Introduction to StageFlo

Recent StageFlo builds focus on shared libraries, safer backup/export workflows, faster song entry, and more reliable remote operation during live services.

• Section labels in Manual mode — when using line-by-line manual slides for songs or scripture, the slide grid and list now show a header (e.g. "Verse 1", "Chorus", "Bridge", or a Bible reference) above each group of slides, so it's easy to keep track of where you are in the song while operating.
• Force a one-line slide in Manual mode — add a blank line between two lyric lines in the song editor to start a new slide early at that point, even if the rest of the song is set to two or more lines per slide.
• Custom slide backgrounds no longer flash black — assigning a unique video background to a single slide previously showed a brief black flash before the video appeared; backgrounds now show a still preview frame while loading instead.
• Slide transitions — eight text-layer transition types (Fade, Cut, Slide Left, Slide Right, Slide Up, Slide Down, Zoom In, Blur) selectable from a global picker in the workspace toolbar. Transitions animate in the audience preview panel as well as on live outputs.
• Plan item memory — saving a plan item now persists the transition type, active background or visualizer, overlay visibility and lock state, Bible verse range, Bible translation, and bible layout mode (auto vs. manual pagination). These settings restore automatically when the item is clicked in the playlist.
• Shared library folders — keep your StageFlo library on Google Drive, OneDrive, or a network drive and move between PCs.
• Library safety checks — StageFlo validates selected folders, warns when the library is already in use, and avoids opening an unreachable database.
• Portable exports and full backups — export a plan with its required assets or back up the full library, including managed media.
• Smarter scripture and song workflows — add Bible verse ranges, use improved Bible/song search, and split pasted lyrics into sections automatically.
• Chord display — store ChordPro-style chord markers while keeping audience slides clean.
• Remote improvements — remote slide lists can be manually scrolled, then resume auto-follow after a short pause.
• YouTube removed — YouTube embedding was removed because sign-in, bot checks, and playback controls were unreliable inside Electron.

Most teams use this sequence every week:

1. Build a service plan with songs, scriptures, media, and custom slides.
2. Style text and backgrounds in the editor.
3. Preview transitions and timing in operator view.
4. Go live to projector and stage displays.
5. Control slides with keyboard shortcuts or the remote controller.

Found in Settings → Backup & Restore. This is where you choose the active library folder, consolidate media, export plans, and create full backups.

Export Types

• Portable Plan Export (.sfplan) — exports the selected plan plus everything needed to open that plan on another PC, including songs, custom slides, and referenced media/assets.
• Full Library Backup (.sfbackup) — exports the whole library: settings, Bible data, plans, songs, custom slides, media metadata, and managed media such as backgrounds and overlays.
• Consolidate Existing Media — copies old local file references into the selected library folder so another PC can use them from the shared library.

StageFlo can search by meaning, not only exact words. This helps teams find songs and scripture quickly even when they remember ideas, stories, or themes instead of exact text.

• Meaning-first search — queries like “women at the well” can find John 4 without exact phrase matching.
• Multilingual support — works across English, Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and more.
• Fully offline — semantic model runs locally in-app; no cloud dependency during service.
• Bible + songs — results can include both scripture and song matches in one workflow.
• Keyword fallback — Bible and song search indexes are rebuilt in the background so title, lyric, and scripture searches stay fast.

Found in Settings → Remote. Control slides from any phone, tablet, or browser and show a stage monitor on any screen.

StageFlo can also be driven from Bitfocus Companion, Stream Deck through Companion, or a standard PowerPoint-style presenter stick.

Use this when your musicians or speakers are outside your local network. StageFlo can generate a public link via Cloudflare Tunnel so remote users can access both stage view and controller securely.

Controls typography and slide layout for all outputs. Found in Settings → Display.

• Font — Choose the typeface used across all slide text.
• Size — Base font size for slide text.
• Style — Weight and style variations (bold, regular, etc.).
• Alignment — Horizontal text alignment for slide content.
• Color — Default text color applied to new slides.

Configures the confidence monitor shown to speakers and musicians on stage. Found in Settings → Display → Stage Display.

• Template — Choose a layout preset: Classic (full detail), Focus (larger text), or Compact (current slide only).
• Accent Color — Highlight color for the active/current panel.
• Show Clock — Toggle a live clock on the stage display.
• Clock Format — 12-hour or 24-hour format.
• Show Status — Show current presentation status (live, clear, black).
• Show Next Slide — Preview the upcoming slide (disabled in Compact).
• Show Stage Timer — Display a running stage timer.
• Show Info Panel — Show operator notes and additional context.
• Show Chords — Show chord rows on stage and remote confidence views when songs contain chord markers.

Configures the lower-third overlay for live streaming. Found in Settings → Display → Lower Third. Use the static URL in OBS as a browser source.

• Style — Select a lower-third visual style. Each has its own description and URL.
• Font — Typeface used for lower-third text.
• Primary Color — Main text or accent color.
• Secondary Color — Supporting color for subtitle or background elements.
• Bottom Offset % — Vertical position from the bottom of the frame.
• Panel Opacity — Transparency of the lower-third background panel.
• Show Second Line — Toggle display of the subtitle/secondary text line.

Routes content to audience and stage displays. Found in Settings → Display → Screens.

Manage Bible translations used in presentations. Found in Settings → Bible.

• Download a Translation — Browse available translations, select a version, and download it directly into StageFlo. No external files needed.
• Import XML — Import a Zefania-format or compatible Bible XML file. Useful for languages not available in the built-in library.
• Installed Translations — View and delete installed translations to manage storage.
• Verse Ranges — Add a full chapter, one verse such as John 1:1, or a range such as John 1:1-6.

Import, export, and manage your song database. Found in Settings → Songs.

• Song Pack — Import a pre-built song pack (OpenLyrics XML format) to populate your library instantly. Language packs for Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, and others are available.
• Import Songs — Import individual songs or bulk XML files from your file system.
• Export Songs — Export your entire library as an XML file for backup or sharing with another StageFlo installation.
• Online Lyrics Search — Search online from the song library and import lyrics when a suitable source is found.
• Delete All Songs — Clears the entire database. Use before re-importing a clean pack.

The song editor is built for fast copy-paste entry when you already have a full song text.

• Smart Split — Paste a full song into Primary Lyrics or Transliteration and StageFlo can split it into verse/chorus sections.
• Number Cleanup — Leading verse numbers such as “1”, “2”, “3” are removed from pasted verse text.
• Transliteration Matching — Pasting transliteration can fill existing verse boxes instead of creating duplicate sections.
• Undo — Cmd+Z on macOS and Ctrl+Z on Windows restore recent song-editor text changes.
• Slide Number Loading — Press slide numbers as hotkeys. Use 1-9 for single digits and type multi-digit numbers for slides 10 and above.

StageFlo supports ChordPro-style chord markers inside song lyrics or transliteration, while keeping congregation slides clean.

Media, backgrounds, overlays, and web slides are managed through the library so services can move cleanly between machines.

• Managed Media — Media added to custom slides, backgrounds, and overlays is copied into the active library folder.
• Portable Plans — Portable plan exports include referenced media and custom presentations needed by that plan.
• Full Backups — Full library backups include managed media, backgrounds, overlays, plans, songs, and custom slides.
• Web Link Slides — Web slides can load normal embeddable webpages when the site allows framing.
• YouTube Removed — YouTube-specific media integration was removed because embedded playback can be blocked by sign-in, bot checks, CSP restrictions, and unreliable controls.

Customise key bindings for live control. Found in Settings → Keyboard Shortcuts. Click the + icon on any action to capture a new key combo.

• Next / Previous Slide — Advance or step back through the playlist.
• Black Screen — Toggle a black output on all displays.
• Clear — Clear slide content, showing the background or standby image.
• Close Outputs — Close all output windows.
• All shortcuts can be reset to factory defaults with the Reset button.

Choose how text animates when advancing between slides. The transition picker is in the workspace toolbar above the preview panel. The selected type applies globally and is visible in the audience preview monitor as well as all live outputs.

• Live Text Edit — fix typos without leaving live mode.
• Template System — design once and reuse styling across slides and services.
• Output Lock — lock output windows to avoid accidental screen changes during service.

• Projector — Full-screen congregation output for lyrics, scripture, and media.
• Stage Display — Confidence monitor for speakers and musicians with current + next slide context.
• Lower Third — Overlay stream for song titles and speaker names in OBS or broadcast tools.
• Mobile Stage View — Open /stage from the Remote URL on any phone — singers see live lyrics without a dedicated monitor.
• Layer Controls — Black, Clear, and Restore controls for instant live transitions.

1. Install StageFlo from the downloads page and launch the app.
2. In Settings → Songs, import a song pack or add songs manually.
3. In Settings → Bible, download or import a translation.
4. Build a service plan with 2–3 songs and one scripture passage.
5. Open Settings → Display → Screens and assign your projector and stage outputs.
6. Choose a library folder in Settings → Backup & Restore if you want the same library available on another PC.
7. Open Remote settings, copy the stage URL, and open it on a mobile device for the singer view.
8. Practice Next/Previous controls with keyboard shortcuts before going live.

macOS: "StageFlo can't be opened" or "Apple could not verify"

1. Download StageFlo and move it to Applications.
2. Try opening it once from Applications (this may show a warning).
3. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security.
4. Scroll to Security and click Open Anyway for StageFlo.
5. Open StageFlo again and click Open when prompted.

Alternative method: in Finder, Control-click StageFlo in Applications, choose Open, then click Open again.

Windows: SmartScreen "Windows protected your PC"

1. Run the StageFlo installer.
2. When SmartScreen appears, click More info.
3. Click Run anyway.
4. If asked by User Account Control, click Yes.
5. Complete setup, then launch StageFlo from Start Menu.

If your organization blocks unsigned apps, ask your IT admin to allow StageFlo.

• Remote page doesn't load — confirm app and device are on the same local network, or switch to Public Link mode in Remote settings.
• Output on wrong screen — re-assign displays in Settings → Screens and reopen the output windows.
• Cloudflare tunnel fails to start — check internet connectivity; allow outbound access to Cloudflare tunnel endpoints. If permanent hostname setup fails, use fallback temporary link.
• Shared library will not open — reconnect the cloud/network drive, wait for sync to finish, or choose the default local library from Settings → Backup & Restore.
• Another PC is using the library — close StageFlo on the other machine before opening the shared library here.
• Media file missing — consolidate existing media or re-import the file so StageFlo can copy it into the active library.
• Web link slide is blank — the website may block embedding. Use a different embeddable page or add the content as media.
• Text too small on stage display — adjust font size in Display Settings and increase the base size.
• Bible not found after import — go to Settings → Bible, verify the translation shows in Installed, and restart the app if needed.