Help & Documentation

Everything you need to set up and get the most out of Sprout.

Quick Start

Getting Sprout running with VTube Studio takes less than a minute.

  1. Download Sprout.exe and run it — no installer needed.
  2. A icon appears in your system tray.
  3. In VTube Studio, enable Spout2 output (Settings → Spout2 → Start).
  4. Right-click the Sprout tray icon → Settings.
  5. Under General, set the Sender Name to match what VTube Studio reports (usually VTubeStudioSpout).
  6. Your avatar should now appear as a transparent overlay on your desktop.
Tip: If nothing shows up, make sure VTube Studio's Spout output is actively running and the sender name matches exactly (it's case-sensitive).

Requirements

  • OS: Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit)
  • GPU: Any DirectX 11-compatible graphics card
  • Spout2 source: VTube Studio, or any other Spout2-compatible application
  • Runtime: None — Sprout is a self-contained single-file executable
Note: Sprout does not install any drivers or system components. Just run the .exe.

First Run

On first launch, Sprout shows a brief hint overlay explaining the tray icon. Dismiss it by clicking anywhere on the overlay or waiting a few seconds.

All settings are stored in %AppData%\Sprout\ — Sprout creates this folder automatically.

General Settings

Sender Name

The name of the Spout2 source to receive from. Must match exactly what the sender application advertises.

  • VTube Studio default: VTubeStudioSpout
  • Check the sender app for the exact string — names are case-sensitive

Monitor

Which display the overlay appears on. Monitors are numbered starting from 0 (your primary display). Change this if the overlay appears on the wrong screen.

Click-Through

When enabled, mouse clicks and movements pass through the overlay to whatever is behind it. See Click-Through for more detail.

Fullscreen

Stretches the overlay to fill the entire monitor. When disabled, crop settings control the overlay size and position.

Over Taskbar

Controls whether the overlay sits above or below the Windows taskbar. Disable this if you want your taskbar accessible while the overlay is visible.

Display Settings

Base Opacity

How opaque the overlay is at rest, from 5% to 100%. At 100% the overlay is fully solid; lower values make it semi-transparent.

Crop

Trim pixels from each edge of the overlay frame. Useful for cutting away empty space in the Spout source or repositioning your avatar within the visible area.

  • Top / Bottom / Left / Right — pixels to remove from each edge
  • Changes take effect immediately with a live preview

Target FPS

How many frames per second Sprout renders. Options: 15, 20, 24, 30, 60.

  • Lower FPS reduces GPU and CPU usage
  • 60 FPS is recommended for smooth avatar motion

Hover Transparency

When enabled, the overlay fades to a lower opacity when your cursor moves over it, revealing what's underneath. The Hover Opacity slider sets how transparent it becomes.

Appearance Settings

Icon Color

Customize the color of the tray icon. Choose from preset colors or enter a hex code (e.g., #a6e3a1).

Advanced Settings

API

Enable or disable the HTTP REST API. When enabled, Sprout listens on port 5757 by default. The port is configurable if you have a conflict. See HTTP API for full documentation.

Hotkeys

Global hotkeys that work even when Sprout is not the active window.

  • Quit Hotkey — exits Sprout (default: Ctrl+Q)
  • Hide All Hotkey — instantly hides or shows all overlays

Multi-Source Mode

Enables the multi-source panel for displaying multiple Spout sources simultaneously. See Multi-Source for setup details.

Presets

Save and restore your full configuration as named presets. Useful for switching between different stream setups, games, or layouts instantly.

Saving a Preset

  1. Configure your overlay exactly how you want it.
  2. Open Settings → Presets tab.
  3. Type a name in the preset name field.
  4. Click Save.

Loading a Preset

  1. Open Settings → Presets tab.
  2. Select the preset from the dropdown.
  3. Click Load.

Presets are stored as JSON files in %AppData%\Sprout\presets\ and can be backed up, shared, or edited manually.

Plus and Pro feature. Presets require an active Plus or Pro license.

Click-Through Mode

Click-through makes the overlay completely transparent to mouse input — clicks, scrolls, and hover events all pass through to whatever window is behind Sprout.

Toggling Click-Through

  • Right-click tray icon → Click-Through
  • Or toggle in Settings → General
  • Or via the HTTP API
Note: When click-through is enabled, you cannot drag or interact with the overlay window directly. Use the tray icon or API to adjust settings.

Global Hotkeys

Global hotkeys are registered system-wide and fire even when Sprout isn't focused.

Default Bindings

  • Ctrl + Q — Quit Sprout
  • (configurable) — Hide/show all overlays

Change hotkeys in Settings → Advanced. Click the key field and press your desired combination.

Plus and Pro feature. Custom hotkeys require an active Plus or Pro license.

Multi-Source Layering

Pro tier unlocks multi-source mode, letting you display multiple Spout2 sources simultaneously, each with independent settings.

Setup

  1. Enable Multi-Source Mode in Settings → Advanced.
  2. A source list panel appears in the Settings window.
  3. Click Add Source and configure each entry:
    • Sender name, monitor, crop, opacity, FPS
    • Click-through toggle per source
    • Z-Order (higher = in front)
  4. Enable/disable individual sources using the checkbox without removing them.

Z-Order / Layering

Z-Order controls which source appears in front when overlays overlap. Higher numbers appear on top. Change values in the source settings panel.

Hide All

The Hide All toggle (tray menu or hotkey) hides every source at once without changing individual settings, and restores them just as quickly.

Pro feature. Multi-source mode requires an active Pro license.

HTTP REST API

Enable the API in Settings → Advanced. Sprout listens at http://localhost:5757/ with full CORS support, so any HTTP client can reach it.

Endpoints

MethodPathDescription
GET /settings Return all current settings as JSON
POST /settings Update one or more settings (partial updates supported)
GET /sources List all multi-source entries
POST /sources Add or update a source entry
DELETE /sources/{id} Remove a source by ID
GET /presets List all saved presets
POST /presets/load Load a preset by name
DELETE /presets/{name} Delete a saved preset

Examples

Get current settings (PowerShell):

Invoke-RestMethod http://localhost:5757/settings

Toggle click-through (curl):

curl -X POST http://localhost:5757/settings \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"clickThrough": true}'

Change opacity from JavaScript:

await fetch('http://localhost:5757/settings', { method: 'POST', headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' }, body: JSON.stringify({ baseOpacity: 0.6 }) });

Load a preset (curl):

curl -X POST http://localhost:5757/presets/load \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"name": "Gaming"}'
Plus and Pro feature. The HTTP API requires an active Plus or Pro license.

Licensing

Sprout uses a one-time license key purchased through Gumroad. After purchase you'll receive a license key via email.

Activating a License

  1. Right-click the tray icon → License.
  2. Enter your license key in the field.
  3. Click Activate.
  4. Sprout verifies the key online and unlocks the appropriate tier.

Offline Use

After the first successful activation, Sprout caches your license locally at %AppData%\Sprout\license.json. You can use Sprout offline without re-verifying each launch.

Tiers

  • Free — single source, basic display controls
  • Plus — adds API, presets, hotkeys, hover transparency, FPS control, icon color
  • Pro — everything in Plus, plus multi-source layering

Troubleshooting: No Overlay Showing

Check the sender name

The most common cause. Go to Settings → General and confirm the Sender Name matches exactly what your Spout2 app is broadcasting (case-sensitive).

Is the Spout source active?

The sender application must be running and actively transmitting. In VTube Studio, check that Spout2 output is enabled and the model is loaded.

Verify the overlay isn't hidden

Check the tray menu — if Hide All is checked, click it to show overlays again. Also check that the Hide toggle for individual sources isn't enabled.

Try a different monitor index

The overlay may be appearing on a screen you're not looking at. Set Monitor to 0 (primary display) and check all connected monitors.

Troubleshooting: Overlay on Wrong Monitor

Windows numbers monitors starting from 0. Your primary display is usually 0. If the overlay appears on the wrong screen:

  1. Open Settings → General.
  2. Change Monitor to 0 and confirm it moves to your primary display.
  3. Increment the number until the overlay appears on the correct screen.

Troubleshooting: Performance

High GPU usage

Reduce Target FPS in Settings → Display. For most avatar use cases, 30 FPS is indistinguishable from 60 and uses roughly half the GPU time.

Stuttering or dropped frames

  • Ensure your GPU drivers are up to date.
  • Check that the Spout sender is running at a stable FPS — Sprout can only display frames as fast as they arrive.
  • If running multiple sources (Pro), try disabling sources you don't need.

High CPU usage

Sprout uses GPU rendering; CPU usage should be minimal. If you see unexpectedly high CPU:

  • Lower Target FPS.
  • Disable Hover Transparency if enabled — it requires per-pixel alpha testing.