Add a chat overlay to your OBS stream

ApexStream provides a browser-source chat overlay you can add to OBS or any other encoder that supports browser sources. It shows messages from your connected platforms in real time with a transparent background.

Get your overlay URL

1. In your dashboard, go to the stream you want to add chat to.
2. The chat overlay URL follows this pattern: https://dashboard.apexstream.co/overlay/chat/{streamId} where {streamId} is the ID of your ApexStream stream session.

Add it to OBS

1. In OBS, click the + button in the Sources panel.
2. Choose Browser.
3. Give the source a name, like "ApexStream Chat".
4. Paste the overlay URL into the URL field.
5. Set Width and Height to match the area you want on screen (for example, 400 × 600).
6. Check Shutdown source when not visible and Refresh browser when scene becomes active if you want it to reload automatically.
7. Click OK.

The overlay appears in your scene and updates live as viewers send messages.

Good to know: The overlay URL loads a transparent background page, so it works best when placed over your scene without a background color box. Messages come from the platforms you have connected to chat, such as YouTube, Facebook, and Twitch.