CLI Reference

qast accepts URLs, local files, capture sources, and playlists as positional arguments.

Basic usage

qast <source> [source ...] [options]

Source syntax

Each source can include an optional duration suffix:

Source	Example	Description
URL	`https://youtube.com/watch?v=...@3m`	YouTube, Vimeo, Twitch, 1000+ sites
File	`video.mp4`	MP4, MKV, AVI, WebM, FLV, WMV, OGG
Screen	`screen@5m`	Full desktop capture
Window	`window:Grafana@5m`	Single window by title
Webcam	`webcam@30`	Camera feed
Browser	`browser:http://localhost:3000@30`	Headless Chromium render
RTSP	`rtsp://192.168.1.100/stream`	IP camera / security camera
Pipe	`-`	Read from stdin

Duration suffixes: @30 (seconds), @5m (minutes), @1h (hours).

Common commands

# Cast YouTube to first available TV
qast "https://youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"

# Target a specific TV by name
qast video.mp4 -d "Samsung 65\""

# Target by protocol
qast video.mp4 -d roku

# Desktop capture for 5 minutes
qast screen@5m

# Window capture
qast window:Grafana@5m

# Playlist with repeat
qast --playlist morning.txt --repeat

# Multiple sources as inline queue
qast video1.mp4 video2.mp4 screen@1m

# Shuffle queue
qast --playlist videos.txt --shuffle

# Save stream to file while casting
qast "https://..." --save output.ts

Device selection

# List all devices
qast --scan

# By name (partial match)
qast video.mp4 -d "Living Room"

# By index (from --scan output)
qast video.mp4 -d 0

# By protocol
qast video.mp4 -d chromecast
qast video.mp4 -d dlna
qast video.mp4 -d roku

# Show all protocol variants
qast --scan --show-all

Flags

Flag	Description
`-d, --device`	Target device (name, index, or protocol)
`--playlist FILE`	Load sources from playlist file
`--repeat`	Loop the queue indefinitely
`--shuffle`	Randomize queue order
`--preroll N`	Seconds of placeholder before content (helps DLNA start)
`--aspect W:H`	Force aspect ratio correction
`--cookies-from-browser chrome`	Extract browser cookies for YouTube
`--youtube-default`	Use muxed streams (lower quality, lower latency)
`--save FILE`	Save stream to file while casting
`--no-cursor`	Hide cursor in screen capture
`--show-all`	Show all protocol variants in device list
`--scan`	Discover and list devices, then exit
`-v, --verbose`	Enable debug logging

Interactive controls

While casting, the console accepts keyboard input:

Key	Action
`s`	Skip to next queue item
`q`	Quit
`Space`	Show status

Playlist file format

# morning.txt — one source per line
# Lines starting with # are comments
# Blank lines are ignored

https://youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO1
https://youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO2@3m
~/Videos/workout.mp4
screen@30
window:Grafana@5m

YouTube notes

By default, qast uses DASH streams (separate video + audio) for higher quality.
If YouTube blocks extraction, pass --cookies-from-browser chrome.
Use --youtube-default for lower-latency muxed streams.
yt-dlp supports 1,000+ sites beyond YouTube.

Created by Rich LeGrand · MIT License