Installation

System requirements

boofstream requires:

Operating System: Windows 10/11 (x64), macOS, or Linux
RAM: 2GB minimum, 4GB recommended
Disk Space: 200MB for application and output files
Network: Internet connection for downloads and bracket integration
Hardware: USB port or network connection to Wii running Slippi

Platform support: boofstream is primarily tested on Windows x64. Other platforms may work but are not officially supported.

Download boofstream

From GitHub releases (recommended)

The easiest way to get boofstream is through pre-built releases:

Navigate to releases

Go to github.com/viboof/boofstream/releases

Choose your platform

Download the appropriate zip file for your system:

Platform	File	Status
Windows x64	`boofstream-windows-x64.zip`	✅ Tested
Windows ARM64	`boofstream-windows-arm64.zip`	⚠️ Untested
macOS (Intel)	`boofstream-darwin-x64.zip`	⚠️ Untested
macOS (Apple Silicon)	`boofstream-darwin-arm64.zip`	⚠️ Untested
Linux x64	`boofstream-linux-x64.zip`	⚠️ Untested
Linux ARM64	`boofstream-linux-arm64.zip`	⚠️ Untested

Verify the download

Ensure the zip file downloaded completely and isn’t corrupted

Installation by platform

Windows
macOS
Linux

Windows installation

Extract the archive

Right-click the downloaded boofstream-windows-x64.zip
Select Extract All…
Choose a permanent location:
- Recommended: C:\boofstream or C:\Program Files\boofstream
- Alternative: Documents\boofstream
Click Extract

Choose a location where the folder won’t be accidentally deleted. boofstream creates an out/ directory for data files.

Run boofstream.exe

Navigate to the extracted folder
Double-click boofstream.exe
If Windows Defender SmartScreen appears:
- Click More info
- Click Run anyway

boofstream is unsigned software, which triggers SmartScreen. The application is open-source and safe.

Verify it's running

A terminal window should appear with the message:

live! open your browser to http://localhost:1337

Open your browser and navigate to http://localhost:1337 to access the UI.

Windows-specific notes

Firewall permissions

Windows may prompt you to allow boofstream through the firewall. Click Allow access for:

Private networks (required for localhost)
Public networks (only if streaming from a public network)

Antivirus software

Some antivirus programs may flag boofstream. Add an exception for the boofstream folder if needed.

Running on startup

To auto-start boofstream:

Press Win + R
Type shell:startup and press Enter
Create a shortcut to boofstream.exe in the startup folder

macOS installation

macOS builds are untested. You may encounter issues. Please report them on GitHub if you do.

Download the correct build

Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3): boofstream-darwin-arm64.zip
Intel Macs: boofstream-darwin-x64.zip

Extract and move

Double-click the downloaded zip to extract
Move the boofstream folder to /Applications or your preferred location

Run boofstream

Open Terminal
Navigate to the boofstream directory:
```
cd /Applications/boofstream
```
Run the executable:
```
./boofstream
```
If macOS blocks it:
- Go to System Preferences → Security & Privacy
- Click Open Anyway next to the boofstream warning

Access the UI

Open Safari or your preferred browser and go to http://localhost:1337

macOS-specific notes

Gatekeeper warnings

macOS Gatekeeper may prevent boofstream from running because it’s unsigned. To bypass:

xattr -cr /Applications/boofstream

Permission issues

If you get permission errors, make the executable runnable:

chmod +x /Applications/boofstream/boofstream

Linux installation

Linux builds are untested. You may encounter issues. Please report them on GitHub if you do.

Download and extract

cd ~/Downloads
unzip boofstream-linux-x64.zip -d ~/boofstream
cd ~/boofstream

Make executable

chmod +x boofstream

Run boofstream

./boofstream

The terminal should display:

live! open your browser to http://localhost:1337

Access the UI

Open your browser to http://localhost:1337

Linux-specific notes

Missing dependencies

If boofstream fails to start, you may need to install system dependencies. On Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install libnss3 libatk1.0-0 libatk-bridge2.0-0 libcups2 libxcomposite1 libxdamage1

Port conflicts

If ports 1337 or 1338 are in use, find the conflicting process:

sudo lsof -i :1337
sudo lsof -i :1338

Running as a service

To run boofstream as a systemd service, create /etc/systemd/system/boofstream.service:

[Unit]
Description=boofstream Melee overlay
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=yourusername
WorkingDirectory=/home/yourusername/boofstream
ExecStart=/home/yourusername/boofstream/boofstream
Restart=on-failure

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Then enable and start:

sudo systemctl enable boofstream
sudo systemctl start boofstream

File structure

After extraction, your boofstream directory should contain:

boofstream/
├── boofstream.exe (or boofstream on Unix)
├── assets/
│   ├── characters/      # Character portraits
│   ├── country_flag/    # Country flags
│   └── state_flag/      # US state flags
├── dist/
│   └── ui/              # Web interface files
├── out/                 # Generated output files (created on first run)
│   ├── p1/
│   ├── p2/
│   ├── config.json
│   ├── state.json
│   └── program_state.json
└── [other runtime files]

Critical: Never move boofstream.exe out of this directory or delete any files. The application requires all accompanying files to function.

Ports used

boofstream uses the following ports:

Port	Purpose	Configurable
1337	HTTP server for web UI	No
1338	WebSocket server for real-time updates	No
53742	Slippi console relay (default)	Yes
4455	OBS WebSocket (default)	Yes

Ensure these ports are not blocked by your firewall and aren’t in use by other applications.

Updating boofstream

To update to a new version:

Backup your config

Copy out/config.json and out/state.json to a safe location

Close boofstream

Close the terminal window running boofstream

Download the new version

Download the latest release from GitHub

Replace files

Extract the new version to the same directory, replacing old files

Restore your config

Copy your backed-up config.json and state.json back to the out/ directory

Run the new version

Launch boofstream.exe as normal

Check the releases page for changelogs and breaking changes.

Uninstallation

To remove boofstream:

Close the boofstream terminal window
Delete the entire boofstream folder
(Optional) Remove any OBS sources pointing to boofstream output files

No registry entries or system files are modified.

Troubleshooting installation

boofstream won't start

Verify all files from the zip are present
Check that ports 1337 and 1338 aren’t in use
Try running as administrator (Windows) or with sudo (Linux)
Check the terminal output for specific error messages

Can't access localhost:1337

Confirm boofstream is running (check the terminal)
Try 127.0.0.1:1337 instead of localhost:1337
Disable VPN or proxy temporarily
Check firewall isn’t blocking the connection

Missing output files

The out/ directory is created on first run
Files are generated after connecting to Slippi and starting a game
Check file permissions on the boofstream directory

For more help, see the common issues page or open an issue on GitHub.

Next steps

Quickstart guide

Get boofstream configured and running your first set

Slippi connection

Connect to your Wii and start tracking games

Get Started

Setup Guides

Features

Troubleshooting

System requirements

Download boofstream

From GitHub releases (recommended)

Installation by platform

Windows installation

Windows-specific notes

macOS installation

macOS-specific notes

Linux installation

Linux-specific notes

File structure

Ports used

Updating boofstream

Uninstallation

Troubleshooting installation

Next steps

Quickstart guide

Slippi connection

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

Setup Guides

Features

Troubleshooting

​System requirements

​Download boofstream

​From GitHub releases (recommended)

​Installation by platform

​Windows installation

​Windows-specific notes

​macOS installation

​macOS-specific notes

​Linux installation

​Linux-specific notes

​File structure

​Ports used

​Updating boofstream

​Uninstallation

​Troubleshooting installation

​Next steps

Quickstart guide

Slippi connection

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

System requirements

Download boofstream

From GitHub releases (recommended)

Installation by platform

Windows installation

Windows-specific notes

macOS installation

macOS-specific notes

Linux installation

Linux-specific notes

File structure

Ports used

Updating boofstream

Uninstallation

Troubleshooting installation

Next steps