Guide

Stream overlays and docks

Use the links KairoDock gives you to place chat, alerts, and visual overlays where they belong in your stream setup.

Choose what you need

Use a Chat Dock when you want readable chat outside the main KairoDock window.
Use an Alert Dock when you want stream events in their own dock.
Use a Chat Overlay when viewer messages should appear on stream.
Use an Alert Overlay when follows, subs, gifts, or other events should show on stream.
Use preview mode to check the look before you put anything in a live scene.

KairoDock works with OBS Studio, Streamlabs Desktop, SE.Live, and any streaming software that supports browser sources.
Copy the Chat Dock link or Alert Dock link from KairoDock. Use the hosted link — it works from any machine and stays active across KairoDock restarts.
In your streaming software, add a Browser Source. Paste the dock link as the URL. Do not choose Local File — the dock link is a web address, not a file on your PC.
Set the browser source width to 400 and height to 600 as a starting point. Resize to fit your layout. Chat Dock needs at least 320 px wide; Alert Dock needs at least 300 px wide.
Leave Custom CSS blank. The dock already has a built-in dark background.
Check "Refresh browser when scene becomes active" so the dock reloads cleanly after switching scenes.
Keep KairoDock open while you stream so chat, alerts, and style changes can reach the scene.

OBS Studio lets you add a website as a dockable panel inside the OBS window — useful for reading chat without a separate screen.
Go to View > Docks > Custom Browser Docks.
Click the + icon, give it a name such as "KairoDock Chat", and paste your Chat Dock link as the URL.
Set a starting width of 400 px. OBS will let you resize the panel after adding it.
This panel is for reading chat in OBS — it will not appear in your stream. For on-stream chat or alerts, use the Chat Overlay or Alert Overlay links instead.

Chat Docks include Options, Pause Scroll, and Clear Feed controls for the current dock window.
Alert Docks include Clear Feed so you can clean up the dock after testing.
Pause Scroll only pauses your current view. It does not stop new messages from arriving.
Clear Feed clears the current dock view after a second click. It does not delete chat or alerts anywhere else.
If an overlay link was shared somewhere it should not be, reset it in KairoDock and replace the old link in your scene.

Set the overlay style in KairoDock first, then preview it before going live.
Chat overlays can show avatars, platform colors, emotes, and message grouping depending on your settings.
Alerts overlays can be tuned for timing, size, spacing, and style so they fit the scene.
Chat Overlay and Alert Overlay links are visual-only in normal beta setup.
Use only the overlay link generated by KairoDock. Do not paste sign-in codes or private account details into a source.

KairoDock.exe plays alert sounds and TTS.
If you want viewers to hear alert sounds or TTS, add KairoDock.exe as an application audio source in your streaming software.
If audio sounds doubled, your streaming software may be capturing both Desktop Audio and KairoDock.exe.
If you capture KairoDock.exe directly, you usually do not also need Desktop Audio capturing the same sound.

Blank dock or overlay: confirm KairoDock is running and the platform you expect is connected.
Blank dock or overlay: confirm you pasted the link as a URL, not a Local File, in your browser source settings.
Blank dock or overlay: confirm the link came from KairoDock and was copied in full — a partial or outdated link will not connect. Refresh the source in OBS by right-clicking the browser source, selecting Interact, and pressing F5.
Stale dock after switching scenes: enable "Refresh browser when scene becomes active" in the browser source properties. If content is still stale after a reload, right-click the source and select Refresh Cache of Current Page.
Wrong dock showing up: make sure you copied the Chat Dock link for a chat dock and the Alert Dock link for alerts — the two links are not interchangeable.
First message jumps to the bottom: this is normal. The dock keeps new messages pinned at the bottom. When the first message arrives the display scrolls to it, then follows normally from there.
Chat or alerts cut off: the dock content is cut off when the source size is too small. Increase the browser source width (minimum 320 px for chat, 300 px for alerts) and height to give the dock enough space.
Open the troubleshooting screen in KairoDock and check the most recent error if a source stays blank after the steps above.

Treat overlay links like private scene links. They are meant for your streaming tools, not public posts.
Reset a link in KairoDock if it was shared in the wrong place.
A reset link replaces the old one, so remember to update your streaming software after resetting it.
Never put platform sign-in codes, email addresses, or private account details in an overlay link.