diff --git a/crates/service/obs_gateway/src/endpoints_ws/obs_gateway_websocket_handler.rs b/crates/service/obs_gateway/src/endpoints_ws/obs_gateway_websocket_handler.rs
index 230c13469c..22de958c0b 100644
--- a/crates/service/obs_gateway/src/endpoints_ws/obs_gateway_websocket_handler.rs
+++ b/crates/service/obs_gateway/src/endpoints_ws/obs_gateway_websocket_handler.rs
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ use crate::server_state::ObsGatewayServerState;
 use crate::twitch::oauth::oauth_token_refresher::OauthTokenRefresher;
 use crate::twitch::polling_websocket_client::PollingTwitchWebsocketClient;
 use crate::twitch::pubsub::build_pubsub_topics_for_user::build_pubsub_topics_for_user;
+use crate::twitch::twitch_user_id::TwitchUserId;
 use crate::twitch::websocket_client::TwitchWebsocketClient;
 use database_queries::twitch_oauth::find::{TwitchOauthTokenFinder, TwitchOauthTokenRecord};
 use futures_timer::Delay;
@@ -64,7 +65,7 @@ pub async fn obs_gateway_websocket_handler(
     },
   };
 
-  let user_id = token_record.twitch_user_id.parse::<u32>()
+  let twitch_user_id = TwitchUserId::from_string(&token_record.twitch_user_id)
       .map_err(|e| {
         error!("Error converting twitch user id: {}, id= {}", e, &token_record.twitch_user_id);
         CommonServerError::ServerError
@@ -95,7 +96,7 @@ pub async fn obs_gateway_websocket_handler(
 
   let mut client = TwitchWebsocketClient::new().unwrap();
   let token_refresher = OauthTokenRefresher::new(
-    user_id,
+    twitch_user_id.get_numeric(),
     &token_record.access_token,
     token_record.maybe_refresh_token.as_deref());
 
@@ -125,7 +126,7 @@ pub async fn obs_gateway_websocket_handler(
   let server_state_arc = server_state.get_ref().clone();
 
   let websocket = ObsGatewayWebSocket::new(
-    user_id,
+    twitch_user_id.clone(),
     client,
     token_refresher,
     server_state_arc
@@ -140,20 +141,22 @@ pub async fn obs_gateway_websocket_handler(
 
 /// Websocket behavior
 struct ObsGatewayWebSocket {
-  //twitch_client: PollingTwitchWebsocketClient,
-  twitch_user_id: u32,
+  twitch_user_id: TwitchUserId,
   twitch_thread: Arc<ObsTwitchThread>,
   server_state: Arc<ObsGatewayServerState>,
 }
 
 impl ObsGatewayWebSocket {
   fn new(
-    twitch_user_id: u32,
+    twitch_user_id: TwitchUserId,
     twitch_client: TwitchWebsocketClient,
     oauth_token_refresher: OauthTokenRefresher,
     server_state: Arc<ObsGatewayServerState>,
   ) -> Self {
-    let twitch_thread = Arc::new(ObsTwitchThread::new(twitch_user_id, oauth_token_refresher, twitch_client));
+    let twitch_thread = Arc::new(ObsTwitchThread::new(
+      twitch_user_id.clone(),
+      oauth_token_refresher,
+      twitch_client));
     Self {
       twitch_user_id,
       twitch_thread,
@@ -238,8 +241,8 @@ impl StreamHandler<Result<ws::Message, ws::ProtocolError>> for ObsGatewayWebSock
 
       let channel = RedisKeys::obs_active_session_topic();
 
-      let twitch_user_id = self.twitch_user_id.to_string();
-      let payload = ObsActivePayload::new(&twitch_user_id);
+      let payload = ObsActivePayload::new(self.twitch_user_id.get_str());
+
       let json_payload = payload.serialize()
           .map_err(|e| {
             error!("Could not serialize JSON: {:?}", e);
diff --git a/crates/service/obs_gateway/src/endpoints_ws/obs_twitch_thread.rs b/crates/service/obs_gateway/src/endpoints_ws/obs_twitch_thread.rs
index 1d23df24f5..73fa9101c5 100644
--- a/crates/service/obs_gateway/src/endpoints_ws/obs_twitch_thread.rs
+++ b/crates/service/obs_gateway/src/endpoints_ws/obs_twitch_thread.rs
@@ -1,15 +1,16 @@
+use crate::twitch::oauth::oauth_token_refresher::OauthTokenRefresher;
 use crate::twitch::polling_websocket_client::PollingTwitchWebsocketClient;
+use crate::twitch::twitch_user_id::TwitchUserId;
 use crate::twitch::websocket_client::TwitchWebsocketClient;
+use futures::lock::Mutex;
 use log::error;
 use log::info;
 use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicBool, Ordering};
 use std::sync::{Arc, RwLock, PoisonError, RwLockWriteGuard};
 use std::thread::sleep;
-use futures::lock::Mutex;
-use std::time::{Duration, SystemTime, UNIX_EPOCH};
 use std::time::Instant;
+use std::time::{Duration, SystemTime, UNIX_EPOCH};
 use tokio::runtime::Handle;
-use crate::twitch::oauth::oauth_token_refresher::OauthTokenRefresher;
 
 // TODO: Let's make this an Arc<RwLock<Map<Token, Thread>>>
 //  so that multiple browser sessions for the same user can
@@ -27,7 +28,7 @@ pub struct ObsTwitchThread {
 }
 
 struct InnerData {
-  twitch_user_id: u32,
+  twitch_user_id: TwitchUserId,
   token_refresher: OauthTokenRefresher,
   is_connected: bool,
   twitch_client: TwitchWebsocketClient,
@@ -36,7 +37,7 @@ struct InnerData {
 
 impl ObsTwitchThread {
   pub fn new(
-    twitch_user_id: u32,
+    twitch_user_id: TwitchUserId,
     token_refresher: OauthTokenRefresher,
     twitch_client: TwitchWebsocketClient
   ) -> Self {
diff --git a/crates/service/obs_gateway/src/threads/twitch_pubsub_user_subscriber_thread.rs b/crates/service/obs_gateway/src/threads/twitch_pubsub_user_subscriber_thread.rs
index 5529b52d2c..a525187c9e 100644
--- a/crates/service/obs_gateway/src/threads/twitch_pubsub_user_subscriber_thread.rs
+++ b/crates/service/obs_gateway/src/threads/twitch_pubsub_user_subscriber_thread.rs
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ use std::thread::sleep;
 use std::time::Duration;
 use twitch_api2::pubsub::Response;
 
+/// Receive both forms of twitch userid
 pub async fn twitch_pubsub_user_subscriber_thread(
   twitch_user_id: String,
   mysql_pool: Arc<sqlx::Pool<MySql>>,
diff --git a/crates/service/obs_gateway/src/twitch/mod.rs b/crates/service/obs_gateway/src/twitch/mod.rs
index dadd275d32..76a8eebc7e 100644
--- a/crates/service/obs_gateway/src/twitch/mod.rs
+++ b/crates/service/obs_gateway/src/twitch/mod.rs
@@ -3,4 +3,5 @@ pub mod polling_websocket_client;
 pub mod pubsub;
 pub mod twitch_client_wrapper;
 pub mod twitch_secrets;
+pub mod twitch_user_id;
 pub mod websocket_client;
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/crates/service/obs_gateway/src/twitch/twitch_user_id.rs b/crates/service/obs_gateway/src/twitch/twitch_user_id.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d3d75f23ef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/service/obs_gateway/src/twitch/twitch_user_id.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+use container_common::anyhow_result::AnyhowResult;
+
+/// Twitch says to encode these as strings, but the Twitch libraries
+/// still deal in integers. This centralizes type juggling.
+#[derive(Clone)]
+pub struct TwitchUserId {
+  string_user_id: String,
+  numeric_user_id: u32,
+}
+
+impl TwitchUserId {
+
+  pub fn from_string(twitch_user_id: &str) -> AnyhowResult<Self> {
+    let numeric_id = twitch_user_id.parse::<u32>()?;
+    Ok(Self {
+      string_user_id: twitch_user_id.to_string(),
+      numeric_user_id: numeric_id,
+    })
+  }
+
+  pub fn from_numeric(twitch_user_id: u32) -> Self {
+    Self {
+      string_user_id: twitch_user_id.to_string(),
+      numeric_user_id: twitch_user_id,
+    }
+  }
+
+  pub fn get_numeric(&self) -> u32 {
+    self.numeric_user_id
+  }
+
+  pub fn get_str(&self) -> &str {
+    &self.string_user_id
+  }
+}