Recording Livestreams

Want to catch a live broadcast but can't watch it in real-time? Or maybe you'd like to save a stream for offline viewing? Fetchii can record livestreams from YouTube, Twitch, Bilibili, and many other platforms — just paste the URL and hit record.

How It Works

When you give Fetchii a livestream URL, it automatically detects that it's a live broadcast (not a regular video). You'll see a Livestream Detected sheet with a LIVE preview of the stream, letting you know you're about to start a recording session.

Unlike regular downloads that have a clear endpoint, livestream recordings continue until you stop them or the broadcast ends. Fetchii shows you elapsed time and how much has been recorded instead of a progress bar.

Starting a Recording

Copy the livestream URL from your browser, paste it into the link field at the top of the Fetchii window, and press Return (or use File > New Download…, Cmd + N). Fetchii will analyze the URL and recognize it as a live broadcast.

You'll see a confirmation sheet showing:

• The stream title and channel name
• A reminder that recordings continue until manually stopped
• An Auto-reconnect on disconnect switch

Click Start Recording to begin capturing the stream.

Tip: You can also use the browser extension to send livestream URLs directly to Fetchii.

The Confirmation Sheet

Before recording starts, Fetchii shows you important information:

Auto-reconnect switch: Asks Fetchii to retry if the connection drops. It starts from your setting in Settings > Recording. Retrying doesn't reliably resume a livestream yet, so don't count on it to fill gaps in a recording.

Warning message: A reminder that livestream recordings don't have a defined end — they'll continue running until you stop them or the stream ends.

Recording Settings

You can customize how Fetchii handles livestream recordings in Settings > Recording:

Duration Limits

Set a Max recording duration (under Limits) to prevent runaway recordings:

When the limit is reached, Fetchii gracefully stops the recording and saves your file. A changed limit applies to recordings you start afterwards.

Concurrent Recordings

Max concurrent recordings controls how many streams you can record simultaneously (1-5). The default is 3. If you try to start a new recording when at the limit, Fetchii tells you and doesn't start it — new recordings aren't queued.

Reconnection Settings

The Reconnection group controls how Fetchii retries after a dropped connection. Fetchii can't yet guarantee that a dropped livestream is picked back up.

• Auto reconnect on disconnect: Whether Fetchii retries at all (on by default)
• Reconnect attempts: How many times Fetchii tries to reconnect (1-20 or Unlimited, default 5)
• Reconnect interval: Seconds to wait between attempts (5-60, default 10)

Naming Pattern

Customize how recording files are named with Livestream naming pattern (under Naming). The default pattern is {title} {datetime}, which creates files like:

Gaming Stream 2026-01-15 14_30_00.mp4

Available variables:

• {title} — The stream title
• {datetime} — When the recording started
• Plus the same variables as download names, such as {uploader} or {site}

Monitoring Your Recording

Recordings sit in the Active section at the top of the window. While recording, you'll see:

• LIVE badge: A red indicator showing this is an active recording
• Elapsed time: How long you've been recording (e.g., "1:23:45")
• Recorded so far: How much has been captured
• Stop recording button: A stop icon to end the recording

If the connection drops and Fetchii tries again, the row shows "Reconnecting (1/5)…" in place of the clock. The menu bar icon also shows active recordings, so you can monitor progress without keeping Fetchii in the foreground.

Stopping a Recording

Click the Stop recording button (square icon) on the recording, or right-click it and choose Stop recording. Fetchii uses a graceful shutdown process:

1. Sends a stop signal to the recording process
2. Waits for the current data to finish writing
3. Properly closes the file to ensure it's playable

This typically takes a few seconds. Don't force-quit Fetchii during this process — let it finish cleanly to avoid corrupted files.

When a Recording Stops Early

If the connection is lost and doesn't come back, the recording ends on its own. In History its row reads Stopped early with how long it ran (for example, "Stopped early · 31:05") and "Stream connection lost". Select it and open the inspector (Cmd + I) for the explanation — everything recorded up to then is saved, but anything broadcast after the drop is missing.

Finding Your Recordings

Recordings are saved to the same location as regular downloads (default: ~/Downloads). The filename follows your naming pattern settings. Finished recordings are marked Recorded in History.

Supported Platforms

Fetchii can record livestreams from many popular platforms, including:

• YouTube Live
• Twitch
• Bilibili Live
• Facebook Live
• Instagram Live
• And many more

If a platform supports live streaming, Fetchii can likely record it.

Tips for Better Recordings

Check your disk space first. Livestreams can generate large files quickly — a 1080p stream at 5 Mbps creates about 2.2 GB per hour.

Use duration limits for unattended recording. If you're recording overnight or while away, set a maximum duration to prevent filling up your drive.

Use a stable connection for long sessions. Fetchii can't yet guarantee to resume a recording after the connection drops, so a wired or strong Wi-Fi connection matters for long streams.

Lower quality saves bandwidth. If your internet is unstable, consider recording at 720p instead of 1080p for more reliable capture.

Troubleshooting

Recording won't start? Make sure:

• Enable livestream recording is on in Settings > Recording (while it's off, livestream links are rejected)
• You haven't reached your concurrent recording limit
• The stream is actually live (not a premiere or scheduled stream)

File seems corrupted? This usually happens if:

• Fetchii was force-quit during recording
• The stream ended abruptly without proper closure

Recording stops unexpectedly? Check:

• Your disk space — recordings stop when storage runs out
• Your duration limit setting
• Your network connection — a row marked Stopped early lost its connection