Configuration

Outtake reads its settings from OUTTAKE_* environment variables. There is no settings file. The command line has a single flag, --listen, which overrides OUTTAKE_LISTEN_ADDR (see the CLI reference).

The Compose files also use OUTTAKE_MEDIA_PATH and OUTTAKE_DATA_PATH to choose what to mount into the container. Those two are read by Docker Compose, not by Outtake.

Variables

Server

Variable	Purpose	Default
`OUTTAKE_LISTEN_ADDR`	Address the web server binds	`0.0.0.0:8080` (images use `:8080`)
`OUTTAKE_PUBLIC_BASE_URL`	The URL you open Outtake at. Plex returns there after login	derived from the listen address, or `http://localhost:8080` in images
`OUTTAKE_ALLOWED_HOSTS`	More host names Outtake answers to, separated by commas. A leading dot covers a whole domain (`.example.com`), and `*` turns the host check off	unset
`OUTTAKE_LOG_LEVEL`	`debug`, `info`, `warn`, or `error`	`info`
`OUTTAKE_ENV`	`production` writes JSON logs, and `development` writes readable console logs. `e2e` is for the test suite only: it skips login, so Outtake refuses it on any address but loopback	`production`

Plex

Variable	Purpose	Default
`OUTTAKE_LOCAL_MEDIA_ROOT`	Directory where Outtake can read the files Plex plays, such as the `/media` mount in a container	unset (the Compose examples set `/media`)
`OUTTAKE_PLEX_MEDIA_ROOT`	Prefix Plex reports for those files, replaced by `OUTTAKE_LOCAL_MEDIA_ROOT`	unset
`OUTTAKE_SESSION_POLL_SEC`	How often to read live Plex playback, in seconds	`10`
`OUTTAKE_PLEX_SERVER_URL`	Plex Media Server URL to use at every start, in place of the server chosen under Servers. Takes effect only with `OUTTAKE_PLEX_TOKEN`	unset
`OUTTAKE_PLEX_TOKEN`	Token Outtake sends to that server. Browser login does not need it	unset
`OUTTAKE_PLEX_CLIENT_ID`	Client identifier Outtake shows to Plex	generated on first start and kept in the database

Clips and FFmpeg

Variable	Purpose	Default
`OUTTAKE_MAX_CLIP_DUR`	Longest clip, in seconds	`600`
`OUTTAKE_CROP_BLACK_BARS`	Whether Trim black bars starts checked	`false`
`OUTTAKE_NUM_WORKERS`	How many clips render at once. A value below `1` means `1`	`2`
`OUTTAKE_MAX_CONCURRENT_PREVIEWS`	How many previews render at once. A value below `1` means `1`	`2`
`OUTTAKE_FFMPEG_PATH`	`ffmpeg` binary	`ffmpeg` (images use `/usr/bin/ffmpeg`)
`OUTTAKE_FFPROBE_PATH`	`ffprobe` binary	`ffprobe` (images use `/usr/bin/ffprobe`)
`OUTTAKE_FFMPEG_TIMEOUT_SEC`	Longest one FFmpeg run may take, in seconds. `0` allows 20 times the clip’s length, or 60 times for the HEVC encode of a clip that keeps HDR, and never less than 30 minutes	`0`

Storage

These are covered in more detail under Storage and Databases.

Variable	Purpose	Default
`OUTTAKE_DATABASE_BACKEND`	`sqlite` or `postgres`	`sqlite`
`OUTTAKE_DATABASE_PATH`	SQLite database file	`~/.local/share/outtake/outtake.db` (images use `/data/outtake.db`)
`OUTTAKE_DATABASE_URL`	Postgres connection string, when the backend is `postgres`	unset
`OUTTAKE_STORAGE_BACKEND`	`filesystem` or `s3`	`filesystem`
`OUTTAKE_STORAGE_PATH`	Where clips are written, or the local scratch directory with S3	`~/.local/share/outtake/output` (images use `/data/output`)
`OUTTAKE_S3_ENDPOINT`	S3-compatible API endpoint	unset
`OUTTAKE_S3_BUCKET`	Bucket for clips	unset
`OUTTAKE_S3_REGION`	Region	`us-east-1`
`OUTTAKE_S3_ACCESS_KEY`	Access key	unset
`OUTTAKE_S3_SECRET_KEY`	Secret key	unset
`OUTTAKE_S3_USE_PATH_STYLE`	Path-style URLs, which SeaweedFS and RustFS expect	`true`

Media paths

Plex tells Outtake the absolute path of each file it plays, and Outtake reads that file itself. On the same machine as Plex the path usually works as it is. In a container it rarely does, because the library is mounted somewhere else, such as /media.

Set OUTTAKE_LOCAL_MEDIA_ROOT to the mount.
If Plex reports a prefix of its own, such as /data/movies/Film.mkv for a library you mounted at /media, set OUTTAKE_PLEX_MEDIA_ROOT=/data. Outtake replaces that prefix with the local root and reads /media/movies/Film.mkv.
With only the local root set, the whole Plex path is joined under it.

The prefix only matches whole directories, so /data/media never claims /data/media-other, and a path that would leave the local root is refused. Paths from a Windows Plex server, with a drive letter or a UNC share, are mapped too: their backslashes become slashes and the prefix matches without regard to case.

These two settings are about the source media only. Clips are stored under OUTTAKE_STORAGE_PATH or in S3, never in the media mount.

Opening Outtake from another machine

Set OUTTAKE_PUBLIC_BASE_URL to the URL you type into the browser, such as https://outtake.example.com. Plex sends you back to it after login, so a wrong value leaves login waiting.

Outtake answers only requests addressed to:

an IP address or localhost
a name without dots, such as nas
a private name, such as nas.local or a name under .lan, .home, .home.arpa, or .internal
the host in OUTTAKE_PUBLIC_BASE_URL
a host listed in OUTTAKE_ALLOWED_HOSTS

Any other host gets 421 Misdirected Request. That stops a web page on another site from reaching your Outtake through DNS rebinding. Add each extra name you use to OUTTAKE_ALLOWED_HOSTS.

Install Storage and Databases