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MetaTana

These docs are for MetaTana 2.0, coming soon

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Activity

Activity lists what is running and everything that ran: scans, filed titles, fetches, renames, syncs, tool runs, and failures, with Undo and Retry where they apply. When something happened, or didn't, Activity is where you find out.

Activity page: Working now with running fetches at the top, the Show filter, then today's timeline with a scan of 23 files, renames, a sync and a failed subtitle fetch with Retry.
Activity: Working now and the timeline

Activity is one page for everything that ran:

  • Working now lists what is running, each with Cancel when it can stop. Pause all pauses artwork and subtitle fetches until you select Resume, and Cancel queued drops fetches that have not started.
  • Show filters the timeline: All, Filed, Fetches, Renames, Sync, Tools, or Problems, which counts failures. The search box finds titles, files, and folders. Renames, Fetches, and Tools open their full lists, with Undo all for a rename batch, Retry failed and Clear stuck jobs for fetches, and the tool runs and batches.
  • The timeline is grouped by day. Each row offers only the actions that apply to it, such as Retry, Undo, Cancel, or Open.
  • A scan that moved files offers Undo this scan's moves…. The preview lists each file, where it is now, and where it goes back to. A file that is gone, changed after the scan, or whose old path is taken stays where it is. Tick Also trash the N NFO and N artwork files to remove what that scan wrote; they stay in MetaTana's trash for 30 days. The titles then wait in the Inbox under New and are not filed again until you approve them.
  • A failed subtitle fetch offers Retry, and Try OpenSubtitles or Try SubDL when you saved a key for the other subtitle source.
  • A tool run shows its output in place: select Show output.
  • Fetch, artwork, and notice rows show the title's poster, and so do fetches in Working now. A trailer fetch there shows how much has arrived, for example 42 of 120 MB. Artwork and subtitle fetches show a moving bar instead.
  • A row such as Replaced the poster of… or Imported the poster for… offers Undo when the artwork was one you picked, uploaded, or imported from a URL, and that change is still the latest for that artwork. Undo puts the previous artwork back, along with the file it replaced, and moves the newer file to MetaTana's trash. If the artwork changed since, Undo stops and says so. For a show, Undo puts the previous artwork choice back but not the old file.
  • The ⋯ menu at the top has Export report, Diagnostic search…, NFO writing, and Refresh.

Check that work finished

If an action queues background or disk work, its first success message only means the work was accepted. Activity is where you confirm that it finished: wait until its row shows it finished or failed, then check the result in the app and on disk.

Show: Fetches lists queued artwork, subtitle, and trailer work. Clear stuck jobs is for jobs that no longer make progress; it does not fix the provider or path problem behind them. Subtitle fetches queued while an account had no Pro wait there with "Upgrade to Pro to use Subtitles." and run after you upgrade.

What can be undone

Undo appears only where a change can really be reversed:

  • Renames and moves, one row, a batch (Undo all), or a whole scan (Undo this scan's moves…)
  • Inbox approvals: the file moves back and the title waits in the Inbox again
  • Duplicate cleanup: the removed copy comes back from MetaTana's trash
  • NFO and artwork replacements: the replaced files come back from the hidden .metatana-trash folder next to them. If any of those files changed after MetaTana wrote it, Undo changes nothing and names the file. Runs that fetched a trailer can't be undone.
  • Artwork changes and field edits, including locks and bulk edits
  • Episode renumbering and season artwork renames: files move back and the old numbers or image names return
  • A tinyMediaManager import, while its own Undo is still available

Pushes to media servers and Trakt, fetches, and provider lookups have no Undo.

Common workflows

Did my change apply? Set Show to the kind of work, or search for the title, find the row from the time you saved, and read its outcome.
Retry a failed write Set Show to Problems, open the failed row, read the error, fix the cause (permission, path, provider key), then select Retry.
Undo a bad batch Find the batch or scan row and select Undo all or Undo this scan's moves…. The preview shows each file before anything moves. See Sidecar didn't appear for related checks.
Export a support report Export report in the ⋯ menu saves a JSON summary of recent work with secrets removed. The masking is best effort, so read it before sharing.

When something fails

  1. Read the visible errorCapture the first clear failure instead of dismissing it or retrying again and again.
  2. Open the Activity rowCheck its target, inputs, outcome, and the error behind it, so you don't repeat the same provider, sign-in, path, or file system failure.
  3. Check Library health when the disk and the library may differLook for related missing files, ghost entries, untracked files, or broken sidecar files in Settings › Maintenance › Library health.
  4. Fix the causeCorrect the provider, sign-in, path, permission, or local problem before retrying.
  5. Check the retryWait until the row shows it finished or failed, then confirm the result in the app and on disk.

The Troubleshooting section maps common symptoms to focused checks and fixes.

Common pitfalls

Undo does not last forever Files in the recoverable trash are kept for 30 days by default (Settings › Maintenance › Trash). Once they are deleted, or you select Empty, Undo is no longer offered for the changes that needed them. If you might want to undo, act sooner.

Going deeper