Problem
Browser-source cache serves stale scores or data during a live event.
Solution
Root Cause / Diagnostic:
The embedded Chromium browser engine (CEF) inside OBS Studio aggressively caches HTTP responses, images, and local web storage to reduce network overhead. When an external scoreboard or data endpoint updates, the CEF renderer continues serving cached local assets from disk unless explicit cache-busting headers or forced refreshes are triggered.
Actionable Fix:
1. Append Dynamic Query String Timestamps: Append a dynamic timestamp or cache-buster parameter to the overlay URL (e.g., https://overlay.local/score?t=timestamp or configure polling scripts to fetch with ?cacheBust= + Date.now()).
2. Execute Programmatic Cache Refresh in Switcher: In OBS, select the Browser Source and click the dedicated "Refresh cache of current page" button, or assign a hotkey to the "Refresh Browser Source" command.
3. Configure HTTP No-Cache Headers on Host Server: On the web server serving the overlay, configure headers: Cache-Control: no-cache, no-store, must-revalidate and Pragma: no-cache with Expires: 0.
Pro Tip:
Map a dedicated "Reset Overlays" button on your Stream Deck using the OBS WebSocket plugin to trigger an instantaneous cache purge and DOM reload across all active browser sources during commercial breaks.
The embedded Chromium browser engine (CEF) inside OBS Studio aggressively caches HTTP responses, images, and local web storage to reduce network overhead. When an external scoreboard or data endpoint updates, the CEF renderer continues serving cached local assets from disk unless explicit cache-busting headers or forced refreshes are triggered.
Actionable Fix:
1. Append Dynamic Query String Timestamps: Append a dynamic timestamp or cache-buster parameter to the overlay URL (e.g., https://overlay.local/score?t=timestamp or configure polling scripts to fetch with ?cacheBust= + Date.now()).
2. Execute Programmatic Cache Refresh in Switcher: In OBS, select the Browser Source and click the dedicated "Refresh cache of current page" button, or assign a hotkey to the "Refresh Browser Source" command.
3. Configure HTTP No-Cache Headers on Host Server: On the web server serving the overlay, configure headers: Cache-Control: no-cache, no-store, must-revalidate and Pragma: no-cache with Expires: 0.
Pro Tip:
Map a dedicated "Reset Overlays" button on your Stream Deck using the OBS WebSocket plugin to trigger an instantaneous cache purge and DOM reload across all active browser sources during commercial breaks.