How to implement Twitch OAuth token authentication with streamlink Python library

Other Questions Twitch
1

I’m trying to set up Twitch authentication using OAuth tokens in my Python streamlink application but running into issues.

Recently Twitch started showing ads that streamlink can’t skip. The recommended fix is to use an OAuth token from your browser session for authentication. This works great if you have Turbo subscription or channel subscriptions since it bypasses the ads.

The streamlink documentation shows how to do this with CLI commands using --http-header or --twitch-api-header flags. However, I’m building a desktop application using the streamlink Python library and can’t figure out the correct way to pass the OAuth token.

Here’s my current attempt that doesn’t work:

class StreamManager:
    def __init__(self):
        oauth_token = 'xyz789abcdef456123ghijkl'
        self.session = streamlink.Streamlink(options={'--twitch-api-header': f"Authorization=OAuth {oauth_token}"})

The Streamlink session constructor doesn’t recognize that option key and throws an error. What’s the proper way to configure OAuth authentication when using streamlink as a Python package instead of CLI?

2

I had the exact same problem building my Python streaming app. Streamlink’s Python API doesn’t work like the CLI - you can’t just pass flags to the constructor. You need to use set_option on the session object instead.

Here’s what actually works:

import streamlink

class StreamManager:
    def __init__(self):
        self.session = streamlink.Streamlink()
        oauth_token = 'xyz789abcdef456123ghijkl'
        self.session.set_option('twitch-oauth-token', oauth_token)

Don’t try passing CLI parameters - call set_option on the session instance. Grab a fresh OAuth token from your browser’s network tab since they expire quickly. This setup’s been rock solid in production for ad-free streams with valid Twitch subs.

3

had the same issue with my twitch bot. use set_plugin_option with this exact syntax: self.session.set_plugin_option('twitch', 'oauth_token', your_token_here) - don’t add the “OAuth” prefix cause streamlink does that automatically for the twitch plugin.

4

I hit the same authentication issues building my streaming app last year. The problem is streamlink’s Python library doesn’t want CLI-style parameters. You configure the session after creating it instead. Here’s what fixed it for me:

import streamlink

class StreamManager:
    def __init__(self):
        self.session = streamlink.Streamlink()
        oauth_token = 'xyz789abcdef456123ghijkl'
        self.session.set_option('http-header', {'Authorization': f'OAuth {oauth_token}'})

Pass the header as a dictionary, not a string - worked way better in my tests. Just heads up, Twitch OAuth tokens expire pretty quick, so you’ll need token refresh if your app runs long. The auth does help with ad blocking when you’ve got the right subscriptions though.

5

You’re mixing CLI syntax with the Python API. When using streamlink as a library, you can’t pass CLI flags - you need to use the session’s set_plugin_option method instead. Here’s how to fix it: python class StreamManager: def __init__(self): oauth_token = 'xyz789abcdef456123ghijkl' self.session = streamlink.Streamlink() self.session.set_plugin_option('twitch', 'api-header', f'Authorization=OAuth {oauth_token}') Or set it when creating the session: python options = { 'plugin-twitch-api-header': f'Authorization=OAuth {oauth_token}' } self.session = streamlink.Streamlink(options=options) Either way should authenticate your requests and help bypass ads if you’ve got the right subscription. Just make sure your OAuth token is still valid from your browser session.

6

Been wrestling with this for weeks in my own project. The confusion comes from streamlink having multiple ways to handle authentication depending on version. After digging through the source code, I found the most reliable approach is using the plugin options directly:

import streamlink

class StreamManager:
    def __init__(self):
        oauth_token = 'xyz789abcdef456123ghijkl'
        self.session = streamlink.Streamlink()
        self.session.set_plugin_option('twitch', 'access-token', oauth_token)

The key difference is using ‘access-token’ instead of the other variations mentioned. This maps directly to how Twitch’s API expects the token internally. Make sure you’re extracting the token without the ‘OAuth’ prefix from your browser - streamlink handles that formatting automatically when talking to Twitch servers.

7

This happens because streamlink’s Python API uses different option names than the CLI. I hit the same issue when switching from CLI commands to the library. You can’t just pass CLI-style flags - you need to set options on the session object after creating it. Here’s how: python import streamlink class StreamManager: def __init__(self): self.session = streamlink.Streamlink() oauth_token = 'xyz789abcdef456123ghijkl' self.session.set_plugin_option('twitch', 'oauth-token', oauth_token) This sets the OAuth token specifically for the Twitch plugin. Double-check your token is fresh since Twitch OAuth tokens expire. You can grab a new one from your browser’s dev tools - look for the Authorization header in network requests to Twitch API endpoints. The token should start with that OAuth prefix you mentioned.

8

I hit this exact problem a few months back building a similar app. Streamlink’s Python API handles options differently than the CLI - you need underscores instead of dashes and drop the plugin prefix. Here’s what worked for me: python class StreamManager: def __init__(self): oauth_token = 'xyz789abcdef456123ghijkl' self.session = streamlink.Streamlink() self.session.set_option('http-header', f'Authorization=OAuth {oauth_token}') Or use the Twitch-specific header: python self.session.set_option('twitch-api-header', f'Authorization=OAuth {oauth_token}') Both work, but I found the twitch-api-header more reliable for ad blocking. Just grab a fresh OAuth token from your browser’s network tab since they expire pretty fast.