AlexxIT/go2rtc · error

config file disabled

Error message

config file disabled

What it means

PatchConfig persists a change to the YAML config file, but go2rtc was started without a config file path (ConfigPath == ""), e.g. running with no -config flag and no config file discovered. Since there is no file to write to, all config patching (API /api PATCH calls, stream pairing, etc.) is disabled. The library refuses the operation rather than silently discarding changes.

Solutions

1. Start go2rtc with a config file: pass -config /path/to/go2rtc.yaml (or place go2rtc.yaml in the working directory) so ConfigPath is set
2. If config is intentionally disabled, stop using config-patching APIs and manage configuration via startup config/env instead
3. Verify ConfigPath is non-empty at runtime before calling the patching APIs

Example fix

// before
exec: go2rtc (no config)
// after
exec: go2rtc -config /etc/go2rtc/go2rtc.yaml

if app.ConfigPath == "" { return errors.New("config patching requires a config file; start with -config") }

if err := app.PatchConfig(path, value); err != nil { if err.Error() == "config file disabled" { /* fall back to in-memory config */ } }

When it happens

Trigger: Any call to PatchConfig or an API endpoint that patches config (SetValue, apiPair, apiUnpair, apiStreams, apiPreload) when the process was launched without a config file.

Common situations: Running go2rtc with environment variables only or defaults instead of a config file; calling the HTTP API (POST/PATCH to /api/streams etc.) on an instance started without -config; Docker images without a mounted go2rtc.yaml.

Related errors

• exec: rtsp module disabled
• echo: bin not in allow_paths:
• exec: bin not in allow_paths:
• expr: result is empty
• ffmpeg: unsupported params:

AI-assisted analysis of AlexxIT/go2rtc@c245815e75 (2026-09-07). Data as JSON: /api/errors/510bc58d4c91aa76. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at internal/app/config.go:26

	"sync"

	"github.com/AlexxIT/go2rtc/pkg/creds"
	"github.com/AlexxIT/go2rtc/pkg/yaml"
)

func LoadConfig(v any) {
	for _, data := range configs {
		if err := yaml.Unmarshal(data, v); err != nil {
			Logger.Warn().Err(err).Send()
		}
	}
}

var configMu sync.Mutex

func PatchConfig(path []string, value any) error {
	if ConfigPath == "" {
		return errors.New("config file disabled")
	}

	configMu.Lock()
	defer configMu.Unlock()

	// empty config is OK
	b, _ := os.ReadFile(ConfigPath)

	b, err := yaml.Patch(b, path, value)
	if err != nil {
		return err
	}

	return os.WriteFile(ConfigPath, b, 0644)
}

type flagConfig []string

View on GitHub (pinned to c245815e75)