Plex Meta Manager

Unraid Plex metadata and collection management automation

Plex Meta Manager

Video IBRACORP Plex Meta Manager Tutorial

Useful Links

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Disclaimer

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Please read our disclaimer https://docs.ibracorp.io/#disclaimer

Credits

Role	Contributor
Writer / Producer	IBRACORP
Video Recording and Voice	IBRACORP
Developer	meisnate12
Contributor	PMM Community
Testing / Proofreading	IBRACORP Community

Feature List

Plex Meta Manager Features:

Automatically create and update Plex collections from various sources
Add missing media to Radarr/Sonarr for automated downloading
Set custom posters and title cards for movies and TV shows
Apply media overlays (4K, HDR, Director's Cut, etc.)
Edit media metadata via YAML configuration files
Customize TV episode orders and seasons
Support for multiple metadata sources (Trakt, TMDb, TVDb, IMDb, Letterboxd)
Schedule automated runs for hands-off management
Advanced filtering and sorting options

Prerequisites

System Requirements:

CPU: 2+ cores (1.0GHz or higher)
RAM: 2GB minimum (4GB recommended for large libraries)
Storage: 5GB available space for configurations and assets
Network: Stable internet connection for metadata retrieval
Plex Media Server: Active Plex server with organized libraries

Required Services:

Plex Media Server (local or remote)
Radarr (optional - for movie automation)
Sonarr (optional - for TV show automation)

Installation

Unraid Docker Template

Plex Meta Manager / Community Applications / Media Management

Installation Steps:

Head to the Community Applications store in Unraid
Search for and click to install Plex Meta Manager
Configure the container settings:
- Config Path: /mnt/user/appdata/plex-meta-manager
- Assets Path: /mnt/user/appdata/plex-meta-manager/assets
- Network Type: Bridge or custom Docker network
Configure Environment Variables:
- PUID: 1000
- PGID: 1000
- TZ: America/New_York
- PMM_TIME: 06:00 (daily run time)
Click Apply and wait for the container to pull down and start

Docker Compose

version: '3.8'
services:
  plex-meta-manager:
    image: meisnate12/plex-meta-manager:latest
    container_name: plex-meta-manager
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
      - TZ=America/New_York
      - PMM_TIME=06:00
      - PMM_RUN=true
      - PMM_TEST=false
      - PMM_NO_MISSING=false
    volumes:
      - ./pmm-config:/config
      - ./pmm-assets:/assets
    tty: true
    stdin_open: true

Installation Steps:

Save the above configuration as docker-compose.yml
Create configuration directories
Start the container:
```
docker compose up -d
```
Configure your YAML files as described below

Configuration

Initial Setup

Configuration File Structure:

/config/
├── config.yml          # Main configuration file
├── Movies.yml           # Movie library configuration
├── TV Shows.yml         # TV library configuration
├── Anime.yml           # Anime library configuration (optional)
└── assets/             # Custom posters and backgrounds
    ├── movies/
    ├── tv/
    └── collections/

Main Configuration (config.yml)

Basic Configuration:

## Plex Meta Manager Configuration File

# Plex Configuration
plex:
  url: http://plex:32400
  token: YOUR_PLEX_TOKEN
  timeout: 60
  clean_bundles: false
  empty_trash: false
  optimize: false

# TMDb Configuration (Required)
tmdb:
  apikey: YOUR_TMDB_API_KEY
  language: en
  cache_expiration: 60
  region: US

# Optional Services
trakt:
  client_id: YOUR_TRAKT_CLIENT_ID
  client_secret: YOUR_TRAKT_CLIENT_SECRET
  authorization:
    access_token: YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN
    token_type: Bearer
    expires_in: 7776000
    refresh_token: YOUR_REFRESH_TOKEN
    scope: public

# Radarr Configuration (Optional)
radarr:
  url: http://radarr:7878
  token: YOUR_RADARR_API_KEY
  add_missing: true
  add_existing: false
  root_folder_path: /data/media/movies
  monitor: true
  availability: announced
  quality_profile: HD-1080p
  tag: pmm

# Sonarr Configuration (Optional)
sonarr:
  url: http://sonarr:8989
  token: YOUR_SONARR_API_KEY
  add_missing: true
  add_existing: false
  root_folder_path: /data/media/tv
  monitor: all
  quality_profile: HD-1080p
  language_profile: English
  series_type: standard
  season_folder: true
  tag: pmm

# Library Configurations
libraries:
  Movies:
    collection_files:
      - pmm: basic
      - pmm: imdb
      - pmm: studio
      - pmm: genre
      - pmm: award
    operations:
      mass_genre_update: tmdb
      mass_content_rating_update: mdb_commonsense

  TV Shows:
    collection_files:
      - pmm: basic
      - pmm: imdb
      - pmm: network
      - pmm: genre
    operations:
      mass_genre_update: tmdb
      - mass_content_rating_update: mdb_commonsense

# Settings
settings:
  cache: true
  cache_expiration: 60
  asset_directory: /assets
  asset_folders: true
  asset_depth: 0
  create_asset_folders: false
  dimensional_asset_rename: false
  download_url_assets: false
  show_missing_season_assets: false
  show_missing_episode_assets: false
  show_asset_not_needed: true
  sync_mode: append
  minimum_items: 1
  default_collection_order:
  delete_below_minimum: true
  delete_not_scheduled: false
  run_again_delay: 2
  missing_only_released: false
  only_filter_missing: false
  show_unmanaged: true
  show_filtered: false
  show_options: false
  show_missing: true
  show_missing_assets: true
  save_report: false
  tvdb_language: eng
  ignore_ids:
  ignore_imdb_ids:
  playlist_sync_to_user: all
  playlist_exclude_user:
  verify_ssl: true
  custom_repo:
  check_nightly: false

Movie Library Configuration

Movies.yml Example:

collections:
  # IMDb Top 250
  IMDb Top 250:
    imdb_chart: top_movies
    collection_order: custom
    sync_mode: sync
    smart_label: critic_rating.desc

  # Marvel Cinematic Universe
  Marvel Cinematic Universe:
    trakt_list: https://trakt.tv/users/donxy/lists/marvel-cinematic-universe?sort=released,asc
    summary: A collection of Marvel Cinematic Universe movies
    collection_order: release
    poster: https://theposterdb.com/api/assets/52018

  # Studio Collections
  Studio Collections:
    template: {name: Studio, company: "<<value>>"}
    template_variables:
      collection_section: "03"
    smart_label: title.asc
    sync_mode: sync
    collection_order: alpha

  # Genre Collections
  Action:
    genre: Action
    summary: Action movies from my library
    collection_order: alpha

  Comedy:
    genre: Comedy
    summary: Comedy movies from my library
    collection_order: alpha

  # Award Collections
  Oscar Winners:
    imdb_award: oscar_winner
    summary: Oscar winning movies from my library
    collection_order: custom
    smart_label: critic_rating.desc

templates:
  Studio:
    smart_filter:
      all:
        studio: "<<company>>"
    sort_title: "!<<collection_section>>_<<collection_name>>"
    sync_mode: sync
    collection_order: release

TV Shows Configuration

TV Shows.yml Example:

collections:
  # Network Collections
  HBO:
    network: HBO
    summary: HBO original series
    collection_order: alpha

  Netflix:
    network: Netflix
    summary: Netflix original series
    collection_order: alpha

  # Genre Collections
  Animation:
    genre: Animation
    summary: Animated TV series
    collection_order: alpha

  Drama:
    genre: Drama
    summary: Drama TV series
    collection_order: alpha

  # Top Rated Shows
  Top Rated TV Shows:
    imdb_search:
      type: tv_series
      votes.gte: 10000
      rating.gte: 8.0
    summary: Top rated TV shows with high vote counts
    collection_order: custom
    smart_label: critic_rating.desc
    limit: 100

  # Trending Shows
  Trending This Week:
    trakt_trending: 50
    summary: Currently trending TV shows
    collection_order: custom
    smart_label: added.desc

metadata:
  "The Office (US)":
    title: "The Office"
    originally_available: "2005-03-24"
    content_rating: TV-14
    summary: "A mockumentary on a group of typical office workers, where the workday consists of ego clashes, inappropriate behavior, and tedium."
    poster: https://theposterdb.com/api/assets/34829

  "Breaking Bad":
    episodes:
      S01E01:
        title: "Pilot"
        summary: "Walter White, a struggling high school chemistry teacher, is diagnosed with lung cancer."

Advanced Features

Custom Overlays

Overlay Configuration:

overlays:
  4K-HDR:
    plex_search:
      all:
        resolution: 4K
        hdr: true
    overlay:
      name: 4K-HDR
      pmm: resolution/4KHDR
      horizontal_offset: 0
      horizontal_align: right
      vertical_offset: 0
      vertical_align: top

  Director's Cut:
    plex_search:
      all:
        edition: "Director's Cut"
    overlay:
      name: Directors-Cut
      file: /assets/overlays/directors-cut.png
      horizontal_offset: 0
      horizontal_align: left
      vertical_offset: 0
      vertical_align: bottom

Metadata Operations

Mass Updates:

libraries:
  Movies:
    operations:
      # Update all movie metadata
      mass_genre_update: tmdb
      mass_content_rating_update: mdb_commonsense
      mass_audience_rating_update: mdb_tomatoesaudience
      mass_critic_rating_update: mdb_tomatoes
      mass_user_rating_update: imdb

      # Poster operations
      mass_poster_update: tmdb
      mass_background_update: tmdb

      # Episode operations (for TV)
      mass_episode_critic_rating_update: imdb
      mass_episode_audience_rating_update: tmdb

Asset Management

Custom Assets Structure:

/assets/
├── movies/
│   ├── Avatar (2009)/
│   │   ├── poster.jpg
│   │   └── background.jpg
├── tv/
│   ├── The Office (US)/
│   │   ├── poster.jpg
│   │   ├── background.jpg
│   │   └── seasons/
│   │       ├── Season01.jpg
│   │       └── Season02.jpg
└── collections/
    ├── Marvel Cinematic Universe/
    │   └── poster.jpg
    └── Studio Collections/
        └── poster.jpg

Automation and Scheduling

Automated Runs

Docker Environment Variables:

environment:
  - PMM_TIME=06:00        # Daily run at 6 AM
  - PMM_RUN=true          # Enable automatic runs
  - PMM_TEST=false        # Disable test mode
  - PMM_NO_MISSING=false  # Show missing items
  - PMM_COLLECTIONS_ONLY=false  # Run full operations

Cron Schedule (Alternative):

# Add to Unraid User Scripts or cron
0 6 * * * docker exec plex-meta-manager python plex_meta_manager.py --run

Manual Execution

Run Commands:

# Full run
docker exec -it plex-meta-manager python plex_meta_manager.py --run

# Test run (no changes made)
docker exec -it plex-meta-manager python plex_meta_manager.py --run --test

# Collections only
docker exec -it plex-meta-manager python plex_meta_manager.py --run --collections-only

# Specific library only
docker exec -it plex-meta-manager python plex_meta_manager.py --run --libraries "Movies"

Service Integrations

Trakt Integration

Authentication Setup:

Create Trakt application at https://trakt.tv/oauth/applications
Use redirect URI: urn:ietf:wg:oauth:2.0:oob

Run authentication command:

docker exec -it plex-meta-manager python plex_meta_manager.py --run --test --trace

TMDb Configuration

API Key Setup:

Create account at https://www.themoviedb.org/
Request API key in account settings

Add to config.yml:

tmdb:
  apikey: YOUR_TMDB_API_KEY
  language: en

MyAnimeList Integration

MAL Configuration:

mal:
  client_id: YOUR_MAL_CLIENT_ID
  client_secret: YOUR_MAL_CLIENT_SECRET
  authorization:
    access_token: YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN
    token_type: Bearer
    expires_in: 2678400
    refresh_token: YOUR_REFRESH_TOKEN

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Configuration Validation:

# Test configuration file
docker exec -it plex-meta-manager python plex_meta_manager.py --run --test --trace

# Check specific library
docker exec -it plex-meta-manager python plex_meta_manager.py --run --test --libraries "Movies" --trace

API Connection Issues:

Verify all API keys are correct
Check network connectivity
Confirm service endpoints are accessible
Review rate limiting issues

Plex Token Problems:

Generate new Plex token via https://plex.tv/claim
Verify Plex server accessibility
Check user permissions for libraries

Missing Assets:

Verify asset directory structure
Check file permissions
Confirm asset naming conventions
Review download URL accessibility

Log Analysis

Log Locations:

# Container logs
docker logs plex-meta-manager

# PMM logs (inside container)
/config/logs/meta.log

# Debug logs
docker exec -it plex-meta-manager python plex_meta_manager.py --run --trace

Log Analysis Commands:

# Follow logs in real-time
docker logs -f plex-meta-manager

# Search for errors
docker logs plex-meta-manager 2>&1 | grep -i "error"

# Check API responses
docker logs plex-meta-manager 2>&1 | grep -i "response"

Performance Optimization

Resource Management

Container Limits:

deploy:
  resources:
    limits:
      cpus: '2.0'
      memory: 4G
    reservations:
      cpus: '1.0'
      memory: 2G

Cache Configuration:

settings:
  cache: true
  cache_expiration: 60
  run_again_delay: 2
  asset_directory: /assets
  download_url_assets: true

Large Library Optimization

Batch Processing:

libraries:
  Movies:
    schedule: weekly(sunday)
    collection_files:
      - pmm: basic
    settings:
      minimum_items: 5
      delete_below_minimum: true
      run_again_delay: 5

Backup and Maintenance

Configuration Backup

Backup Script:

#!/bin/bash
# pmm-backup.sh

BACKUP_DIR="/backup/plex-meta-manager"
CONFIG_DIR="/path/to/pmm-config"
DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)

# Create backup directory
mkdir -p "$BACKUP_DIR"

# Backup configuration
tar -czf "$BACKUP_DIR/pmm-config-$DATE.tar.gz" "$CONFIG_DIR"

# Keep only last 7 backups
find "$BACKUP_DIR" -name "pmm-config-*.tar.gz" -mtime +7 -delete

Regular Maintenance

Weekly Tasks:

Review collection accuracy
Update configuration files
Check for PMM updates
Monitor API usage

Monthly Tasks:

Clean up old logs
Review asset quality
Update metadata sources
Backup configurations

Special Thanks

meisnate12 for developing and maintaining Plex Meta Manager
PMM Community for extensive configuration examples and support
To our fantastic Discord community and our Admins DiscDuck and Hawks for their input and documentation (as always)

Please support the developers and creators involved in this work to help show them some love. ❤️

Final Words

We hope you enjoyed this guide. It was conceptualized, written, and implemented by our Admin Sycotix.

Support Us

Our work sometimes takes months to research and develop.

If you want to help support us please consider:

Liking and Subscribing to our Youtube channel
Joining our Discord server
Becoming a paid member on our IBRACORP website
Donating via Paypal

Thank you for being part of our community!

Credits​

Feature List​

Prerequisites​

Installation​

Unraid Docker Template​

Docker Compose​

Configuration​

Initial Setup​

Main Configuration (config.yml)​

Movie Library Configuration​

TV Shows Configuration​

Advanced Features​

Custom Overlays​

Metadata Operations​

Asset Management​

Automation and Scheduling​

Automated Runs​

Manual Execution​

Service Integrations​

Trakt Integration​

TMDb Configuration​

MyAnimeList Integration​

Troubleshooting​

Common Issues​

Log Analysis​

Performance Optimization​

Resource Management​

Large Library Optimization​

Backup and Maintenance​

Configuration Backup​

Regular Maintenance​

Special Thanks​

Final Words​

Support Us​