Display omitted •Recycling effluents boosts AD performance of lignocellulosic biomass. An 87 % improvement in specific biogas yield achieved by effluents recycled.•Methanol from pectin hydrolyzation involved into the methylotrophic methanogenesis.•Biogenic amine pathway contributed to methylamines production. Effluents recycling proves to be an effective method for enhancing the performance of anaerobic digestion system for lignocellulosic-like biomass. However, a limited understanding exists regarding the regulation mechanisms of methanogens. This study aims to systematically assess the dynamic interactions between process parameters, microbial communities, and methanogenic activity throughout the AD process of corn stover with effluents recycling. The results show a significant increase in the specific biogas yields of corn stover to 369 ± 115 mL/g VS with effluents recycling, an 87 % improvement compared to the control system. Effluents recycling can recover nitrogen and selectively enrich the abundances of microorganisms such as Herbinix hemicellulosilytica, Bacteroides paurosaccharolyticus and Methanosarcina mazei, etc. Correspondingly, the strategy improves the abundance of CAZymes, enhancing the efficient depolymerization of cellulose, glucuronoarabinoxylan, xyloglucan and pectin. Methanol and methylamines originating from enhanced pectin hydrolyzation and the biogenic amine pathway boost methylotrophic methanogenesis. This study addresses knowledge gaps in producing-pathways of precursors for methylotrophic methanogenesis and elucidates the mechanism to boost methanogenesis process of lignocellulosic-like biomass with effluents recycling.