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Starting a Stream

To start a stream through the SDK, use the steps below :
1

Create a Stream Object

ms = Stream("your-index-name")
2

Discover Available Sources

sources = ms.sources()  # returns a list of device names
print(sources)
Example console output would look like the following:
2 Sources Detected
==================================================
Device Camera or Screen
--------------------------------------------------
0 FaceTime HD Camera
1 Color LCD (1728 x 1117 @ 120 Hz)
==================================================
3

Select a Source

ms.set(1)  # choose the “Color LCD” screen capture from the list above
If no source is set explicitly, index 0 is used by default.
4

Start Streaming

ms.start()  # stream indefinitely (Ctrl-C to stop)

# OR limit the session to N seconds
ms.start(30)  # stream for 30 seconds
Once started, the stream will begin capturing video from the selected source functions can be run on the stream from its respective index. For example:
resp = moonshine.search(
    index="your-index-name",
    query="some prompt here"
)

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Best Practices

Some best practices for streaming:
  1. Verify devices first with ms.sources()— ID ordering can change between reboots.
  2. Combine live Stream sessions with batch upload() to cover both real-time and historical footage.
  3. Keep streams short when testing (ms.start(10)) to conserve local and network resources.
  4. Use search or inquire during a live session to build interactive dashboards or alerts.
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index
string
required
Index that receives the live feed.Must have been created with performance=True

Stream() methods
Returns List[str]—the display-ready names of cameras or screens detected on your machine.
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source_id
int
required
The integer ID shown by .sources()
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timeout
int
Optional. Duration to stream in seconds.
Omit or pass Noneto run until manually stopped.