Content Types
The API supports responses in both XML and JSON, and clients can request one or the other using the standard Accept HTTP header. The default is XML, so JSON will only be returned if it's explicitly requested (Accept: application/json). New applications should use JSON.
Throughout the docs, it's common for a examples to be given in JSON only since the JSON response would be preferred for new applications.
Headers
PMS accept a variety of custom headers that follow the pattern X-Plex-{name}. The full set of headers isn't enumerated here since some may only apply to certain endpoints, but common headers that can be included on all requests include:
| Header | Description | Sample |
|---|
| X-Plex-Client-Identifier | An opaque identifier unique to the client | abc123 |
| X-Plex-Token | An authentication token, obtained from plex.tv | XXXXXXXXXXXX |
| X-Plex-Product | The name of the client product | Plex for Roku |
| X-Plex-Version | The version of the client application | 2.4.1 |
| X-Plex-Platform | The platform of the client | Roku |
| X-Plex-Platform-Version | The version of the platform | 4.3 build 1057 |
| X-Plex-Device | A relatively friendly name for the client device | Roku 3 |
| X-Plex-Model | A potentially less friendly identifier for the device model | 4200X |
| X-Plex-Device-Vendor | The device vendor | Roku |
| X-Plex-Device-Name | A friendly name for the client | Living Room TV |
| X-Plex-Marketplace | The marketplace on which the client application is distributed | googlePlay |
X-Plex-Client-Identifier is typically required, as is X-Plex-Token for authentication.
There's no standard way to send non-ASCII values as HTTP headers. We attempt to recognize and parse UTF-8 and ISO-8859-1. If you're sending something that may include non-ASCII characters (often X-Plex-Device-Name), use UTF-8 if possible.
These are referred to as headers throughout documentation, but all X-Plex- headers can also be sent as query string arguments.
Auth
Most endpoints require token based authentication, and the token is expected to be sent in the X-Plex-Token header. Tokens are obtained from plex.tv. See the Authenticating with Plex section.
Paths and Keys
Many parts of the API reference things that can be fetched by their key. These keys follow a sort of relative URL resolution pattern. Some examples will help clarify.
- For a request to
/library/sections that includes an item with a key of home in the response, that item can be fetched at /library/sections/home.
- For a request to
/library/sections/home that includes an item with a key of /library/metadata/deadbeef in the response, that item can be fetched at /library/metadata/deadbeef.
We say this follows a "sort of" relative URL resolution pattern because all requests are treated as though they have a trailing slash.
/library/sections/ + home => /library/sections/home
/library/sections + home => /library/sections/home
/library/sections + /library/sections/home => /library/sections/home
Just like URL resolution, keys may contain absolute URLs as well, especially absolute https://... URLs or custom view://... URLs. In these cases the key resolved by simply using it, the parent is irrelevant.
Also note that the features described in this API can generally be present at a different paths. The /media/providers path defines where all features can be found. Note that a PMS can contain multiple providers which will be enumerated here. For simplicity, these docs use the most common, default paths. But when we say that /library/sections/{id} is part of the API, what we really mean is that a endpoint exists which is composed of the key for the content feature and the key for the library section.
Finally, it's worth noting that many paths can potentially be discovered by walking API responses and fetching keys, but paths that aren't documented here aren't part of the API contract, they just happen to exist for a particular provider. For example, a particular content directory might include a directory with key={baseLibraryPath}/genre. That's not an official part of the API that's guaranteed to exist for every content directory, it's just a key that happened to exist within that content directory.
Types
Many elements throughout the API have a type attribute. These types are meant to give helpful information, such as whether something is a movie library or a TV show library. Some API elements rely on a type number so both are provided below
List of Metadata Types
| Type Name | Type Number |
|---|
movie | 1 |
show | 2 |
season | 3 |
episode | 4 |
trailer | 5 |
person | 7 |
artist | 8 |
album | 9 |
track | 10 |
clip | 12 |
photo | 13 |
photoalbum | 14 |
playlist | 15 |
playlistfolder | 16 |
collection | 18 |
When an element has both type and key attributes, the type describes what will be returned when fetching that key. Some types will return a list of other elements. That list may have a Meta element describing the specific types within the list. Consider the following examples:
[
{
"key": "/foo",
"type": "movie",
"title": "A Movie"
},
{
"key": "/bar",
"type": "collection",
"title": "My Favorite Movies"
},
{
"key": "/baz",
"type": "show",
"title": "A Show"
}
]
In each case, the type describes what will be returned when fetching the key. One exception is the /children key for parents like shows and seasons. It will return a list of children even though the type describes the parent.
Some elements may also include an optional subtype attribute. The subtype is meant to be a refinement of the type, not a completely different type. One test is trying to explain the type in natural language. type="clip" subtype="news" passes the test that "This is a clip, a news clip specifically." Another test is considering the client UI. A client should be functional if it ignores the subtype, and optimized if it respects it. If type="track" subtype="podcast", a client can successfully play the podcast in an audio player based purely on the type, but it may tweak the display or which advanced playback controls are visible based on the subtype.
List of Metadata Subtypes
podcastwebshownewsphoto
Collection Subtypes
Extras Subtypes
trailerdeletedSceneinterviewmusicVideobehindTheScenessceneOrSampleliveMusicVideolyricMusicVideoconcertfeaturetteshortother
Sources
Source URIs and attributes make it possible to uniquely reference content outside the local server context without requiring a fixed url. This might be desirable when showing related albums from a friend's shared media server, building a universal play queue, or returning aggregated hubs that span multiple providers. Source components are immutable and act as pointers to a single item or directory in the Plex ecosystem.
A source URI from a media server uses the server scheme while a cloud provider uses the provider scheme.
server://{SERVER_ID}/{PROVIDER_ID}/{PATH}
provider://{PROVIDER_ID}/{PATH}
As a single regular expression, that's:
/^(server|provider):\/\/([a-fA-F0-9-]+)?\/?([^/]+)([^\?]+)\??(.*)?/
The server id is the server's machineIdentifier. The provider id is the provider's identifier. The rest of the path represents the path of the content at the provider and may include additional query parameters like X-Plex- headers or media query syntax for sorts and filters.
Some examples may be helpful:
server://546684a3d18ac5c39037360ec9ce900b7af9cc36/com.plexapp.plugins.library/library/metadata/2814936
provider://tv.plex.provider.podcasts/library/sections/audio/all
The source attribute has the same structure as the source URI, but omits the path.
{SOURCE_TYPE}://{SOURCE_ID}/{PROVIDER_ID?}
/^(server|provider):\/\/([a-fA-F0-9-]+)?\/?([^/]+)$/
source="server://546684a3d18ac5c39037360ec9ce900b7af9cc36/com.plexapp.plugins.library"
source="provider://tv.plex.provider.podcasts"
Source attributes can be used as a base and combined with key or other root-relative path components to construct unique source URIs.
Pagination
Many endpoints that return a list of items support pagination. Additionally some endpoints will force pagination and limit number of elements returned if the client attempts to request all items. To request a specific subset of data, add two headers to specify the starting offset and the number of desired items.
- X-Plex-Container-Start - The desired starting offset
- X-Plex-Container-Size - The desired number of items
Both headers should be sent in order to request paginated content. Note that it's possible to request a size of 0 on supported endpoints in order to learn the total size without actually getting any content.
The response must be checked to see if the response is in fact paginated. The response might not be paginated at all, or it might include a different number of items than what was requested. A paginated response will include the headers:
- X-Plex-Container-Start - The offset of the first returned item
- X-Plex-Container-Total-Size - The total size of the collection (optional but typically present)
The response body will also typically include pagination info. If the response is a MediaContainer, then it will have offset and size attributes representing the start index and the number of items in the current response along with an optional totalSize attribute for the total number of elements in the collection.
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
X-Plex-Container-Start: 2
X-Plex-Container-Total-Size: 5
Content-Type: application/xml
{
"MediaContainer": {
"size": 3,
"totalSize": 5,
"offset": 2,
"Metadata" : [
…
]
}
}
Rather than requesting a page starting at an index, it is also possible in some lists to request a page centered on a specific item in the list.
- X-Plex-Container-Focus-Key - The key of an item to center on
- X-Plex-Container-Size - The desired number of items
The requested size is respected regardless of the position of the focus item in the list. If the item is at the start of the list and 10 items are requested, 9 items in the response will be after the item. If the item is in the middle of the list and 10 items are requested, 4 items will be before the item and 5 items will be after.
Endpoints that support rich media queries also have a limit parameter that interacts with pagination. Sending limit in a query string limits the desired number of items, much like the X-Plex-Container-Size header. There are two major differences:
- When using
limit, the total size of the collection is not returned. The minimum of the limit and the actual total size will be returned as the total size.
- The request may be more efficient when using
limit, since the total size doesn't have to be known.
If the total size of the collection isn't needed, use limit, since the request may be more efficient.
Note that limit and X-Plex-Container-Size aren't mutually exclusive. You can page within the results that are bounded by the limit. If you want a total of 1000 items from a collection of many thousands of items, but you want to page through them 20 at a time, you'd use limit=1000&X-Plex-Container-Size=20&X-Plex-Container-Start=0.
API Versioning
PMS has never used API versioning before the creation of this document. The first published API is considered 1.0 with the API prior to publication considered 0.0. A client species its version via the X-Plex-Pms-Api-Version header on requests. If no header is provided, the version 0.0 is assumed.
API Changes
-
1.0.0 (Supported in PMS >= 1.41.9)
-
Added /downloadQueue endpoints.
-
Public release of API.
-
The includeFields parameter has been renamed to includeOptionalFields. The includeFields parameter now means "include only these fields" where in the past it meant "please add these fields you wouldn't normally include." This was changed to be consistent with the cloud provider API.
-
1.1.0 (Supported in PMS >= 1.42.0)
- Added ability to filter '/media/providers/metadata' endpoint by metadata types (PM-3702)
- Changed
types in /playlists/{playlistId}/items to array of integers.
- Document the
/photo/:/transcode endpoints
- Fixed serialization of MetadataType objects for '/media/providers/metadata' calls.
-
1.1.1 (Supported in PMS >= 1.42.2)
- Added 'metadataAgentProviderGroupId' query param to create and edit library section (PM-3577)
- Fixed Add library section method type.
-
1.2.0 (Supported in PMS >= 1.43.0)
- Added 'squareArt' as additional element type for image assets (PM-2959)
- Added
/media/providers/metadata endpoints (PM-1012)
- Added delete method for /library/metadata/{id}/{element} (PM-4094)
- Added documentation for Metadata-type Media Providers (PM-3051)
-
1.2.1 (Supported in PMS >= 1.43.1)
- Added
/tv.plex.providers.epg.{identifier}:{deviceId} endpoints (PM-4017)
- Added new state to itemsGeneratorItems endpoint (PM-3475)
-
1.2.2 (Supported in PMS >= 1.43.2)
- Added
audioLayout endpoint (PM-5118)
- Added
videoCodec, audioCodec, and subtitleCodec endpoints (PM-5117)
Response Customization
Many endpoints allow the data that is included in the response to be tailored to exactly what the client wants. This is possible by either specifying things that should be excluded or the set of things that should be included. PMS's ability to include/exclude elements and fields is currently limited but expanding so this should be used with care.
Attributes can be customized by using a query string arg of either excludeFields or includeFields. This single parameter should be a comma-separated list of attribute names. For example, a request with excludeFields=summary,tagline is asking for the summary and title attributes to be left off any metadata items while the includeFields parameter indicated that only the specified fields should be included.
Child elements can be customized by using a query string arg of either excludeElements or includeElements. This single parameter should be a comma-separated list of element names. For example, a request with excludeElements=Media is asking for the Media elements to be omitted while the includeElements parameter indicated that only the specified elements should be included.
In addition to the above are the parameters includeOptionalFields and includeOptionalElements. These indicate that the fields/elements which are not normally included should be included in this request. One example is includeOptionalElements=musicAnalysis on metadata will include the musicAnalysis parameter which can be large and typically not needed by a client.
Trimming the response to only include what a client will actually use can result in much better performance, especially in large collections. Increasingly these are being used to select which data is fetched from the database. So if a client knows it will only ever use a few parameters from a request, it should specify those with includeFields.
Note that these inclusions/exclusions are treated as requests, not guarantees. Some endpoints will disregard them completely, and others may ignore them for specific items and insist on returning data that the client didn't necessarily ask for.
Media Providers
Media providers are general purpose entities which supply media to Plex clients. Their API describes the Plex Media Server API, via a set of features on the "root" endpoint of the provider. Media provider can be hosted by a media server or in the cloud, linked to a specific Plex account. This section explains media providers generally, and then provides the specific server-hosted APIs around media providers.
Client Guide to Media Providers
The philosophy behind media providers in general is to allow a common API between cloud servers and PMS, since the APIs are nearly identical to a normal PMS. The general guidelines are:
-
Consume /media/providers instead of /library/sections
The new providers endpoint give you a list of all providers exported by a server and their features. Remember that the library itself is considered a (very rich) provider! This change will also require changing the client to not hardwire paths on the server, but rather read them from the feature keys directly (e.g. scrobble and rating endpoints).
-
Gate management functionality on the manage feature
Server libraries allow management (e.g. media deletion). The correct way to gate this functionality is via the manage feature.
-
Make sure key construction is correct for things like genre lists
For example, /library/sections/x/genre returns a relative key for each genre, but there's nothing which says that the key can't be an absolute URL. This is why servers pass back fastKey separately so as to not break clients which don't do key construction correctly. Media providers do not pass back fastKey, but assume clients will be doing correct key construction.
-
Don't call /library/sections/X/filters|sorts
You can get all that information (and more) in a single call by hitting /library/sections/X?includeDetails=1. Media providers include the extra information by default.
-
Respect the Type keys in /library/sections/x
The top-level type pivots have their own keys, which should be used over the old "just append /all to the path and add the type" approach. Not only is this more flexible, it also allows for "virtual" pivots, like music videos inside a music library.
-
Look for the skipChildren/skipParent attributes for shows
Because of things like Podcasts, single-season shows can now be made to skip seasons. This is indicated by a skipChildren attribute on the show, or a skipParent attribute on an episode. If this is set on a show, the client should use /grandchildren instead of /children in the show's key.
Features
The list of supported features, along with the API endpoints each feature represents is shown in the following list. Note that each feature can define a custom endpoint URL, so it doesn't have to match the server API exactly.
-
search: This feature implies that it supports search via the provided key.
-
metadata: This feature implies that it supports metadata endpoint. For example, if the key were /library/metadata then the endpoints /library/metadata/X, /library/metadata/X/children and /library/metadata/X/grandchildren would be supported. This endpoint family allows browsing a hierarchical tree of media (e.g. show to episodes, or artist to tracks).
-
content: This feature implies that the provider exposes a content catalog, in the form of libraries to browse (grid of content), or discover (via hubs). Each entry in the content feature can contain:
hubKey: This implies it supports a discovery endpoint with hubs.key: This implies it supports a content catalog.icon: Optional, specifies the icon used for a content directory.
Each content feature can contain one or both of these keys, depending on the structure. More details on the various combinations are provided below.
-
match: The match feature is used to match a piece of media to the provider's content catalog via a set of hints. As a specific example, you might pass in a title hint of "Attack of the 50 Foot Woman" and a year hint of 1958 for the movie type. The provider would then use all the hints to attempt to match to entries in its catalog.
-
manage: The manage feature implies a whole host of endpoints around changing data inside a library (e.g. editing fields, customizing artwork, etc.). This feature is generally only available on an actual server and generally only to the admin.
-
timeline: The timeline feature implies that the provider wants to receive timeline (playback notifications) requests from a client at the endpoint defined by key. The feature may additionally specify the scrobbleKey and unscrobbleKey attributes, which represent the endpoints which allow marking a piece of media played or unplayed.
-
rate: This feature implies the provider supports the endpoint which allows rating content.
-
playqueue: This feature implies the provider supports the play queue family of endpoints. The flavor attribute further specifies the subset; the only supported flavor is currently full.
-
playlist: This feature implies the provider supports the playlist family of endpoints. If readonly is set, that means that the provider only allows listing and playing playlists (via play queue API), not actually creating or editing them.
-
subscribe: This provider allows media subscriptions to be created. If the flavor is record then media can be recorded from this library (such as DVR). If the flavor is download then the user is allowed to download from this library.
-
promoted: This feature allows the provider to supply an endpoint that will return a collection of "promoted" hubs that many clients show on a user's home screen.
-
continuewatching: This feature allows the provider to supply an endpoint that will return a hub for merging into a global Continue Watching hub.
-
collection: This feature implies the provider supports the collection family of endpoints.
-
actions
- removeFromContinueWatching - Action to remove an item from continue watching
-
imagetranscoder - This feature implies the provider supports the image transcoder endpoints used to scale images for clients where memory and processor is at a premium
-
queryParser - This feature implies the provider supports the media queries language below
-
grid - This feature implies the provider supports displaying metadata in a grid over time (such as live TV)
Home discovery and browsable libraries
Shown in the example in /media/providers, in this media provider the first content directory is an item with only hubKey, meaning it only providers discovery hubs. This is the set of hubs covering the whole library which contains continue watching, recently added, recommendations, etc. It's essentially "landing page" for the provider.
The subsequent directories also have a browse key, which means they provide a list view of the content with options for filtering and sorting. EPG providers may have only the key and no hubKey.
Minimal provider
There's no requirement to provide the content feature, given that there are two other ways to access content within a provider: search and match. The former can contribute to global search, whereas the latter is used for things like the DVR engine; once media subscriptions are set up, they look for matching content using the match feature, and examined using the metadata feature.
Deeper Hierarchies
If you examine an app like Spotify, you'll see many of the concepts here apply to their content hierarchy. Their content screens are either grids or hubs. But one notable difference is that the content hierarchy runs a bit deeper than the examples we've examined thus far. For example, one of the top-level selections is "Genres & Moods". Diving into one of the genres leads to a discovery area with different hubs for popular playlists, artists, and albums from the genre. Selecting a mood leads to a grid with popular playlists for the mood. In order to support this sort of hierarchy, we need an extension to the regular library, which is a content directory. This allows us to nest content, without losing any of the power and features—for example, the grid with popular playlists could list filters and sorts specific for that grid. This is power you simply don't have with the old channel architecture.
Extensions to regular libraries
This section examines extensions to plain libraries which content providers can use, and which clients need to be aware of.
-
Nested content directories: In regular libraries, there are fixed types of directories (e.g. shows, or music albums). In content providers, we want to have the ability to display other types of things (e.g. stations, or moods, or genres) as first-class things in a grid or discovery layout. Here's an example of what a nested content directory looks like. Given the type of content, the client knows that this directory should be treated like a content directory feature entry.
{
"Directory":[
{
"key":"foo",
"hubKey":"foo2",
"type":"content",
"aspectRatio":"1:1",
"title":"Genres and Moods"
}
]
}
-
Aspect ratio hint: Because the entities listed in content directories can be arbitrary, it's important to tell the client some information about how they should be displayed. The thumb attribute contains no information about aspect ratio, so clients make assumptions based upon known types (e.g. movies are 2:3, episode thumbs are 16:9, etc.). This attributes allows the provider to specify exactly the aspect ratio of the thing being displayed.
Metadata Providers
This section describes the specific Media Providers which supply the metadata feature. These providers can be created and used in Plex Media Server to supply metadata to items inside Movie and TV Show libraries (music libraries are currently not supported).
Common Request Headers
There are a few headers which are common to both the Metadata and Match features. These can be passed as either headers or query parameters.
| Header | Support Required? | Description |
|---|
| X-Plex-Language | No | IETF language tag including the region subtag (e.g. 'en-US', 'de-DE'). Used for localization. |
| X-Plex-Country | No | ISO 3166 two-letter country code. Used primarily to define the country for certification data, or can be used to determine release dates for the specific country. |
| X-Plex-Container-Size | Yes | For paged requests. This determines what the maximum container size should be of a single response. |
| X-Plex-Container-Start | Yes | For paged requests. This determines the starting index for the paged request. |
Response Paging
Certain responses may contain a large number of objects. The consumer may want to limit the size of the MediaContainer by paging through them using the X-Plex-Container-Size and X-Plex-Container-Start headers/params. Responses should them limit the object count inside the MediaContainer to X-Plex-Container-Size and start at the index provided by X-Plex-Container-Start.
See the Pagination section for more details on how paging works.
The only two endpoints that require mandatory paging are the Metadata /children and /grandchildren endpoints as these will potentially contain many items. Passing no paging headers here should only return the first 20 Metadata objects.
Common return codes
It is important to return the correct HTTP return codes.
| Code | Common Name | Description |
|---|
| 200 | OK | An response for an item or match is successfully returned |
| 404 | Not Found | If an item with the requested ratingKey is not found (Metadata feature only) |
| 400 | Bad Request | A request was made which cannot be fulfilled because the request is malformed |
| 500 | Internal Server Error | A request was made which cannot be fulfilled because the server encountered an internal error |
Response Customization (Optional)
There may be cases where a reduced response is wanted, i.e. we only want to return specific attributes or exclude specific attributes. These are handled with includeFields, excludeFields, includeElements and excludeElements.
Information on its use can be found in the Response Customization.
You may wish to add support for this to keep response sizes down, however it is not required and you can safely ignore when these parameters are passed.
Metadata Feature
This is a path to retrieve metadata for a specific piece of content by its id.
It is called by making a GET request to the path defined by the Metadata feature inside the root of your provider with the ratingKey of the metadata item.
For example, the request may be something like GET http://localhost/library/metadata/tmdb-movie-123 which should return a Metadata Object for the item with the ratingKey of "tmdb-movie-123".
See some Example Responses
Supported Query Parameters
There are some query parameters available to media provider to augment the responses. Not all of these are required to be supported by all providers, support requirement is detailed in the below table.
| Param | Type | Support Required? | Description |
|---|
includeChildren | integer (1/0) | Yes (TV Shows/Seasons only) | Returns a Children Object when the metadata type has direct child objects (e.g. a TV Show should return Season Children) |
episodeOrder | string | No | When making a request that returns seasons in the response, pass back the appropriate season items for the requested SeasonType id. It is expected that if no seasons exist for the requested episodeOrder, that no season data should be returned. |
Image endpoint (Recommended)
The Metadata feature should also provide a /images path for calls to specific items, e.g. /library/metadata/tmdb-movie-123/images. This endpoint should return a MediaContainer object containing and Image Array of all the available image assets for that item.
Example:
{
"MediaContainer": {
"offset": 0,
"totalSize": 3,
"identifier": "tv.plex.provider.metadata",
"size": 3,
"Image": [
{
"type": "coverPoster",
"url": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/qk3eQ8jW4opJ48gFWYUXWaMT4l.jpg",
},
{
"type": "background",
"url": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/3uE9SUywNbj1qSAuYCGgbTTYku5.jpg",
},
{
"type": "clearLogo",
"url": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/rIi0lY2UftYuKDJ4OlIefDdijve.png",
}
]
}
}
Children and Grandchildren Requests
For items which contain child items, like TV Shows and Seasons, these types should also respond to requests for /children and /grandchildren, e.g. /library/metadata/tmdb-show-123/children.
For TV Shows and Seasons this should return a MediaContainer object with an array of Metadata Objects for their Seasons and Episodes respectively.
It is required that these two endpoints support paged requests via the X-Plex-Container-Size and X-Plex-Container-Start headers/params.
Match Feature
This is a path to retrieve potential matches to metadata items based on contextual hints passed in your request body. This should return a MediaContainer Object possibly containing multiple Metadata objects (by default should only return the best result only).
It is called by making a POST request to the path defined by the Match feature inside the root of your provider.
This may be where it is useful supporting Response Customization as match responses don't always need to contain the full Metadata object responses.
A request body is required which can contain the attributes listed below.
| Attribute | Type | Support Required? | Optional | Description |
|---|
type | integer | Yes | No | The numeric metadata type for the requested match. See Metadata Types Table |
title | string | Yes | No* | A title for the item. *Movies and TV Shows only. |
parentTitle | string | Yes | No* | A title for the TV Show. *Seasons only. |
grandparentTitle | string | Yes | No* | A title for the TV Show. *Episodes only. |
includeChildren | integer (1/0) | Yes (TV Shows/Seasons only) | Yes* | Returns a Children Object when the metadata type has direct child objects (e.g. a TV Show should return Season Children). *Is only optional for Movie and Episode types. |
episodeOrder | string | No | Yes | When making a request that returns seasons in the response, pass back the appropriate season items for the requested SeasonType id. It is expected that if no seasons exist for the requested episodeOrder, that no season data should be returned. |
year | integer | Yes | Yes | The release year for the requested match. |
guid | string | Yes | Yes | An external id which can help matching precisely (e.g. `tvdb://12345) |
index | integer | Yes | Yes* | For Seasons, the season number. For Episodes, the episode number. |
parentIndex | integer | Yes | Yes* | For Episodes, the season number. |
filename | string | No | Yes | The relative path for the underlying media file. For TV Shows and Seasons this will return the first file found. e.g. /Movies/Back to the Future (1985).mp4 |
date | string | Yes | Yes* | When matching an TV Episode, if index and parentIndex are not available, a date must be passed representing the air date of the episode. |
manual | integer (1/0) | Yes | Yes | When a value of 1 is passed, the response should contain an array of the best matches for the request ordered by highest to lowest confidence. When this value is not passed or is 0, only the best match should be returned. |
includeAdult | integer (1/0) | No | Yes | If your provider supports explicit/adult content this value should be taken into consideration when returning responses and any explicit results should be filtered out unless a value of 1 is passed. |
Match Example
JSON Body
{
"parentTitle": "Adventure Time",
"type": 3,
"index": 8,
"filename": "TV Shows/Adventure Time/Adventure Time S08E01.mp4",
"includeElements": "Metadata,Children",
"includeFields": "guid,parentGuid,title,parentTitle,thumb,parentThumb,index,originallyAvailableAt,year,type",
"includeChildren": 1
}
CURL Command
curl -X POST \
'http://localhost/library/metadata/matches?X-Plex-Country=US&X-Plex-Language=en-US' \
--header 'Accept: application/json' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--data-raw '{
"parentTitle": "Adventure Time",
"type": 3,
"index": 8,
"filename": "TV Shows/Adventure Time/Adventure Time S08E01.mp4",
"includeElements": "Metadata,Children",
"includeFields": "guid,parentGuid,title,parentTitle,thumb,parentThumb,index,originallyAvailableAt,year,type",
"includeChildren": 1
}'
Response
{
"MediaContainer": {
"offset": 0,
"totalSize": 1,
"identifier": "tv.plex.provider.metadata",
"size": 1,
"Metadata": [
{
"guid": "plex://season/5d9c0939e9d5a1001f4def89",
"type": "season",
"thumb": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/zIDoU6YZXE3oz9MNBjE2Ld94Xuu.jpg",
"title": "Season 8",
"parentTitle": "Adventure Time",
"parentThumb": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/qk3eQ8jW4opJ48gFWYUXWaMT4l.jpg",
"parentGuid": "plex://show/5d9c07f72df347001e3a70b4",
"index": 8,
"originallyAvailableAt": "2016-03-26",
"year": 2016,
"Children": {
"size": 2,
"Metadata": [
{
"guid": "plex://episode/5eeb4fc1d39938003f7753c0",
"type": "episode",
"thumb": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/3WXclCno2MYKhdnUidQVsPSpolk.jpg",
"title": "Broke His Crown",
"parentTitle": "Season 8",
"parentThumb": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/zIDoU6YZXE3oz9MNBjE2Ld94Xuu.jpg",
"parentGuid": "plex://season/5d9c0939e9d5a1001f4def89",
"index": 1,
"originallyAvailableAt": "2016-03-26",
"year": 2016
},
{
"guid": "plex://episode/5eeb4fc1d39938003f7753be",
"type": "episode",
"thumb": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/mhhq4BXNmnZZfzfqsBvZwMvcngt.jpg",
"title": "Don't Look",
"parentTitle": "Season 8",
"parentThumb": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/zIDoU6YZXE3oz9MNBjE2Ld94Xuu.jpg",
"parentGuid": "plex://season/5d9c0939e9d5a1001f4def89",
"index": 2,
"originallyAvailableAt": "2016-04-02",
"year": 2016
}
]
}
}
]
}
}
MediaProvider Response
This document describes the JSON response schema for Plex-compatible metadata-specific Media Providers.
The root of the Media Provider must return some necessary attributes which define a metadata provider.
MediaProvider
| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|
identifier | string | Yes | Unique identifier for this media provider |
title | string | Yes | A human readable title for the media provider |
version | string | No | The version of the API being called |
Feature | array | Yes | Array containing the features provided by the media provider |
Types Array (Required)
This defines what metadata types are supported by the provider.
Please note that is recommended to support one specific metadata parent type per provider as this will make it easier for consumers to combine this provider with others inside Plex Media Server. This is because in order to combine providers, each provider in a combine group must support the types the other supports as well. Limiting the scope of types will make it more widely compatible.
If you wish to support both movie and TV Shows, consider creating two separate providers. This isn't a hard requirement but is recommended.
When supporting TV Shows, it is necessary to add a type for TV Shows, Seasons and Episodes (i.e. types 2, 3 and 4).
| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|
type | integer | Yes | The metadata type represented by its numeric value (see mapping table below) |
Scheme | array | Yes | Array defining the GUID-scheme (the prefix) for items returned by this provider |
Scheme Array (Required)
| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|
scheme | string | Yes | The GUID-scheme. Should be identical to the provider identifier. |
Metadata Types Table
Custom metadata provider currently support a subset of the full metadata types outline in the Metadata Types section.
| Type Name | Type Number |
|---|
movie | 1 |
show | 2 |
season | 3 |
episode | 4 |
Feature Array (Required)
A feature, as its name implies, defines a feature available to the specific provider.
| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|
type | string | Yes | Feature type (see feature table below) |
key | string | Yes | API endpoint path to call this feature |
Available Features
| Type | Required | Description |
|---|
| metadata | Yes | Path to retrieve metadata for a specific piece of content by its id. See Metadata Feature section. |
| match | Yes | Path to return a potential match for a specific piece of content using contextual hints. See Match Feature section. |
Example Response
{
"MediaProvider": {
"identifier": "tv.plex.agents.custom.johnz.tmdb",
"title": "John Z's TV Show Provider",
"version": "1.0.0",
"Types": [
{
"type": 2,
"Scheme": [
{
"scheme": "tv.plex.agents.custom.johnz.tmdb"
}
]
},
{
"type": 3,
"Scheme": [
{
"scheme": "tv.plex.agents.custom.johnz.tmdb"
}
]
},
{
"type": 4,
"Scheme": [
{
"scheme": "tv.plex.agents.custom.johnz.tmdb"
}
]
}
],
"Feature": [
{
"type": "metadata",
"key": "/library/metadata"
},
{
"type": "match",
"key": "/library/metadata/matches"
}
]
}
}
Defining an identifier
Custom metadata providers need to provide an identifier using a scheme with the tv.plex.agents.custom. prefix. A custom provider can choose its own scheme as long as it is prefixed with this value, for example a provider for a custom TheMovieDB implementation might use a scheme like:
tv.plex.agents.custom.johnz.tmdb
It is important to note that you should try and keep the identifier unique as there is no guarantee that it will be the only provider added to a Plex user's server and could conflict with a another existing provider already in use. So avoid using very generic suffixes like tmdb, tvdb, etc.
The characters allowed for your suffix is very strict and can only contain ASCII letters, numbers and periods (regex [a-zA-Z0-9.]).
This identifier must be used as the scheme for the Metadata items the provider returns. See GUID Construction.
Metadata Response
This section describes the JSON response schema for Plex-compatible metadata responses from Media Providers. This does not describe the Metadata response in its entirety only what is required for Media Provider responses.
The response consists of a MediaContainer object that wraps Metadata objects representing the movie, TV show, season or episode data.
The different metadata types may have specific attributes only returned by that type. e.g. Season and episode types will have some attributes specific to their parent like parentTitle which would not be serialized by a movie or TV show type.
MediaContainer
The root object that contains metadata and pagination information.
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|
offset | integer | The starting position in the result set (always 0 for single items) |
totalSize | integer | Total number of items in the response (always 1 for single items) |
identifier | string | The provider identifier (e.g., "tv.plex.provider.metadata") |
size | integer | Number of items in the current response (always 1 for single items) |
Metadata | array | Array containing a single movie metadata object |
Metadata Object
The main object containing all the item information.
Core Attributes (applicable to all metadata types)
| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|
ratingKey | string | Yes | Unique identifier for this metadata item in Plex |
key | string | Yes | API endpoint path to retrieve this metadata |
guid | string | Yes | Global unique identifier in Plex-compatible format. See the 'Guid construction' section. |
type | string | Yes | Content type (movie, show, season or episode) |
title | string | Yes | The metadata title, e.g. "Back to the Future" |
originallyAvailableAt | string | Yes | Original release date in ISO 8601 format (YYYY-MM-DD) |
thumb | string | No | A publicly accessible URL to the default poster/thumbnail for the item |
art | string | No | A publicly accessible URL to the default background artwork for the item |
contentRating | string | No | Age rating/certification (e.g., "PG", "R", "PG-13"). For non-US ratings please prepend 2-letter country code followed by a forward slash (e.g. za/15) |
originalTitle | string | No | If the request is made for language that is different to the original language of the release, return the title in its original language. |
titleSort | string | No | Returned if the content should be sorted by a different value, e.g. "Quiet Place, A". This will be added automatically by the media server, so its inclusion is only necessary if you require a specific sorting value which the media server does not accommodate. |
year | integer | No | Release year |
summary | string | No | Full plot synopsis |
isAdult | bool | No | Return true for explicit/adult content. |
Movie, TV Show and Episode Attributes
| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|
duration | integer | No | Runtime in milliseconds |
Movie and TV Show Attributes
| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|
tagline | string | No | Movie tagline or promotional text |
studio | string | No | Primary production studio |
theme | string | No | A publicly accessible URL to an audio snippet of the item's theme music (MP3 only, preferably keep max length to around 30 seconds) |
Season and Episode Attributes
| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|
parentRatingKey | string | Yes | Unique identifier for parent (the TV show for a season and the season for an episode) metadata item in Plex |
parentKey | string | Yes | API endpoint path to retrieve the parent metadata |
parentGuid | string | Yes | Global unique identifier in Plex-compatible format for the parent. See the 'Guid construction' section. |
parentType | string | Yes | the content type of the parent (i.e. show for a season, season for an episode) |
parentTitle | string | Yes | The metadata title of the parent. |
parentThumb | string | No | A publicly accessible URL to the default poster/thubnail for the parent |
index | integer | Yes | The item index. For a season this is the season number, for an episode it's the episode number |
Episode Attributes
| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|
grandparentRatingKey | string | Yes | Unique identifier for grandparent (the TV Show item) metadata item in Plex |
grandparentKey | string | Yes | API endpoint path to retrieve the grandparent metadata |
grandparentGuid | string | Yes | Global unique identifier in Plex-compatible format for the grandparent. See the 'Guid construction' section. |
grandparentType | string | Yes | show - the content type of the grandparent |
grandparentTitle | string | Yes | The metadata title of the grandparent e.g. Adventure Time |
grandparentThumb | string | No | A publicly accessible URL to the default poster/thubnail for the grandparent |
parentIndex | integer | Yes | The season index, e.g. 8 |
Image Array (Highly Recommended)
Array of all available image assets in various dimensions.
Not all types are required but it is recommended to supply at least "coverPoster" (or "snapshot" for episode items) and "background". "clearLogo" and "backgroundSquare" are also utilized inside Plex client applications for movies and TV shows and should be supplied to provide the best experience for these types.
| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|
type | string | Yes | Image type: "background", "backgroundSquare", "clearLogo", "coverPoster", "snapshot" |
url | string | Yes | Full URL to the image asset |
alt | string | No | Alt text for accessibility (typically movie title) |
OriginalImage Array (Recommended)
The same attributes as Image but provides images in the original language of the content if the requested language doesn't match the original language.
Genre Array (Recommended)
Array of genres associated with the content.
| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|
tag | string | Yes | Display name of the genre (e.g. "Action") |
originalTag | string | No | Original language of genre name if request is made in a language different from the original |
Guid Array (Optional)
Array of external identifier mappings. This is very useful to provide exact mappings to other metadata providers which can improve matching accuracy and speed when combining multiple metadata providers.
| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|
id | string | Yes | External ID in format "provider://id" (e.g., "imdb://tt0088763", "tmdb://105") |
Internally supported providers include:
imdb - IMDbtmdb - TheMovieDBtvdb - TVDB
Country Array (Optional)
Array of production countries.
| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|
tag | string | Yes | Full country name |
People
There are common attributes among Role, Producer, Director and Writer arrays.
| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|
tag | string | Yes | Person's full name |
thumb | string | No | URL to person's photo |
role | string | No | Character name or role description |
order | integer | No | Display order in cast list |
Role Array (Recommended)
Array of cast members and their characters.
See "People" section for attributes.
Director Array (Recommended)
Array of directors.
See "People" section for attributes.
Producer Array (Recommended)
Array of producers.
See "People" section for attributes.
Writer Array (Recommended)
Array of writers/screenwriters.
See "People" section for attributes.
Similar Array (Optional)
Array of similar titles.
| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|
guid | string | Yes | GUID for the similar movie |
tag | string | No | Title of the similar movie |
Studio Array (Optional)
Array of production studios and companies.
| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|
tag | string | Yes | Studio/company name |
Rating Array (Optional)
| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|
image | string | Yes | Image identifier for critic rating badge (see supported identifiers below) |
type | string | Yes | audience or critic - always audience for user-generated ratings |
value | float | Yes | The rating represented by a floating point value between 0 and 10 |
Rating image identifiers
These are built-in mappings to display the appropriate badge inside the Plex client. Adding new types is not currently supported.
| Identifier | Source |
|---|
imdb://image.rating | IMDb ratings |
themoviedb://image.rating | TheMovieDb ratings |
rottentomatoes://image.rating.ripe | Rotten Tomatoes for critic ratings |
rottentomatoes://image.rating.upright | Rotten Tomatoes for audience ratings |
Network Array (Optional)
TV Shows only.
Array of television networks that the TV Show originally aired on.
| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|
tag | string | Yes | Network name |
SeasonType Array (Optional)
TV Shows only.
The provider must support the episodeOrdering query parameter to use this.
Array of available episode orderings for a specific TV Show e.g. ("DVD Order", "Airing Order", etc.).
| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|
id | string | Yes | Unique identifier for the SeasonType, used as query parameter when making requests for TV Shows. ASCII characters only (e.g. "blurayOrder") |
source | string | Yes | The source of the data, e.g. "tmdb" |
tag | string | Yes | A human readable descriptor for the SeasonType, e.g. "Bluray" or "Airing" |
title | string | Yes | A full description for the SeasonType as shown in the Plex UI (e.g. "TheMovieDB (Netflix Order)") |
Children Object
This is required to be supported for TV Shows and Seasons and should only be returned when a request with includeChildren=1 is passed.
This is a simplified MediaContainer object inside a Metadata object which provides an array of child items for the parent object (i.e. when requesting a TV Show, Children will contain the list of Seasons of that TV Show).
Note: it is expected that all the child objects be returned in this array. In some edge cases this may result in very large arrays. Please see fit to ensure your provider can handle this and simplify the child objects with only the required attributes if necessary.
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|
size | integer | Number of items in the Metadata array |
Metadata | array | Array containing all child Metadata objects |
GUID construction
Plex-compatible GUIDs are constructed out of the following components:
{scheme}://{metadataType}/{ratingKey}
For an item from the Plex metadata provider this will look something like this:
plex://movie/5d7768244de0ee001fcc7fed
Scheme component
Custom metadata providers need to provide a GUID in this same format using a scheme with the tv.plex.agents.custom. prefix. The scheme should match the metadata provider's identifier (see Defining an identifier), for example a provider for a custom TheMovieDB implementation might use a scheme like:
tv.plex.agents.custom.johnz.tmdb
metadataType component
This should just be the string representation of the metadata type being returned, i.e. movie, show, season or episode.
ratingKey component
This value should match the ratingKey attribute on the metadata item and is what is used when making a metadata request to the provider (e.g. http://localhost/library/metadata/{ratingKey}).
The ratingKey can constist of ASCII letters, numbers, dashes and underscores (regex [a-zA-Z0-9_-]).
Custom GUID examples
Some valid GUIDs could look like this:
tv.plex.agents.custom.johnz.tmdb://movie/tmdb-movie-19934tv.plex.agents.custom.barkley.tvdb://show/78874tv.plex.agents.custom.finn.imdb://movie/tt0379786
Example Responses
Movie Type
{
"MediaContainer": {
"offset": 0,
"totalSize": 1,
"identifier": "tv.plex.provider.metadata",
"size": 1,
"Metadata": [
{
"art": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/d/gracenote/dc6be8ceb098b8e14a708786ea071c6e.jpg",
"guid": "plex://movie/5d7768244de0ee001fcc7fed",
"key": "/library/metadata/5d7768244de0ee001fcc7fed",
"ratingKey": "5d7768244de0ee001fcc7fed",
"studio": "Universal Pictures",
"summary": "Marty McFly, a typical American teenager of the Eighties, is accidentally sent back to 1955 in a plutonium-powered DeLorean \"time machine\" invented by a slightly mad scientist. During his often hysterical, always amazing trip back in time, Marty must make sure his teenage parents-to-be meet and fall in love to get back to the future.",
"tagline": "He was never in time for his classes... He wasn't in time for his dinner... Then one day... he wasn't in his time at all.",
"type": "movie",
"thumb": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/9/gracenote/9cf50a3c04a44ff7d53e1134222e3929.jpg",
"duration": 6960000,
"title": "Back to the Future",
"contentRating": "PG",
"originallyAvailableAt": "1985-07-03",
"year": 1985,
"Image": [
{
"alt": "Back to the Future",
"type": "background",
"url": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/d/gracenote/dc6be8ceb098b8e14a708786ea071c6e.jpg"
},
{
"alt": "Back to the Future",
"type": "backgroundSquare",
"url": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/a/gracenote/ab63d5222db8e9b9c319b478f81bf1b6.jpg"
},
{
"alt": "Back to the Future",
"type": "clearLogo",
"url": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/f/683a142553/f44fe9b4a2cb1a6eb3eadbd22eb09add.png"
},
{
"alt": "Back to the Future",
"type": "coverPoster",
"url": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/9/gracenote/9cf50a3c04a44ff7d53e1134222e3929.jpg"
}
],
"Genre": [
{
"tag": "Adventure",
},
{
"tag": "Comedy",
},
{
"tag": "Science Fiction",
}
],
"Guid": [
{
"id": "imdb://tt0088763"
},
{
"id": "tmdb://105"
},
{
"id": "tvdb://299"
}
],
"Rating": [
{
"image": "imdb://image.rating",
"type": "audience",
"value": 8.5
},
{
"image": "rottentomatoes://image.rating.ripe",
"type": "critic",
"value": 9.3
},
{
"image": "rottentomatoes://image.rating.upright",
"type": "audience",
"value": 9.5
},
{
"image": "themoviedb://image.rating",
"type": "audience",
"value": 8.321
}
],
"Country": [
{
"tag": "United States of America"
}
],
"Role": [
{
"order": 1,
"tag": "Michael J. Fox",
"thumb": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/8/people/835031cfa837a2bee58d4c0c345f617b.jpg",
"role": "Marty McFly"
},
{
"order": 2,
"tag": "Christopher Lloyd",
"thumb": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/2/people/21ab248996f621004036e057a1bad43e.jpg",
"role": "Emmett Brown"
},
{
"order": 3,
"tag": "Crispin Glover",
"thumb": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/4/people/490bb62cd498add695195a06dd0ca87e.jpg",
"role": "George McFly"
},
{
"order": 4,
"tag": "Lea Thompson",
"thumb": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/1/people/170afcdfe5b74c88f5ea5f74a31d107d.jpg",
"role": "Lorraine Baines"
}
],
"Director": [
{
"tag": "Robert Zemeckis",
"thumb": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/b/people/b6a7e4d5e61c2c4613be3ece75dace8e.jpg",
"role": "Director"
}
],
"Producer": [
{
"tag": "Neil Canton",
"thumb": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/4/people/481b0c2f5f012c3a532e2bf48fef1d80.jpg",
"role": "Producer"
},
{
"tag": "Bob Gale",
"thumb": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/people/5d7768244de0ee001fcc80b8.jpg",
"role": "Producer"
}
],
"Writer": [
{
"tag": "Robert Zemeckis",
"thumb": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/b/people/b6a7e4d5e61c2c4613be3ece75dace8e.jpg",
"role": "Writer"
},
{
"tag": "Bob Gale",
"thumb": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/people/5d7768244de0ee001fcc80b8.jpg",
"role": "Writer"
}
],
"Similar": [
{
"guid": "plex://movie/5d776d1023d5a3001f52001d",
"tag": "Back to the Future Part II"
},
{
"guid": "plex://movie/5d776d1723d5a3001f520400",
"tag": "The Karate Kid"
},
{
"guid": "plex://movie/5d776d10fb0d55001f596237",
"tag": "Back to the Future Part III"
},
{
"guid": "plex://movie/5d77682a6f4521001ea99e2c",
"tag": "The Breakfast Club"
}
],
"Studio": [
{
"tag": "Universal Pictures"
},
{
"tag": "Amblin Entertainment"
}
]
}
]
}
}
Show Type
{
"MediaContainer": {
"offset": 0,
"totalSize": 1,
"identifier": "tv.plex.provider.metadata",
"size": 1,
"Metadata": [
{
"art": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/3uE9SUywNbj1qSAuYCGgbTTYku5.jpg",
"guid": "plex://show/5d9c07f72df347001e3a70b4",
"key": "/library/metadata/5d9c07f72df347001e3a70b4/children",
"ratingKey": "5d9c07f72df347001e3a70b4",
"studio": "Frederator Studios",
"summary": "Unlikely heroes Finn and Jake are buddies who traverse the mystical Land of Ooo. The best of friends, our heroes always find themselves in the middle of escapades. Finn and Jake depend on each other through thick and thin.",
"type": "show",
"theme": "https://tvthemes.plexapp.com/152831.mp3",
"thumb": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/qk3eQ8jW4opJ48gFWYUXWaMT4l.jpg",
"duration": 660000,
"title": "Adventure Time",
"contentRating": "TV-PG",
"originallyAvailableAt": "2010-04-05",
"year": 2010,
"Image": [
{
"alt": "Adventure Time",
"type": "background",
"url": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/3uE9SUywNbj1qSAuYCGgbTTYku5.jpg"
},
{
"alt": "Adventure Time",
"type": "backgroundSquare",
"url": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/1/gracenote/1c09b028e1b15c0325917c51966a47d7.jpg"
},
{
"alt": "Adventure Time",
"type": "clearLogo",
"url": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/9/683a142553/9bf0c95f0dede66fce0e507fbfedc653.png"
},
{
"alt": "Adventure Time",
"type": "coverPoster",
"url": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/qk3eQ8jW4opJ48gFWYUXWaMT4l.jpg"
}
],
"Genre": [
{
"tag": "Animation"
},
{
"tag": "Comedy"
},
{
"tag": "Action"
},
{
"tag": "Adventure"
},
{
"tag": "Family"
},
{
"tag": "Fantasy"
},
{
"tag": "Science Fiction"
},
{
"tag": "Sci-Fi & Fantasy"
},
{
"tag": "Children"
}
],
"Guid": [
{
"id": "imdb://tt1305826"
},
{
"id": "tmdb://15260"
},
{
"id": "tvdb://152831"
}
],
"Rating": [
{
"image": "imdb://image.rating",
"type": "audience",
"value": 8.6
},
{
"image": "rottentomatoes://image.rating.ripe",
"type": "critic",
"value": 10
},
{
"image": "rottentomatoes://image.rating.upright",
"type": "audience",
"value": 9.4
},
{
"image": "themoviedb://image.rating",
"type": "audience",
"value": 8.504
}
],
"Country": [
{
"tag": "United States of America"
}
],
"Role": [
{
"order": 1,
"tag": "Jeremy Shada",
"thumb": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/b/people/ba6413846e4fc49884ec7694d012b198.jpg",
"role": "Finn the Human (voice)"
},
{
"order": 2,
"tag": "John DiMaggio",
"thumb": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/0/people/0a945543418d442fea7ae4948b2a2fda.jpg",
"role": "Jake the Dog (voice)"
},
{
"order": 3,
"tag": "Tom Kenny",
"thumb": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/7/people/7a7654471f4b87c2f8ce757357e860b5.jpg",
"role": "Ice King (voice)"
},
{
"order": 4,
"tag": "Hynden Walch",
"thumb": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/b/people/b2588be9b38393facd27de7fc4081720.jpg",
"role": "Princess Bubblegum (voice)"
},
{
"order": 5,
"tag": "Olivia Olson",
"thumb": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/4/people/4eec0b6c6d36f6c4cd0574af354d74aa.jpg",
"role": "Marceline the Vampire Queen (voice)"
}
],
"Director": [
{
"tag": "Larry Leichliter",
"role": "Director"
},
{
"tag": "Adam Muto",
"thumb": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/e/people/e385c2d25614f10d505701e5f590372a.jpg",
"role": "Director"
}
],
"Producer": [
{
"tag": "Derek Drymon",
"thumb": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/c/people/cb057ffd3860076eb0f0c1fb55c8fef1.jpg",
"role": "Producer"
},
{
"tag": "Kelly Crews",
"role": "Producer"
}
],
"Writer": [
{
"tag": "Tim McKeon",
"role": "Writer"
},
{
"tag": "Sean Jimenez",
"role": "Writer"
}
],
"Network": [
{
"tag": "Cartoon Network"
}
],
"SeasonType": [
{
"id": "tmdbAiring",
"source": "tmdb",
"tag": "Aired",
"title": "The Movie Database (Aired)"
},
{
"id": "tvdbAiring",
"source": "tvdb",
"tag": "Aired",
"title": "TheTVDB (Aired)"
},
{
"id": "tvdbDvd",
"source": "tvdb",
"tag": "DVD",
"title": "TheTVDB (DVD)"
},
{
"id": "tvdbAbsolute",
"source": "tvdb",
"tag": "Absolute",
"title": "TheTVDB (Absolute)"
}
],
"Similar": [
{
"guid": "plex://show/611cdc357032b6002cb92e97",
"tag": "Adventure Time: Fionna & Cake"
},
{
"guid": "plex://show/5d9c0875ba6eb9001fba4e43",
"tag": "Johnny Bravo"
},
{
"guid": "plex://show/5d9c084de264b7001fc4088c",
"tag": "Regular Show"
}
],
"Studio": [
{
"tag": "Frederator Studios"
},
{
"tag": "Cartoon Network Studios"
}
]
}
]
}
}
Season Type (with Children)
{
"MediaContainer": {
"offset": 0,
"totalSize": 1,
"identifier": "tv.plex.provider.metadata",
"size": 1,
"Metadata": [
{
"guid": "plex://season/602e59ccfdd281002cddb790",
"key": "/library/metadata/602e59ccfdd281002cddb790/children",
"ratingKey": "602e59ccfdd281002cddb790",
"type": "season",
"thumb": "http://assets.fanart.tv/fanart/tv/152831/seasonposter/adventure-time-with-finn-and-jake-5c8d180f9b002.jpg",
"title": "Season 10",
"parentTitle": "Adventure Time",
"parentType": "show",
"parentArt": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/3uE9SUywNbj1qSAuYCGgbTTYku5.jpg",
"parentThumb": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/qk3eQ8jW4opJ48gFWYUXWaMT4l.jpg",
"parentRatingKey": "5d9c07f72df347001e3a70b4",
"parentGuid": "plex://show/5d9c07f72df347001e3a70b4",
"parentKey": "/library/metadata/5d9c07f72df347001e3a70b4",
"index": 10,
"contentRating": "TV-PG",
"originallyAvailableAt": "2017-09-17",
"year": 2017,
"Image": [
{
"alt": "Season 10",
"type": "background",
"url": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/3uE9SUywNbj1qSAuYCGgbTTYku5.jpg"
},
{
"alt": "Season 10",
"type": "backgroundSquare",
"url": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/1/gracenote/1c09b028e1b15c0325917c51966a47d7.jpg"
},
{
"alt": "Season 10",
"type": "coverPoster",
"url": "http://assets.fanart.tv/fanart/tv/152831/seasonposter/adventure-time-with-finn-and-jake-5c8d180f9b002.jpg"
}
],
"Guid": [
{
"id": "tvdb://1823714"
}
],
"Children": {
"size": 2,
"Metadata": [
{
"guid": "plex://episode/5d9c0b7ee98e47001eb2e3a0",
"key": "/library/metadata/5d9c0b7ee98e47001eb2e3a0",
"ratingKey": "5d9c0b7ee98e47001eb2e3a0",
"summary": "A fierce creature is terrorizing the Candy Kingdom but before Finn can slay the beast, he must first overcome a guilty conscience.",
"type": "episode",
"thumb": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/qgKsxcwvkDbAIjUceuDrv2AgtOF.jpg",
"duration": 660000,
"title": "The Wild Hunt",
"grandparentTitle": "Adventure Time",
"grandparentType": "show",
"grandparentArt": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/3uE9SUywNbj1qSAuYCGgbTTYku5.jpg",
"grandparentThumb": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/qk3eQ8jW4opJ48gFWYUXWaMT4l.jpg",
"grandparentRatingKey": "5d9c07f72df347001e3a70b4",
"grandparentGuid": "plex://show/5d9c07f72df347001e3a70b4",
"grandparentKey": "/library/metadata/5d9c07f72df347001e3a70b4",
"parentTitle": "Season 10",
"parentType": "season",
"parentArt": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/9/gracenote/9e06ae7ff36bd8d62fa1600287f80794.jpg",
"parentThumb": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/w8mYplN3ysIJ5DIYYgmfGTvuNzd.jpg",
"parentRatingKey": "5d9c0939e9d5a1001f4def80",
"parentGuid": "plex://season/5d9c0939e9d5a1001f4def80",
"parentKey": "/library/metadata/5d9c0939e9d5a1001f4def80",
"index": 1,
"parentIndex": 10,
"contentRating": "TV-PG",
"originallyAvailableAt": "2017-09-17",
"year": 2017,
"Image": [
{
"alt": "The Wild Hunt",
"type": "snapshot",
"url": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/qgKsxcwvkDbAIjUceuDrv2AgtOF.jpg"
}
],
"Guid": [
{
"id": "imdb://tt7308394"
},
{
"id": "tmdb://1418023"
},
{
"id": "tvdb://6179251"
}
],
"Rating": [
{
"image": "imdb://image.rating",
"type": "audience",
"value": 8.3
},
{
"image": "themoviedb://image.rating",
"type": "audience",
"value": 7.9
}
],
"Role": [
{
"order": 1,
"tag": "Jeremy Shada",
"thumb": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/b/people/ba6413846e4fc49884ec7694d012b198.jpg",
"role": "Finn the Human (voice)"
},
{
"order": 2,
"tag": "John DiMaggio",
"thumb": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/0/people/0a945543418d442fea7ae4948b2a2fda.jpg",
"role": "Jake the Dog (voice)"
}
],
"Producer": [
{
"tag": "Adam Muto",
"thumb": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/e/people/e385c2d25614f10d505701e5f590372a.jpg",
"role": "Producer"
}
],
"Writer": [
{
"tag": "Pendleton Ward",
"thumb": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/8/people/83eb3402f017498e3a0fd5e44af8d1ae.jpg",
"role": "Creator"
}
]
},
{
"guid": "plex://episode/5d9c0b7ee98e47001eb2e38b",
"key": "/library/metadata/5d9c0b7ee98e47001eb2e38b",
"ratingKey": "5d9c0b7ee98e47001eb2e38b",
"summary": "BMO and Ice King hit the road as door to door salesmen and stumble upon an irresistible opportunity.",
"type": "episode",
"thumb": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/fvREJ2bNoXM2WAGVPCGa3ryQtJs.jpg",
"duration": 660000,
"title": "Always BMO Closing",
"grandparentTitle": "Adventure Time",
"grandparentType": "show",
"grandparentArt": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/3uE9SUywNbj1qSAuYCGgbTTYku5.jpg",
"grandparentThumb": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/qk3eQ8jW4opJ48gFWYUXWaMT4l.jpg",
"grandparentRatingKey": "5d9c07f72df347001e3a70b4",
"grandparentGuid": "plex://show/5d9c07f72df347001e3a70b4",
"grandparentKey": "/library/metadata/5d9c07f72df347001e3a70b4",
"parentTitle": "Season 10",
"parentType": "season",
"parentArt": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/9/gracenote/9e06ae7ff36bd8d62fa1600287f80794.jpg",
"parentThumb": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/w8mYplN3ysIJ5DIYYgmfGTvuNzd.jpg",
"parentRatingKey": "5d9c0939e9d5a1001f4def80",
"parentGuid": "plex://season/5d9c0939e9d5a1001f4def80",
"parentKey": "/library/metadata/5d9c0939e9d5a1001f4def80",
"index": 2,
"parentIndex": 10,
"contentRating": "TV-PG",
"originallyAvailableAt": "2017-09-17",
"year": 2017,
"Image": [
{
"alt": "Always BMO Closing",
"type": "snapshot",
"url": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/fvREJ2bNoXM2WAGVPCGa3ryQtJs.jpg"
}
],
"Guid": [
{
"id": "imdb://tt7308402"
},
{
"id": "tmdb://1418024"
},
{
"id": "tvdb://6305580"
}
],
"Rating": [
{
"image": "imdb://image.rating",
"type": "audience",
"value": 7.6
},
{
"image": "themoviedb://image.rating",
"type": "audience",
"value": 6.7
}
],
"Role": [
{
"order": 1,
"tag": "Jeremy Shada",
"thumb": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/b/people/ba6413846e4fc49884ec7694d012b198.jpg",
"role": "Finn the Human (voice)"
},
{
"order": 2,
"tag": "John DiMaggio",
"thumb": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/0/people/0a945543418d442fea7ae4948b2a2fda.jpg",
"role": "Jake the Dog (voice)"
}
],
"Producer": [
{
"tag": "Adam Muto",
"thumb": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/e/people/e385c2d25614f10d505701e5f590372a.jpg",
"role": "Producer"
}
],
"Writer": [
{
"tag": "Pendleton Ward",
"thumb": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/8/people/83eb3402f017498e3a0fd5e44af8d1ae.jpg",
"role": "Creator"
}
]
}
]
}
}
]
}
}
Episode Type
{
"MediaContainer": {
"offset": 0,
"totalSize": 1,
"identifier": "tv.plex.provider.metadata",
"size": 1,
"Metadata": [
{
"guid": "plex://episode/5d9c0b7ee98e47001eb2e3a0",
"key": "/library/metadata/5d9c0b7ee98e47001eb2e3a0",
"ratingKey": "5d9c0b7ee98e47001eb2e3a0",
"summary": "A fierce creature is terrorizing the Candy Kingdom but before Finn can slay the beast, he must first overcome a guilty conscience.",
"type": "episode",
"thumb": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/qgKsxcwvkDbAIjUceuDrv2AgtOF.jpg",
"duration": 660000,
"title": "The Wild Hunt",
"grandparentTitle": "Adventure Time",
"grandparentType": "show",
"grandparentArt": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/3uE9SUywNbj1qSAuYCGgbTTYku5.jpg",
"grandparentThumb": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/qk3eQ8jW4opJ48gFWYUXWaMT4l.jpg",
"grandparentRatingKey": "5d9c07f72df347001e3a70b4",
"grandparentGuid": "plex://show/5d9c07f72df347001e3a70b4",
"grandparentKey": "/library/metadata/5d9c07f72df347001e3a70b4",
"parentTitle": "Season 10",
"parentType": "season",
"parentArt": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/9/gracenote/9e06ae7ff36bd8d62fa1600287f80794.jpg",
"parentThumb": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/w8mYplN3ysIJ5DIYYgmfGTvuNzd.jpg",
"parentRatingKey": "5d9c0939e9d5a1001f4def80",
"parentGuid": "plex://season/5d9c0939e9d5a1001f4def80",
"parentKey": "/library/metadata/5d9c0939e9d5a1001f4def80",
"index": 1,
"parentIndex": 10,
"contentRating": "TV-PG",
"originallyAvailableAt": "2017-09-17",
"year": 2017,
"Image": [
{
"alt": "The Wild Hunt",
"type": "snapshot",
"url": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/qgKsxcwvkDbAIjUceuDrv2AgtOF.jpg"
}
],
"Guid": [
{
"id": "imdb://tt7308394"
},
{
"id": "tmdb://1418023"
},
{
"id": "tvdb://6179251"
}
],
"Rating": [
{
"image": "imdb://image.rating",
"type": "audience",
"value": 8.3
},
{
"image": "themoviedb://image.rating",
"type": "audience",
"value": 7.9
}
],
"Role": [
{
"order": 1,
"tag": "Jeremy Shada",
"thumb": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/b/people/ba6413846e4fc49884ec7694d012b198.jpg",
"role": "Finn the Human (voice)"
},
{
"order": 2,
"tag": "John DiMaggio",
"thumb": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/0/people/0a945543418d442fea7ae4948b2a2fda.jpg",
"role": "Jake the Dog (voice)"
}
],
"Producer": [
{
"tag": "Adam Muto",
"thumb": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/e/people/e385c2d25614f10d505701e5f590372a.jpg",
"role": "Producer"
}
],
"Writer": [
{
"tag": "Pendleton Ward",
"thumb": "https://metadata-static.plex.tv/8/people/83eb3402f017498e3a0fd5e44af8d1ae.jpg",
"role": "Creator"
}
]
}
]
}
}
Media Queries
Media queries are a querystring-based filtering language used to select subsets of media. The language is rich, and can express complex expressions for media selection, as well as sorting and grouping.
Fields
Queries reference fields, which can be of a few types:
- integer: numbers
- boolean: true/false
- tag: integers representing tag IDs.
- string: strings
- date: epoch seconds
- language: string in ISO639-2b format.
These fields are detailed in Field elements in the section description endpoint (e.g. /library/sections/X?includeDetails=1).
Operators
Given that media queries are expressible using querystrings, the operator syntax might look a bit quirky, because a) they have to include the = character, and b) characters to the left of the equal sign usually have to be URI encoded.
Operators are defined per type:
- integer:
= (equals), != (not equals), >>= (greater than), <<= (less than), <= (less than or equals), >= (greater than or equals)
- boolean:
=0 (false) and =1 (true)
- tag:
= (is) and != (is not)
- string:
= (contains), != (does not contain), == (equals), !== (does not equal), <= (begins with), >= (ends with)
- date:
= (equals), != (not equals), >>= (after), <<= (before)
- language:
= (equals), != (not equals)
Relative Values and Units
For some types, values can be specified as relative. For dates, epoch seconds can be specified as relative to “now” as follows: +N (in N seconds from now and -N (N seconds ago).
In addition, the following unit suffixes can be used on date values:
- m: minutes
- h: hours
- d: days
- w: weeks
- mon: months
- y: years
For example, >>=-3y means “within the last 3 years”.
Field Scoping
Some media is organized hierarchically (e.g. shows), and in those cases, many fields are common to different elements in the hierarchy (e.g. show title vs episode title). The following rules are used to resolve field references.
- A
type parameter must be included to specify the result type.
- Any non-qualified field is defaulted to refer to the result type.
- In order to refer to other levels of the hierarchy, use the scoping operator, e.g.
show.title or episode.year. A query may be comprised of multiple fields from different levels of the hierarchy.
- the
sourceType parameter may be used to change the default level to which fields refer. For example, type=4&sourceType=2&title==24 means “all episodes where the show title is 24”.
Sorting
The sort parameter is used to indicate an ordering on results. Typically, the sort value is a field (including optional scoping). The : character is used to indicate additional features of the sort, and the , character is used to include multiple fields to the sort.
For example, sort=title,index means “sort first by title ascending, then by index”. Sort features are:
- desc: indicates a descending sort.
- nullsLast: indicates that null values are sorted last.
Sort features may be mixed and matched, e.g. sort=title,index:desc.
Grouping
The group parameter is used to group results by a field, similar to the SQL feature group by. For example, when listing popular tracks, we use the query type=10&sort=ratingCount:desc&group=title, because we don't want multiple tracks with the same name (e.g. same track on different albums) showing up.
Limits
The limit parameter is used to limit the number of results returned. Because it's implemented on top of the SQL limit operator, it currently only operates at the level of the type returned. In other words, type=10&limit=100 will return at most 100 tracks, but you can't select tracks from a limit of 10 albums.
Boolean Operators
Given the nature of querystrings, it makes a lot of sense to interpret the & character as a boolean AND operator. For example rating=10&index=5 means “rating is 10 AND index is 5”.
We leverage the , operator to signify the boolean OR operator. SO rating=1,2,3 means “rating is 1 OR 2 OR 3. Given standard precedence rules, rating=1,2,3&index=5 is parsed as (rating = 1 or rating = 2 or rating = 3) and index = 5).
Complex Expressions
There's only so many expressions you can form using vanilla querystring-to-boolean mapping (essentially, “ANDs of ORs”). In order to fully represent complex boolean expressions, there are a few synthetic additions:
- push=1 and pop=1: These are the equivalent of opening and closing parenthesis.
- or=1: These is an explicit OR operator.
As an example: push=1&index=1&or=1&rating=2&pop=1&duration=10 parses into (index = 1 OR rating = 2) AND duration = 10. This could not be expressed by the simplified syntax above.
Happy query building!
Profile Augmentations
The universal transcode endpoint supports the following header or query string parameter: X-Plex-Client-Profile-Extra.
The value of this parameter is url-encoded. When url-decoded, it consists of a string expressed in the following (poor man's) BNF grammar:
<ProfileExtension> ::= <Directive> "+" <Directive>*
<Directive> :: = <Verb> <Arguments>
<Verb> ::= "add-direct-play-profile" | "add-limitation" | "add-transcode-target-codec" | "append-transcode-target-codec" | "add-transcode-target" | "add-settings"
<Arguments> ::= "(" (<Name> "=" <Value>) "&")*
<Name> ::= <Text>
<Value> ::= <Text>
add-direct-play-profile
This directive augments the set of Direct Play profiles in the client profile. The following parameters are required:
type = "videoProfile" | "musicProfile" | "photoProfile" | "subtitleProfile"container = * or a comma-separated list of containersvideoCodec = * or a comma-separated list of video codecsaudioCodec = * or a comma-separated list of audio codecssubtitleCodec = * or a comma-separated list of subtitle formats
* means to use all existing matching values in the profile. At least one of the videoCodec, audioCodec and subtitleCodec parameters must not be *.
add-direct-play-profile example
To add ac3 as a video audio codec for mp4 and mov containers:
add-direct-play-profile(type=videoProfile&container=mp4,mov&videoCodec=*&audioCodec=ac3&subtitleCodec=*)
add-limitation
This directive adds a scoped limitation to the profile. The following parameters are required:
scope = "videoContainer" | "musicContainer" | "photoContainer" | "videoCodec" | "videoAudioCodec" | "musicCodec" | "subtitleCodec" | "transcodeTarget"scopeName = the name of the relevant container or codectype = "match" | "notMatch" | "upperBound" | "lowerBound"name = the name of the limitation
The following parameters are optional:
isRequired = true|false (default is false)allStreams = true|false (default is false)replace = true|false (default is false)
If the replace parameter is true, the limitation will replace any similarly scoped limitations (i.e. identical scope and scopeName. If false, the new limitation will simply add itself to the list of limitations.
Exactly one of the following three parameters is required:
value = the value of the limitationsubstring = the substring of the limitationregex = the regex of the limitation
The transcodeTarget scope exists to attach a limitation to a transcode target. This allows clients to tell the MDE to select a specific transcode target for a context/protocol pair, based on specific information about the media itself. When multiple transcode targets match, the first one in the profile will be selected.
add-limitation examples
To add a limitation on ac3 audio tracks in video media specifying a maximum of 6 channels:
add-limitation(scope=videoAudioCodec&scopeName=ac3&type=upperBound&name=audio.channels&value=6)
To add a limitation on ac3 audio tracks in video media specifying a maximum bitrate:
add-limitation(scope=videoAudioCodec&scopeName=ac3&type=upperBound&name=audio.bitrate&value=160)
To add a limitation on h264 video specifying a maximum level:
add-limitation(scope=videoCodec&scopeName=h264&type=upperBound&name=video.level&value=40&isRequired=true)
To add a limitation to a transcode target:
add-limitation(scope=transcodeTarget&scopeName=MyTranscodeProfile&type=upperBound&name=audio.channels&value=2)
add-transcode-target-codec
This directive adds additional codecs to the beginning of the audioCodec and/or subtitleCodec lists for the specified transcode target. The following parameters are required:
type = "videoProfile" | "musicProfile" | "photoProfile" | "subtitleProfile"
Either id or context and protocol are required:
id = a transcode target identifiercontext = a transcode context ("streaming" | "static")protocol = a protocol ("hls" | "http" | "slss" ... )
At least one of the following parameters are also required:
videoCodec = a comma-separated list of videoCodecs, which are added to the set of video codecs on the target.audioCodec = a comma-separated list of audioCodecs, which are added to the set of audio codecs on the target.subtitleCodec = a comma-separated list of audioCodecs, which are added to the set of subtitle codecs on the target.
add-transcode-target-codec example
To add ac3 as an additional transcode target option to a HTTP Live Streaming target:
add-transcode-target-codec(type=videoProfile&context=streaming&protocol=hls&audioCodec=ac3)
append-transcode-target-codec
This directive appends additional codecs to the end of the audioCodec and/or subtitleCodec lists for the specified transcode target. The parameters are the same as for add-transcode-target-codec.
append-transcode-target-codec(type=videoProfile&context=streaming&protocol=hls&audioCodec=dca)
add-transcode-target
This directive adds a new transcode target. If a transcode target matching the type/context/profile already exists in the profile, then this directive is ignored. The following parameters are required:
type = "videoProfile" | "musicProfile" | "photoProfile" | "subtitleProfile"context = a transcode context ("streaming" | "static")protocol = a protocol ("hls" | "http" | "slss" ... )container = a container
The following parameters are optional:
id = a transcode target identifierreplace = true|false (default is false)
If the replace parameter is true, the transcode target will replace any similarly scoped transcode target (i.e. identical type, context and protocol. If false, the augmentation will fail if there is an existing transcode target.
The following parameters are required, depending on the type:
videoCodec = a video codec (required for video) or a comma-separated list of video codecsaudioCodec = an audio codec (required for music and video) or a comma-separated list of audio codecssubtitleCodec = an subtitle codec (required for subtitles and optional for video) or a comma-separated list of subtitle codecs
add-transcode-target examples
add-transcode-target(type=videoProfile&context=streaming&protocol=http&container=mkv&videoCodec=h264&audioCodec=aac,ac3&subtitleCodec=srt)
add-transcode-target(type=musicProfile&context=streaming&protocol=http&container=flac&audioCodec=flac)
add-transcode-target(type=subtitleProfile&context=all&protocol=http&container=webvtt&subtitleCodec=webvtt)
add-settings
This directive overrides global settings for the profile. The parameters are name/value pairs matching existing client profile settings.
add-settings(DirectPlayStreamSelection=false&RandomAccessDataModel=limited)
Authenticating with Plex
Plex supports two authentication methods:
JWT Authentication (Recommended)
Plex now supports JSON Web Token (JWT) authentication that provides better security, shorter token lifespans, and improved protection against potential security breaches.
Why JWT Authentication?
The new JWT system addresses security concerns by:
- Short-lived tokens: Tokens expire after 7 days
- Public-key cryptography: Uses modern cryptographic standards (ED25519) for enhanced security
- Better clock synchronization: Built-in timestamp validation helps devices stay in sync
How JWT Authentication Works
1. Register your public key
The new system uses a public-key authentication model where each device uploads a public key (JWK) and then requests short-lived JWT tokens. There are two ways to get started with JWT authentication:
Option 1: PIN Authentication Flow (Recommended for New Apps)
This method allows you to get JWT tokens without needing any existing tokens first. It's the preferred approach for new applications.
Step 1: Generate a PIN with JWK
POST https://clients.plex.tv/api/v2/pins
Headers:
X-Plex-Client-Identifier: your-device-identifier
Body:
{
"jwk": {
"kty": "OKP",
"crv": "Ed25519",
"x": "your-public-key-data",
"kid": "your-key-id",
"alg": "EdDSA"
},
"strong": true
}
Step 2: User Authentication
Construct the Auth App URL and have the user authenticate:
https://app.plex.tv/auth#?clientID=<clientIdentifier>&code=<pinCode>&context%5Bdevice%5D%5Bproduct%5D=My%20Cool%20Plex%20App&forwardUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fmy-cool-plex-app.com
For 4-digit pins, you need to use the link page: https://plex.tv/link/?pin=<code>
Step 3: Exchange PIN for JWT Token
GET https://clients.plex.tv/api/v2/pins/<pinID>?deviceJWT=<signedJWT>
The signed JWT must include:
"aud": "plex.tv""iss": "<clientIdentifier>""kid" and "alg" in the header
You will get the Plex JWT token in the authToken field of the response.
Option 2: Register your public key with existing tokens (For Existing Apps)
If you already have a legacy token, you can use it to register your device for JWT authentication:
POST https://clients.plex.tv/api/v2/auth/jwk
Headers:
X-Plex-Client-Identifier: your-device-identifier
X-Plex-Token: your-existing-token
Body:
{
"jwk": {
"kty": "OKP",
"crv": "Ed25519",
"x": "your-public-key-data",
"kid": "your-key-id",
"use": "sig",
"alg": "EdDSA"
}
}
After registering your public key, you should follow the same steps described below to refresh your token to get your first JWT.
2. Token Refresh Process
Once registered, your device must refresh its token every 7 days using this three-step process:
Step 1: Get a Nonce
GET https://clients.plex.tv/api/v2/auth/nonce
Headers:
X-Plex-Client-Identifier: your-device-identifier
This returns a unique nonce valid for 5 minutes:
{
"nonce": "7c415b56-8f48-488a-98ab-847ef4460442"
}
Step 2: Create a Device JWT
Your device creates a JWT containing:
- The nonce from step 1
- Required scope permissions (see Scope Details below)
- Audience set to
plex.tv
- Issuer set to your
client_identifier
- Signed with your device's private key
Important JWT Header Requirements:
Your JWT must include these header fields:
"kid": The key identifier from your JWK registration"alg": Must be "EdDSA" for ED25519 signatures, or "RS256" for RSA signatures
Scope Details:
The scope field in your device JWT should contain comma-separated values for the user data you need included in the JWT:
username - Access to the user's usernameemail - Access to the user's email addressfriendly_name - Access to the user's friendly namerestricted - Access to the user's restricted statusanonymous - Access to the user's anonymous statusjoinedAt - Access to the user's account creation timestamp
Example Device JWT Header:
{
"kid": "your-key-id",
"alg": "EdDSA",
"typ": "JWT"
}
Example Device JWT Payload:
{
"nonce": "7c415b56-8f48-488a-98ab-847ef4460442",
"scope": "username,email,friendly_name",
"aud": "plex.tv",
"iss": "your-client-identifier",
"iat": 1705785603,
"exp": 1705789203
}
Step 3: Exchange for Plex Token
POST https://clients.plex.tv/api/v2/auth/token
Headers:
X-Plex-Client-Identifier: your-device-identifier
Body:
{
"jwt": "your-device-signed-jwt"
}
This returns a new Plex.tv JWT valid for 7 days:
{
"auth_token": "eyJraWQiOiJYeVRRN21seXFtVmhJcEo0U1pDZGltdXo3ZjdEYXU1Ym9MLXU2MG5JeEdJIiwidHlwIjoiSldUIiwiYWxnIjoiRWREU0EifQ..."
}
Using Your JWT Token
Once you have a JWT token, use it exactly like the old tokens in the X-Plex-Token header. Note it can be used to access any Plex.tv endpoint or your Plex Media Server instance:
GET http://your-plex-server:32400/library/sections
Headers:
X-Plex-Token: your-jwt-token
JWT Authentication Benefits
Security Features:
- Token Rotation: Automatic expiration every 7 days
- Individual Revocation: Each device can be individually disabled
- Cryptographic Verification: Uses industry-standard ED25519 signatures
- Nonce Protection: Prevents replay attacks
Developer Experience:
- Familiar Interface: Same
X-Plex-Token header usage
- Automatic Clock Sync: Built-in timestamp validation
- Clear Error Codes: Specific error responses for different failure modes
- Rate Limiting: Built-in protection against abuse
Error Handling
The JWT system provides clear error responses with specific HTTP status codes:
Common Error Responses:
- 498 Token Expired: Your JWT has expired and needs refresh
- 422 Signature Verification Failed: Invalid device signature or JWT structure
- 422 Thumbprint Already Taken: JWK already registered by another device
- 400 Bad Request: Invalid request format or missing required fields
- 429 Too Many Requests: Rate limit exceeded (nonce requests are rate-limited)
Troubleshooting Tips:
- Missing
kid field: Ensure your JWT header includes the kid field matching your registered JWK
- Invalid signature: Verify your private key matches the public key you registered
- Clock synchronization: Ensure your device's clock is accurate (JWT includes timestamp validation)
- Nonce expiration: Nonces are only valid for 5 minutes - request a new one if yours has expired
- Rate limiting: Nonce requests are rate-limited to prevent abuse
Migration Guide
For New Applications or new users:
- Generate an ED25519 key pair for your device
- Use the PIN authentication flow (Option 1 above) to register your device and get JWT tokens
- Implement the token refresh flow for ongoing authentication
- Use the returned JWT in your
X-Plex-Token header
To replace legacy tokens of existing applications:
- Continue using your current token for now
- Register your public key with your existing tokens (Option 2 above)
- Generate your first JWT token using the token refresh process (Your legacy token will expire after this process)
- Implement the token refresh flow for ongoing authentication
- Use the returned JWT in your
X-Plex-Token header
Token Refresh:
JWT tokens expire after 7 days but can be refreshed at any time, including after expiration. Use the token refresh process described above.
Traditional Token Authentication (Legacy)
You're developing an app that needs access to a user's Plex account. To do this, you'll need to get access to the user's Access Token. This document details how to check whether an Access Token is valid, and how to obtain a new one.
High-level Steps
- Choose a unique app name, like "My Cool App"
- Check storage for your app's Client Identifier; generate and store one if none is present.
- Check storage for the user's Access Token; if present, verify its validity and carry on.
- If an Access Token is missing or invalid, generate a PIN, and store its
id.
- Construct an Auth App url and send the user's browser there to authenticate.
- After authentication, check the PIN's
id to obtain and store the user's Access Token.
Detailed Steps
-
Choose a unique app name
The app name you choose will be visible in the user's Authorized Devices view. The name you choose should be different from any existing Plex products.
-
Generate a Client Identifier
The Client Identifier identifies the specific instance of your app. A random string or UUID is sufficient here. There are no hard requirements for Client Identifier length or format, but once one is generated the client should store and re-use this identifier for subsequent requests.
-
Verify stored Access Token validity
You can check whether a user's stored Access Token is valid by requesting user info from the plex.tv API and examining the HTTP status code of the response.
$ curl -X GET https://plex.tv/api/v2/user \
-H 'Accept: application/json' \
-H 'X-Plex-Product: My Cool App' \
-H 'X-Plex-Client-Identifier: <clientIdentifier>' \
-H 'X-Plex-Token: <userToken>'
| HTTP Status Code | |
|---|
200 | Access Token is valid |
401 | Access Token is invalid |
If an Access Token is invalid, it should be discarded, and new one should be obtained through the authentication process.
If plex.tv cannot be reached, or if you receive any other status code it indicates an error state, but does not indicate an invalid Access Token.
-
Generate a PIN
To sign a user in, the app must create a time-limited PIN. The user is then led through a process to "claim" the PIN, associating it with their account and granting the app access to the user's plex.tv account.
$ curl -X POST https://plex.tv/api/v2/pins?strong=true \
-H 'Accept: application/json' \
-H 'X-Plex-Product: My Cool App' \
-H 'X-Plex-Client-Identifier: <clientIdentifier>'
Note: the strong=true header provides a longer length pin which will have a longer lifetime. This is useful in cases where the user is not expected to type in the pin themselves. If not specified, a shorter pin is created but will have a much shorter lifetime.
The response will be a JSON payload; the two important properties are id and code. Store the id locally, and use the code to construct the Auth App url.
{
"id": 564964751,
"code": "8lzjqnq8lye02n52jq3fqxf8e",
…
}
-
Checking the PIN
There are two primary ways apps interact with the Auth App and the PIN-claiming process; Forwarding and Polling.
Forwarding is used by web-based apps. A user visits your app in their web browser, leaves your app to authenticate with Plex, and returns to your app via a forwardUrl your app provides.
Polling is used by native apps running outside of a web browser. A user indicates their intention to sign-in from within your app, and your app opens a web browser pointing to the Auth App where the user completes sign-in. Your app will periodically poll on the generated PIN until it is claimed, or it expires.
-
Construct the Auth App url
The user will authenticate with the plex.tv Auth App through their web browser.
If you're using the Forwarding flow, the user will be returned to your app after authenticating where you'll be able to check the created PIN to determine the user's Access Token. The forwardUrl to which the user will be returned can carry the PIN id which needs to be checked on their return to the app.
Auth App urls are encoded as parameters to the url fragment. Practically, this means that your Auth App url will be prefixed with https://app.plex.tv/auth#?; the #? at the end indicates the beginning of the url fragment, and that the content of the fragment afterwards is encoded as url parameter key-values pairs.
Append these parameters to construct the final URL.
| Parameter | |
|---|
clientID | Your client identifier |
code | The code from the generated PIN |
forwardUrl | The url to which the user will be returned after authenticating. |
context%5Bdevice%5D%5Bproduct%5D | The name of your App; ex "My Cool App" |
Example
https://app.plex.tv/auth#?clientID=<clientIdentifier>&code=<pinCode>&context%5Bdevice%5D%5Bproduct%5D=My%20Cool%20Plex%20App&forwardUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fmy-cool-plex-app.com
You can use the qs module to encode all necessary parameters, including the nested context parameter.
const authAppUrl =
'https://app.plex.tv/auth#?' +
require('qs').stringify({
clientID: '<clientIdentifier>',
code: '<pinCode>',
forwardUrl: 'https://my-cool-plex-app.com',
context: {
device: {
product: 'My Cool App',
},
},
});
-
Send user's browser to constructed Auth App url
Once the Auth App URL has been constructed, send the user's browser there to authenticate.
-
Check PIN
If you're using the Polling flow, your app should periodically (once per second) check the PIN id to determine when the user has signed-in.
If you're using the Forwarding flow, check the stored PIN id from the PIN creation step. If the PIN has been claimed, the authToken field in the response will contain the user's Access Token you need to make API calls on behalf of the user. If authentication failed, the authToken field will remain null.
$ curl -X GET 'https://plex.tv/api/v2/pins/<pinID>' \
-H 'Accept: application/json' \
-H 'X-Plex-Client-Identifier: <clientIdentifier>'
Talking to PMS
Once you have a token to talk to plex.tv, you will need to obtain a different set of tokens used to talk to PMS instances.
$ curl https://clients.plex.tv/api/v2/resources?includeHttps=1&includeRelay=1&includeIPv6=1 \
-H 'Accept: application/json' \
-H 'X-Plex-Product: My Cool App' \
-H 'X-Plex-Client-Identifier: <clientIdentifier>' \
-H 'X-Plex-Token: <userToken>'
The response will be a JSON document which will contain available PMS instances, the accessToken used in communication with this PMS, and the list of connection URLs where the PMS may be contacted. Connections labeled as local should be preferred over those that are not, and relay should only be used as a last resort as bandwidth on relay connections is limited.
Created by @keithah.
Quick Start
1. Install
See Install above.
2. Set Up Credentials
Set the endpoint variables for the tenant, workspace, or API version you want this CLI to use:
export PLEXCTL_IDENTIFIER="<identifier>"
export PLEXCTL_PORT="<port>"
Get your API key from your API provider's developer portal. The key typically looks like a long alphanumeric string.
export PLEXCTL_USER_TOKEN="<paste-your-key>"
To persist credentials, use echo "$TOKEN" | plexctl-pp-cli auth set-token. Stored secrets live in credentials.toml under the data directory, not in config.toml.
3. Verify Setup
plexctl-pp-cli doctor
This checks your configuration and credentials.
4. Try Your First Command
plexctl-pp-cli identity
Unique Features
These capabilities aren't available in any other tool for this API.
serve — Serve the preserved /plex// health contract for Uptime Kuma.serve — Refresh Plex.tv resources per health request and match servers by stable clientIdentifier.serve — Verify library metadata and read a bounded byte range from a playable media part.
Usage
Run plexctl-pp-cli --help for the full command reference and flag list.
Paths & environment variables
This CLI separates local files into four path kinds:
| Kind | Contents |
|---|
config | User-editable settings such as config.toml and saved profiles |
data | Durable local data: credentials.toml, data.db, cookies, browser-session proof files, and other auth sidecars |
state | Runtime state such as persisted queries, jobs, and teach.log |
cache | Regenerable HTTP/cache files |
Each kind resolves independently. The ladder is:
- Per-kind env var:
PLEXCTL_CONFIG_DIR, PLEXCTL_DATA_DIR, PLEXCTL_STATE_DIR, or PLEXCTL_CACHE_DIR
--home <dir> for this invocationPLEXCTL_HOME for a flat relocated root- XDG env vars:
XDG_CONFIG_HOME, XDG_DATA_HOME, XDG_STATE_HOME, XDG_CACHE_HOME
- Platform defaults matching existing installs
For containers and agent sandboxes, prefer a single relocated root:
export PLEXCTL_HOME=/srv/plexctl
plexctl-pp-cli doctor
Under PLEXCTL_HOME=/srv/plexctl, the four dirs resolve to /srv/plexctl/config, /srv/plexctl/data, /srv/plexctl/state, and /srv/plexctl/cache.
MCP servers do not receive CLI flags from the host. Put relocation in the host env block:
{
"mcpServers": {
"plexctl": {
"command": "plexctl-pp-mcp",
"env": {
"PLEXCTL_HOME": "/srv/plexctl"
}
}
}
}
Precedence matters in fleets: an ambient per-kind variable such as PLEXCTL_DATA_DIR overrides an explicit --home for that kind. Use PLEXCTL_HOME or the per-kind variables for durable fleet relocation; treat --home as the weaker per-invocation lever.
Relocation is one-way. Unsetting PLEXCTL_HOME does not move files back to platform defaults, and doctor cannot find credentials left under a former root. Move the files manually before unsetting relocation variables.
Existing installs keep working because the platform-default rung matches the legacy layout. On the first auth write, stored secrets leave config.toml and are consolidated into credentials.toml under the data directory. Run plexctl-pp-cli doctor --fail-on warn to check path and credential-location warnings in automation.
Commands
activities
Activities provide a way to monitor and control asynchronous operations on the server. In order to receive real-time updates for activities, a client would normally subscribe via either EventSource or Websocket endpoints.
Activities are associated with HTTP replies via a special X-Plex-Activity header which contains the UUID of the activity.
Activities are optional cancellable. If cancellable, they may be cancelled via the DELETE endpoint.
plexctl-pp-cli activities delete-activity - Cancel a running activity. Admins can cancel all activities but other users can only cancel their ownplexctl-pp-cli activities get-slash - List all activities on the server. Admins can see all activities but other users can only see their own
butler
The butler is responsible for running periodic tasks. Some tasks run daily, others every few days, and some weekly. These includes database maintenance, metadata updating, thumbnail generation, media analysis, and other tasks.
-
plexctl-pp-cli butler delete-slash - This endpoint will stop all currently running tasks and remove any scheduled tasks from the queue.
-
plexctl-pp-cli butler delete-task - This endpoint will stop a currently running task by name, or remove it from the list of scheduled tasks if it exists
-
plexctl-pp-cli butler get-slash - Get the list of butler tasks and their scheduling
-
plexctl-pp-cli butler post-slash - This endpoint will attempt to start all Butler tasks that are enabled in the settings. Butler tasks normally run automatically during a time window configured on the server's Settings page but can be manually started using this endpoint. Tasks will run with the following criteria:
- Any tasks not scheduled to run on the current day will be skipped.
- If a task is configured to run at a random time during the configured window and we are outside that window, the task will start immediately.
- If a task is configured to run at a random time during the configured window and we are within that window, the task will be scheduled at a random time within the window.
- If we are outside the configured window, the task will start immediately.
-
plexctl-pp-cli butler post-task - This endpoint will attempt to start a specific Butler task by name.
download-queue
Manage download queue
plexctl-pp-cli download-queue get-queue - Available: 0.2.0
Get a download queue by its id
plexctl-pp-cli download-queue post - Available: 0.2.0
Get or create a download queue for this client by its client id and for this user as identified by the token
hubs
The hubs within a media provider
plexctl-pp-cli hubs get-continue-watching - Get the global continue watching hubplexctl-pp-cli hubs get-items - Get the items within a single hub specified by identifierplexctl-pp-cli hubs get-metadata-metadata - Get the hubs for a section by metadata item. Currently only for music sectionsplexctl-pp-cli hubs get-metadata-metadata-postplay - Get the hubs for a metadata to be displayed in post playplexctl-pp-cli hubs get-metadata-metadata-related - Get the hubs for a metadata related to the provided metadata itemplexctl-pp-cli hubs get-promoted - Get the global hubs which are promoted (should be displayed on the home screen)plexctl-pp-cli hubs get-search - Perform a search and get the result as hubs
This endpoint performs a search across all library sections, or a single section, and returns matches as hubs, split up by type. It performs spell checking, looks for partial matches, and orders the hubs based on quality of results. In addition, based on matches, it will return other related matches (e.g. for a genre match, it may return movies in that genre, or for an actor match, movies with that actor).
In the response's items, the following extra attributes are returned to further describe or disambiguate the result:
reason: The reason for the result, if not because of a direct search term match; can be either:
section: There are multiple identical results from different sections.originalTitle: There was a search term match from the original title field (sometimes those can be very different or in a foreign language).<hub identifier>: If the reason for the result is due to a result in another hub, the source hub identifier is returned. For example, if the search is for "dylan" then Bob Dylan may be returned as an artist result, an a few of his albums returned as album results with a reason code of artist (the identifier of that particular hub). Or if the search is for "arnold", there might be movie results returned with a reason of actor
reasonTitle: The string associated with the reason code. For a section reason, it'll be the section name; For a hub identifier, it'll be a string associated with the match (e.g. Arnold Schwarzenegger for movies which were returned because the search was for "arnold").reasonID: The ID of the item associated with the reason for the result. This might be a section ID, a tag ID, an artist ID, or a show ID.
This request is intended to be very fast, and called as the user types.
plexctl-pp-cli hubs get-section - Get the hubs for a single sectionplexctl-pp-cli hubs get-slash - Get the global hubs in this PMSplexctl-pp-cli hubs search-get-voice - Perform a search tailored to voice input and get the result as hubs
This endpoint performs a search specifically tailored towards voice or other imprecise input which may work badly with the substring and spell-checking heuristics used by the /hubs/search endpoint. It uses a Levenshtein distance heuristic to search titles, and as such is much slower than the other search endpoint. Whenever possible, clients should limit the search to the appropriate type.
Results, as well as their containing per-type hubs, contain a distance attribute which can be used to judge result quality.
plexctl-pp-cli hubs sections-section-manage-delete-identifier - Delete a custom hub from the serverplexctl-pp-cli hubs sections-section-manage-delete-slash - Reset hubs for this section to defaults and delete custom hubsplexctl-pp-cli hubs sections-section-manage-get-slash - Get the list of hubs including both built-in and customplexctl-pp-cli hubs sections-section-manage-post-slash - Create a custom hub based on a metadata itemplexctl-pp-cli hubs sections-section-manage-put-identifier - Changed the visibility of a hub for both the admin and shared usersplexctl-pp-cli hubs sections-section-manage-put-move - Changed the ordering of a hub among others hubs
identity
Manage identity
plexctl-pp-cli identity - Get details about this PMS's identity
library
Library endpoints which are outside of the Media Provider API. Typically this is manipulation of the library (adding/removing sections, modifying preferences, etc).
plexctl-pp-cli library collection-collection-get-composite - Get an image for the collection based on the items withinplexctl-pp-cli library collection-collection-get-items - Get items in a collection. Note if this collection contains more than 100 items, paging must be used.plexctl-pp-cli library collection-collection-put-items - Add items to a collection by uriplexctl-pp-cli library collection-collection-put-items-item - Delete an item from a collectionplexctl-pp-cli library collection-collection-put-items-item-move - Reorder items in a collection with one item after anotherplexctl-pp-cli library collection-post-slash - Create a collection in the libraryplexctl-pp-cli library delete-caches - Delete the hub caches so they are recomputed on next requestplexctl-pp-cli library delete-section - Delete a library section by idplexctl-pp-cli library delete-sections-all-refresh - Stop all refreshes across all sectionsplexctl-pp-cli library delete-streams-stream - Delete a stream. Only applies to downloaded subtitle streams or a sidecar subtitle when media deletion is enabled.plexctl-pp-cli library get-all - Request all metadata items according to a query.plexctl-pp-cli library get-matches - The matches endpoint is used to match content external to the library with content inside the library. This is done by passing a series of semantic "hints" about the content (its type, name, or release year). Each type (e.g. movie) has a canonical set of minimal required hints.
This ability to match content is useful in a variety of scenarios. For example, in the DVR, the EPG uses the endpoint to match recording rules against airing content. And in the cloud, the UMP uses the endpoint to match up a piece of media with rich metadata.
The endpoint response can including multiple matches, if there is ambiguity, each one containing a score from 0 to 100. For somewhat historical reasons, anything over 85 is considered a positive match (we prefer false negatives over false positives in general for matching).
The guid hint is somewhat special, in that it generally represents a unique identity for a piece of media (e.g. the IMDB ttXXX) identifier, in contrast with other hints which can be much more ambiguous (e.g. a title of Jane Eyre, which could refer to the 1943 or the 2011 version).
Episodes require either a season/episode pair, or an air date (or both). Either the path must be sent, or the show titleplexctl-pp-cli library get-media-media-chapter-images-chapter - Get a single chapter image for a piece of mediaplexctl-pp-cli library get-metadata-augmentations-augmentation - Get augmentation status and potentially wait for completionplexctl-pp-cli library get-parts-part-changestamp-filename - Get a media part for streaming or download.
- streaming: This is the default scenario. Bandwidth usage on this endpoint will be guaranteed (on the server's end) to be at least the bandwidth reservation given in the decision. If no decision exists, an ad-hoc decision will be created if sufficient bandwidth exists. Clients should not rely on ad-hoc decisions being made as this may be removed in the future.
- download: Indicated if the query parameter indicates this is a download. Bandwidth will be prioritized behind playbacks and will get a fair share of what remains.
plexctl-pp-cli library get-parts-part-indexes-index - Get BIF index for a part by index typeplexctl-pp-cli library get-parts-part-indexes-index-offset - Extract an image from the BIF for a part at a particular offsetplexctl-pp-cli library get-people-person - Get details for a single actor.plexctl-pp-cli library get-people-person-media - Get all the media for a single actor.plexctl-pp-cli library get-random-artwork - Get random artwork across sections. This is commonly used for a screensaver.
This retrieves 100 random artwork paths in the specified sections and returns them. Restrictions are put in place to not return artwork for items the user is not allowed to access. Artwork will be for Movies, Shows, and Artists only.
-
plexctl-pp-cli library get-sections - A library section (commonly referred to as just a library) is a collection of media. Libraries are typed, and depending on their type provide either a flat or a hierarchical view of the media. For example, a music library has an artist > albums > tracks structure, whereas a movie library is flat.
Libraries have features beyond just being a collection of media; for starters, they include information about supported types, filters and sorts. This allows a client to provide a rich interface around the media (e.g. allow sorting movies by release year).
-
plexctl-pp-cli library get-sections-prefs - Get a section's preferences for a metadata type
-
plexctl-pp-cli library get-streams-stream - Get a stream (such a a sidecar subtitle stream)
-
plexctl-pp-cli library get-streams-stream-levels - The the loudness of a stream in db, one entry per 100ms
-
plexctl-pp-cli library get-streams-stream-loudness - The the loudness of a stream in db, one number per line, one entry per 100ms
-
plexctl-pp-cli library get-tags - Get all library tags of a type
-
plexctl-pp-cli library metadata-delete-element - Delete the artwork, thumb, element for a metadata item
This operation will also lock the field. 'thumb' images for video items will be reset to a screengrab of the video after a refresh.
Generally only the admin can perform this action. The exception is if the metadata is a playlist created by the user
-
plexctl-pp-cli library metadata-delete-marker-marker - Delete a marker for this user on the metadata item
-
plexctl-pp-cli library metadata-delete-media-media-item - Delete a single media from a metadata item in the library
-
plexctl-pp-cli library metadata-delete-slash - Delete a single metadata item from the library, deleting media as well
-
plexctl-pp-cli library metadata-get-all-leaves - Get the leaves for a metadata item such as the episodes in a show
-
plexctl-pp-cli library metadata-get-element - Get the artwork, thumb, element for a metadata item
-
plexctl-pp-cli library metadata-get-extras - Get the extras for a metadata item
-
plexctl-pp-cli library metadata-get-file - Get a bundle file for a metadata or media item. This is either an image or a mp3 (for a show's theme)
-
plexctl-pp-cli library metadata-get-matches - Get the list of metadata matches for a metadata item
-
plexctl-pp-cli library metadata-get-nearest - Get the nearest tracks, sonically, to the provided track
-
plexctl-pp-cli library metadata-get-related - Get a hub of related items to a metadata item
-
plexctl-pp-cli library metadata-get-similar - Get a list of similar items to a metadata item
-
plexctl-pp-cli library metadata-get-slash - Get one or more metadata items.
-
plexctl-pp-cli library metadata-get-tree - Get a tree of metadata items, such as the seasons/episodes of a show
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plexctl-pp-cli library metadata-get-users-top - Get the list of users which have played this item starting with the most
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plexctl-pp-cli library metadata-post-element - Set the artwork, thumb, element for a metadata item
Generally only the admin can perform this action. The exception is if the metadata is a playlist created by the user
-
plexctl-pp-cli library metadata-post-extras - Add an extra to a metadata item
-
plexctl-pp-cli library metadata-post-marker - Create a marker for this user on the metadata item
-
plexctl-pp-cli library metadata-post-subtitles - Add a subtitle to a metadata item
-
plexctl-pp-cli library metadata-put-addetect - Start the detection of ads in a metadata item
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plexctl-pp-cli library metadata-put-analyze - Start the analysis of a metadata item
-
plexctl-pp-cli library metadata-put-chapter-thumbs - Start the chapter thumb generation for an item
-
plexctl-pp-cli library metadata-put-credits - Start credit detection on a metadata item
-
plexctl-pp-cli library metadata-put-element - Set the artwork, thumb, element for a metadata item
Generally only the admin can perform this action. The exception is if the metadata is a playlist created by the user
-
plexctl-pp-cli library metadata-put-index - Start the indexing (BIF generation) of an item
-
plexctl-pp-cli library metadata-put-intro - Start the detection of intros in a metadata item
-
plexctl-pp-cli library metadata-put-marker-marker - Edit a marker for this user on the metadata item
-
plexctl-pp-cli library metadata-put-match - Match a metadata item to a guid
-
plexctl-pp-cli library metadata-put-merge - Merge a metadata item with other items
-
plexctl-pp-cli library metadata-put-prefs - Set the preferences on a metadata item
-
plexctl-pp-cli library metadata-put-refresh - Refresh a metadata item from the agent
-
plexctl-pp-cli library metadata-put-slash - Edit metadata items setting fields
-
plexctl-pp-cli library metadata-put-split - Split a metadata item into multiple items
-
plexctl-pp-cli library metadata-put-unmatch - Unmatch a metadata item to info fetched from the agent
-
plexctl-pp-cli library metadata-put-voice-activity - Start the detection of voice in a metadata item
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plexctl-pp-cli library post-file - This endpoint takes a file path specified in the url parameter, matches it using the scanner's match mechanism, downloads rich metadata, and then ingests the item as a transient item (without a library section). In the case where the file represents an episode, the entire tree (show, season, and episode) is added as transient items. At this time, movies and episodes are the only supported types, which are gleaned automatically from the file path.
Note that any of the parameters passed to the metadata details endpoint (e.g. includeExtras=1) work here.
-
plexctl-pp-cli library post-section - Add a new library section to the server
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plexctl-pp-cli library post-sections-refresh - Tell PMS to refresh all section metadata
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plexctl-pp-cli library put-clean-bundles - Clean out any now unused bundles. Bundles can become unused when media is deleted
-
plexctl-pp-cli library put-optimize - Initiate optimize on the database.
-
plexctl-pp-cli library put-parts-part - Set which streams (audio/subtitle) are selected by this user
-
plexctl-pp-cli library put-streams-stream - Set a stream offset in ms. This may not be respected by all clients
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plexctl-pp-cli library section-delete-collection-collection - Delete a library collection from the PMS
-
plexctl-pp-cli library section-delete-indexes - Delete all the indexes in a section
-
plexctl-pp-cli library section-delete-intros - Delete all the intro markers in a section
-
plexctl-pp-cli library section-delete-refresh - Cancel the refresh of a section
-
plexctl-pp-cli library section-get-albums - Get all albums in a music section
-
plexctl-pp-cli library section-get-all - Get the items in a section, potentially filtering them
-
plexctl-pp-cli library section-get-all-leaves - Get all leaves in a section (such as episodes in a show section)
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plexctl-pp-cli library section-get-arts - Get artwork for a library section
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plexctl-pp-cli library section-get-audio-codecs - Get list of distinct audio codecs found in this library section
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plexctl-pp-cli library section-get-audio-layouts - Get list of distinct audio layouts (e.g. stereo, 5.1, 7.1) found in this library section
-
plexctl-pp-cli library section-get-autocomplete - The field to autocomplete on is specified by the {field}.query parameter. For example genre.query or title.query.
Returns a set of items from the filtered items whose {field} starts with {field}.query. In the results, a {field}.queryRange will be present to express the range of the match
-
plexctl-pp-cli library section-get-categories - Get categories in a library section
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plexctl-pp-cli library section-get-cluster - Get clusters in a library section (typically for photos)
-
plexctl-pp-cli library section-get-collections - Get all collections in a section
-
plexctl-pp-cli library section-get-common - Represents a "Common" item. It contains only the common attributes of the items selected by the provided filter
Fields which are not common will be expressed in the mixedFields field
-
plexctl-pp-cli library section-get-composite - Get a composite image of images in this section
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plexctl-pp-cli library section-get-compute-path - Get a list of audio tracks starting at one and ending at another which are similar across the path
-
plexctl-pp-cli library section-get-filters - Get common filters on a section
-
plexctl-pp-cli library section-get-first-charaters - Get list of first characters in this section
-
plexctl-pp-cli library section-get-locations - Get all folder locations of the media in a section
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plexctl-pp-cli library section-get-moment - Get moments in a library section (typically for photos)
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plexctl-pp-cli library section-get-nearest - Get the nearest audio tracks to a particular analysis
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plexctl-pp-cli library section-get-prefs - Get the prefs for a section by id and potentially overriding the agent
-
plexctl-pp-cli library section-get-section - Returns details for the library. This can be thought of as an interstitial endpoint because it contains information about the library, rather than content itself. It often contains a list of Directory metadata objects: These used to be used by clients to build a menuing system.
-
plexctl-pp-cli library section-get-sorts - Get the sort mechanisms available in a section
-
plexctl-pp-cli library section-get-subtitle-codecs - Get list of distinct subtitle codecs found in this library section
-
plexctl-pp-cli library section-get-video-codecs - Get list of distinct video codecs found in this library section
-
plexctl-pp-cli library section-post-refresh - Start a refresh of this section
-
plexctl-pp-cli library section-put-all - This endpoint takes an large possible set of values. Here are some examples.
-
Parameters, extra documentation
- artist.title.value
- When used with track, both artist.title.value and album.title.value need to be specified
- title.value usage
- Summary
- Tracks always rename and never merge
- Albums and Artists
- if single item and item without title does not exist, it is renamed.
- if single item and item with title does exist they are merged.
- if multiple they are always merged.
- Tracks
- Works as expected will update the track's title
- Single track:
/library/sections/{id}/all?type=10&id=42&title.value=NewName
- Multiple tracks:
/library/sections/{id}/all?type=10&id=42,43,44&title.value=NewName
- All tracks:
/library/sections/{id}/all?type=10&title.value=NewName
- Albums
- Functionality changes depending on the existence of an album with the same title
- Album exists
- Single album:
/library/sections/{id}/all?type=9&id=42&title.value=Album 2
- Album with id 42 is merged into album titled "Album 2"
- Multiple/All albums:
/library/sections/{id}/all?type=9&title.value=Moo Album
- All albums are merged into the existing album titled "Moo Album"
- Album does not exist
- Single album:
/library/sections/{id}/all?type=9&id=42&title.value=NewAlbumTitle
- Album with id 42 has title modified to "NewAlbumTitle"
- Multiple/All albums:
/library/sections/{id}/all?type=9&title.value=NewAlbumTitle
- All albums are merged into a new album with title="NewAlbumTitle"
- Artists
- Functionaly changes depending on the existence of an artist with the same title.
- Artist exists
- Single artist:
/library/sections/{id}/all?type=8&id=42&title.value=Artist 2
- Artist with id 42 is merged into existing artist titled "Artist 2"
- Multiple/All artists:
/library/sections/{id}/all?type=8&title.value=Artist 3
- All artists are merged into the existing artist titled "Artist 3"
- Artist does not exist
- Single artist:
/library/sections/{id}/all?type=8&id=42&title.value=NewArtistTitle
- Artist with id 42 has title modified to "NewArtistTitle"
- Multiple/All artists:
/library/sections/{id}/all?type=8&title.value=NewArtistTitle
- All artists are merged into a new artist with title="NewArtistTitle"
-
Notes
- Technically square brackets are not allowed in an URI except the Internet Protocol Literal Address
- RFC3513: A host identified by an Internet Protocol literal address, version 6 [RFC3513] or later, is distinguished by enclosing the IP literal within square brackets ("[" and "]"). This is the only place where square bracket characters are allowed in the URI syntax.
- Escaped square brackets are allowed, but don't render well
-
plexctl-pp-cli library section-put-analyze - Start analysis of all items in a section. If BIF generation is enabled, this will also be started on this section
-
plexctl-pp-cli library section-put-empty-trash - Empty trash in the section, permanently deleting media/metadata for missing media
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plexctl-pp-cli library section-put-prefs - Set the prefs for a section by id
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plexctl-pp-cli library section-put-section - Edit a library section by id setting parameters
livetv
Manage livetv
plexctl-pp-cli livetv dvr-delete-dvr - Delete a single DVR by its id (key)plexctl-pp-cli livetv dvr-delete-dvr-device - Remove a device from an existing DVRplexctl-pp-cli livetv dvr-delete-lineup - Deletes a DVR device's lineup.plexctl-pp-cli livetv dvr-delete-reload-guide - Tell a DVR to stop reloading program guideplexctl-pp-cli livetv dvr-get-dvr - Get a single DVR by its id (key)plexctl-pp-cli livetv dvr-get-slash - Get the list of all available DVRsplexctl-pp-cli livetv dvr-post-channels-channel-tune - Tune a channel on a DVR to the provided channelplexctl-pp-cli livetv dvr-post-reload-guide - Tell a DVR to reload program guideplexctl-pp-cli livetv dvr-post-slash - Creation of a DVR, after creation of a devcie and a lineup is selectedplexctl-pp-cli livetv dvr-put-dvr-device - Add a device to an existing DVRplexctl-pp-cli livetv dvr-put-lineup - Add a lineup to a DVR device's set of lineups.plexctl-pp-cli livetv dvr-put-prefs - Set DVR preferences by name avd valueplexctl-pp-cli livetv epg-get-channelmap - Compute the best channel map, given device and lineupplexctl-pp-cli livetv epg-get-channels - Get channels for a lineup within an EPG providerplexctl-pp-cli livetv epg-get-countries - This endpoint returns a list of countries which EPG data is available for. There are three flavors, as specfied by the flavor attributeplexctl-pp-cli livetv epg-get-countries-country-lineups - Returns a list of lineups for a given country, EPG provider and postal codeplexctl-pp-cli livetv epg-get-countries-country-regions - Get regions for a country within an EPG providerplexctl-pp-cli livetv epg-get-countries-country-regions-region-lineups - Get lineups for a region within an EPG providerplexctl-pp-cli livetv epg-get-languages - Returns a list of all possible languages for EPG data.plexctl-pp-cli livetv epg-get-lineup - Compute the best lineup, given lineup group and deviceplexctl-pp-cli livetv epg-get-lineupchannels - Get the channels across multiple lineupsplexctl-pp-cli livetv sessions-get-session - Get a single livetv session and metadataplexctl-pp-cli livetv sessions-get-session-consumer-index - Get a playlist index for playing this sessionplexctl-pp-cli livetv sessions-get-session-consumer-segment - Get a single livetv session segmentplexctl-pp-cli livetv sessions-get-slash - Get all livetv sessions and metadata
log
Logging mechanism to allow clients to log to the server
plexctl-pp-cli log post-papertrail - This endpoint will enable all Plex Media Serverlogs to be sent to the Papertrail networked logging site for a period of time
Note: This endpoint responds to all HTTP verbs but POST is preferred
plexctl-pp-cli log post-slash - This endpoint will write multiple lines to the main Plex Media Server log in a single request. It takes a set of query strings as would normally sent to the above PUT endpoint as a linefeed-separated block of POST data. The parameters for each query string match as above.plexctl-pp-cli log put-slash - This endpoint will write a single-line log message, including a level and source to the main Plex Media Server log.
Note: This endpoint responds to all HTTP verbs except POST but PUT is preferred
media
Manage media
plexctl-pp-cli media delete-metadata-agent-provider - Deletes a metadata agent provider with the given id. This will fail if the provider is being used inside a MetadataAgentGroup.plexctl-pp-cli media delete-metadata-agent-provider-group - Deletes a metadata agent provider group with the given id. This will also delete any MetadataAgentGroupItem objects associated with the group.plexctl-pp-cli media delete-metadata-agent-provider-group-item - Deletes a metadata agent provider group item with the given id.plexctl-pp-cli media delete-provider - Deletes a media provider with the given idplexctl-pp-cli media get-metadata-agent-provider - Get the metadata agent provider with the given id.plexctl-pp-cli media get-metadata-agent-provider-group - Get the metadata agent provider group with the given id.plexctl-pp-cli media get-metadata-agent-provider-groups - Get the list of all available metadata agent provider groups for this PMS.plexctl-pp-cli media get-metadata-agent-providers - Get the list of all available metadata agent providers for this PMS.plexctl-pp-cli media get-providers - Get the list of all available media providers for this PMS. This will generally include the library provider and possibly EPG if DVR is set up.plexctl-pp-cli media grabber-delete-devices-device-scan - Tell a device to stop scanning for channelsplexctl-pp-cli media grabber-delete-operations-operation - Cancels an existing media grab (recording). It can be used to resolve a conflict which exists for a rolling subscription.
Note: This cancellation does not persist across a server restart, but neither does a rolling subscription itself.plexctl-pp-cli media grabber-devices-device-delete-slash - Remove a devices by its id along with its channel mappingsplexctl-pp-cli media grabber-devices-device-get-channels - Get a device's channels by its idplexctl-pp-cli media grabber-devices-device-get-slash - Get a device's details by its idplexctl-pp-cli media grabber-devices-device-get-thumb-version - Get a device's thumb for display to the userplexctl-pp-cli media grabber-devices-device-post-scan - Tell a device to scan for channelsplexctl-pp-cli media grabber-devices-device-put-channelmap - Set a device's channel mappingplexctl-pp-cli media grabber-devices-device-put-prefs - Set device preferences by its idplexctl-pp-cli media grabber-devices-device-put-slash - Enable or disable a device by its idplexctl-pp-cli media grabber-get-devices - Get the list of all devices presentplexctl-pp-cli media grabber-get-slash - Get available grabbers visible to the serverplexctl-pp-cli media grabber-post-device-discover - Tell grabbers to discover devicesplexctl-pp-cli media grabber-post-devices - This endpoint adds a device to an existing grabber. The device is identified, and added to the correct grabber.plexctl-pp-cli media post-metadata-agent-provider-groups - This endpoint registers a new metadata agent provider group and creates a new MetadataAgentGroupItem for the primraryIdentifier.plexctl-pp-cli media post-metadata-agent-providers - This endpoint registers a metadata agent provider with the server. The provider URI must respond with a valid MediaProvider response.plexctl-pp-cli media post-providers - This endpoint registers a media provider with the server. Once registered, the media server acts as a reverse proxy to the provider, allowing both local and remote providers to work.plexctl-pp-cli media post-providers-refresh - Refresh all known media providers. This is useful in case a provider has updated features.plexctl-pp-cli media put-metadata-agent-provider - Modify the metadata agent provider with the given id. Only the URI is passed, the response to the URI will determine the other properties.plexctl-pp-cli media put-metadata-agent-provider-group - Modify the metadata agent group with the given id. Only the title can be changed.plexctl-pp-cli media put-metadata-agent-provider-group-item - Modify a metadata agent provider group's items. This will assign the specified provider id to the group if it does not already exist.
Providing the optional after query parameter on an existing group item will move its position in the group relative to the item with the specified ID.
plexctl-pp-cli media subscriptions-delete-subscription - Delete a subscription, cancelling all of its grabs as wellplexctl-pp-cli media subscriptions-get-scheduled - Get all scheduled recordings across all subscriptionsplexctl-pp-cli media subscriptions-get-slash - Get all subscriptions and potentially the grabs tooplexctl-pp-cli media subscriptions-get-subscription - Get a single subscription and potentially the grabs tooplexctl-pp-cli media subscriptions-get-template - Get the templates for a piece of media which could include fetching one airing, season, the whole show, etc.plexctl-pp-cli media subscriptions-post-process - Process all subscriptions asynchronouslyplexctl-pp-cli media subscriptions-post-slash - Create a subscription. The query parameters should be mostly derived from the templateplexctl-pp-cli media subscriptions-put-subscription - Edit a subscription's preferencesplexctl-pp-cli media subscriptions-put-subscription-move - Re-order a subscription to change its priority
photo
Manage photo
plexctl-pp-cli photo - Transcode an image, possibly changing format or size
play-queues
The playqueue feature within a media provider
A play queue represents the current list of media for playback. Although queues are persisted by the server, they should be regarded by the user as a fairly lightweight, an ephemeral list of items queued up for playback in a session. There is generally one active queue for each type of media (music, video, photos) that can be added to or destroyed and replaced with a fresh queue.
Play Queues has a region, which we refer to in this doc (partially for historical reasons) as "Up Next". This region is defined by playQueueLastAddedItemID existing on the media container. This follows iTunes' terminology. It is a special region after the currently playing item but before the originally-played items. This enables "Party Mode" listening/viewing, where items can be added on-the-fly, and normal queue playback resumed when completed.
You can visualize the play queue as a sliding window in the complete list of media queued for playback. This model is important when scaling to larger play queues (e.g. shuffling 40,000 audio tracks). The client only needs visibility into small areas of the queue at any given time, and the server can optimize access in this fashion.
All created play queues will have an empty "Up Next" area - unless the item is an album and no key is provided. In this case the "Up Next" area will be populated by the contents of the album. This is to allow queueing of multiple albums - since the 'Add to Up Next' will insert after all the tracks. This means that If you're creating a PQ from an album, you can only shuffle it if you set key. This is due to the above implicit queueing of albums when no key is provided as well as the current limitation that you cannot shuffle a PQ with an "Up Next" area.
The play queue window advances as the server receives timeline requests. The client needs to retrieve the play queue as the “now playing” item changes. There is no play queue API to update the playing item.
plexctl-pp-cli play-queues post-slash - Makes a new play queue for a device. The source of the playqueue can either be a URI, or a playlist. The response is a media container with the initial items in the queue. Each item in the queue will be a regular item but with playQueueItemID - a unique ID since the queue could have repeated items with the same ratingKey.
Note: Either uri or playlistID must be specifiedplexctl-pp-cli play-queues queue-get-slash - Retrieves the play queue, centered at current item. This can be treated as a regular container by play queue-oblivious clients, but they may wish to request a large window onto the queue since they won't know to refresh.plexctl-pp-cli play-queues queue-put-slash - Adds an item to a play queue (e.g. party mode). Increments the version of the play queue. Takes the following parameters (uri and playlistID are mutually exclusive). Returns the modified play queue.
playlists
The playlist feature within a media provider
Playlists are ordered collections of media. They can be dumb (just a list of media) or smart (based on a media query, such as "all albums from 2017"). They can be organized in (optionally nesting) folders.
Retrieving a playlist, or its items, will trigger a refresh of its metadata. This may cause the duration and number of items to change.
plexctl-pp-cli playlists delete - Deletes a playlist by provided idplexctl-pp-cli playlists get - Gets detailed metadata for a playlist. A playlist for many purposes (rating, editing metadata, tagging), can be treated like a regular metadata item:
Smart playlist details contain the content attribute. This is the content URI for the generator. This can then be parsed by a client to provide smart playlist editing.plexctl-pp-cli playlists get-slash - Gets a list of playlists and playlist folders for a user. General filters are permitted, such as sort=lastViewedAt:desc. A flat playlist list can be retrieved using type=15 to limit the collection to just playlists.plexctl-pp-cli playlists post-slash - Create a new playlist. By default the playlist is blank.plexctl-pp-cli playlists post-upload - Imports m3u playlists by passing a path on the server to scan for m3u-formatted playlist files, or a path to a single playlist file.plexctl-pp-cli playlists put - Edits a playlist in the same manner as editing metadata
security
Manage security
plexctl-pp-cli security get-resources - If a caller requires connection details and a transient token for a source that is known to the server, for example a cloud media provider or shared PMS, then this endpoint can be called. This endpoint is only accessible with either an admin token or a valid transient token generated from an admin token.plexctl-pp-cli security post-token - This endpoint provides the caller with a temporary token with the same access level as the caller's token. These tokens are valid for up to 48 hours and are destroyed if the server instance is restarted.
Note: This endpoint responds to all HTTP verbs but POST in preferred
services
Manage services
plexctl-pp-cli services ultra-blur-get-colors - Retrieves the four colors extracted from an image for clients to use to generate an ultrablur image.plexctl-pp-cli services ultra-blur-get-image - Retrieves a server-side generated UltraBlur image based on the provided color inputs. Clients should always call this via the photo transcoder endpoint.
status
The status endpoints give you information about current playbacks, play history, and even terminating sessions.
plexctl-pp-cli status delete-history - Delete a single history item by idplexctl-pp-cli status get-background - Get the list of all background tasksplexctl-pp-cli status get-history - Get a single history item by idplexctl-pp-cli status get-history-all - List all playback history (Admin can see all users, others can only see their own).
Pagination should be used on this endpoint. Additionally this endpoint supports includeFields, excludeFields, includeElements, and excludeElements parameters.plexctl-pp-cli status get-slash - List all current playbacks on this serverplexctl-pp-cli status post-terminate - Terminate a playback session kicking off the user
tv-plex-providers-epg-identifier-device-id
Manage tv plex providers epg identifier device id
plexctl-pp-cli tv-plex-providers-epg-identifier-device-id media-provider-epg-channels - Get channels for a lineup within an EPG providerplexctl-pp-cli tv-plex-providers-epg-identifier-device-id media-provider-epg-grid - Get the airing information for a given channel on a given dayplexctl-pp-cli tv-plex-providers-epg-identifier-device-id media-provider-epg-watchnow - Get the watchnow hubs for the specified providerplexctl-pp-cli tv-plex-providers-epg-identifier-device-id media-provider-epg-watchnow-all - Get the information for all currently airing shows on the specified provider
updater
This describes the API for searching and applying updates to the Plex Media Server.
Updates to the status can be observed via the Event API.
plexctl-pp-cli updater get-status - Get the status of updating the serverplexctl-pp-cli updater put-apply - Apply any downloaded updates. Note that the two parameters tonight and skip are effectively mutually exclusive. The tonight parameter takes precedence and skip will be ignored if tonight is also passed.plexctl-pp-cli updater put-check - Perform an update check and potentially download
Self-learning loop
This CLI caches per-question discovery so repeat queries skip the walk and structurally similar queries get answered via entity substitution. The loop also self-captures: every invocation is journaled locally, and failed-flag corrections plus fresh teaches surface as candidates on the next recall for confirm/reject judgment. Agents call recall before discovery and fire teach & after answering. See the ## Automatic learning section in SKILL.md for the full protocol.
plexctl-pp-cli recall <query> - Look up cached resources for a query before running discoveryplexctl-pp-cli teach - Record a query -> resource mapping (silent on success, safe to background with &)plexctl-pp-cli learnings list - Inspect taught rowsplexctl-pp-cli learnings forget <query> - Undo a teachplexctl-pp-cli learnings candidates - List auto-captured candidates awaiting confirm/rejectplexctl-pp-cli learnings stats - Local loop metrics: recall hit rate, teach-to-reuse, playbook resolution, candidate countsplexctl-pp-cli teach-pattern - Install a query/resource template up frontplexctl-pp-cli teach-lookup - Add an entity mapping (e.g. country code, team alias) for pattern substitution
Pass --no-learn or set PLEXCTL_NO_LEARN=true to disable the loop for deterministic flows.
The local store's schema version stamp is one-way: once this version of plexctl-pp-cli opens the database, older binaries refuse it with a version error — upgrade the binary rather than downgrading.
Output Formats
# Human-readable table (default in terminal, JSON when piped)
plexctl-pp-cli identity
# JSON for scripting and agents
plexctl-pp-cli identity --json
# Filter to specific fields
plexctl-pp-cli identity --json --select MediaContainer
# Dry run — show the request without sending
plexctl-pp-cli identity --dry-run
# Agent mode — JSON + compact + no prompts in one flag
plexctl-pp-cli identity --agent
Agent Usage
This CLI is designed for AI agent consumption:
- Non-interactive - never prompts, every input is a flag
- Pipeable -
--json output to stdout, errors to stderr
- Filterable -
--select <field>[,<field>...] returns only fields you need
- Previewable -
--dry-run shows the request without sending
- Explicit retries - add
--idempotent to create retries and add --ignore-missing to delete retries when a no-op success is acceptable
- Explicit confirmation -
--agent does not imply --yes; pass --yes separately only after the target, arguments, and side effects are clear
- Piped input - write commands can accept structured input when their help lists
--stdin
- Offline-friendly - sync/search commands can use the local SQLite store when available
- Agent-safe by default - no colors or formatting unless
--human-friendly is set
Exit codes: 0 success, 2 usage error, 3 not found, 4 auth error, 5 API error, 7 rate limited, 10 config error.
Runtime Endpoint
This CLI resolves endpoint placeholders at runtime, so one installed binary can target different tenants or API versions without regeneration.
Endpoint environment variables:
PLEXCTL_IDENTIFIER resolves {identifier}PLEXCTL_PORT resolves {port}
Base URL: https://1-2-3-4.{identifier}.plex.direct:{port}
Health Check
plexctl-pp-cli doctor
Verifies configuration, credentials, and connectivity to the API.
Configuration
Run plexctl-pp-cli doctor to see the resolved config, data, state, and cache directories. The platform-default config path is ~/.config/plex-media-server-pp-cli/config.toml; --home, PLEXCTL_HOME, and per-kind env vars can relocate it.
Static request headers can be configured under headers; per-command header overrides take precedence.
Environment variables:
| Name | Kind | Required | Description |
|---|
PLEXCTL_IDENTIFIER | endpoint | Yes | |
PLEXCTL_PORT | endpoint | Yes | |
PLEXCTL_USER_TOKEN | per_call | Yes | Set to your API credential. |
agentcookie (optional)
If you use agentcookie to sync secrets across machines, this CLI auto-adopts agentcookie-managed credentials with no extra setup. When the daemon writes to this CLI's config, plexctl-pp-cli doctor reports agentcookie: detected and auth-status labels the source as agentcookie. Skip this section if you don't use agentcookie - the CLI works the same as any other.
Troubleshooting
Authentication errors (exit code 4)
- Run
plexctl-pp-cli doctor to check credentials
- Verify the environment variable is set:
echo $PLEXCTL_USER_TOKEN
Not found errors (exit code 3)
- Check the resource ID is correct
- Run the
list command to see available items
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