M3U Sources

Configure M3U playlist sources for IPTV streams including URL-based and Xtream Codes providers

M3U sources are the foundation of Dispatcharr’s stream management. Configure external IPTV providers to import channels and streams into your system.

Source Types

Dispatcharr supports two types of M3U sources:

Standard M3U

Direct M3U playlist URL with standard format

Xtream Codes

Xtream Codes API integration for IPTV providers

Creating an M3U Source

1. Navigate to M3U Sources

   Go to Settings > M3U Sources in the admin panel

2. Add New Source

   Click Add M3U Account and configure the following fields

3. Configure Connection

   Enter your provider details based on source type

4. Set Refresh Schedule

   Configure automatic refresh intervals (optional)

Configuration Fields

Basic Settings

name · string · required

Unique name for this M3U source. Used to identify the source in the system.

account_type · enum · default: "STD"

Source type selection:

• STD - Standard M3U playlist URL
• XC - Xtream Codes API

is_active · boolean · default: true

Enable or disable this M3U source. Disabled sources will not refresh or provide streams.

Connection Settings

Standard M3U Configuration

server_url · url · required

Full URL to the M3U playlist file. Example:

https://provider.com/playlist.m3u

file_path · string

Alternative: Upload M3U file directly instead of using URL

Xtream Codes Configuration

server_url · url · required

Base URL of the Xtream Codes server (without username/password):

https://provider.com:8080

username · string · required

Xtream Codes account username

password · string · required

Xtream Codes account password

Xtream Codes sources automatically retrieve account information including expiration dates, connection limits, and active connections via the API.

Advanced Settings

user_agent · reference

Custom User-Agent header for HTTP requests. Falls back to system default if not specified.

See User Agents for configuration options.

stream_profile · reference

Default stream profile for all streams from this source. Can be overridden per stream.

See Stream Profiles for details.

max_streams · integer · default: 0

Maximum concurrent streams allowed (0 = unlimited). Useful for provider connection limits.

server_group · reference

Optional server group assignment for organizational purposes

priority · integer · default: 0

Priority for VOD provider selection (higher = higher priority). When multiple providers offer the same content, the highest priority source is used.

Refresh Configuration

refresh_interval · integer · default: 0

Automatic refresh interval in seconds. Set to 0 to disable automatic refresh.

Common intervals:

• 3600 - Every hour
• 21600 - Every 6 hours
• 86400 - Daily

stale_stream_days · integer · default: 7

Number of days after which streams not found in the M3U source will be automatically removed.

This keeps your database clean when providers remove channels.

Stream Filtering

Filter which streams are imported from the M3U source using regex patterns.

Filter Types

Group Title Filter

filter_type = "group"
regex_pattern = "^(Sport|News).*"
exclude = False  # Include only matching groups

filter_type · enum

• group - Match against channel group title
• name - Match against stream name
• url - Match against stream URL

regex_pattern · string · required

Regular expression pattern (case-insensitive)

exclude · boolean · default: true

• true - Exclude matching items
• false - Include only matching items

order · integer · default: 0

Filter execution order (lower numbers execute first)

If no include filters exist, all non-excluded streams are imported. If include filters are defined, only streams matching at least one include filter are imported.

Source Status

M3U sources track their current status:

Status	Description
idle	Waiting for next refresh
fetching	Downloading M3U file from URL
parsing	Processing M3U content and updating database
success	Last refresh completed successfully
error	Last refresh failed (see last_message for details)
pending_setup	New source awaiting first refresh
disabled	Source is inactive

Account Profiles

Each M3U account automatically creates profiles for multi-credential support:

name · string · required

Profile name (automatically created as ” Default”)

is_default · boolean · default: true

Whether this is the default profile for the account

max_streams · integer

Per-profile stream limit (inherits from parent account)

search_pattern · regex · default: "^(.*)$"

Regex pattern for URL transformation

replace_pattern · string · default: "$1"

Replacement pattern for URL transformation

Xtream Codes Profile Data

Profiles for Xtream Codes sources automatically store account metadata:

• exp_date - Account expiration timestamp
• status - Account status (active/expired)
• max_connections - Provider connection limit
• active_cons - Current active connections
• last_refresh - Last successful refresh time

This data is available in custom_properties.user_info

Example Configurations

Standard M3U

{
  "name": "MyIPTV Provider",
  "account_type": "STD",
  "server_url": "https://provider.com/playlist.m3u",
  "is_active": true,
  "refresh_interval": 21600,
  "max_streams": 2,
  "stale_stream_days": 7
}

Protected sources with locked = true cannot be deleted or modified through the UI. These are system-managed accounts.