remotion-dev/remotion · error · Error

The associated playlist ${JSON.stringify(streams)} cannot be

Error message

The associated playlist ${JSON.stringify(streams)} cannot be selected because it was not in the list of selectable playlists

What it means

Thrown by `selectAssociatedPlaylists` when the custom `selectM3uAssociatedPlaylists` callback returns a playlist whose `src` property does not match any playlist in the original selectable list. The callback may only return a subset of the playlists it was given — it cannot invent new playlists or modify their `src` values.

Source

Thrown at packages/media-parser/src/containers/m3u/select-stream.ts:44

	skipAudioTracks: boolean;
}): Promise<M3uAssociatedPlaylist[]> => {
	if (playlists.length < 1) {
		return Promise.resolve([]);
	}

	const streams = await fn({associatedPlaylists: playlists});
	if (!Array.isArray(streams)) {
		throw new Error('Expected an array of associated playlists');
	}

	const selectedStreams: M3uAssociatedPlaylist[] = [];
	for (const stream of streams) {
		if (stream.isAudio && skipAudioTracks) {
			continue;
		}

		if (!playlists.find((playlist) => playlist.src === stream.src)) {
			throw new Error(
				`The associated playlist ${JSON.stringify(streams)} cannot be selected because it was not in the list of selectable playlists`,
			);
		}

		selectedStreams.push(stream);
	}

	return selectedStreams;
};

export const defaultSelectM3uAssociatedPlaylists: SelectM3uAssociatedPlaylistsFn =
	({associatedPlaylists}) => {
		if (associatedPlaylists.length === 1) {
			return associatedPlaylists;
		}

		return associatedPlaylists.filter((playlist) => playlist.default);
	};

View on GitHub (pinned to 78fe4bb3fd)

Solutions

Return only playlist objects that came directly from the `associatedPlaylists` array passed to your callback.
Select by reference or by matching `src` from the input: `return associatedPlaylists.filter(condition)`.
If you need a different playlist, filter on properties (e.g., `.default`, `.language`) rather than constructing new objects.
Do not mutate the `src` field of returned playlist objects.

Example fix

// before
selectM3uAssociatedPlaylists: ({associatedPlaylists}) => {
  return [{...associatedPlaylists[0], src: 'https://my-cdn.com/audio.m3u8'}];
}

// after
selectM3uAssociatedPlaylists: ({associatedPlaylists}) => {
  return associatedPlaylists.filter(p => p.default);
}

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

// Validate that returned playlists are a subset of the input
import type {SelectM3uAssociatedPlaylistsFn} from '@remotion/media-parser';

const safeSelect: SelectM3uAssociatedPlaylistsFn = ({associatedPlaylists}) => {
  const validSrcs = new Set(associatedPlaylists.map((p) => p.src));
  const selected = myCustomFilter(associatedPlaylists);
  // Ensure every returned item has a src from the original list
  for (const s of selected) {
    if (!validSrcs.has(s.src)) {
      throw new Error(`Returned playlist src not in selectable list: ${s.src}`);
    }
  }
  return selected;
};

Try / catch

try {
  await parseMedia({src, selectM3uAssociatedPlaylists: myFn});
} catch (e) {
  if (e instanceof Error && e.message.includes('cannot be selected because it was not in the list')) {
    console.error('Your callback returned a playlist not from the offered list.');
  }
  throw e;
}

Prevention

Return only playlist objects from the associatedPlaylists array you received.
Never modify the src field of returned playlists.
Use .filter() on the input array instead of constructing new objects.
Do not merge playlists from different manifests in your callback.

When it happens

Trigger: A custom `selectM3uAssociatedPlaylists` callback that constructs and returns a `M3uAssociatedPlaylist` object with a `src` value not present in the `associatedPlaylists` array it received. The guard iterates each returned stream and checks `playlists.find((playlist) => playlist.src === stream.src)`.

Common situations: A callback that returns a modified copy of a playlist with a different `src`. A callback that returns playlists from a different/cached stream manifest. Returning hardcoded playlist objects instead of selecting from the offered list. Merging playlists from multiple manifests.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of remotion-dev/remotion@78fe4bb3fd (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/41dc5e1f30174d27. Report an issue: GitHub.