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ElfHosted public addon messages, explained

When a stream on one of ElfHosted's public addons (AIOStreams, Comet, MediaFusion and others) plays a short video with a message instead of your film, find the message below for what it means and how to get past it. Further down is the list of features the public instances leave out, and why.

Our public addons are free and shared by a very large number of people. Each rule below stops a small number of them using up the capacity everyone else relies on.

The messages

"Opened on a different connection" or "Wrong IP"

This stream link only works on the internet connection that requested it. Open the title again on this device.

Older versions of this message were titled Wrong IP. It means the same thing.

When an addon hands Stremio a list of streams, each link is tied to the internet connection that asked for it. If the stream is then played from a different connection, it is refused. That stops one person's links being passed around and played by others.

The usual causes:

  • A phone moved networks. It fetched the streams on Wi-Fi, then started playing on mobile data, or the other way round.
  • A VPN on one device and not the other. For example, Stremio on a phone with a VPN, casting to a TV without one.
  • An external player on a different connection from the app that fetched the streams.

How to avoid it: fetch the streams on the device and connection that will play them. If a phone keeps switching between Wi-Fi and mobile data, open the title again once it has settled. Some home networks mix IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, and we allow for that, so a dual-stack home connection is fine. Stream links from a private instance aren't tied to one connection, so this message doesn't apply there.

Stream links only last a while. Go back and open the title again for a fresh one.

Stream links only last for a limited time. If the stream list sat open for a long while, or you came back to a paused title much later, the link has run out. Go back to the title and open it again for fresh links.

This stream link was changed or cut short. Open the title again and pick the stream from the list.

The link was changed or cut short on the way to the player, often by copying it somewhere by hand. Open the title again and pick the stream from the list instead of reusing a saved link.

"Client mismatch"

Some players can't show the video message and display a short plain-text error that starts with "client mismatch". It means the same thing as Opened on a different connection, and the fix is the same.

"Private instances only"

Addon Torrentio is disabled: Private instances only

AIOStreams shows this on our public instance when a setup includes Torrentio. The Torrentio developer has asked hosting providers not to scrape or aggregate Torrentio, and we respect that on our free public instances. On a private instance you can add it.

"Public rate-limit exceeded" 🐢

A stream-list entry with a tortoise, saying public rate-limit exceeded, means you've used up our public rate limit for now. It refills on its own within a minute or two. Our rate limits explains how to stay under them. The biggest help is putting your addons inside AIOStreams instead of installing each one separately.

A video saying Too many requests is different: that limit is your debrid service's. See how to tell which limit you hit.

"Your setup is shared with other people"

This stream comes from a shared public instance. Each setup on it has a limit, and this one has reached it.

Every setup on a public instance has a limit on how many different internet connections can play from it in an hour. The limit is set well above what a household uses, across phones, TVs, mobile data and a commute. Reaching it means the same setup is being used in many places at once, usually because its install link was shared or someone is selling access to it.

How to avoid it: create your own setup. It is free and takes a few minutes, and our Stremio addons guide walks you through it. If someone sold you access to a setup on our public instance, that setup was always free to make yourself.

Messages from your debrid service

Some messages describe what your debrid service told us. Where you see a reference code after Ref, it is passed through from your debrid service word for word, so you can quote it to them. When Real-Debrid refuses a file, for example, the code shown is Real-Debrid's own reason, returned by Real-Debrid. None of these are ElfHosted limits, and a different instance won't change them.

"Not ready yet", "Still downloading" or "not cached yet on this debrid service"

This title isn't cached on your debrid service yet. It's being prepared. Wait a short while and try again.

Your debrid service doesn't have this file ready to stream yet, and has started fetching it. Popular titles are usually ready straight away; less common ones can take a few minutes. Wait, then press play again, or pick a result marked as cached.

"Couldn't start this stream" or "Content unavailable"

Comet couldn't get a playable link for this file. Try another result; if it keeps happening, report it.

Your debrid service didn't hand back a link the addon could play. MediaFusion shows the same situation as Content unavailable. The code after Ref is the debrid service's own reason. Pick a different result from the list; if every result fails, check your debrid account.

"Connection expired"

Your debrid account needs reconnecting. Re-open the add-on configuration to sign in again.

The sign-in your addon uses with your debrid service has lapsed. Open the addon's configuration page, connect your debrid account again, and reinstall the addon in Stremio.

"Debrid service is down"

Your debrid provider is unavailable or under maintenance. It isn't something the addon or ElfHosted can fix, so try again shortly, or check the provider's own status page.

What our public instances leave out, and why

These are the features people most often ask about, and what changes on a private instance.

Feature Public instance Private instance Why the public instance differs
Jellyfin integration (AIOStreams, AIOMetadata) Off Off by default, yours to switch on It lets one setup serve a whole server's worth of users, which is how a free instance gets resold as a paid shared server.
Search APIs (AIOStreams) Off On They let other apps use AIOStreams as a search backend, which turns one setup into a constant stream of automated searches.
AIOStreams inside AIOStreams Off Your choice Nesting one instance inside another multiplies every search, and is how other services build on a public instance's capacity.
Torrentio Off Your choice The Torrentio developer has asked hosting providers not to scrape or aggregate Torrentio, and we respect that.
HTTP streams Off Your choice Public instances return debrid and Usenet streams only. See providers and bundles.
P2P streams Off Off, unless resolved through Debridge No ElfHosted instance plays raw P2P. With Debridge, those results are resolved through your own providers instead.
Per-setup connection limit On None Stops one setup being shared across many households.
Stream links tied to the requesting connection On Off Stops one person's stream links being passed around and played by others.

Nearly all of these fall away on a private instance, because the capacity there is yours.

Public, private or self-hosted

Public instance Private ElfHosted instance Self-hosted
When something breaks Community help: subreddits and volunteer-run Discord servers, each with its own rules, and answers depend on who is around Our support team, plus Sam, an assistant in your dashboard that looks at your actual apps and fixes things once you confirm You, a search engine, and the same community channels
Guides Whatever the community has written Our docs for every app, written for your setup The project's own docs
Limits Shared with everyone on the instance Your own Your own hardware's
Addons and features The operator's choice Your choice, Torrentio included Your choice
Updates and uptime The operator's Ours Yours
Cost Free From $9 a month, after a $1, 7-day trial A server, and your evenings

A public instance is a good way to try an addon, and self-hosting suits people who like running servers. A private instance is for when the whole household relies on it and you want someone to call when it breaks.

Try a private AIOStreams instance for $1

See how the public instances compare: AIOStreams, AIOMetadata, Comet and MediaFusion.