Start here · beginner setup

Your first ForgeCaster stream.

Follow one section at a time. Free local Broadcast needs no account: start with the Broadcast guide. For connected audience tools, use the account setup below. You can leave every optional connection empty until you need it.

1. Create your account and open your workspace

1. Open Pricing. Read the features and daily speech allowance for each plan. Apprentice is a premium trial that renews into Journeyman; it is separate from the free local Broadcast tools.
2. Choose a plan and create your ForgeCaster account. Use an email you can access. Save your password privately. Your workspace address is the short name in your control-panel URL; it does not need to match your streaming usernames.
3. Read the recurring-payment terms and check the agreement box only if you agree. Continue to Stripe. Complete payment or trial activation, then return to ForgeCaster.
4. Open Client Area. If the service has not appeared, choose Refresh billing status once. Do not purchase a second subscription to fix a delayed confirmation.
5. Under your service, click Start bot. Then click Enter ForgeCaster Portal. Use the same email and password if asked to sign in.
6. The Home page shows your workspace. Use Workspace → Guided setup for the checklist, or Workspace → Connections to configure a specific service.

Check: You can open Home and Song Requests. If your service is stopped, start it in Client Area first. For payment questions, create a Billing Support ticket; for connection or playback issues, choose Technical Support.

2. Choose only the accounts you need

What is a Client ID, secret or callback URL?

A Client ID identifies the application you register with a provider. A Client secret proves that application is allowed to connect; treat it like a password. A callback / redirect URL is where the provider returns you after sign-in. Copy the exact callback shown by ForgeCaster. Do not replace your workspace address with your TikTok or Twitch name.

Save credentials only in the named connection fields. Never put them in chat, a public overlay, an addon, a screenshot or a support ticket. An empty secret field after saving means the panel is hiding the saved secret. Leaving it empty normally preserves that secret.

3. TikTok: receive events and optionally send chat

1. Open Workspace → Connections → TikTok. Add the channel username without a video link. Save the channel and enable its connection when you are ready.
2. Your TikTok username can differ from your Twitch username and ForgeCaster workspace name. Enter each independently. Do not reset your workspace to make names match.
3. Start a private test stream or an appropriate LIVE session. Offline channels cannot produce real LIVE events. Check the source status in Home or Connections.
4. Use Workspace → Incoming events to verify a chat message or like arrives. Test one source at a time before adding automations.
5. To send TikTok chat through the existing desktop workflow, install ForgeCaster Desktop from the Desktop app page, sign into ForgeCaster and follow its pairing instructions. Use the account intended to send your bot replies. Keep the paired LIVE room available.
6. If you already use a TikFinity bridge, use the exact bridge URL and secret shown in your connections guide. Avoid configuring two full event feeds for the same channel. The bridge’s likes-only mode can be useful when deliberately selected.

Check: A real event appears with the correct platform and channel. Receiving an event and sending a bot reply are separate checks. If connection fails, confirm the channel is LIVE, the username is correct, and the selected source is enabled. Include the non-secret status message in a Technical Support ticket.

4. Twitch: register, save, authorize, test

1. Sign in at Twitch Developer Console → Applications. Enable two-factor authentication on your Twitch account if required.
2. Register an application. Give it a recognizable name, such as “My ForgeCaster connection.” Choose the category appropriate for your chat integration.
3. In another tab, open ForgeCaster Workspace → Connections → Twitch. Copy its callback URL.
4. Paste that exact address into the Twitch application’s OAuth Redirect URLs. Use the HTTPS URL shown by ForgeCaster, including your workspace address and callback path. Save the application.
5. Open the application’s management page. Copy its Client ID. Create/copy the Client secret privately. Paste both into the matching ForgeCaster fields.
6. Enter your Twitch channel name, save the connection, then click the authorization/connect action. Sign into the intended Twitch account and review the permissions requested.
7. Return to ForgeCaster. Confirm the authorized account and connection status. Send a test command and check Incoming events. Test an outgoing reply separately.

If you see “redirect mismatch”: Compare both callback strings character by character, including HTTPS, slashes and the workspace address. If authorization succeeds but events fail, check the saved channel and permissions. Official Twitch application guide.

5. YouTube: search keys and live-chat authorization are different

A. Search for videos by title

1. Open Google Cloud Console and select or create a project you own.
2. Find APIs & Services → Library, search for YouTube Data API v3 and enable it.
3. Open Credentials, create an API key, and restrict its API access to YouTube Data API v3. Browser referrer restrictions are unsuitable for a key used by ForgeCaster’s server; use appropriate server restrictions when available.
4. Save the key in ForgeCaster’s YouTube search connection. Test a title-and-artist search in Song Requests.

B. Read your YouTube live chat

1. In that project, configure the OAuth consent / Google Auth Platform settings. Provide the required app and contact information. If the app is in testing, add the Google account you will use as a test user.
2. Create an OAuth client ID for a Web application. An API key or service account is not a replacement for authorizing your channel.
3. Copy ForgeCaster’s YouTube Live callback into the client’s authorized redirect URIs. Save, then copy the Client ID and Client secret into the separate YouTube Live connection fields.
4. Save in ForgeCaster and authorize the Google account that owns the intended YouTube channel. Select the correct channel/brand account when Google offers a choice.
5. Start an eligible broadcast with live chat enabled. Select its broadcast if needed. Confirm a chat event reaches Incoming events.

Check: A search key makes search work; OAuth makes authorized live-chat access work. Testing-mode access can need reauthorization under Google’s rules. If access is denied, check the test-user list, correct account, enabled API and callback. Official YouTube credentials guide.

6. Music: keep one intended playback output

Spotify

1. Open the Spotify Developer Dashboard. Create or select your application. Spotify’s current development-mode eligibility requires an active Premium account for the app owner; check its current application/user limits.
2. In ForgeCaster, open the Spotify connection and copy its HTTPS callback URL. Add that exact URL to the Spotify application’s redirect URI list.
3. Copy the Client ID and Client secret into ForgeCaster, save, and authorize the intended Spotify account. If the app requires a user allowlist, add that account in the developer dashboard.
4. Open Spotify on the computer or device that will play the audio. Play something briefly so the device is available. Return to ForgeCaster and select the device.
5. Open Song Requests, search for a known song, inspect the preview and choose Queue only. Click Start when ready. Listen on the selected Spotify device.

Spotify audio comes from Spotify’s selected device. It does not come from a silent overlay. Eligibility and quota modes · Redirect requirements.

YouTube and local files

1. For YouTube, paste an embeddable video URL in Song Requests. Resolve it and inspect the result. Some videos disallow embedding or have account/region restrictions.
2. Open Stream View. Click Enable Stream View player once to permit browser audio, then Start or Resume the song. Keep the tab open.
3. For local music, use ForgeCaster Desktop’s Local music library controls to choose your files on that computer. The file paths and playback remain local; another device must have its own accessible files.
4. Keep one music playback output active. A visual mirror overlay does not need to own audio. If you deliberately use a Media Player overlay as playback output, disable the previous player first.
5. To change queue order, drag a request or use its move controls. Gifts update the affected song’s priority while preserving other manual ordering. Restore tier order is the explicit way to discard manual order.

Apple Music in Stream View

1. Open Workspace → Connections → Apple Music. Enable it and open Developer setup. Supply the Apple Developer Team ID, MusicKit Key ID, storefront and the contents of your MusicKit .p8 private key. Save credentials only in these fields.
2. Register the website origin required by your Apple configuration. Enable Apple Music in Request settings, then choose Apple Music for manual requests or use a specific Apple Music song link.
3. Open Stream View → Apple Music web player → Authorize Apple Music. Sign in to the eligible account that will play the music.
4. Choose Enable Stream View player to make this tab the intended playback output. Keep it open and audible.
5. If Desktop reports protected playback is unavailable, choose Open Stream View in browser and authorize there. Test a full song on the actual account and browser before relying on it live.

Catalog access and full protected playback are separate checks. Your account, storefront and browser determine availability. A music subscription does not itself grant broadcast rights.

7. Add a goal, game or custom overlay

1. Open Overlays & Games. Choose All, Goals, Games, Alerts & Feeds or Customs.
2. For a goal, choose Create goal. Select Follow, Like, Gift or Custom. Set its name, starting/current value and target. Select the event platform; enter that platform’s channel if you want one specific channel.
3. Choose colors, label, dimensions and reset behavior. Manual reset is the simplest starting point. A stream reset is per selected channel; it does not require matching usernames on other platforms.
4. Watch the design preview and click Save goal. Use Adjust / reset for manual corrections. A Custom goal changes only when you or a permitted action changes it.
5. Click Source link. Copy the entire URL, including the part after #. Keep it private; anyone with it can view that overlay.
6. In TikTok Live Studio add a Link Source. In OBS/Streamlabs add a Browser Source. Paste the URL and match the width/height to the overlay settings.
7. Send a real eligible event or make a small manual adjustment. The preview and source should update. If the source is blank, check the full link, service status and enabled setting.
8. For an HTML/CSS/JavaScript addon, open Commands & Events → Custom add-ons, create a draft, declare settings, test it, and publish. Its overlay appears under Customs. Read the customer Creator Guide & API before writing scripts.

Rotating a private source link invalidates the old one: paste the replacement into your streaming software. Ordinary design changes do not require rotating it.

8. Speech, sound alerts and gift rounds

1. Open Audio & Speech → Text to speech. Choose eligible viewers. If you choose members, decide whether they must also start messages with !tts. Eligibility and command-prefix requirements work together.
2. Start with a device voice and Hold messages for approval. Choose volume, cooldowns and blocked phrases. Save.
3. Click Enable audio on this device, or enable speech and sounds in Stream View. Use one output device. Capture its audio in your streaming software.
4. Queue a short test message. Approve it, listen, then inspect your usage balance. Messages are limited to 200 characters; the included allowance resets at 00:00 UTC.
5. Optional: enable gift speech with a minimum gift value and a response template. It follows the same quota, moderation and cooldown controls.
6. For sounds, save an HTTPS audio URL you have permission to use. Choose a command, gift, follow, redeem or manual trigger. Test the saved sound through the active output.
7. Additional speech credits, when offered in Client Area, are a manual purchase. Enable Use purchased credits only if you want them consumed after the daily allowance. They do not auto-purchase. Credits are tied to the retained workspace; the existing service/data-retention policy still applies.
8. For gift rounds, open Overlays & Games → Alerts & Feeds → Live auction / gift rounds. Configure the source, duration, threshold and optional bounded extensions. Save, start a round and preview its source. Paused rounds ignore gifts; canceled rounds stay in history. Ties are explicitly shown.

If you hear nothing: Confirm the output is enabled, your browser tab is not muted, the queue item is approved, your operating-system output device is correct, and the streaming software captures that device. Do not enable a second output until the first has stopped. Hosted voices require ForgeCaster’s provider setup; device voice availability depends on your computer.

9. Private checks before going live

1. Use a short sample queue. Test Start, Pause, Resume and Skip. Reorder two upcoming songs and verify the order remains after playback advances.
2. Test one event from each connected platform. Confirm its channel and username in Incoming events.
3. Check each browser source at its intended dimensions. Keep private links out of screenshots and public chat.
4. Test speech and sounds at low volume. Verify your final streaming mix so the audience hears one copy.
5. Save a named Stream Profile for this show. Profiles save configuration; they do not replace account identities, current queue, points or goal totals.
6. Refresh the panel and reopen Stream View. Confirm settings and layout are retained.

If something goes wrong

Stop the affected output or disable the new rule first. Keep the current queue and settings. Do not reset the workspace or repurchase a plan as a troubleshooting step. Record the feature, approximate time, non-secret error, browser/Desktop version and what you expected. In Client Area, choose Technical Support for tool issues or Billing Support for invoices and subscriptions. Replies appear there; email notifications direct you back to the ticket. Do not reply to notification emails.

Written guides are available now. Video guides will be added when recordings are ready.