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Understanding Sources

In Yattee, a source is any connection that provides video content to the app. Sources are the foundation of the Yattee experience -- every video you watch comes from a configured source, whether it is a folder on your device, a server on your local network, or a remote video platform backend.

Source Categories​

Yattee organizes sources into three categories:

1. Local Folders​

Local folders let you browse and play video files stored directly on your device.

  • iOS -- select folders through the Files app integration
  • macOS -- select any directory on your filesystem

Local folders are ideal for playing downloaded videos, personal recordings, or any media files you have on hand. They are not available on tvOS.

2. Network Shares​

Network shares connect Yattee to file servers on your local network, giving you access to large video libraries stored on a NAS, desktop, or cloud storage appliance.

  • SMB/CIFS -- the standard Windows/Samba file sharing protocol, supported by most NAS devices
  • WebDAV -- an HTTP-based file access protocol used by Nextcloud, ownCloud, and many other services

3. Remote Servers​

Remote servers connect Yattee to video platform backends that stream content from YouTube and other sites through privacy-respecting intermediaries.

  • Yattee Server -- self-hosted video API server powered by yt-dlp, supporting YouTube and 1000+ other sites
  • Invidious -- open-source YouTube frontend
  • Piped -- open-source YouTube frontend
  • PeerTube -- federated, decentralized video platform

Managing Sources​

Accessing Source Settings​

All source management happens in Settings > Sources. From there you can add new sources, edit existing ones, or remove sources you no longer need.

Enabling and Disabling Sources​

Each source can be individually enabled or disabled. Disabling a source hides it from the Sources list and search without deleting its configuration. This is useful when you want to temporarily stop using a source -- for example, when a server is undergoing maintenance -- without losing your settings.

Adding a New Source​

For a step-by-step walkthrough of adding your first source, see the Adding Your First Source guide.

Discovering Sources​

You can also use the Scan Network button to automatically discover SMB and WebDAV services on your local network, or Browse PeerTube Instances to find and add public PeerTube servers.

iCloud Sync​

Yattee uses iCloud to sync source configurations across your Apple devices, with one important distinction:

  • Network shares and remote servers -- configurations sync across all devices signed into the same iCloud account. A NAS connection you set up on your iPhone will automatically appear on your Mac and Apple TV.
  • Local folders -- these are device-specific and do not sync, because they reference directories that exist only on that particular device.
tvOS and credentials

tvOS does not sync credentials from iCloud Keychain. Source configurations will still appear on your Apple TV, but passwords and usernames will be blank. When a synced source appears on tvOS, Yattee will prompt you to enter the credentials directly on the Apple TV.

Password Storage​

Credentials for network shares and remote servers are stored securely in the iOS/macOS Keychain. When iCloud Keychain is enabled on your devices, passwords sync alongside the source configurations, so you only need to enter credentials once.