sound-cleanly-with-vb-cable).
## Viewers hear the wrong audio (music, system sounds)
This means TikTok is capturing your whole system instead of just the game. The VB-Cable setup above
fixes it by sending only the game's sound to TikTok. Once monitoring points at **CABLE Input** and
TikTok listens to **CABLE Output**, your background music and other system sounds stay out of the
broadcast.
**Warning:** Restart OBS and TikTok Live Studio after changing any audio device. Both apps read the device list at startup and may not pick up VB-Cable until relaunched.
## Voice narration or music from Livecade is missing
Livecade's own sound (TTS voice, DJ Pad, DJ Music) plays through the overlay, so it follows the same
route as game sound. If the game is audible but these are not, check that the feature is enabled in
your stream settings and that the mixer is not muting it.
---
# Connection Problems
Category: Troubleshooting
URL: https://livecade.io/docs/connection-issues/
Stuck on Connecting, the feed keeps dropping, or the session ended on its own. What each connection status means and how to get back to Live.
When the game runs but chat and gifts are not coming through, it is a connection issue between
Livecade and your TikTok stream. The status dot at the top of the dashboard **Connection** panel
tells you what is happening. Here is what each state means and what to do.
## What the status means
| Status | What to do |
| --- | --- |
| Ready | A session is open but not connected to TikTok yet. Click **Connect TikTok**. |
| Connecting to TikTok | Livecade is linking to your stream. Give it a moment. If it stays here, see below. |
| Live | Connected. Chat and gifts are flowing. Nothing to do. |
| Not live right now | The account is not streaming. Click **Go LIVE** in TikTok Live Studio, then **Check again**. |
| Reconnecting | The link dropped and is restoring automatically. Usually clears on its own. |
| Daily limit reached | You hit your plan's daily live minutes. The game keeps running; the feed pauses. |
| Connection failed | Could not connect. Check the username and try again. |
## Stuck on "Connecting to TikTok"
This is the most common one, and it is almost always one of these:
1. **You are not live yet.** Livecade connects to an *active* stream. Click **Go LIVE** in TikTok Live
Studio first, then connect. You must be live before Livecade can link.
2. **The username is wrong.** Enter your TikTok username exactly as it appears on your profile,
without the @. A typo means there is no live stream to find.
3. **The stream just started.** Give TikTok a few seconds after going live before connecting.
## "Not live right now"
The account is not currently streaming. Start your stream in TikTok Live Studio (**Go LIVE**), then
click **Check again** in the dashboard.
## The feed keeps dropping (Reconnecting)
Livecade reconnects automatically, so a brief **Reconnecting** is normal and usually clears itself.
If it happens repeatedly:
- **Check your internet.** An unstable connection on your side drops the feed.
- **Do not close the dashboard tab.** The session needs the dashboard open to stay healthy. If both
the dashboard and TikTok go quiet for a while, the session ends on its own.
- **Confirm you are still live on TikTok.** If your TikTok stream ended, the feed has nothing to
connect to.
## The session ended on its own
Sessions end automatically when there is no activity for a while, meaning no dashboard open and no
TikTok stream. This keeps sessions from running forever after you have stopped. Just start a new
session when you are ready to go live again.
## "Daily limit reached"
You have used your plan's daily live minutes. The game keeps running, but the TikTok feed pauses until
the limit resets. To stream longer, upgrade your plan on the [Pricing](/pricing) page.
**Tip:** Nine times out of ten, "stuck connecting" means you are not live on TikTok yet, or the username has a typo. Check those two first.