diff --git a/assets/ffplayout.yml b/assets/ffplayout.yml
index 2dece761..675bc305 100644
--- a/assets/ffplayout.yml
+++ b/assets/ffplayout.yml
@@ -117,6 +117,13 @@ text:
     style: "x=(w-tw)/2:y=(h-line_h)*0.9:fontsize=24:fontcolor=#ffffff:box=1:boxcolor=#000000:boxborderw=4"
     regex: ^.+[/\\](.*)(.mp4|.mkv)$
 
+task:
+    help_text: Run an external program with a given media object. The media object is in json format
+        and contains all the information about the current clip. The external program can be a script
+        or a binary, but should only run for a short time.
+    enable: false
+    path:
+
 out:
     help_text: The final playout compression. Set the settings to your needs. 'mode'
         has the options 'desktop', 'hls', 'null', 'stream'. Use 'stream' and adjust
diff --git a/ffplayout-engine/src/output/mod.rs b/ffplayout-engine/src/output/mod.rs
index 96b587e1..ef51a65b 100644
--- a/ffplayout-engine/src/output/mod.rs
+++ b/ffplayout-engine/src/output/mod.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 use std::{
     io::{prelude::*, BufReader, BufWriter, Read},
+    path::Path,
     process::{Command, Stdio},
     sync::atomic::Ordering,
     thread::{self, sleep},
@@ -17,6 +18,8 @@ mod stream;
 pub use hls::write_hls;
 
 use crate::input::{ingest_server, source_generator};
+use crate::utils::task_runner;
+
 use ffplayout_lib::utils::{
     sec_to_time, stderr_reader, OutputMode::*, PlayerControl, PlayoutConfig, PlayoutStatus,
     ProcessControl, ProcessUnit::*,
@@ -83,11 +86,6 @@ pub fn player(
     'source_iter: for node in get_source {
         *play_control.current_media.lock().unwrap() = Some(node.clone());
 
-        let mut cmd = match node.cmd {
-            Some(cmd) => cmd,
-            None => break,
-        };
-
         if !node.process.unwrap() {
             continue;
         }
@@ -99,6 +97,23 @@ pub fn player(
             node.audio
         );
 
+        if config.task.enable {
+            let task_config = config.clone();
+            let task_node = node.clone();
+            let server_running = proc_control.server_is_running.load(Ordering::SeqCst);
+
+            if Path::new(&config.task.path).is_file() {
+                thread::spawn(move || task_runner::run(task_config, task_node, server_running));
+            } else {
+                error!("<bright-blue>{}</> executable not exists!", config.task.path);
+            }
+        }
+
+        let mut cmd = match node.cmd {
+            Some(cmd) => cmd,
+            None => break,
+        };
+
         let mut dec_cmd = vec_strings!["-hide_banner", "-nostats", "-v", &ff_log_format];
         dec_cmd.append(&mut cmd);
 
diff --git a/ffplayout-engine/src/rpc/server.rs b/ffplayout-engine/src/rpc/server.rs
index c3015cc3..0401f784 100644
--- a/ffplayout-engine/src/rpc/server.rs
+++ b/ffplayout-engine/src/rpc/server.rs
@@ -13,9 +13,10 @@ use std::io::{Cursor, Error as IoError};
 use tiny_http::{Header, Method, Request, Response, Server};
 
 use crate::rpc::zmq_send;
+use crate::utils::{get_data_map, get_media_map};
 use ffplayout_lib::utils::{
-    get_delta, get_sec, sec_to_time, write_status, Ingest, Media, OutputMode::*, PlayerControl,
-    PlayoutConfig, PlayoutStatus, ProcessControl,
+    get_delta, write_status, Ingest, OutputMode::*, PlayerControl, PlayoutConfig,
+    PlayoutStatus, ProcessControl,
 };
 
 #[derive(Default, Deserialize, Clone, Debug)]
@@ -129,45 +130,6 @@ fn filter_from_json(raw_text: serde_json::Value) -> String {
     filter.to_string()
 }
 
-/// map media struct to json object
-fn get_media_map(media: Media) -> Value {
-    json!({
-        "seek": media.seek,
-        "out": media.out,
-        "duration": media.duration,
-        "category": media.category,
-        "source": media.source,
-    })
-}
-
-/// prepare json object for response
-fn get_data_map(
-    config: &PlayoutConfig,
-    media: Media,
-    server_is_running: bool,
-) -> Map<String, Value> {
-    let mut data_map = Map::new();
-    let begin = media.begin.unwrap_or(0.0);
-
-    data_map.insert("play_mode".to_string(), json!(config.processing.mode));
-    data_map.insert("ingest_runs".to_string(), json!(server_is_running));
-    data_map.insert("index".to_string(), json!(media.index));
-    data_map.insert("start_sec".to_string(), json!(begin));
-
-    if begin > 0.0 {
-        let played_time = get_sec() - begin;
-        let remaining_time = media.out - played_time;
-
-        data_map.insert("start_time".to_string(), json!(sec_to_time(begin)));
-        data_map.insert("played_sec".to_string(), json!(played_time));
-        data_map.insert("remaining_sec".to_string(), json!(remaining_time));
-    }
-
-    data_map.insert("current_media".to_string(), get_media_map(media));
-
-    data_map
-}
-
 #[derive(Debug, Serialize, Deserialize)]
 struct ResponseData {
     message: String,
diff --git a/ffplayout-engine/src/utils/mod.rs b/ffplayout-engine/src/utils/mod.rs
index faee87d8..2affad7e 100644
--- a/ffplayout-engine/src/utils/mod.rs
+++ b/ffplayout-engine/src/utils/mod.rs
@@ -4,14 +4,18 @@ use std::{
 };
 
 use regex::Regex;
+use serde_json::{json, Map, Value};
 use simplelog::*;
 
 pub mod arg_parse;
+pub mod task_runner;
 
 pub use arg_parse::Args;
 use ffplayout_lib::{
     filter::Filters,
-    utils::{time_to_sec, OutputMode::*, PlayoutConfig, ProcessMode::*},
+    utils::{
+        get_sec, sec_to_time, time_to_sec, Media, OutputMode::*, PlayoutConfig, ProcessMode::*,
+    },
     vec_strings,
 };
 
@@ -207,3 +211,42 @@ pub fn prepare_output_cmd(
 
     cmd
 }
+
+/// map media struct to json object
+pub fn get_media_map(media: Media) -> Value {
+    json!({
+        "seek": media.seek,
+        "out": media.out,
+        "duration": media.duration,
+        "category": media.category,
+        "source": media.source,
+    })
+}
+
+/// prepare json object for response
+pub fn get_data_map(
+    config: &PlayoutConfig,
+    media: Media,
+    server_is_running: bool,
+) -> Map<String, Value> {
+    let mut data_map = Map::new();
+    let begin = media.begin.unwrap_or(0.0);
+
+    data_map.insert("play_mode".to_string(), json!(config.processing.mode));
+    data_map.insert("ingest_runs".to_string(), json!(server_is_running));
+    data_map.insert("index".to_string(), json!(media.index));
+    data_map.insert("start_sec".to_string(), json!(begin));
+
+    if begin > 0.0 {
+        let played_time = get_sec() - begin;
+        let remaining_time = media.out - played_time;
+
+        data_map.insert("start_time".to_string(), json!(sec_to_time(begin)));
+        data_map.insert("played_sec".to_string(), json!(played_time));
+        data_map.insert("remaining_sec".to_string(), json!(remaining_time));
+    }
+
+    data_map.insert("current_media".to_string(), get_media_map(media));
+
+    data_map
+}
diff --git a/ffplayout-engine/src/utils/task_runner.rs b/ffplayout-engine/src/utils/task_runner.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..63c62d8e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ffplayout-engine/src/utils/task_runner.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+use std::process::Command;
+
+use simplelog::*;
+
+use crate::utils::get_data_map;
+use ffplayout_lib::utils::{config::PlayoutConfig, Media};
+
+pub fn run(config: PlayoutConfig, node: Media, server_running: bool) {
+    let obj = serde_json::to_string(&get_data_map(&config, node, server_running)).unwrap();
+    trace!("Run task: {obj}");
+
+    if let Err(e) = Command::new(config.task.path).arg(obj).spawn() {
+        error!("Couldn't spawn task runner: {e}");
+    };
+}
diff --git a/lib/src/utils/config.rs b/lib/src/utils/config.rs
index a2d1bbcb..1aab2ae5 100644
--- a/lib/src/utils/config.rs
+++ b/lib/src/utils/config.rs
@@ -138,6 +138,8 @@ pub struct PlayoutConfig {
     pub playlist: Playlist,
     pub storage: Storage,
     pub text: Text,
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub task: Task,
     pub out: Out,
 }
 
@@ -292,6 +294,12 @@ pub struct Text {
     pub regex: String,
 }
 
+#[derive(Debug, Default, Serialize, Deserialize, Clone)]
+pub struct Task {
+    pub enable: bool,
+    pub path: String,
+}
+
 #[derive(Debug, Serialize, Deserialize, Clone)]
 pub struct Out {
     pub help_text: String,
diff --git a/scripts/task-runner.sh b/scripts/task-runner.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..1606ad9f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/task-runner.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+#!/usr/bin/bash
+
+# media object
+mObj=$1
+
+# perform a meaningful task
+notify-send -u normal "ffplayout" -t 2 -e "Play: $(echo $mObj | jq -r '.current_media.source')"