vStream: a French-language Kodi addon for streaming video sources
Addon de Streaming français pour Xbmc
At a glance
- What is it?
- vStream is a Kodi video addon built around pluggable sources and hosts, with the plugin code, the repository metadata and a set of generator scripts in one repository. The interesting part for a developer is the two commented Python files that show how a new source or a new host is added, and the separation between the addon and the repository that installs it.
- Who is it for?
- Adopt vStream if you want a French-language Kodi video addon whose source and host layers are meant to be extended, since the repository ships the two template scripts that make that extension a matter of filling in a file. Do not adopt it as a general Kodi video plugin, because the structure is specific to how this addon aggregates sources and hosts, and note that the addon must be installed from its own repository rather than from a loose zip.
- Can I use it commercially?
- Yes, with conditions. GPL-3.0 is a copyleft licence: if you distribute software that includes it, you must release that software's source code under the same licence. Running it internally without distributing it does not trigger that obligation.
- Is it still maintained?
- Yes. The repository last received commits 2 days ago.
- What is it written in?
- Mainly Python, according to GitHub's language statistics.
Answers come from the project's GitHub data, last synced on October 22, 2026, and from our analysis. They are not legal advice.
Editorial analysis
What the addon does, and the two kinds of thing you can plug in
vStream is an addon for Kodi that lets you stream a large number of video sources, covering television, films, series, mangas and documentaries, and it is described as being entirely in French.
The feature list is short but it explains the shape of the product. Beyond streaming those categories, it is possible to download certain sources, add them to favourites, and synchronise your Trakt account.
The two extension points are what make this a codebase rather than a script. There is a source, which is a provider of content, and there is a host, which is where that content is actually fetched from. The repository ships a commented template file for each, with the README pointing at them explicitly: ajouter_une_source.py for creating a new source and ajouter_un_hebergeur.py for creating a new host, and the note that each of them is documented with comments to help you.
That division is a common shape for this kind of addon. The source knows how to list and describe items, the host knows how to resolve a link to a playable stream, and the plugin holds the user interface and the navigation between them. A user-facing addon built on that split can absorb a new streaming service by adding one file rather than by changing the plugin's navigation logic.
The project is GPL-3.0 licensed, the primary language is Python, and the default branch is Beta, which is where the work happens. The recent releases are 4.2.3 on 2026-10-13, 4.2.2 on 2026-09-29 and 4.2.1 on 2026-09-23, and the last push was on 2026-10-19. The topics are kodi, python, video, vstream and xbmc.
The repository description is a French one: a French streaming addon for XBMC, and the README opens in French with a section titled A Propos.
Installing it: the repository is the package format
The install procedure is unusual enough to be worth reading carefully, because in Kodi the format is not a zip you drop in but a repository that the addon manager reads.
The first step is to add the address in the Kodi file manager, under Gestionnaire de fichier, then Ajouter une source, with the path:
Chemin : https://kodi-vstream.github.io/repo/<br>and the name:
Nom : "vStream repo"<br>Then in Kodi, under Extensions, then installer depuis un fichier zip, you install the repository.vstream-x.x.x.zip from that new source.
Finally, to install vStream itself you go through the Kodi menu, Extensions, then Installer depuis un dépôt, and move into the repository you just installed.
So there are two levels of installation, and the second depends on the first. The zip is the repository index, and the repository is what the addon manager talks to when it offers the addon. The detailed walkthrough is at the documentation site under docs/installation, and there is a badge linking a download of the repository zip from the releases page, plus a QR code image for the same thing.
The README is emphatic about one rule, and it is stated as its own line: install the vStream addon exclusively from the repository. That is a normal Kodi requirement, because an addon installed from a loose zip skips the dependency and version handling the repository does, and an addon that depends on a specific version of its own components will misbehave when it is installed that way.
The default branch being Beta is worth noting for anyone tracking versions. The addon is developed on the Beta branch, and the releases are versioned separately from the branch, so the branch name tells you the state of the source and the release tags tell you what has shipped.
The repository layout, and the four scripts that maintain it
The top level listing shows a project that separates the addon from the machinery that publishes it.
There is plugin.video.vstream/, which is the addon itself, following the Kodi convention of naming the plugin directory after the plugin.video identifier. There is repository.vstream/, which is the repository package, and repo/, which holds the hosted repository contents that the source URL points at. Then there are the scripts.
addons_xml_generator.py generates the repository index. addons.xml and addons.xml.md5 sit at the root alongside it, and the md5 file is the checksum of the xml, which is the standard way Kodi verifies that a downloaded repository index has not been tampered with. So the metadata is generated, not hand-edited, and the checksum is produced alongside it.
ajouter_une_source.py and ajouter_un_hebergeur.py are the two commented templates for adding a source and a host, as described above. And historique.py, which by its name tracks history, presumably recording the version changes that the generated metadata has to reflect.
That is a coherent division of labour. The generator produces the index and its checksum, the templates are the sanctioned way to extend the addon, and the history file records what changed between versions. A contributor therefore touches a template and runs the generator, rather than editing the index by hand and hoping the checksum stays in step.
The remaining root entries are the usual ones: a .github/ directory for the workflows, a .gitignore, a .settings/ directory, CONTRIBUTING.md, the LICENSE and the README. The repository also has a CONTRIBUTING.md, and the README routes source proposals and bug reports through the GitHub issues page.
The README closes with a line that is worth translating before you take it as technical guidance: the instruction to install the vStream addon exclusively from the repository is the last thing in the document, right after the contribution links, which is where a project puts the rule it most needs people to follow.
The community around it, and the two Discord servers
The README is as much about the community as about the software, which is typical of a project that has run for years around a language and a media centre.
There is a Discord for technical discussions with the vStream team specifically, linked from the section about exchanging with the team. And there is a separate Discord for the alKODIQues, described as the first French-speaking mutual aid community for the use of Kodi, and that one is for general discussion around Kodi with the largest French-speaking user community.
The distinction is a sensible one and it tells you how the project is organised. Questions about this addon go to the vStream Discord, where the maintainers are, and questions about Kodi in general go to the alKODIQues, where there are many more people.
The alKODIQues also run the detailed tutorials for vStream, through a partner arrangement, with a wiki category of vStream documentation linked from the README. The quick presentation with a few simple tutorials is on the project site at kodi-vstream.github.io.
Funding runs through PayPal, with a donate button link, under a section headed Nous soutenir, and the wording is that if you like the work and want to support it. There is no tier structure or sponsorship product, just a donation link, which is the usual arrangement for an addon maintained by volunteers.
The repository also links a small tool for people who want to contribute directly to the project, restricted to developers, which points at a tree containing the plugin.video.vstream directory on the Beta branch. That is the same directory the plugin lives in, so the link is a shortcut for a developer who wants the code without the surrounding repository files.
The README ends with a French sign-off, Bon Film, which is a nice piece of the project's character and a reminder that this is a community project rather than a product.
What the version numbers and the branch tell you about the project
Looking at the release history and the default branch together gives a fairly clear picture of the project's maintenance state.
The three most recent releases are 4.2.3, 4.2.2 and 4.2.1, spread across September and October 2026, with the patch numbers suggesting an active line rather than a dormant one. The last push to the repository was on 2026-10-19, which is the same month as the newest release, so the branch and the releases are moving together.
The default branch is Beta, not master or main, and the README links into that branch for both the source template and the host template, and for the developer tree. So Beta is where the current work is, and the naming is a deliberate signal that the branch is not a stable line.
For a Kodi addon, this matters more than it would for a library. Kodi addons are distributed as zip packages through the repository, and each install pins a version, so a user can be running 4.2.3 while the branch has already moved on. The addon versioning and the generated index are what keep that consistent, and the fact that the metadata is generated by a script and checksummed is what stops the two from drifting.
The language choice is Python, which is the norm for Kodi addons and is what lets the plugin run on any platform Kodi runs on, including the Raspberry Pi hardware that many of the users of a French-language TV and video addon would be running.
The project is also part of a wider ecosystem of Kodi video addons, and the vStream name is used consistently across the plugin directory, the repository directory and the hosted repository path, which is what makes the install instructions in the README followable without ambiguity.
Editorial conclusion
Adopt vStream if you want a French-language Kodi video addon whose source and host layers are meant to be extended, since the repository ships the two template scripts that make that extension a matter of filling in a file. Do not adopt it as a general Kodi video plugin, because the structure is specific to how this addon aggregates sources and hosts, and note that the addon must be installed from its own repository rather than from a loose zip. Before you contribute, read the two commented files, ajouter_une_source.py and ajouter_un_hebergeur.py, and regenerate the repository metadata with addons_xml_generator.py rather than editing it by hand.
Frequently asked questions
What does the vStream Kodi addon do?
It lets you stream a large number of video sources in Kodi, covering television, films, series, mangas and documentaries. It also allows downloading certain sources, adding them to favourites, and synchronising your Trakt account, and the project is entirely in French.
How do I install the vStream addon?
Add the source path https://kodi-vstream.github.io/repo/ in the Kodi file manager under Ajouter une source, name it, then install the repository.vstream-x.x.x.zip from Extensions and installer depuis un fichier zip, and finally install vStream through Extensions and Installer depuis un dépôt. The addon must be installed from its own repository rather than from a loose zip.
How do I add a new source or a new host to vStream?
Use the commented template files the project provides: ajouter_une_source.py for a new source and ajouter_un_hebergeur.py for a new host, both of which are documented with comments to guide you. New source proposals and bug reports go through the GitHub issues page.
How is the vStream repository metadata produced?
It is generated rather than hand-edited. The addons_xml_generator.py script produces the addons.xml file, and addons.xml.md5 sits alongside it as the checksum Kodi uses to verify the downloaded index. There is also an historique.py script tracking the history behind those version changes.
Where do vStream users get help?
There are two Discord servers. The vStream Discord is for technical discussion with the project team specifically, and the alKODIQues Discord is for general discussion around Kodi with the largest French-speaking user community. The alKODIQues also host the detailed vStream tutorials on their wiki, and the project site at kodi-vstream.github.io carries a quick presentation with simple tutorials.
Official sources
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