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External noGUI Scheduling

PRO Sync Schedule is the standard Pro workflow; see Free vs Pro. Non-Pro users can use an operating-system scheduler to run IPTVBoss noGUI synchronization. The examples below use the confirmed default commands.

Warning

IPTVBoss must be closed before a noGUI run starts. Do not run the desktop application and noGUI synchronization against the same database at the same time.

Windows Task Scheduler

  1. Close IPTVBoss.
  2. Open Task Scheduler in Windows.
  3. Create a new task named Boss Sync.
  4. Under Triggers, add the times when synchronization should run.
  5. Under Actions, select New.
  6. Set Start a program as the action.
  7. Set Program/script to:
C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe
  1. Set Add arguments to:
/C IPTVBoss -noGUI
  1. Under Conditions, enable Wake the computer to run this task if the computer may be asleep at the scheduled time.
  2. Under Settings, enable Allow task to be run on demand.
  3. Enable the option to stop the task if it runs longer than 4 hours.
  4. Enable the option to force the task to close if it does not end when requested.
  5. Save the task.

Test the task

  1. Make sure the normal IPTVBoss desktop application is closed.
  2. In Task Scheduler, select Boss Sync.
  3. Choose Run.
  4. Check Task Manager after a short delay. IPTVBoss should appear while the noGUI process is running.
  5. Review the IPTVBoss logs and confirm that source and EPG synchronization completed.

If the task cannot find IPTVBoss, use the full path to the installed executable in the action or configure the task's Start in directory to the IPTVBoss installation directory.

Linux cron

  1. Close IPTVBoss.
  2. Open the user crontab:
crontab -e
  1. Add an entry using the desired minute and hour. For a 03:00 run:
0 3 * * * iptvboss -nogui
  1. Replace iptvboss with the full executable path when it is not on PATH.
  2. Save the crontab.
  3. Test the command manually, then review the IPTVBoss logs after the first scheduled run.

macOS cron

  1. Close IPTVBoss.
  2. Open the user crontab:
crontab -e
  1. Add an entry using the desired minute and hour. For a 03:00 run with the default application path:
0 3 * * * /Applications/IPTVBoss.app/Contents/MacOS/IPTVBoss -nogui
  1. Replace the application path when IPTVBoss is installed elsewhere.
  2. Save the crontab.
  3. Test the command manually, then review the IPTVBoss logs after the first scheduled run.

The native scheduler may manage these entries automatically when Pro access is enabled. Avoid manually adding a second cron entry for the same schedule.

Automatic NoGUI user checks

During a NoGUI synchronization, IPTVBoss can refresh provider metadata for enabled user credentials that are at risk of being stale. This includes credentials with an unknown expiry or an expiry within the configured Days Before Expiry notice window. The check supports Xtream Codes sources and password-backed M3U sources with an XC URL.

Each credential is checked at most once every 24 hours for the same connection details. Changing the source connection or the credential resets that connection-specific limit. Automatic checks are also paced per provider host, and a provider rate-limit response defers the remaining checks for that host until a later run.

To opt out for one source, edit the M3U or Xtream Codes source and enable Disable NoGUI user checks. The option affects only automatic checks during NoGUI synchronization; it does not disable source synchronization or the manual Refresh Credentials action in Manage Users.

The source option is useful when a provider does not support account-information requests, or when the provider has strict limits. Leave it disabled when IPTVBoss should maintain cached credentials and expiry values automatically.

Checks use the user's alternate provider URL when configured. An unchanged expiry counts as a confirmed result. Failed, rate-limited, or invalid responses retain saved values; missing expiry retains the previous expiry while updating the supplied connection limit. A rejected login marks expiry and connection limit as unknown. To check a renewal immediately, use Refresh Credentials on desktop or Refresh expiry in the console.

Use Email Notifications to configure credential-expiry notices.

NoGUI status and cancellation

The desktop NoGUI menu distinguishes NoGUI active, NoGUI cancellation requested, and states needing attention. Open the menu to read the status detail or choose Cancel NoGUI. The server console also reports cancellation progress and reasons needing attention.

Cancellation is a request to stop safely. Wait for the stopped state before starting another operation. If stopping cannot be confirmed within 25 seconds, the marker and cancellation request remain in place. The desktop displays a warning and restores Cancel NoGUI; the console reports that cancellation needs attention. Review the status detail and logs to identify the process still running.

Interrupted runs and stale markers

On a later launch, IPTVBoss can recover a stale marker for either standalone NoGUI or an internal XC Server sync when it can verify that the local owner has exited or its process ID has been reused. The log identifies the interrupted run and recovery reason. Recovery permits another run; it does not resume the interrupted work or report it as successful.

NoGUI status needs attention means the marker's owner could not be verified. Read the accompanying reason and check whether the previous process is still running. Legacy, malformed, unsupported, or foreign-host markers require manual investigation. Replacing a container with one that has a different hostname can cause this condition; a local process check cannot prove the previous container stopped.

Do not remove a marker while its owner may still be running. The db/nogui-marker.guard file coordinates marker access; its presence does not mean a sync is active, and deleting it does not safely unlock NoGUI.