Guide · OBS stream delay
How to change OBS stream delay without restarting the stream
OBS locks its Stream Delay once you're live. Here's how to add, change or cut a delay mid-stream without dropping a single viewer.
Updated
Why OBS can't do it
OBS reads its Stream Delay when you go live and greys it out until you stop. InstantClone holds the delay outside OBS, so it changes while every connection stays up.
- Twitch
- YouTube
- Kick
Set it up, then use it
Set up · 1
Download and run it
No installer. Give it its own folder (not Program Files), since it keeps its settings beside it. Double-click it and the setup wizard opens in your browser.
Unknown publisher? It isn't code-signed yet: More info, then Run anyway.
Closed the tab? InstantClone keeps running. Right-click its tray icon to open the dashboard again.
Set up · 2
Register it with OBS
- Close OBS
- Press Register with OBS in the wizard
- Reopen OBS. In Settings, Stream, set Service to InstantClone and Stream Key to main
- Back in the wizard, press I've set this up in OBS
Optional: the wizard's connection check asks you to Start Streaming in OBS. It's a private test on your PC, nothing reaches Twitch.
Set up · 3
Add your platform
Pick your platform and paste its stream key: the wizard shows where to find it, and Kick also needs its Server URL. Then press Save & Start. If OBS's own Stream Delay is on (Settings, Advanced), turn it off.
Use it · 1
Arm
Start Streaming in OBS. You're live with no delay until you arm. Type a delay and press ⚡ Arm 15s delay: the buffer fills in real time (30 s takes 30 s) while viewers keep watching.
Use it · 2
Activate
Once it reads Armed, press ▶ Activate 15s delay. Viewers jump back by your delay, with no reconnect and no black frame.
Use it · 3
Cut
✕ Cut delay snaps viewers back to real time and keeps the delay armed, so the next Activate is instant. Want a different delay mid-match? Type it and the button becomes Adjust.
Use it · 4
Cut when it airs
Match over, but your reaction hasn't reached viewers yet? Press ⏱ Cut after the moment you're done. Everything up to that press still airs, then the delay cuts itself to live. Press it again to cancel.
The same buttons live in the OBS dock, and Windows adds global hotkeys and MIDI.
Control it from a Stream Deck or Companion
A Web Request action, method POST, to these addresses:
Arm 15 shttp://127.0.0.1:7799/armBody:
ms=15000Activatehttp://127.0.0.1:7799/activateCut delayhttp://127.0.0.1:7799/stopCut after this airshttp://127.0.0.1:7799/cut-afterTurn the delay on in one presshttp://127.0.0.1:7799/delayBody:
ms=15000Set a dashboard password? Add ?token= and the token from the OBS dock URL in System, Security. It can run the delay but never change settings.
Stream delay for Valorant, CS2, Fortnite and Apex
Snipers watch you press queue and queue with you, so turn the delay on before you queue and make it longer than your queue takes. Start around 30 seconds and adjust live: the default buffer holds about 11 minutes at 6 Mbps. After the match, Cut after this airs lets your last reaction reach viewers before you go back to real time.
Comparing tools? See how InstantClone compares to other stream delay tools.
Troubleshooting
OBS says "Failed to connect to server"
Check InstantClone is running and OBS's Service is InstantClone in Settings, Stream. If it isn't in the list, close OBS, press Register with OBS again and reopen OBS. The setup wizard's connection check confirms OBS is reaching it. Still failing? Update InstantClone to the latest version.
Windows blocks it or says "unknown publisher"
The build isn't code-signed yet. Click More info, then Run anyway. Every release ships a SHA256SUMS.txt file, so you can check the download is the real one, or build it yourself from the source.
Kick doesn't go live
Kick needs your own server address. Copy the Server URL from Kick's dashboard (Settings, Stream) into the Kick Server URL field of your Kick destination, next to the stream key.
My Twitch VOD has no separate audio track
If you use InstantClone's VOD audio script, download it again from System, Twitch & OBS, Twitch VOD audio, and replace the old one in OBS under Tools, Scripts. Copies from before 0.1.15 lost the VOD track with Enhanced Broadcasting off.
Enhanced Broadcasting is on in OBS but the stream is single-track
OBS only applies its Stream settings while nothing is running. If the Replay Buffer was on when you turned on Enhanced Broadcasting, stop it, apply the setting again and restart the stream. The dashboard warns you when this happens.
It won't take a long delay
The delay has to fit in the buffer: the default 500 MB holds about 11 minutes at 6 Mbps. The dashboard tells you how many MB it needs. Raise Buffer size (MB) in System, General, then restart the app.
Frequently asked questions
Can you change the stream delay in OBS while you're live?
Not in OBS itself: it reads Settings, Advanced, Stream Delay when the stream starts and locks it until you stop. With InstantClone holding the delay outside OBS, you can arm, raise, lower or cut the delay mid-stream without the stream dropping.
Does the delay affect my local recording?
No. InstantClone only delays the stream OBS sends it. A recording OBS makes on your PC is a separate output, so it stays in real time.
Does it work with Twitch Enhanced Broadcasting?
Yes. InstantClone passes Twitch's Enhanced Broadcasting through, every track included, without encoding the video again.
What happens to my stream if OBS crashes?
With crash protection on, viewers see a reconnect screen instead of an offline stream, for up to the time you pick, from 30 seconds to 5 minutes. When OBS is back, the stream carries on over the same connection. Crash protection is off until you turn it on.
Can chat find out how long my delay is?
Only if you let it. The !delay integration answers with your current delay when someone types it, and the Delay on and off notice tells chat when the delay switches without saying how long. Both are off until you add them.