US seller experiment

Unofficial · API-independent

Whatnot OBS Setup Checker

Run a read-only OBS WebSocket preflight, then rehearse a vertical selling overlay. No Whatnot login, Seller API, scraping, token, or stream control.

Read-only connection

OBS preflight

0/7

preflight progress

Credentials stay in this tab. The socket closes after the read-only check.

OBS WebSocket

Pending

Not checked yet.

1080x1920 canvas

Pending

Not checked yet.

WHIP stream service

Pending

Not checked yet.

OBS output state

Pending

Not checked yet.

Finish in OBS and Whatnot

Scene preview

9:16 selling overlay

1080x1920
Live preview
NOW

Vintage Camera

$28 current bid

Use this as a visual rehearsal. The preview does not write to OBS or Whatnot; recreate it with OBS text, color, and browser sources.

Official flow boundary

Launch sequence

This checker reads OBS. Only Whatnot Show Tools can apply the show-specific bearer token and start the Whatnot show.

  1. 01

    Enable OBS WebSocket

    In OBS, open Tools > WebSocket Server Settings. Enable the server and authentication, set your own custom password, and click Apply.

  2. 02

    Apply Whatnot’s profile once

    From Whatnot Show Tools, connect to OBS and use Update Profile for first-time setup. Then fully close and reopen OBS before continuing.

  3. 03

    Run this preflight

    Check the WebSocket, portrait canvas, WHIP service, and output state. Then inspect the real OBS video preview and audio mixer yourself.

  4. 04

    Start from Show Tools

    Immediately before the show, refresh Show Tools, reconnect OBS, and press Start Show there so Whatnot can apply the current bearer token.

Whatnot help center

Common errors

Open official OBS guidance
WebSocket connection fails

Recheck the custom OBS password, confirm the server and authentication are enabled, use Chrome for Whatnot Show Tools, and retry in an Incognito window if an extension may interfere.

Health Check still detects 1920x1080

Set Base (Canvas) and Output (Scaled) to 1080x1920, apply the change, completely quit OBS, reopen it, and reconnect from Show Tools.

“Starting the output failed”

Open OBS Settings > Stream and confirm Service is WHIP. Let Whatnot Show Tools provide the server and current bearer token when the show starts.

“Failed to set show to playing”

Refresh Whatnot Show Tools, reconnect to OBS, and start again. Whatnot warns that leaving the Show Tools WebSocket connected for a long time can cause this state error.

“Failed to connect” or unstable output

WHIP needs a consistent connection. Prefer wired Ethernet, inspect packet loss and OBS Stats, and have a network administrator allow the required traffic rather than permanently disabling device protection.

Sources and limits

Requirements and error steps follow current Whatnot guidance. Protocol handling targets OBS WebSocket v5. This tool is not affiliated with Whatnot or OBS.

Whatnot Help Center OBS WebSocket