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Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:
  • A Wii with Slippi/Nintendont configured for console relay
  • A computer running Windows (x64 recommended, other platforms untested)
  • OBS Studio installed (optional, for scene switching)
  • An active internet connection (for downloading and bracket integration)
Watch the boofstream in 4m20s video for a visual walkthrough of these steps.

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Get started in 3 steps

1

Download boofstream

  1. Go to the releases page
  2. Click the latest release at the top
  3. Download the zip file for your OS/architecture
    • For most Windows users: boofstream-windows-x64.zip
    • For other platforms: Choose the appropriate build (note: only Windows x64 is officially tested)
  1. Right-click the downloaded zip file
  2. Select Extract All or use your preferred extraction tool
  3. Choose a permanent location (e.g., C:\boofstream or Documents\boofstream)
  4. Make sure all files stay together in the extracted folder
Do not move boofstream.exe out of its folder or delete any accompanying files. boofstream needs all files in the directory to function properly.
2

Run boofstream

  1. Navigate to the extracted folder
  2. Double-click boofstream.exe to launch
  3. Wait for the terminal window to show “live! open your browser to http://localhost:1337”
  4. Open your browser and go to http://localhost:1337
Keep the terminal window open while using boofstream. Closing it will shut down the application.
If boofstream doesn’t start:
  • Port already in use: Close any applications using port 1337 or 1338
  • Windows Defender blocks it: Click More info → Run anyway
  • Missing dependencies: Make sure all files from the zip are present
Check the common issues page for more help.
3

Connect and configure

  1. In the boofstream UI at localhost:1337, go to the Slippi section
  2. Make sure your Wii is powered on and configured for console relay
  3. Set the port to 53742 (default) or your custom relay port
  4. Click Connect
  5. Look for the “Connected” status indicator
When connected, boofstream will display real-time game data as matches are played.
See the Slippi connection guide for detailed setup instructions.
  1. Navigate to the Match Info section
  2. Enter player names for Player 1 and Player 2
  3. Set the tournament name and round (e.g., “Winners Finals”)
  4. Configure Best of X (default is Bo5)
  5. Add sponsor tags, pronouns, or Twitter handles as needed
All changes are saved automatically. You can also import this data from Start.gg or Parry.gg.

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Test your setup

Once everything is configured, test that it’s working:
1

Start a game on the Wii

Launch a Melee game on your connected Wii. You should see:
  • Character detection in the boofstream UI
  • Stage information displayed
  • Port assignments detected
2

Check output files

Look in the out/ directory inside your boofstream folder:
out/
├── p1/
│   ├── name.txt
│   ├── score.txt
│   ├── char.png
│   └── ...
├── p2/
│   └── ...
├── program_state.json
├── round.txt
└── phase.txt
These files update in real-time as games progress.
3

Finish a game

Complete a game on the Wii (don’t LRAS). The score should automatically increment for the winner.
Success! You now have boofstream tracking your Melee sets in real-time.

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Add to OBS

To display boofstream data in OBS:
  1. Add Text (GDI+) sources for player names, scores, etc.
    • Check Read from file
    • Browse to out/p1/name.txt, out/p1/score.txt, etc.
  2. Add Image sources for character portraits
    • Browse to out/p1/char.png and out/p2/char.png
  3. (Optional) Add a Browser Source for JSON-based overlays
    • Point to out/program_state.json if using TournamentStreamHelper-compatible overlays
See the OBS integration guide for automatic scene switching.

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Next steps

Configure OBS scene switching

Automatically switch between game and crowd cam

Connect to Start.gg or Parry.gg

Import bracket data with one click

Customize colors and settings

Personalize player colors and display options

Learn about all features

Explore automatic scoring, character detection, and more

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Need help?

Common issues

Solutions to frequent problems

Report a bug

Check known issues or create a new one

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