Cinch StreamGrab User Manual

Cinch StreamGrab is a desktop application for downloading videos and audio from popular streaming platforms. It provides a clean interface to manage downloads, convert media formats, and organize your downloaded content.

Key Features

• One-click downloads via browser extension or protocol links
• Download queue with progress tracking
• Multiple format presets (MP4, MKV, WEBM, MP3, etc.)
• Media format conversion (remux)
• Proxy support
• Cookie-based authentication for restricted content
• Auto-update for both app and download core

Getting Started

Installation

1. Download the installer from the official website
2. Run CinchStreamGrabSetup1.0.5.exe
3. Follow the installation wizard
4. Launch StreamGrab from the Start Menu or desktop shortcut

First Launch

On first launch, you’ll see a welcome screen with:

1. Connection Status – Shows whether the download core is connected
2. Extension Setup – Instructions to install the browser extension
3. Protocol Link – A fallback method to send URLs to StreamGrab

Download Center

The Download Center is the main screen where you start and manage downloads.

Starting a Download

1. Paste URL – Paste a video URL into the input field (e.g., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=...)
2. Click Download – Click the “Download” button to start with recommended settings

Quick Presets

Click “Advanced options” to access quick presets:

Task Tabs

Task Actions

• Cancel – Stop an active download
• Retry – Retry a failed download
• Copy URL – Copy the source URL
• Show in folder – Open the download location
• Copy path – Copy the file path to clipboard

Bulk Actions (Pro)

Pro users can perform bulk actions:

• Pause/Resume queue
• Clear queue
• Retry all failed
• Clear completed/failed

Search & Filter

Use the search box to filter tasks:

• status:failed – Show only failed tasks
• site:youtube – Show only YouTube downloads
• Combine terms for advanced filtering

Library

The Library shows all completed downloads with search, filter, and batch tools.

Viewing Downloads

• Click any item to see details
• Double-click or click “Preview” to play the file
• Use the “…” menu for more actions

Search & Sort

Batch Selection

1. Click “Select” to enter selection mode
2. Click items to select (Shift for range, Ctrl+A for all)
3. Use bulk actions:
   • Copy file paths – Copy all selected paths
   • Convert video – Batch convert to MP4/MKV/WEBM/etc.
   • Convert audio – Batch convert to MP3/M4A/AAC/etc.
   • Delete – Remove selected items and files

Media Conversion

Convert downloaded files to different formats:

• Video formats: MP4, MKV, WEBM, MOV, AVI, FLV, 3GP, WMV
• Audio formats: MP3, M4A, AAC, WAV, FLAC, OGG, AIFF, WMA

Converted files are saved to Downloads/StreamGrab/Converted/

Settings

Downloads

Sign-in / Cookies

For restricted content (age-gated videos, private playlists):

1. Install Extension – Click to open extension installation guide
2. Import cookies.txt – Manually import a cookies.txt file
3. Auth Mode:
   • Automatic – Auto-sync cookies from browser
   • Disabled – Don’t use cookies
   • Use cookies.txt file – Use a specific file

YouTube Client Selection

Network Proxy

Configure proxy settings:

Advanced options:

• Auto-detect (Clash) – Automatically detect Clash proxy
• Refresh system proxy – Reload system proxy settings

Updates

Manual actions:

• Check app updates – Check for StreamGrab updates
• Check download core version – Check yt-dlp version
• Update download core – Update yt-dlp to latest

License

Enter your license key to unlock Pro features:

1. Enter your email address
2. Enter your license key
3. Click “Activate”

Pro benefits:

• Concurrent downloads (up to 5)
• All format presets
• Batch conversion tools
• Advanced format selector

Browser Extension

The StreamGrab browser extension allows one-click downloads from supported websites.

Installation

1. Go to Settings → Sign-in / Cookies → Install extension
2. Follow the installation instructions
3. The extension folder is bundled with the app

Using the Extension

1. Navigate to a video page in your browser
2. Click the StreamGrab extension icon
3. Click “Send to StreamGrab”
4. StreamGrab will open and start the download

Protocol Link

If the extension isn’t available, use protocol links:

streamgrab://?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DVIDEO_ID&preset=best

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

• Status shows “Offline” – Ensure StreamGrab is running
• Open status page – Check internal status at http://127.0.0.1:17385/status

Download Failures

Common causes and solutions:

Diagnostics

• Copy diagnostics – Copy error details for support
• Open logs folder – View dev-main.log for detailed logs

Free vs Pro