ChatGate

Dynamic Transparent Overlay & Smart Filter for Twitch, YouTube, Kick & TikTok

ChatGate is a high-performance, multi-platform live chat monitor designed for streamers. It features a transparent, click-through overlay that sits directly over your games, paired with a powerful controller to filter out spam and low-value messages in real-time. Supports Twitch, YouTube, Kick, and TikTok Live simultaneously.

Platform Status

Platform	Status	Notes
Twitch	✅ Stable	Fully implemented and tested
YouTube	✅ Stable	Fully implemented and tested
Kick	✅ Stable	Fully implemented and tested
TikTok	🔧 In Development/not publicly available	Basic support available, API reliability pending

Key Features

• Dual-Window Architecture: A dedicated Controller for settings and an Overlay for the game.
• Click-Through Overlay: The chat stays on top of your game but doesn't intercept mouse clicks.
• Smart Logic Gate: Automatically activates filters only when chat speed (MPS) exceeds your threshold.
• Multi-Platform: Connect to Twitch, YouTube, Kick, and TikTok simultaneously — messages from all feed into a single unified overlay.
• Platform Badges: Each message shows a platform icon so you always know where it came from.
• Advanced Filtering: Filter by user whitelist/blacklist, always-block words, and high-volume block words for spam control.
• Role Bypass: Ensure Mod, VIP, Sub, YouTube Members, YouTube Subscribers, Kick Verified, and TikTok Followers messages always break through with granular 3-state controls (Always / Normal / Never).
• Disconnect Button: Quickly stop any platform connection without closing the app or disconnecting other platforms.
• Link Previews: Automatically fetches and displays metadata (title, description) for URLs shared in chat.
• Moderator Sync (Twitch): Automatically removes messages when Twitch mods delete them in real-time.
• Customizable Appearance: Real-time sliders for background opacity, window width, and font scaling.
• Dark & Light Theme: Toggle between themes from the controller.
• No-Auth Connection: Connects anonymously. No login required for Twitch or Kick.
• Global Hotkey: Press Ctrl+Shift+O to instantly toggle the overlay visibility while in-game.
• Auto-Reconnect: Automatically reconnects with exponential backoff if any platform drops.
• OBS Plugin: Optional plugin script that auto-launches ChatGate when you open OBS.
• System Tray: Minimize to the system tray to keep things clean while streaming.
• Update Checker: Automatically checks GitHub for newer releases on startup.

Installation

1. Download: Grab the latest ChatGate_Setup.exe from the Releases page.
2. Run the Installer: Double-click ChatGate_Setup.exe and follow the installation wizard.
3. Launch: Once installed, run ChatGate from your Start menu or desktop shortcut. It will create a settings.json file in %APPDATA%\ChatGate\ to store your preferences and overlay position. No Python installation required.

Usage

🎥 Auto-Launch with OBS

ChatGate includes an OBS Studio plugin that automatically launches ChatGate whenever you start OBS. The plugin is automatically installed and enabled during setup—no configuration needed!

That's it! Simply install ChatGate and launch OBS. ChatGate will start automatically every time.

If you ever want to disable it, you can disable or remove the plugin from OBS (Tools → Scripts → disable obs-chatgate-launcher).

Connecting

• Twitch: Enter a channel name on the Twitch tab and click Connect.
• YouTube: Enter a @handle, full stream URL, or video ID on the YouTube tab and click Connect.
• Kick: Enter a channel name on the Kick tab and click Connect.
• TikTok: Enter a @handle on the TikTok tab and click Connect.
• Multiple platforms can be connected simultaneously.
• Use the Disconnect button to stop any platform without closing the app.

Positioning the Overlay

1. Click Unlock Overlay to Move.
2. A handle will appear on the overlay — drag it to your preferred location.
3. Click Lock Position to make it click-through again and hide the handle.

Filtering

Adjust the MPS Limit. When chat moves faster than this threshold (Messages Per Second), the gate closes and low-effort messages get filtered out — short replies, emote spam, and common phrases like "lol" or "gg". Substantive messages like questions and unique comments still come through. Role Bypass ensures Mods, VIPs, Subs, YouTube Members, and YouTube Subscribers always get through regardless of chat speed.

Visibility & Hotkey

Use the Opacity slider to blend the chat into your game's UI. Press Ctrl+Shift+O at any time — even while in a game — to show or hide the overlay.

⚠ Important: Your game must be running in Borderless Windowed mode for the overlay to appear on top of it. True exclusive fullscreen gives the game complete control of the display, preventing any overlay from rendering. This is a Windows limitation that affects all overlay tools including OBS. Most modern games support borderless windowed in their video settings, and it's the recommended mode for streaming in general.

Controls

Action	Control
Toggle Overlay	Ctrl + Shift + O
Move Chat Window	Unlock via Controller → Drag Handle
Adjust Opacity	Opacity Slider in Controller
Switch Theme	Theme button in Controller
Minimize to Tray	Close button (if "Minimize to tray on close" is checked)
Launch with OBS	ChatGate will launch when you launch OBS

For Developers

Requirements

Python dependencies are managed via a virtual environment. uv is recommended:

uv venv
uv pip install -r requirements.txt

If you prefer standard pip with an existing Python installation:

python -m venv .venv
.venv\Scripts\activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

Running from Source

.venv\Scripts\python.exe main.py

Building the EXE

A CreateEXE.bat file is included for convenience. Just double-click it or run:

CreateEXE.bat

This runs the full PyInstaller command with all the correct flags. The output exe will be in the dist/ folder.

To run the command manually:

python -m PyInstaller --onefile --windowed --name ChatGate --icon=ChatGate.ico --add-data "ChatGate.ico;." --hidden-import pytchat --hidden-import PyQt5.QtSvg main.py

Project Structure

ChatGate/
├── main.py          # Main controller window and IRC/YouTube threads
├── overlay.py       # Transparent click-through overlay window
├── ChatGate.ico     # Application icon
├── CreateEXE.bat    # One-click build script for the Windows exe
├── requirements.txt # Python dependencies
└── settings.json    # Auto-generated user settings (do not commit)

Notes

• Anonymous Twitch Mode: ChatGate connects via justinfan, so it cannot send messages or view Sub-Only chat if the streamer has strict privacy settings enabled.
• YouTube: The channel must be currently live — pytchat cannot read VOD or offline chat.
• Auto-Launch with OBS: ChatGate automatically registers itself to start when OBS Studio launches. Use the "Launch with OBS" checkbox in the controller to enable/disable this.
• Platform Support: Optimized for Windows

Contributing

Got an idea for a better filter or a new feature? Feel free to open an issue or submit a pull request!