Stream Deck for OBS graphics: one button per graphic

The OBS plugin for Stream Deck switches scenes and hides sources. It cannot change what a graphic says. This guide sets up keys that do: a name strap, a goal for the home side, the match clock, the next item in the rundown — each one a single press, and each key showing whether its graphic is on air.

Scene switching versus graphics control

Most people start by toggling the visibility of an image source from Stream Deck. That works until the graphic needs different words: a new guest, a new score, a different headline. You end up with one source per variant and a deck full of buttons that all look the same.

A graphics engine flips the model. OBS holds one transparent browser source, and the buttons talk to the graphics engine instead of OBS. The key says take the strap or home score +1; the engine works out the animation and the text. OBS never needs to know.

What you need

CueFinch running on the streaming PC, with the output page added to OBS as a browser source (how to add it).
A Stream Deck (any model, including Stream Deck Mobile) and the free Stream Deck app from Elgato, version 7.1 or later (Windows 10+ or macOS 12+).
The CueFinch Stream Deck plugin — download it from Prep → Connections inside the app.

Setting it up — step by step

In CueFinch open Prep → Connections and press Generate key and turn on. This switches on the local HTTP API that the buttons use; without a key it stays off.
On the Stream Deck plugin card, press Download the plugin and double-click the CueFinch.streamDeckPlugin file. The Stream Deck app installs it and a CueFinch category appears in the action list.
Drag any CueFinch action onto a key. In the Connection box at the top of its settings enter the server address — http://localhost:5275 when Stream Deck and CueFinch are on the same PC; for another PC its network address is enough, the port is added for you — and paste the API key. Press Test connection to check. You only enter these once; every other key reuses them.
Pick what the key does: take or clear a graphic, change a score, control the clock, fire a match event, move through the rundown, or clear everything.
Open the Live page in CueFinch and keep it open while you stream. Button presses are carried out by that page, exactly as if you had clicked its own buttons.

A deck layout that works for a match

Fifteen keys are enough for a full football commentary stream. One layout that holds up:

Top row: score bug on/off · match clock start/stop · lineup · clear all.
Middle row: home goal · away goal · home −1 · away −1 (for the goal that gets ruled out).
Bottom row: yellow card · red card · substitution · name strap · next rundown item.

Keep clear all in a corner, away from the keys you hit under pressure. It removes every graphic in one press, which is exactly what you want in an emergency and exactly what you do not want by accident.

Keys that show what is on air

The plugin keeps asking CueFinch what is on screen. On a Stream Deck +, the dials change the score: turn for one goal at a time, press for the set step. A graphic key turns red while its graphic is on air, the score key shows the live score, and the clock key shows the running time. When you glance down mid-sentence the deck tells you the state of the broadcast, not just which buttons exist.

If CueFinch is closed, the Live page is not open, or the key is wrong, the key shows an alert instead of silently doing nothing.

Bitfocus Companion and other controllers

Every action is also a plain web address, so anything that can send an HTTP request can drive the graphics. In Bitfocus Companion, add a Generic HTTP connection and give a button a GET action such as http://localhost:5275/api/v1/object/score/toggle with the key in an X-Api-Key header (or ?key= on the URL). That is the usual route in studios where Companion already drives an ATEM switcher.

No Stream Deck at all? The built-in phone and tablet remote gives you the same buttons on a touchscreen.

Problems and fixes

Keys show “NO LINK”. Open the server address in a browser on the same PC. If nothing loads, CueFinch is not running or uses a different port.
“PANEL CLOSED”. The Live page is not open. Open it in the browser and leave the tab open.
“WRONG KEY”. The API key was regenerated. Paste the new key into any CueFinch key’s settings.
Stream Deck is on another PC. Use the streaming PC’s network address instead of localhost (it is listed under Prep → Connections), and allow port 5275 through the Windows firewall on private networks.

Put your graphics under your fingers. Download the free beta, generate an API key and map your first key in a couple of minutes.

Download the free beta

Frequently asked questions

Can Stream Deck change the text of an OBS graphic?

Not with the OBS plugin alone — it can only show, hide and switch. With a graphics engine behind the browser source, a key can change the score, take a different name strap or start a clock, because the key talks to the engine rather than to OBS.

Do I need the internet for the Stream Deck plugin?

No. The plugin talks to CueFinch on your own PC or local network. Nothing goes through a cloud service.

Does it work with Stream Deck Mobile?

Yes. Stream Deck Mobile runs the same plugins as the hardware. You can also use CueFinch’s own phone remote, which needs no extra app.

Can I use Bitfocus Companion instead?

Yes. Every action is an HTTP address, so Companion’s Generic HTTP module can trigger it. Many studios use Companion to drive the graphics and an ATEM switcher from the same button.