Cue Light→OBS tally light
OBS Studio

OBS Tally Light — Zero Setup, No Plugin Required

OBS tally solutions usually involve Arduino hardware, Raspberry Pi builds, or Python scripts connected to the OBS WebSocket API. Cue Light skips all of that — open a browser tab, share a QR code, tap Live. Done.

Start free — no signup See all OBS tally options ↓

OBS tally options — ranked by complexity

High complexity
Hardware tally (Arduino / ESP8266 / Raspberry Pi)

Connects to OBS via WebSocket API, fires a GPIO pin that triggers an LED. Requires soldering, custom firmware, and ongoing maintenance. Genuine zero-latency tally — but a significant electronics project.

High complexity
OBS Tally Arbiter integration

Connects Tally Arbiter to OBS via the WebSocket source. Automatic tally on scene switch. Requires Node.js, Tally Arbiter server setup, and OBS WebSocket configuration. 1–2 hours setup.

Medium complexity
OBS WebSocket + custom Python script

Use obs-websocket to listen for scene switch events and trigger a tally display. Requires Python, the obs-websocket library, and a script that stays running alongside OBS.

Zero setup
Cue Light (manual, director-controlled)

Open a browser tab. Share a QR code or link. Tap Live when recording starts. Works over the internet — remote co-hosts get tally too. No plugin, no WebSocket config, no hardware.

OBS doesn't have built-in tally hardware support — every solution is a DIY project or a third-party tool. Cue Light is the only option that works in under a minute with no technical configuration.

How to set up Cue Light with OBS

  1. Open Cue Light in a browser alongside OBS Go to cuelight.io/app — no install, no plugin. A room is created automatically.
  2. Share the display link with talent or co-hosts Show the QR code for on-site crew. Copy the display link and paste it in Zoom/Discord for remote co-hosts.
  3. Tap Live when you start recording or go live Hit the green Live button (or keyboard shortcut 1) when you click Start Recording or Start Streaming in OBS.
  4. Tap Off when you stop Keyboard shortcut 0, or tap Off. Every connected display clears instantly.

Common OBS + Cue Light setups

🎮

Solo streamers

Tally on your phone tells you when OBS is recording or live — useful when your stream deck isn't in eyeline.

🎙️

Remote podcast co-hosts

Share the display link before recording starts. Co-host sees green when the recording is live, so they know to stay sharp.

🖥️

Multi-camera OBS

Multiple cameras in OBS via NDI or capture cards — talent in front of each camera gets a tally display on their phone.

📺

Virtual events

Speaker is remote via Zoom, visible as a virtual camera in OBS. Paste the display link in the call — they see tally in their browser.

Trade-off: manual vs automatic

The main difference between Cue Light and hardware/WebSocket OBS tally is automatic vs manual switching. Hardware tally fires automatically when OBS switches scenes. Cue Light fires when the director taps.

For most OBS productions — solo streaming, podcast recording, virtual events — there's a natural moment to tap when you go live or start recording. The convenience of zero setup outweighs the auto-switching benefit for most users.

If you need tally to fire on every OBS scene switch without any manual input, look at Tally Arbiter's OBS source integration or an ESP8266-based hardware build.

OBS tally in 30 seconds

No plugin. No WebSocket config. No hardware. Works for remote co-hosts too.

Start free — no signup

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