> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.livepeer.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Gateway FAQ

> Frequently asked questions for Livepeer gateway operators - the -broadcaster rename, ETH requirements, AI limitations, pricing, orchestrator discovery, and port configuration.

This page answers "how does X work?" questions. If something is broken, see [Troubleshooting](/v2/Gateways/guides/monitoring-and-tooling/troubleshooting) instead.

Jump to: [General](#general) · [Video Gateway](#video-Gateway) · [AI Gateway](#ai-Gateway)

<CustomDivider />

## General

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="I see commands using -broadcaster but my docs say -gateway. Which is correct?">
    Use `-gateway`. The Livepeer Gateway was previously called the Livepeer Broadcaster, and the old flag name appears throughout community guides, forum threads, and Docker Compose examples written before the rename.

    ```bash icon="terminal" theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"dark-plus"}}
    # Legacy - may still be accepted but not canonical
    ./livepeer -broadcaster -network arbitrum-one-mainnet ...

    # Current - use this in all new configs
    ./livepeer -gateway -network arbitrum-one-mainnet ...
    ```

    The `livepeer_cli` tool and some log output still display "Broadcaster" in places that have not been updated. This is cosmetic - the underlying behaviour is unchanged.

    [//]: # "REVIEW: Confirm whether -broadcaster remains accepted as an alias in current builds."
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do I need ETH or LPT to run a gateway?">
    It depends on your Gateway type:

    | Gateway type             | ETH needed | LPT needed |
    | ------------------------ | ---------- | ---------- |
    | Video Gateway (on-chain) | Yes        | No         |
    | AI Gateway (off-chain)   | No         | No         |
    | Dual Gateway             | Yes        | No         |
    | Clearinghouse-backed     | No         | No         |

    ETH is required on Arbitrum One (not Ethereum mainnet) for on-chain Gateways. LPT is not part of the payment flow for any Gateway type - it is a staking token for Orchestrators.

    If you want to run an AI Gateway without managing ETH, see [Payment Paths](/v2/Gateways/guides/payments-and-pricing/payment-guide).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I keep a record of my node's logs?">
    By default, `livepeer` sends logs only to stdout. Pipe to both stdout and a file using `tee`:

    ```bash icon="terminal" theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"dark-plus"}}
    ./livepeer -gateway [flags] 2>&1 | tee livepeer.log
    ```

    For Docker deployments, logs are captured automatically by Docker:

    ```bash icon="terminal" theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"dark-plus"}}
    docker logs <container_name> --tail 200 --follow
    ```

    For persistent log retention, configure Docker's logging driver or use a log aggregation tool (Loki, Datadog, etc.).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I run a gateway from home?">
    Possible for an AI Gateway (off-chain, no inbound port requirements beyond your Orchestrator addresses). For a video Gateway, public accessibility depends on your workload:

    * If you are accepting inbound RTMP streams, port 1935 must be publicly accessible.
    * If you are only pushing streams outward (e.g. Re-encoding your own content), NAT is less of a concern.
    * For Orchestrator discovery via the Livepeer Network, your Gateway needs to be publicly reachable at the address it registers.

    Home networks with NAT (standard home router) require port forwarding rules for ports 8935 and 1935 to the machine running the Gateway. Running a public-facing node at home carries general server security risks - only do so if you are comfortable managing those.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Is there a marketplace showing all gateway offerings?">
    No canonical marketplace exists. Visibility is currently fragmented across [Livepeer Explorer](https://explorer.livepeer.org), [Livepeer Tools](https://tools.livepeer.cloud), [Livepeer Studio](https://livepeer.studio), and community forums.

    This is a documented gap. Discussion on Gateway marketplace aggregation is ongoing in the community.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

<CustomDivider />

## Video Gateway

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="What is -maxPricePerUnit and why doesn't it match what I'm paying?">
    `-maxPricePerUnit` sets the maximum price your Gateway **pays Orchestrators** per pixel processed - it is not a price you charge your customers.

    The unit is **wei per pixel** (not ETH). Common starting values:

    | Flag               | Value | Meaning                   |
    | ------------------ | ----- | ------------------------- |
    | `-maxPricePerUnit` | `300` | Maximum 300 wei per pixel |
    | `-pixelsPerUnit`   | `1`   | Per 1 pixel               |

    If you set this too high, you overpay Orchestrators. If you set it too low, no Orchestrators accept your jobs. The community standard starting point is `300` with `-pixelsPerUnit 1`.

    The price you charge *your* customers (if running a commercial Gateway service) is entirely separate and managed by your own application layer. See [Pricing Strategy](/v2/Gateways/guides/payments-and-pricing/pricing-strategy).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What ports does the video gateway use?">
    | Port   | Purpose                               | Configurable with |
    | ------ | ------------------------------------- | ----------------- |
    | `8935` | HTTP Gateway API and transcoding jobs | `-httpAddr`       |
    | `1935` | RTMP stream ingest                    | `-rtmpAddr`       |
    | `5935` | CLI management API                    | `-cliAddr`        |

    All three can be changed with the corresponding flags if the defaults conflict with other services on your machine.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I check my ETH deposit and reserve balance?">
    ```bash icon="terminal" theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"dark-plus"}}
    # Binary
    livepeer_cli -host 127.0.0.1 -http 5935

    # Docker
    docker exec -it <container_name> livepeer_cli -host <container_hostname> -http 5935
    ```

    Select **"Get node status"** and look for **BROADCASTER STATS**. You need both Deposit and Reserve to be non-zero for job routing to work.

    Community-recommended minimum for testing: **0.1 ETH total** (approximately 0.07 ETH deposit + 0.03 ETH reserve).

    [//]: # "REVIEW: Confirm the current recommended minimum deposit and reserve amounts."
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I bridged ETH to Arbitrum but my balance shows zero.">
    Bridging ETH to Arbitrum One transfers it to your wallet address on Arbitrum - but it does not automatically allocate it as a Gateway deposit. You must explicitly deposit and reserve via `livepeer_cli` after the bridge confirms.

    ```bash icon="terminal" theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"dark-plus"}}
    livepeer_cli -host 127.0.0.1 -http 5935
    # Select: "Deposit broadcasting funds"
    # Enter deposit amount and reserve amount
    ```

    See [Fund Your Gateway](/v2/Gateways/guides/payments-and-pricing/funding-guide) for the full step-by-step.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How does transcoding pricing work? Who sets it?">
    Orchestrators set their price per pixel (in wei) and advertise it to Gateways. Your Gateway's `-maxPricePerUnit` is the ceiling you are willing to pay - any Orchestrator advertising below your cap is eligible to receive your jobs.

    Orchestrators may adjust their prices automatically based on gas costs on Arbitrum (the `autoAdjustPrice` behaviour). During high-gas periods, Orchestrator prices rise - you may need to raise `-maxPricePerUnit` temporarily to keep jobs routing.

    There is no protocol-fixed price. The market price emerges from supply (Orchestrators) and demand (Gateways) with the Gateway's `maxPrice` acting as the ceiling.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

<CustomDivider />

## AI Gateway

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="The AI gateway binary doesn't work on Windows. Why?">
    The Livepeer AI Gateway binary is **not currently available for Windows or macOS (Intel)**. The AI inference stack requires a Linux environment - the GPU/CUDA toolchain used for AI inference has only been tested and compiled for Linux.

    **Workaround:** Use Docker on Linux (or WSL2 on Windows).

    ```bash icon="terminal" theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"dark-plus"}}
    docker run \
      --name livepeer_ai_gateway \
      -v ~/.lpData2/:/root/.lpData2 \
      -p 8935:8935 \
      --network host \
      livepeer/go-livepeer:master \
      -datadir /root/.lpData2 \
      -gateway \
      -orchAddr <orchestrator-list> \
      -httpAddr 0.0.0.0:8935 \
      -v 6 \
      -httpIngest
    ```

    The standard video Gateway binary for Windows remains available and unchanged.

    [//]: # "REVIEW: Confirm whether a Windows AI binary is on the roadmap."
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do I need ETH or LPT to run an AI gateway?">
    No. The off-chain AI Gateway requires neither ETH nor LPT. You do not need an Arbitrum connection, a wallet, or any on-chain setup.

    Off-chain means:

    * No ticket-based payment system
    * No Arbitrum RPC required
    * No `-network` flag needed
    * Orchestrator payment is managed separately (your arrangement with the Orchestrator)

    This is the fastest path to running a Gateway. If you later want to add on-chain video transcoding alongside AI, that becomes a dual Gateway and does require ETH.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What ports does the AI gateway use?">
    | Port   | Purpose                                     | Configurable with |
    | ------ | ------------------------------------------- | ----------------- |
    | `8935` | HTTP API (video and AI share the same port) | `-httpAddr`       |
    | `5935` | CLI management API                          | `-cliAddr`        |

    Both video and AI endpoints share the same `-httpAddr` port (default 8935). The `-httpIngest` flag enables AI pipeline endpoints (`/text-to-image`, `/llm`, etc.) on this port. To run separate video and AI Gateway processes on the same machine, set different `-httpAddr` values for each.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I find which AI models and pipelines are available?">
    There is currently no unified registry or discovery endpoint listing all AI capabilities across the network.

    Per-Orchestrator query:

    ```bash icon="terminal" theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"dark-plus"}}
    curl https://<orchestrator-address>:<port>/getOrchestratorInfo
    ```

    [//]: # "REVIEW: Confirm whether /getOrchestratorInfo is the correct stable endpoint for capability discovery."

    For finding AI-capable Orchestrators to query: ask in [Discord #local-Gateways](https://discord.gg/livepeer) - community operators share their endpoints there. Community discussion on a unified discovery mechanism is ongoing.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can gateway operators add custom AI inference endpoints or pipelines?">
    Gateway operators run AI Gateways and expose the inference APIs - the Gateway itself is the inference endpoint. Orchestrators running AI inference advertise their AI service URI and capability set.

    There is currently no formal documented flow for registering a custom pipeline type beyond what go-livepeer supports natively. Running a Gateway connected to Orchestrators running your custom pipeline is the current approach.

    This is a documented gap. Check the [Livepeer Forum](https://forum.livepeer.org) for community discussion on extending pipeline support.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

<CustomDivider />

## External Resources

The following external resources are useful reference points for pricing, network economics, and AI subnet context.

| Resource                          | Link                                                                                      | What it covers                                           |
| --------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- |
| Livepeer Docs - Set Pricing       | [docs.livepeer.org](https://docs.livepeer.org/orchestrators/portal/guides/set-pricing)    | How Orchestrators set per-pixel pricing, auto-adjustment |
| Livepeer Studio Pricing           | [Livepeer.studio/pricing](https://livepeer.studio/pricing)                                | Example commercial Gateway pricing tiers                 |
| Livepeer Whitepaper               | [GitHub Wiki](https://github.com/livepeer/wiki/blob/master/WHITEPAPER.md)                 | Protocol-level economic model (foundational)             |
| TokenTerminal - Livepeer Fees     | [tokenterminal.com](https://tokenterminal.com/explorer/projects/livepeer/metrics/fees)    | Network fees and usage-based revenue                     |
| Figment - Transcoding Fees Primer | [medium.com](https://medium.com/figment/primer-on-livepeer-transcoding-fees-3658057f98c2) | Clear per-pixel pricing explanation                      |
| Livepeer Pricing Tool             | [GitHub](https://github.com/buidl-labs/livepeer-pricing-tool)                             | Community tool for observing network pricing             |

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Troubleshooting" icon="triangle-exclamation" href="/v2/gateways/guides/monitoring-and-tooling/troubleshooting">
    Something is broken - fix it by symptom
  </Card>

  <Card title="Pricing Strategy" icon="circle-dollar-sign" href="/v2/gateways/guides/payments-and-pricing/pricing-strategy">
    Configure maxPricePerUnit and AI pricing
  </Card>

  <Card title="Discord #local-gateways" icon="discord" href="https://discord.gg/livepeer">
    Community support channel
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

{/*
PURPOSE:
Journey step: "Common questions"
Clean FAQ page answering "how does X work?" questions. NOT error fixes - those go in
troubleshooting.mdx. This is for conceptual confusion, terminology, pricing
misunderstandings, and capability questions.

Organised by gateway type (Video, AI, General) with Accordion groups.

SECTION HOME: Resources

JOURNEY POSITION:
This page lives in Resources (not Guides → Monitoring & Troubleshooting).
It answers "how does X work?" questions. For "X is broken" → see Troubleshooting in Guides.

RELATED FILES (draw from):
- all-resources/ctx-gwnew--GW-03-faq-completed.md        - PRIMARY SOURCE (95%): Complete research + draft MDX. Video FAQ (6 Q&As), AI FAQ (6 Q&As). Real operator pain points from Discord, Forum, official docs. SME review flags.
- all-resources/v2-guidesres--faq.mdx                     - Existing research FAQ (70%): pricing refs table, key findings on pricing/discovery gaps. Good external references.
- all-resources/v1--troubleshoot.mdx                      - V1 "Common Questions" section: public accessibility, running from home, service URI, how to know if transcoding, log management

CROSS-REFS:
- Troubleshooting (this section) - "X is broken" → troubleshooting; "how does X work?" → FAQ
- Concepts section - deeper explanations for conceptual questions
- Payments & Pricing guide - pricing questions link here for detail
- Setup Paths guide - "which gateway?" questions link here
*/}