This guide assumes nothing.
Before building Stremio, install the necessary dependencies:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install -y git build-essential qt5-qmake qtbase5-dev qtdeclarative5-dev \
qtwebengine5-dev libqt5webchannel5-dev libmpv-dev libssl-dev librsvg2-bin nodejs libxcb-xinerama0 \
vlc mpv ubuntu-restricted-extras libxcb-xinerama0 qtwebengine5-dev libqt5webchannel5-dev
git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/Stremio/stremio-shell.git
cd stremio-shell
qmake
make -j4 -f release.makefile
This utilizes all four cores of the Raspberry Pi 4B for optimal compilation speed.
Once the build completes, perform the following steps:
mkdir -p build
wget "https://dl.strem.io/server/v4.20.8/desktop/server.js" -O build/server.js
chmod +x build/server.js
ln -sf $(which node) build/node
Check if server.js runs correctly:
node ~/stremio-shell/build/server.js
If this fails, ensure nodejs is installed:
sudo apt install -y nodejs
Ensure video players are installed:
Install them manually if needed:
sudo apt install -y vlc mpv
Check if Stremio detects the players: Open Stremio and go to Settings > Player. Ensure VLC or MPV is listed.
If you want to skip manual installation, you can jump to the Installation and Startup Scripts section at the end.
Make it executable:
chmod +x stremio
Launch Stremio along with the streaming server:
node ~/stremio-shell/build/server.js &
./stremio
If Stremio fails to start with:
qt.qpa.xcb: could not connect to display
qt.qpa.plugin: Could not load the Qt platform plugin "xcb" in "" even though it was found.
Try installing missing libraries:
sudo apt install libxcb-xinerama0
export DISPLAY=:0
If using Wayland instead of X11, launch Stremio with:
./stremio -platform wayland
If you see an error stating "Error while starting streaming server", make sure server.js exists:
ls -l ~/stremio-shell/build/server.js
If it's missing, re-download it:
wget "https://dl.strem.io/server/v4.20.8/desktop/server.js" -O ~/stremio-shell/build/server.js
chmod +x ~/stremio-shell/build/server.js
If video playback fails, try switching between MPV and VLC in Stremio’s settings. Ensure the correct player is installed:
sudo apt install -y vlc mpv
To test MPV separately:
mpv --no-config --hwdec=auto https://sample-videos.com/video123/mp4/720/big_buck_bunny_720p_1mb.mp4
If MPV fails, check vainfo to confirm GPU acceleration:
vainfo
If VAAPI errors appear, install missing drivers:
sudo apt install mesa-va-drivers libva-drm2 libva-x11-2 libvulkan1
Then retry Stremio.
If you prefer an automated installation and startup, use the following scripts.
install_stremio.sh)#!/bin/bash
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install -y git build-essential qt5-qmake qtbase5-dev qtdeclarative5-dev \
qtwebengine5-dev libqt5webchannel5-dev libmpv-dev libssl-dev librsvg2-bin nodejs libxcb-xinerama0 \
vlc mpv ubuntu-restricted-extras libxcb-xinerama0 qtwebengine5-dev libqt5webchannel5-dev
git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/Stremio/stremio-shell.git
cd stremio-shell
qmake
make -j4 -f release.makefile
mkdir -p build
wget "https://dl.strem.io/server/v4.20.8/desktop/server.js" -O build/server.js
chmod +x build/server.js
ln -sf $(which node) build/node
echo 'Installation complete. Run ~/start_stremio.sh to start Stremio.'
Make it executable:
chmod +x ~/install_stremio.sh
Run it:
~/install_stremio.sh
start_stremio.sh)#!/bin/bash
node ~/stremio-shell/build/server.js &
echo 'Stremio streaming server started...'
sleep 2
./stremio
echo 'Stremio launched successfully.'
Make it executable:
chmod +x ~/start_stremio.sh
Run it:
~/start_stremio.sh