OBS Plugin Development

Purpose

Entry point skill for the OBS Studio plugin development ecosystem. Routes to specialized skills based on plugin type and guides initial project setup.

When NOT to Use

• Developing audio plugins → Use obs-audio-plugin-writing
• Reviewing existing plugin code → Use obs-plugin-reviewing
• Need comprehensive guidance → Use obs-plugin-expert agent

Skill Routing

Task	Use Skill
Create audio filter	obs-audio-plugin-writing
Create audio source	obs-audio-plugin-writing
Review plugin code	obs-plugin-reviewing
Video plugins (future)	Check this skill for updates
Output plugins (future)	Check this skill for updates
Encoder plugins (future)	Check this skill for updates

OBS Plugin Types Overview

Sources (obs_source_info)

Sources render video and/or audio content. Three main types:

Type	Flag	Purpose
INPUT	OBS_SOURCE_TYPE_INPUT	Capture devices, generators
FILTER	OBS_SOURCE_TYPE_FILTER	Process video/audio from parent
TRANSITION	OBS_SOURCE_TYPE_TRANSITION	Animate between sources

Output capability flags:

• OBS_SOURCE_VIDEO - Renders video
• OBS_SOURCE_AUDIO - Outputs audio
• OBS_SOURCE_ASYNC_VIDEO - Provides raw frames (RAM-based)
• OBS_SOURCE_COMPOSITE - Contains child sources

Outputs (obs_output_info)

Handle streaming and recording by receiving raw or encoded data.

Examples: RTMP streaming, file recording, FFmpeg muxing

Encoders (obs_encoder_info)

Wrap codec implementations for video/audio compression.

Examples: x264, NVENC, QuickSync, AAC

Services (obs_service_info)

Integrate with streaming platforms.

Examples: Twitch, YouTube, custom RTMP

Module Registration (Required)

Every OBS plugin requires this boilerplate:

#include <obs-module.h>

/* Required: Exports common module functions */
OBS_DECLARE_MODULE()

/* Optional: Load locale from data/locale/ */
OBS_MODULE_USE_DEFAULT_LOCALE("my-plugin", "en-US")

bool obs_module_load(void)
{
    /* Register your plugin components here */
    obs_register_source(&my_source);
    // obs_register_output(&my_output);
    // obs_register_encoder(&my_encoder);
    // obs_register_service(&my_service);

    return true;  /* Must return true on success */
}

void obs_module_unload(void)
{
    /* Optional: Cleanup on unload */
}

Build System Setup

Using obs-plugintemplate (Recommended)

Clone and customize the official template:

# Clone template
git clone https://github.com/obsproject/obs-plugintemplate my-plugin
cd my-plugin

# Edit buildspec.json with your plugin info
# Edit src/plugin-main.c with your implementation

buildspec.json Configuration

{
  "name": "my-plugin",
  "displayName": "My Plugin",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "author": "Your Name",
  "website": "https://example.com",
  "email": "you@example.com"
}

CMakeLists.txt Structure

cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.28...3.30)

project(my-plugin VERSION 1.0.0)

add_library(${CMAKE_PROJECT_NAME} MODULE)

find_package(libobs REQUIRED)
target_link_libraries(${CMAKE_PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE OBS::libobs)

target_sources(${CMAKE_PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE src/plugin-main.c)

Build Commands

# Configure
cmake -B build -S .

# Build
cmake --build build

# Install (to OBS plugins directory)
cmake --install build

Project Structure

my-plugin/
├── CMakeLists.txt
├── buildspec.json
├── src/
│   ├── plugin-main.c     # Module registration
│   ├── my-source.c       # Source implementation
│   └── plugin-support.h  # Helper macros
└── data/
    └── locale/
        └── en-US.ini     # Localization strings

External Documentation

Context7 (Real-time docs)

mcp__context7__get-library-docs
context7CompatibleLibraryID: "/obsproject/obs-studio"
topic: "plugin development"

Official Documentation

• Plugin Guide: https://docs.obsproject.com/plugins
• Plugin Template: https://github.com/obsproject/obs-plugintemplate
• Module Reference: https://docs.obsproject.com/reference-modules
• Source Reference: https://docs.obsproject.com/reference-sources

Related Skills

• obs-audio-plugin-writing - Audio sources and filters (primary focus)
• obs-plugin-reviewing - Code review and quality audit

Related Agent

Use obs-plugin-expert agent for:

• Coordinated guidance across all OBS plugin skills
• Complex plugin development workflows
• When unsure which skill to apply