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With JWT access control, you mark a stream or asset as gated. Viewers must send a JWT signed with a Studio signing key. You issue JWTs from your backend after validating the user.

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1. Create a signing key

In the dashboard or via the Signing Key API, create a signing key. Store the private key in your backend (env) and use the public key in Studio for verification.

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2. Create gated content

Set playbackPolicy.type to "jwt" when creating the stream or asset: 
await livepeer.stream.create({ name: "Gated", playbackPolicy: { type: "jwt" } });
await livepeer.asset.create({ name: "Gated", playbackPolicy: { type: "jwt" } });

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3. Sign and return a JWT from your API

In a backend route (e.g. /api/sign-jwt), validate the user, then sign a JWT with the private key. Include playbackId, expiration, and any custom claims. Return the token to the client. Use @livepeer/core/crypto signAccessJwt or any JWT library with the same claims Livepeer expects (see Livepeer Studio docs).

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4. Pass the JWT to the Player

<Player.Root src={src} jwt={jwt}>
  <Player.Container><Player.Video /></Player.Container>
</Player.Root>
Custom player: Send the JWT in the Livepeer-Jwt header for WebRTC/HLS, or as query param jwt on the playback URL.
Last modified on February 23, 2026