Frequently Asked
Questions.

To start streaming with TurboKast, you'll need:

• A streaming encoder: We recommend OBS Studio (opens in new tab) (free and open source), but any streaming encoder works
• A Twitch or YouTube account: Used for sign-in and as your first streaming destination
• Basic streaming content: A webcam, game capture, or any video source configured in your encoder

Don't have OBS yet? We'll guide you through downloading and setting it up during onboarding.

Onboarding takes under 2 minutes. After signing in with Twitch or YouTube, you'll complete 2 steps:

1. Step 1 (30 seconds): Copy your ingest URL and stream key
2. Step 2 (90 seconds): Test your stream connection with OBS

Your stream and platform connection are created automatically during sign-in, so you can start streaming immediately after setup.

Setting up OBS is simple with our step-by-step guidance. During onboarding, you'll:

1. Copy your unique TurboKast ingest URL and stream key
2. Open OBS Studio and go to Settings → Stream
3. Select "Custom" as the service
4. Paste your TurboKast ingest URL in the Server field
5. Paste your stream key in the Stream Key field
6. Click OK to save settings
7. Click "Start Streaming" in OBS

Need more help? Visit the OBS knowledge base (opens in new tab) for detailed setup instructions.

The stream test (Step 2) verifies that TurboKast can receive your stream and forward it to your connected platforms. Here's what happens:

• Start streaming in OBS: Your encoder connects to TurboKast's ingest server
• Real-time detection: We detect your connection within 2 seconds and show a success message
• Automatic verification: Your stream is forwarded to your connected platforms (Twitch, YouTube, etc.)
• Auto-redirect: Once connected, you're automatically sent to your dashboard

The test has a 2-minute timeout. If we don't detect your stream, we'll show troubleshooting tips to help resolve common issues.

You can skip onboarding at any time and complete it later from your dashboard. If you skip:

• Your stream and platform connections are still created and ready to use
• You'll see a banner on your dashboard with a link to complete setup
• You can access your ingest URL and stream key anytime from your dashboard
• The banner is dismissible if you prefer to set up OBS on your own

To restart onboarding, just click the "Complete your first stream test" banner on your dashboard, or navigate to Settings → Stream Settings.

If your stream test times out or doesn't connect, try these common solutions:

Still having issues? Click "Get Help" during the test or reach out to our support team at [email protected].

TurboKast requests streaming permissions so we can automatically connect your Twitch and YouTube accounts and forward your streams to multiple platforms simultaneously. This eliminates the need to manually configure stream keys and settings.

When you sign in, we request permissions to:

• Read your basic profile information (name, email, profile picture)
• Manage your streaming settings and live broadcasts
• Access your stream keys to forward your content

This one-time authorization allows you to start multi-streaming in under 2 minutes instead of manually configuring each platform.

You can still sign in to TurboKast even if you deny streaming permissions. However, you'll need to manually connect your platforms later from your Dashboard or Settings.

If you denied permissions initially, you can reconnect anytime by:

1. Going to your Dashboard
2. Clicking "Connect Twitch" or "Connect YouTube"
3. Approving the streaming permissions when prompted

Yes. We take security seriously:

• Encryption: All OAuth tokens and stream keys are encrypted at rest using industry-standard encryption
• OAuth 2.0: We use OAuth 2.0, which means we never see or store your passwords
• Minimal access: We only request the minimum permissions needed for streaming
• Revocable: You can revoke our access anytime from your Twitch or YouTube account settings

Your streaming content passes through our servers only for forwarding purposes and is never stored or recorded.

For Twitch:

• user:read:email — To identify your account
• channel:manage:broadcast — To manage stream settings
• channel:read:stream_key — To access your stream key

For Google/YouTube:

• email and profile — To identify your account
• youtube.force-ssl — To create and manage live streams
• youtube.readonly — To read stream settings

Yes. You have full control over your connected accounts. Disconnect or reconnect at any time from your Settings page.

Note: If you disconnect all accounts, you won't be able to sign back in. Keep at least one connected account for authentication.

Yes. The Starter plan is free forever and includes basic streaming with a single fork. Upgrade to Pro when you need multi-destination streaming and unlimited forks.

See our pricing page for a full comparison.