How to add TikTok LIVE alerts to Streamlabs Desktop
Streamlabs' own Alert Box doesn't support TikTok, so TikTok gift, follow and comment alerts come in through a Browser Source from a TikTok-aware alert tool. You paste one link into Streamlabs Desktop and test it. It takes about five minutes.
Why the Streamlabs Alert Box doesn't show TikTok alerts
The Alert Box is Streamlabs' built-in alert widget. Its page lists the platforms it works with: Twitch, YouTube, Kick, X, Facebook, Patreon and Tiltify. TikTok is not on that list. You can stream to TikTok from Streamlabs Desktop, but the Alert Box won't react when someone sends you a Rose.
The fix is the same one most streamers use for anything Streamlabs doesn't cover: a separate alert tool that listens to your TikTok LIVE and gives you an overlay link. Streamlabs shows that link with a Browser Source, which is a small web page drawn inside your scene. Your Twitch or YouTube Alert Box can stay where it is.
What you need
- Streamlabs Desktop, installed and with a scene set up.
- TikTok LIVE access. You must be 18+ to go LIVE, and TikTok asks for a follower minimum that varies by region (often reported as 1,000).
- A TikTok alert tool with a browser-source link. For example Vibzy, which turns TikTok gifts, coins, comments like !dog and follows into alerts with your own GIF, video, sound and text.
- A few alerts made and tested in that tool, so you have something to look at.
Going live to TikTok from Streamlabs Desktop
Before alerts matter, Streamlabs has to reach TikTok. According to Streamlabs:
- No stream key needed for most. Streamlabs Desktop (and the Streamlabs Plugin for OBS) can go live to TikTok without a key, as long as your account has TikTok LIVE access.
- Some accounts are RTMP-only. TikTok doesn't give every creator a stream key, and its requirements aren't publicly documented. If TikTok gave you a server URL and stream key, you use those instead.
- The 50% gaming rule. Creators who stream to TikTok with third-party software must stream at least 50% gaming content.
If you can't go LIVE yet, you can still build and test your whole alert setup. The Browser Source works in the Streamlabs preview whether you are live or not.
How to add TikTok alerts to Streamlabs, step by step
Copy your overlay link
In your alert tool, copy the overlay link (your browser-source link). In Vibzy you log in with TikTok first, using TikTok's official Login Kit, so Vibzy never sees your password. Keep it private, since it shows your alerts to whoever opens it.
Open the scene you stream with
In Streamlabs Desktop, pick the scene in the Scenes list. If you use several scenes (Starting soon, Just chatting, Game), start with your main one. You can copy the source to the others later.
Add a Browser Source
Click the + above the Sources list. Under Capture Sources, choose Browser Source, then click Add Source.
Name it
Call it something you will recognise, like TikTok alerts, and confirm. A clear name helps later when you have several browser sources.
Paste the link and set the size
Paste your overlay link into the URL field. Set Width and Height to match your canvas (see the next section), then save.
Put it on top
Drag TikTok alerts to the top of the Sources list. Sources higher in the list draw over the ones below, so alerts appear above your camera and game.
Size and placement: landscape vs vertical
A browser source draws a web page at the size you give it. If that size doesn't match your canvas, alerts can come out tiny, blurry or cut off. The easy rule is to make the source as big as the canvas and let the alert tool place things.
| Your canvas | Width × height | Where alerts work well |
|---|---|---|
| Landscape (most PC and console streams) | 1920 × 1080 | Top centre or a top corner, away from game HUD and facecam. |
| Vertical TikTok scene | 1080 × 1920 | Upper middle. On phones, TikTok's own comments and buttons sit over the lower part of the screen. |
Once it's added, drag and resize the source in the Streamlabs preview if you want alerts in a specific spot. Keep the same proportions so alert media doesn't get stretched.
Alert sounds
Alert sounds play through the browser source itself, so it shows up in the Streamlabs audio mixer like any other audio source. If you can't hear alerts, or they are too loud next to your mic, check that source's level in the mixer. Set the volume of each sound in your alert tool first, then fine-tune the overall level in Streamlabs.
Test it before you go LIVE
- Fire a test alert from your alert tool. Vibzy lets you test each alert with one click. It should pop up in the Streamlabs preview.
- Listen while you test, and watch the mixer meter for the browser source move.
- Test the biggest alert, like a video for gifts worth 100+ coins, to check it isn't cut off at the edges.
- Switch scenes and come back, to make sure the source still loads in every scene you use.
- If you can, do a short private test LIVE and send yourself a small gift from a second account to see the whole chain work.
Troubleshooting TikTok alerts in Streamlabs
The alert doesn't show
Check the eye icon next to the source is on and that it is in the scene you're streaming. Make sure it sits above your camera and game in the Sources list. Then open the source's properties and check the URL is your overlay link, pasted in full. If it still stays blank, refresh the source and fire a test alert again.
Test alerts work, real gifts don't
Tests usually come straight from the alert tool. Real gifts need the tool to see your LIVE, so you have to actually be LIVE on the TikTok account you logged in with. Check you didn't log in with a second account, and that the alert's trigger matches what was sent (a Rose trigger won't fire for a different gift).
No sound
Look for the browser source in the audio mixer and check it isn't muted or turned right down. Then check the volume inside the alert tool, and that the alert actually has a sound attached.
The overlay has a black or white background
Alert overlays are meant to be transparent, so only the alert itself shows. A solid background usually means the wrong link was pasted, like a dashboard or settings page instead of the overlay link. If your source properties have a Custom CSS box, make sure nothing in it sets a background colour.
Alerts are cut off or blurry
The width and height don't match your canvas. Set them to 1920 × 1080 for landscape or 1080 × 1920 for vertical, then reset the source's size in the preview so it fills the canvas again.
Alerts play twice
Make sure there is only one TikTok alert source in the scene. Two copies of the same link both play every alert. Also check you did not set up the same alert twice in your alert tool.
Streamlabs Alert Box vs a TikTok alert tool
| Streamlabs Alert Box | TikTok alert tool (e.g. Vibzy) | |
|---|---|---|
| TikTok gifts, follows, comments | Not listed | Yes |
| Platforms | Twitch, YouTube, Kick, X, Facebook, Patreon, Tiltify | TikTok LIVE |
| How it gets into Streamlabs | Built-in widget | Browser Source link |
| Use both in one scene | Yes, as two separate sources | |
If you're on TikTok, a dedicated tool can also do TikTok-only things. Vibzy adds triggers like "Gifts worth 100+ coins" and chat commands, a Bus Battle meter your whole chat fills with gifts, and a page that shows viewers how to set off every alert. It's free during the beta. Join here.
Using a different streaming app?
The same link works elsewhere. See TikTok LIVE alerts in OBS Studio and TikTok alerts in Meld Studio. Want a coin goal on screen too? Read the TikTok gift goal overlay guide.
FAQ
Does the Streamlabs Alert Box work with TikTok?
Not according to Streamlabs' own Alert Box page, which lists Twitch, YouTube, Kick, X, Facebook, Patreon and Tiltify but not TikTok. For TikTok gifts, follows and comments you add a TikTok-aware alert tool as a Browser Source instead.
Do I need a TikTok stream key to go live from Streamlabs Desktop?
Usually not. Streamlabs says Streamlabs Desktop can go live to TikTok without a stream key if your account has TikTok LIVE access. Some accounts only get RTMP access, which means using a server URL and stream key from TikTok.
Why can't I go live on TikTok from Streamlabs?
TikTok decides who gets LIVE access. You must be 18 or older, and TikTok asks for a follower minimum that varies by region (often reported as 1,000). Streamlabs also notes that creators using third-party streaming software must stream at least 50% gaming content.
Can I keep my Twitch or YouTube alerts in the same scene?
Yes. A Browser Source for TikTok alerts is just another source in your scene, so it can sit next to your existing Streamlabs Alert Box widget. Each one only reacts to its own platform.
What size should the TikTok alert Browser Source be?
Match it to your canvas: 1920 × 1080 for a landscape scene, 1080 × 1920 for a vertical TikTok scene. Then resize or move it in the preview so alerts land where your camera and chat are not.
Why do my TikTok alerts show in the preview but not on my LIVE?
Check that the Browser Source is in the scene you are actually streaming, that it is visible (eye icon on), and that it sits above your camera and game in the source list. Sources higher in the list draw on top.