Broadcast Keep

Broadcast Keep saves a YouTube livestream to an MP4 on your Mac. You choose where the recording starts and where the file is saved, then paste the stream link.

Install the app and tools

After purchase, connect GitHub in Polar and accept the repository invitation. Download the ZIP from the customer releases, unzip it, and drag Broadcast Keep to Applications.

The app needs macOS 14 or later and runs on Apple silicon and Intel. It also needs three external recording tools. Install them with Homebrew:

brew install yt-dlp ffmpeg deno

yt-dlp reads the stream. FFmpeg merges and checks the resulting media, and includes the ffprobe inspection tool. Deno provides the JavaScript runtime used by the recording workflow.

Open Broadcast Keep. If a dependency is missing, install it and click Check Again. The app searches your PATH and common Homebrew and user installation locations.

Download future app versions manually from the private Releases page. The recording tools are installed separately from the app.

Record your first stream

Use a stream you are authorized to save, such as your own live presentation. Choose your settings before pasting its URL:

1. Under Start recording, choose the current point or the available beginning.
2. Under Save to, click Choose… and select a folder with enough free space.
3. Under YouTube sign-in, select the browser where you are signed into YouTube.
4. Paste the link into YouTube livestream URL. Recording starts automatically after validation. You can also press Return in the field.

The current-point mode records from the moment you paste the link. The from-beginning mode asks YouTube for the stream history that is still available. It cannot recover parts the service no longer provides.

The destination defaults to your Movies folder. The app remembers the selected destination, mode and browser for later recordings.

Follow progress and finish

The status changes from preparing to recording. In from-beginning mode, the app also follows catch-up progress toward the live edge.

Click Stop Recording when you have what you need. Leave the app running while Finishing recording is shown. It still needs to merge or remux the captured media and verify the MP4.

When Recording saved appears, click Reveal in Finder. Open the MP4 and check the beginning and end before moving it to your archive. Use Record Another to clear the link and prepare the next recording.

If you cancel while preparing and no video data has arrived, the app reports that the recording was cancelled. A failed attempt shows its error and a Try Again button.

Browser sign-in

The browser picker lets yt-dlp use that browser’s local YouTube cookies. Be signed in before you start. macOS may ask permission to read them.

The app stores the browser choice in its preferences, rather than copying cookie contents into those preferences. Use a browser session you trust, and approve cookie access only if you want the recording tool to use it.

Troubleshooting

If the app cannot find a tool, check its installation in Terminal and use Check Again. If the stream requires sign-in, check the selected browser and confirm the stream plays there.

Expand Recording details to read recent messages when preparing or recording fails. YouTube extraction can change; updating yt-dlp and its dependencies can resolve extractor errors.

An interrupted recording may leave media fragments in the destination. Keep them until you have checked any finished MP4. Back up recordings from the destination folder with your ordinary file backups.

Record only streams you have permission to save. The app does not grant rights to redistribute someone else’s video.