Advanced setup and testing

This page is for advanced users who work with evaluation binaries, manual integrations or command-line test launches. For a normal setup with installers and desktop launchers, use the Installation manual.

Use the package, OBS helper and architecture that match each other. Quit any running Companion instance before you change launch arguments. When you test controls, use a separate test data directory and a rehearsal project in your production software.

1. Choose and verify evaluation binaries
2. Windows evaluation ZIP and test launch
3. macOS ZIP and manual OBS integration
4. Linux installer bundle and diagnostic launch
5. Launch with an isolated test profile
6. Diagnose connections and plugin loading
7. Clean up an advanced installation

These steps follow the 0.1.0-beta.1 release documentation, reviewed on 28 September 2026.

These instructions apply to 0.1.0-beta.1. Download the exact package for your test computer:

• Windows x64 evaluation ZIP and its checksum.
• macOS Apple silicon ZIP or macOS Intel ZIP, with SHA256SUMS-macos.
• Linux x64 generic installer bundle, with SHA256SUMS-linux. This bundle installs Companion system-wide.

Use the packages listed above: the source ZIP and tarball that GitHub adds automatically contain the source code for building it yourself. Keep the extracted package complete, because the executable needs the libraries and integration resources next to it.

Windows PowerShell:

Get-FileHash -Algorithm SHA256 -LiteralPath .\panelive-companion-0.1.0-beta.1-windows-x64.zip

Compare the result with the first value in the matching .sha256 file. The two must be identical (letter case doesn’t matter).

macOS:

shasum -a 256 -c SHA256SUMS-macos

Your ZIP should report OK. If you downloaded only one architecture, the other entries simply report missing files.

Linux:

sha256sum --check --ignore-missing SHA256SUMS-linux

The installer archive should report OK. For the native Arch/Omarchy packages, use SHA256SUMS-omarchy instead.

Verify the downloaded archive before you extract it. The Windows and Linux beta binaries are unsigned, so a matching checksum is how you confirm that your file is identical to the published one. The final macOS ZIP contents are signed with a Developer ID and notarized.

You need Windows 10 or 11, x64. Quit the installed Companion and close OBS, then extract the complete ZIP to a folder where it can stay. Only one Companion process can run on Windows at a time.

Open PowerShell in the folder that contains the extracted package directory and store its location:

$package = (Resolve-Path '.\panelive-companion-0.1.0-beta.1-windows-x64').Path

If the Windows App Runtime isn’t installed yet for the account that will run Companion, install the included copy:

& "$package\redist\WindowsAppRuntimeInstall-x64.exe"

OBS and firewall integration: the archive includes a native integration installer. With OBS closed, run:

$integrationArgs = '/VERYSILENT /SUPPRESSMSGBOXES /NORESTART /APPROOT="{0}" /OBSINSTALL="C:\Program Files\obs-studio" /FIREWALL=add' -f $package

$result = Start-Process "$package\installer-tools\panelive-companion-integrations.exe" -ArgumentList $integrationArgs -WindowStyle Hidden -Wait -PassThru

$result.ExitCode

Replace the path with your own OBS installation folder. Exit code 0 means success; look into any other result before you continue. For standalone Teleprompter use, leave out the /OBSINSTALL argument. The integration component asks for administrator approval when it needs to change OBS files or firewall settings. Run Companion itself as your normal user.

Restart OBS and check that PaneLive Companion is installed and enabled in Plugins Manager. For a basic test launch:

& "$package\bin\panelive-companion.exe" --open-management

A direct launch uses port 7443 by default. The package’s RUN_CURRENT_MACHINE.cmd console launcher uses 8443. Check the endpoint shown in Companion when you pair.

For repeatable tests, use a separate data directory as described below. Keep all DLLs and package resources where they are in the package. This release’s OBS helper uses OBS 32.2.x and Qt 6.11.1, with OBS 32.2.1 as the documented Windows baseline.

You need macOS 13 or later and the ZIP that matches both your Mac and your native OBS: ARM64 for Apple silicon or x86_64 for Intel. Extract the whole archive. To test the standalone Teleprompter without OBS, just use the included panelive-companion.app and skip the helper.

For the OBS integration, this release needs OBS 32.2.x with Qt 6.11.1. Close OBS, then open the included Install-ObsPlugin.command, or run the helper installer from the extracted package folder:

./Install-ObsPlugin.sh --obs-directory /Applications/OBS.app

Adjust the OBS path if yours is different. Run the installer as the user who runs OBS, without sudo; it asks for administrator approval when it needs to change shared files.

The shared helper is installed at /Library/Application Support/obs-studio/plugins/panelive-companion-obs-plugin.plugin, with a link in the user’s OBS plugin directory. If an older personal copy of the helper or link exists, remove it first. The helper installer sets up the OBS plugin only, so you launch Companion from the extracted folder.

Restart OBS, check Plugins Manager for an installed and enabled PaneLive Companion plugin, and confirm in the OBS log that it loaded. From the extracted folder, open Companion’s management window with:

open ./panelive-companion.app --args --open-management

To see diagnostics in the foreground, run the executable inside the bundle:

./panelive-companion.app/Contents/MacOS/panelive-companion --open-management

Answer the Keychain and local-network prompts in your signed-in session. Quit a running instance before you launch again with different test arguments. For separate settings and pairing data, use the isolated-profile examples below.

The final release ZIP contents are signed and notarized. The release notes have the signing and validation details.

The generic x64 installer bundle needs glibc 2.35 or later, a graphical X11 or Wayland desktop, session D-Bus, an unlocked Secret Service keyring, desktop audio services and Avahi for discovery. The minimum kernel is Linux 5.15. The bundle installs Companion system-wide.

Quit Companion and close OBS. Then, in the directory that contains the verified archive:

tar -xzf panelive-companion-0.1.0-beta.1-linux-x64-installer.tar.gz

cd panelive-companion-0.1.0-beta.1-linux-x64-installer

sudo ./install.sh

Setup installs the bundled runtime under /opt/panelive-companion, adds the command under /usr/local/bin and creates a desktop launcher. If Companion is already installed through APT or by other means, remove that installation with its own method first, then switch formats.

For a diagnostic launch in your normal desktop session:

panelive-companion --open-management

Run Companion as your normal user, not as root, with the desktop keyring available and unlocked. Good first checks are panelive-companion --version and panelive-companion --help.

OBS helper: the installer includes the matching helper and turns it on for native OBS 30 or later with Qt 6 and the libobs.so.30 ABI. Flatpak and Snap versions of OBS can’t load it. If you change OBS after a generic installation, close OBS and run:

sudo /opt/panelive-companion/configure-obs-helper

Restart OBS, check that PaneLive Companion is installed and enabled in Plugins Manager, and look at its log. With the DEB, OBS changes made through APT run this compatibility check automatically.

Native Arch/Omarchy packages: these use your system libraries and are separate from the bundled-runtime installer. This release needs GLIBC_2.43 and GLIBCXX_3.4.35; older system snapshots need a rebuild. Use ldd /usr/bin/panelive-companion to find missing dependencies, and install matching libraries through your package manager rather than linking different SONAMEs by hand. The generic configure-obs-helper command is for the bundled installer only.

For the full requirements, see the release’s Linux instructions and Arch/Omarchy instructions.

Quit the running Companion instance before you launch a test setup, and pick an unused data directory so your normal production profile stays untouched. --data-directory selects the profile and --gateway-port sets the listening port. The examples below use port 8443 and open the management window.

Windows PowerShell: after setting $package to the extracted Windows package directory:

& "$package\bin\panelive-companion.exe" --gateway-port 8443 --data-directory "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\PaneLiveCompanionTest" --open-management

macOS: from the extracted package folder:

./panelive-companion.app/Contents/MacOS/panelive-companion --gateway-port 8443 --data-directory "$PWD/panelive-test-profile" --open-management

Linux: with the package installed, from your test directory:

panelive-companion --gateway-port 8443 --data-directory "$PWD/panelive-test-profile" --open-management

Use a directory just for this test. Any endpoint overrides you save belong to that profile, so check the actual listening address in the management window. If port 8443 is in use, choose another free port and adjust your local firewall rules for the test.

Set up the test adapter and pair your test devices with this profile’s QR code. A fresh profile has a fresh identity, so devices pair again. Codes work once and expire after five minutes. Keep credentials and live pairing codes out of any logs or screenshots you share.

The test profile keeps Companion’s own settings separate. OBS, its installed helper, firewall rules and production outputs are shared with your normal setup, so use a rehearsal project before you test any output controls. Keep OBS and Companion under the same desktop user so the helper can connect locally.

When you finish testing, quit Companion from its management window. Open your normal installation from its desktop launcher and check that the right profile and devices are back.

Check each connection on its own: mobile devices connect to Companion’s gateway, normally over HTTPS/WSS on port 7443. Companion connects to your production software separately, for example to OBS WebSocket, normally on port 4455. A device can reach Companion while the link to OBS or the media path still needs attention, so test both.

OBS helper loading: open OBS Plugins Manager and check that PaneLive Companion is installed and enabled. In the current OBS log, look for a successful load, a matching architecture and compatible OBS and Qt versions. Look at any older per-user copies of the helper before you remove anything. Program, Preview and audio travel through a local, owner-restricted helper connection, so OBS and Companion must run in the same desktop session.

Control works, media is missing: check Studio Mode for Preview, active sources and audio routing. Allow local UDP for WebRTC as well as TCP for control. Helper media always stays on the local computer, so run OBS on the same machine as Companion. With Streamlabs, Companion provides control only.

Listener problems: look for port conflicts, Windows reserved ports and saved profile overrides. On Linux, the management window can stay open in network recovery mode. Always use the endpoint shown by the running instance.

HTTP root: you manage Companion from its own desktop window, so a 404 from its HTTPS root is normal. To confirm everything works, test an authenticated device connection and media playback.

Desktop dependencies: Windows needs the matching Windows App Runtime and all DLLs from the package. Linux needs a graphical session, D-Bus and an unlocked Secret Service keyring. macOS needs compatible OBS and Qt versions, the same architecture for app and helper, and Keychain and network permissions granted in the signed-in session.

Validation reports: the Linux validation report covers package, startup and selected helper checks. The Omarchy report describes the build and the tests in an Arch container. macOS Intel smoke checks ran under Rosetta. Rehearse a full live session on your own hardware before you rely on a setup.

When you report a problem, include the exact versions, the selected profile, the endpoint, your production software and the steps to reproduce it. Check the management diagnostics and OBS logs, and remove passwords, device credentials and pairing codes before you share them through Report an issue.

Before you replace or remove application and helper files, quit Companion from its management window or tray icon and close OBS. Turn off any startup entry you enabled for testing. Keep the package until you have removed the integrations it installed.

Windows ZIP integration: before you delete the extracted package, use its integration tool to remove the OBS and firewall integration you added. In PowerShell, with $package still pointing to that package:

$integrationArgs = '/VERYSILENT /SUPPRESSMSGBOXES /NORESTART /APPROOT="{0}" /OBSREMOVE="C:\Program Files\obs-studio" /FIREWALL=remove' -f $package

$result = Start-Process "$package\installer-tools\panelive-companion-integrations.exe" -ArgumentList $integrationArgs -WindowStyle Hidden -Wait -PassThru

$result.ExitCode

Use the same OBS folder you chose during setup, and leave out /OBSREMOVE if you didn’t install the OBS integration. Check for exit code 0 before you delete the package. The OBS and firewall integration is shared by all profiles.

Generic Linux installation:

sudo /opt/panelive-companion/uninstall.sh

This removes the application and the helper links that this installer set up, and keeps per-user settings and credentials. For a DEB or native Arch installation, use the package manager instead. Remove the existing format before you switch installers.

macOS ZIP: the shared OBS helper is installed separately and stays in place when you remove the extracted application. Check whether another Companion installation uses it before you change shared plugin files. The package’s helper documentation lists its paths and ownership.

Delete a disposable test profile once you are sure it holds no settings or credentials you need, and keep your normal production profile in place.

For everyday installation and launching from the desktop, go back to the Installation manual. For release-specific technical details, see Install and run and the documentation in the downloaded package.