Skip to content

Shotwork asks for libmpv, or will not startΒΆ

You see: Download libmpv before Shotwork's window appears. Or Missing libmpv: "libmpv could not be found." Or, in the download dialog, "Could not download" with an address, or a message that the download did not contain what Shotwork expected.

Why: libmpv plays video in the viewer, and Shotwork cannot run without it. It is a separate download, fetched once with your permission and kept in Shotwork's app data folder. The dialog comes back if it was declined, if the download never finished, or if Shotwork's app data folder was cleared or moved. On Windows, Shotwork looks up the latest build online before the dialog opens, so it cannot offer the download without an internet connection.

Fix:

  1. Connect to the internet.
  2. Start Shotwork, and choose Download in Download libmpv.
  3. Wait for it to finish. Shotwork opens once libmpv is in place.
  4. If the download fails, read the reason, and choose Download to try again.

If that didn't work: A download that did not contain what Shotwork expected usually means the build's source changed its files; try again later. Check whether a SHOTWORK_DATA_DIR environment variable points Shotwork at a folder you did not intend. Shotwork runs on Windows and macOS only. See The two components.