# bitfocus/companion

Bitfocus Companion enables the Elgato Stream Deck and other controllers to be a professional shotbox surface for an increasing amount of different presentation switchers, video playback software and broadcast equipment.

Repository: https://github.com/bitfocus/companion
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/bitfocus-companion
Homepage: https://companion.free/
Language: TypeScript
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Topics: companion, ross, qlab, osc, dmx, artnet, elgato, streamdeck, eventmaster, atem, obs, vmix, hacktoberfest
Last push: 2026-08-26T21:29:37+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 99/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 99, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3054, "days_push": 7, "days_rel": 10, "gap_med": 14.5, "n_releases_24m": 39}
- flags: no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 2270, forks 594 (observed 2026-08-28T04:06:33.061387+00:00)

## What it is
Bitfocus Companion turns an Elgato Stream Deck and similar controllers into a professional shotbox control surface for presentation switchers, video playback software, and broadcast equipment, supporting 700+ devices via modules. It also offers a built-in emulator, web-based buttons, and remote triggering via OSC, TCP, UDP, HTTP, WebSocket, and ArtNet.

## Use cases
- control broadcast equipment from a stream deck
- use stream deck as a shotbox for video switchers
- trigger OBS scenes with hardware buttons
- control vMix and ATEM from a physical control surface
- trigger buttons remotely via OSC or HTTP
- use a tablet as a stream deck alternative
- automate video playback software during live events

## When to choose
- you need a hardware button surface to control AV/broadcast gear
- you want brand-agnostic control across many devices with one tool
- you need free, open-source control software with a web admin UI

## When to avoid
- you need a general-purpose home automation hub rather than AV control
- your device has no Companion module among the 700+ integrations
- you need a fully closed, vendor-supported commercial control system

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: gui, workflow-automation, developer-tools
- domain: media, developer-tools, self-hosted
- platform: cross-platform, windows
- tags: stream-deck, broadcast-control, av-control, shotbox, osc, atem, obs, vmix, hardware-control-surface, automation, macos, linux, nodejs

## Member repositories
- bitfocus/companion (main) score 99

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:33.061387+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T02:41:49.785040+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/bitfocus/companion (fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:33.061387+00:00, sha 715e9d230d56)
  - homepage: https://companion.free/ (fetched 2026-08-29T10:22:31.735373+00:00, sha 6061ec4e6bb7)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.