StreamCatch Autor: Ben Tran

StreamCatch is a powerful and lightweight browser extension for developers, power-users, and media enthusiasts who need to locate and capture streaming media links from the web.

Have you ever needed to analyze a video stream, debug a media player, or simply save a master playlist for offline use with a tool like yt-dlp? StreamCatch simplifies this process by observing the network traffic of a webpage and intelligently identifying the master playlist (.m3u8) and any associated subtitle files (.vtt, .srt).

It's a simple, focused tool designed to do one thing perfectly.



Key Features:

• Master Playlist Detection: Automatically identifies the main M3U8 manifest file, not just the lower-quality segments.
• Subtitle Catching: Finds and lists all VTT, SRT, or other text-based subtitle files associated with the video stream.
• Intelligent Metadata: Displays the highest available resolution and video/audio codecs directly in the popup, so you know exactly what you're getting.
• One-Click Command: Generates a clean, ready-to-use yt-dlp command with the correct referer and a sanitized filename, copied to your clipboard in a single click.
• User Control: A comprehensive options page allows you to either allow all sites by default or create a specific whitelist for targeted use.

IMPORTANT: How to Use for Video Downloads

StreamCatch is a link-finding utility, not a standalone downloader. It is designed to work hand-in-hand with powerful, open-source command-line tools.

1. Install yt-dlp: You must have yt-dlp installed on your computer. Follow the official installation instructions on their GitHub page.
2. Install FFmpeg: yt-dlp requires the free FFmpeg tool to merge the video and audio streams into a final MP4 file. Make sure FFmpeg is installed and accessible in your system's PATH.
3. Use the "Copy Command" Button: When StreamCatch detects a video, click the "Copy Command" button in the popup.
4. Paste and Run: Paste the command into your Terminal (macOS/Linux) or Command Prompt/PowerShell (Windows) and press Enter. yt-dlp will handle the rest!