Configuration & OBS Setup

reeln uses a layered JSON config system. This guide covers initial setup and connecting reeln to OBS for automatic replay collection.

View your config

reeln config show

This displays the fully resolved configuration after merging: bundled defaults → user config → environment variable overrides.

Config file location

Platform

Path

macOS

~/Library/Application Support/reeln/config.json

Linux

~/.config/reeln/config.json

Windows

%APPDATA%\reeln\config.json

The file is created automatically with defaults on first run. Edit it directly or override individual values with environment variables.

Connecting to OBS

If you use OBS for livestreaming or recording, you likely have a Replay Buffer that saves clips when you press a hotkey. reeln can automatically pick up those clips.

1. Find your OBS output directory

In OBS: Settings → Output → Recording → Recording Path

Common defaults:

Platform

Typical path

macOS

~/Movies or ~/Videos/OBS

Linux

~/Videos

Windows

C:\Users\<you>\Videos

For the Replay Buffer specifically, check: Settings → Output → Replay Buffer — the output path is usually the same as your recording path.

2. Configure reeln paths

Edit your config file and set source_dir to your OBS output directory:

{
  "config_version": 1,
  "sport": "hockey",
  "paths": {
    "source_dir": "~/Movies",
    "source_glob": "Replay_*.mkv",
    "output_dir": "~/Movies/games"
  }
}

Key

What it does

source_dir

Directory where OBS saves replay clips

source_glob

Pattern to match replay files (default: Replay_*.mkv)

output_dir

Where reeln creates game directories and writes output

3. Match your replay file pattern

OBS names replay files based on your settings. Check what pattern your replays use and adjust source_glob to match:

"source_glob": "Replay_*.mkv"

Common patterns:

  • Replay_*.mkv — OBS default with MKV container

  • Replay_*.mp4 — if you record to MP4

  • *.mkv — match all MKV files in the directory

4. Verify the connection

# Check config is valid
reeln config doctor

# Show resolved paths
reeln config show

Now when you run reeln game segment 1, reeln will automatically find and collect replay clips from your OBS output directory.

Environment variable overrides

Any config value can be overridden with REELN_<SECTION>_<KEY>:

export REELN_SPORT=hockey
export REELN_VIDEO_CRF=22
export REELN_PATHS_SOURCE_DIR=~/Videos/OBS

This is useful for CI, automation, or per-session overrides without editing the config file.

Named profiles

Create alternate configs for different setups (e.g., tournament vs. league):

# Default config
~/Library/Application Support/reeln/config.json

# Tournament profile
~/Library/Application Support/reeln/config.tournament.json

Use a profile:

reeln game init --sport hockey --home east --away west --profile tournament

# Or set it for the whole session
export REELN_PROFILE=tournament

Validate your setup

# Full health check (ffmpeg, config, permissions, plugins)
reeln doctor

# Config-only validation
reeln config doctor

Next steps