Playback Client Can't See Files#

You added titles to MetaTana, wrote NFOs, and Plex, Jellyfin, Kodi, or Emby still don't show them, or show them with old metadata. Getting a change from MetaTana (which manages the metadata) to your media server (which handles playback and watched state) takes several steps, and each can go wrong on its own.

Common causes, in order of likelihood#

1. The server wasn't asked to scanMost servers only notice changes on a library scan. MetaTana asks the server to refresh only when Refresh library is on for that server, and it waits 30 to 60 seconds to group changes first. With it off, writing a sidecar doesn't tell the server to look.
2. Path mapping mismatchMetaTana writes to /library/movies (its view of the path). The server sees the same files at /data/movies (its view). Without a mapping, the server can't tell they are the same files. After Test connection, the server's card on Sync lists folders the server may not see, with Add path mapping.
3. Sidecar in the wrong layoutKodi expects movie.nfo in a specific layout; Plex with a local-NFO agent expects a slightly different one; Emby is more forgiving. The wrong layout is invisible to that server.
4. The server doesn't read the field you checkedPlex ignores some Kodi NFO fields by default. Emby ignores some Plex-only fields. The data is in the sidecar; the server doesn't read it.
5. The server cached the first versionThe server saw the file before its sidecar was written and cached it as "no metadata". A sidecar written later doesn't trigger a refresh without another scan.

Diagnose#

Start a server scan yourself#

In MetaTana, open the server's ⋯ menu on Sync and refresh its library. Or start it on the server: Plex: Library › ⋯ › Scan Library Files. Jellyfin: Dashboard › Libraries › ⋯ › Scan Library. Kodi: Settings › Media › Library › Update Library. Emby: Manage Server › Libraries › Scan All Libraries.

Wait for the scan to finish (it depends on library size), then check the title again. If it appears now, the server only needed a scan, and the rest of this page may not apply.

Verify path mapping#

The server and MetaTana must see the same file, even if under different paths.

# Inside MetaTana (or its container)
ls -la /library/movies/Big\ Buck\ Bunny\ \(2008\)/

# Inside the server (or its container)
ls -la /data/movies/Big\ Buck\ Bunny\ \(2008\)/

If either fails, the volume mount is wrong; fix it first. If both work under different paths, add a path mapping: Server settings on the server's card, then Path mappings › Add mapping.

Run Test connection from the server's ⋯ menu. If the server may not see a folder MetaTana manages, the card lists it with Add path mapping and a suggested mapping, such as /library/movies to /data/movies. Until the mapping is added, MetaTana asks the server to refresh its whole library instead of only that folder.

Check what the server actually read#

Most servers log their scans.

• Plex: Settings › Manage › Console (live), or /var/lib/plexmediaserver/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server/Logs/
• Jellyfin: Dashboard › Logs, then the latest scan log
• Kodi: Settings › System › Logging › Component-specific logging › Library
• Emby: Dashboard › Logs, then the Scan Media Library task log

Look for the specific file. The log will tell you if it ignored the sidecar, couldn't parse it, or didn't see it at all.

Check that the sidecar layout fits the server#

For each server:

MetaTana's defaults follow the Kodi-style layout that most servers read. Flavour in Settings › Files › NFO files switches the format if a server expects something different.

Confirm the server reads that field#

If everything else looks right but one field doesn't appear, check the server's documentation on NFO fields. Plex ignores Kodi , , and by default; push watched state from MetaTana's Sync instead.

Fix#

• Server wasn't asked to scan: start a scan as above. To make it automatic, open Sync, then the server's Server settings, and turn on Refresh library after filing and edits.
• Path mapping wrong: fix the volume mount, or add a path mapping in the server's Server settings. The Plex and Jellyfin docs cover container paths for each setup.
• NFO format wrong for your server: pick the matching Flavour in Settings › Files › NFO files (or a folder's own NFO format in Edit folder). Then rewrite the existing NFOs: ⋯ › Write NFO for one title, or Library › Needs attention › NFO out of date › Rewrite files for N for many.
• No NFO or artwork written at all: the folder's NFO and artwork output is off. Set Write NFO files to Always in the folder's Edit folder drawer on Folders, or accept the offer to turn it on that appears after you add a server that reads the folder.
• Field not read from NFO: use Push metadata in the server's ⋯ menu on Sync to send the values through the server's own API instead of the sidecar; see Media servers and watch state.
• Watched state not flowing: Sync keeps watched state and resume position in step in both directions. Add the server on Sync, then turn on the directions you want under Sync in its Server settings. An Emby or Jellyfin server with more than one user needs a user picked under Sync watch state for in Add server or service (shown after Test connection). If a sync fails with "This server has more than one user, so MetaTana doesn't know whose watch state to sync", pick the user under Watch state for in Server settings.
• Old copy still listed after a move or Undo: MetaTana refreshes the folder a file left as well as its new folder, and Kodi gets a library Clean for those folders. If an old copy is still listed, run a library scan on the server (and Clean library in Kodi).

Going deeper#

• Media servers and watch state: notes for each server, and metadata, watched state, and progress in both directions
• NFO and artwork: sidecar layouts in depth
• Manage a TV show: episode metadata, where this problem often shows up