Media Server Integration Overview

Youtarr supports integration with multiple media servers, providing rich metadata and organized content for your YouTube video collection.

Supported Media Servers

Media Server	Integration Type	Metadata Support	Library Refresh	Guide
Plex	Full Integration	Embedded MP4 + NFO	Automatic	Setup Guide
Kodi	NFO + Artwork	NFO Files	Manual/Scheduled	Setup Guide
Jellyfin	NFO + Artwork	NFO Files	Manual/Real-time	Setup Guide
Emby	NFO + Artwork	NFO Files + Embedded	Manual/Real-time	Setup Guide

Quick Comparison

Feature Support

Feature	Plex	Kodi	Jellyfin	Emby
Automatic Library Refresh via Youtarr	✅	❌	❌	❌
Native Playlist Sync	✅	M3U only	✅	✅
Channel Playlist (.m3u) Auto-Import	❌	Manual import	Mixed or Music libraries only	Mixed-type libraries only
Watch Status Sync (into Youtarr)	✅	❌	✅	✅
NFO Metadata	❌	✅	✅	✅
Embedded MP4 Metadata	✅	Partial	✅	✅
Channel Posters	❌	✅	✅	✅
Backdrop Images	❌	❌	✅	✅

Metadata Generated by Youtarr

All media servers receive:

• Video Files: MP4 with embedded metadata
• Thumbnails: Video preview images
• NFO Files: XML metadata for each video if enabled in Settings -> Core (Download Settings section)
• Poster Images: Channel artwork (poster.jpg) if enabled in Settings -> Core (Download Settings section)

Optional artwork, both off by default and enabled in the same Download Settings section:

• Video Fanart: <video name>-fanart.jpg beside each video, from the video thumbnail. Some Plex clients (NVIDIA Shield, for example) use it as the background preview.
• Backdrop Images: backdrop.jpg in each channel folder (from the channel banner) plus <video name>-backdrop.jpg beside each video, used by Emby and Jellyfin for background art.

Multi-Library Organization

Youtarr supports organizing content into separate libraries using subfolders:

See YOUTARR_DOWNLOADS_FOLDER_STRUCTURE.md for subfolder structure details.

Benefits of Multiple Libraries

1. Access Control: Different permissions per library
2. Organization: Easier content discovery
3. Customization: Library-specific settings
4. Performance: Faster targeted scanning

Setup Process

1. Configure channel subfolders in Youtarr (channel settings)
2. Create separate media server libraries pointing to each subfolder
3. Configure library-specific settings

Configuration in Youtarr

Essential Settings

Navigate to Settings -> Core, Download Settings section:

The .nfo and poster files are not used by Plex, but it is recommended to leave them enabled since they provide the best compatibility for all media servers

Disable if you are using Plex-only and want less "clutter" of files

Setting	Default	Purpose
Generate video .nfo files	Enabled	Creates metadata for Kodi/Jellyfin/Emby
Copy channel poster.jpg files	Enabled	Adds channel artwork to folders
Create video fanart files	Disabled	Writes -fanart.jpg per video; some Plex clients use it as the background preview
Create backdrop images	Disabled	Writes backdrop.jpg per channel and -backdrop.jpg per video for Emby/Jellyfin background art

Platform-Specific Settings

Plex

• Plex API Key: Required for automatic library refresh
• Library ID: Select your YouTube library
• Server Details: IP address and port

Jellyfin and Emby

• For metadata only, no Youtarr-side settings are needed. Just point the server at your download directory and the NFO and poster files are picked up automatically.
• For native playlist sync, you do need to connect the server in Youtarr: enable it under Settings, then enter the server URL, an API key, and the user account that should own the playlists. See Media Server Playlists for the full setup.

Kodi

• No specific configuration needed for metadata; point Kodi at the download directory.
• Kodi has no native playlist sync, but Youtarr writes a .m3u file you can import. See Media Server Playlists.

File Structure

See Youtarr Downloads Folder Structure

Metadata Contents

NFO Files Include:

Field	Description
<title>	Title with channel prefix
<plot>	Full description of video from YouTube
<premiered>	Original upload/release date
<year>	Year of the upload/release date
<dateadded>	Date the video was downloaded by Youtarr
<studio>	Channel name
<credits>	Channel name
<genre>	YouTube categories
<tag>	YouTube tags
<runtime>	Video duration in minutes
<durationinseconds>	Video duration in seconds
<uniqueid>	YouTube ID with type="youtube"
<youtubeid>	YouTube ID
<mpaa> / <ratings>	Content rating when one applies (download override, channel/playlist default, or YouTube age rating)
<trailer>	Link back to the video on YouTube

Embedded MP4 Metadata:

Field	Description
title	Title with channel prefix
artist	Channel name
studio	Channel name
album	Channel name (for collection grouping)
keyword	YouTube tags
description	Full description of video from YouTube
genre	YouTube Categories
comment	Link to video on YouTube
Content Create Date	Original upload/release date

Native Playlist Sync

Youtarr can mirror subscribed YouTube playlists into Plex, Jellyfin, and Emby as native playlists, plus emit a universal .m3u fallback. Per-server setup, visibility model, and replace semantics are documented separately in Media Server Playlists.

Watch Status Sync

Youtarr can pull per-video, per-user watch status from Plex, Jellyfin, and Emby, show a Watched chip on its listing pages, and let you filter your library by watched state. The sync is one-way; nothing is written back to your servers. See Track Watch Status from Media Servers for the workflow and the Configuration Reference for the config keys.

Quick Start Guides

For New Users

1. Choose Your Media Server:

   • Plex Guide
   • Jellyfin Guide
   • Kodi Guide
   • Emby Guide

2. Enable Metadata Generation in Youtarr (Settings -> Core)

3. Add Channels and let Youtarr download with metadata

4. Configure Media Server following the specific guide

For Existing Users

If you already have downloaded videos:

1. Enable metadata generation in Settings -> Core
2. New downloads will include metadata
3. Existing videos won't be retroactively updated
4. Consider deleting and re-downloading if metadata is important

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Problem	Solution	Affects
Metadata not showing	Enable "Local Media Assets" or NFO reader	All
Posters missing	Check poster.jpg exists, verify permissions	All
Library not updating	Check API key (Plex) or trigger manual scan	Plex
Special characters broken	Ensure UTF-8 encoding, update media server	All
Duplicate entries	Check for overlapping library paths	All

Getting Help

1. Check the specific media server guide
2. Review Troubleshooting Guide
3. Check media server logs
4. Verify file permissions

Best Practices

General Recommendations

1. Plan Your Structure: Decide on organization before adding many channels
2. Test First: Start with one channel to verify setup
3. Enable Metadata Early: Configure before downloading
4. Use Subfolders: Organize content from the start
5. Regular Maintenance: Periodically clean and optimize libraries