Skip to content

schuettc/plex-collection-creator

Plex Collection Creator

Automatically organize your Plex library with AI-powered collections.

Plex Collection Creator


What It Does

  • Finds franchises automatically — Star Wars, Marvel, Harry Potter, etc.
  • Discovers thematic collections — "Mind-Bending Thrillers", "90s Classics", "Award Winners"
  • Custom searches — Ask for anything: "Find all Christmas movies" or "Movies with twist endings"
  • One-click apply — Review suggestions and create collections directly in Plex

If you need help getting started creating collections in your Plex library, give this a try and let me know what you think.


What You Need

Requirement Details
Docker Desktop Download here — free for personal use
Plex Media Server Running on your network
AI API Key From Anthropic, OpenAI, AWS Bedrock, or Google Vertex AI

Quick Start

1. Start the App

Open a terminal and run:

git clone https://github.com/schuettc/plex-collection-creator.git
cd plex-collection-creator
docker compose up -d

2. Open Your Browser

Go to http://localhost:32500

Landing Page


Setup Guide

The setup wizard walks you through three steps:

Step 1: Connect to Plex

Click Connect with Plex and sign in with your Plex account. The app will find your server automatically.

Setup Wizard

Step 2: Choose Your Libraries

Select which movie and TV libraries you want to analyze.

Step 3: Add Your AI Key

Enter your API key from your chosen AI provider.

Setup Complete


Creating Collections

Once setup is complete, you'll see the Dashboard:

Dashboard

1. Scan Your Library

Click Start Scan to fetch your media metadata from Plex.

Scan Complete

2. Run AI Analysis

Click Analyze and let the AI find collection opportunities.

Analysis Complete

3. Review Suggestions

Browse the AI's suggestions. Each shows the movies/shows that would be included.

Suggestions

You can filter by type or search for specific collections:

Filters

4. Apply to Plex

Click Approve on any suggestion to create it in Plex. Or Reject to dismiss it.

Collections


Custom Searches

Want something specific? Use Custom Search to ask for anything:

  • "Find all movies directed by Christopher Nolan"
  • "Create a collection of 80s action movies"
  • "Group movies with surprise endings"
  • "Find all holiday and Christmas movies"

Getting an AI API Key

Provider How to Get a Key
Anthropic Sign up at console.anthropic.com, add a payment method, create an API key
OpenAI Sign up at platform.openai.com, add a payment method, create an API key
AWS Bedrock Requires AWS account with Bedrock model access enabled
Google Vertex AI Requires GCP project with Vertex AI API enabled

Cost-conscious design: The app uses smaller, faster models (like Claude Haiku) for validation and filtering tasks, reserving larger models (like Claude Sonnet) only for creative analysis. Be sure to keep an eye on your costs.


Security & Privacy

What stays local:

  • Your Plex token is stored in the local database
  • The app runs on your machine — no data is sent to us

What gets sent to your AI provider:

  • Movie and TV metadata (titles, years, directors, genres, summaries)
  • This is required for the AI to analyze your library and suggest collections

Your Plex credentials are never sent to the AI provider.


Credential Storage

You need to provide an AI API key. There are two ways to do this:

Option 1: Environment variables

Create a .env file before starting the app:

# Anthropic
echo "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-..." > .env

# OR OpenAI
echo "OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-..." > .env

# OR AWS Bedrock
cat > .env << 'EOF'
AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=AKIA...
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=...
AWS_REGION=us-east-1
EOF

docker compose up -d

The UI will show "Configured via environment variable" and won't store anything in the database.

Option 2: Enter in the UI

Enter your API key through the setup wizard. It gets encrypted (AES-256-GCM) and stored in the local SQLite database. The encryption key is auto-generated on first startup and stored in the Docker volume.

If you prefer to manage your own encryption key:

echo "ENCRYPTION_KEY=$(openssl rand -hex 32)" > .env
docker compose up -d

FAQ

Q: Does this modify my actual media files? No. It only creates collections in Plex's database. Your files are never touched.

Q: Can I undo a collection? Yes. Collections can be deleted from Plex at any time.

Q: Does it work with TV shows? Yes! It finds series, spinoffs, and shared-universe shows.

Q: How do I stop the app? Run docker compose down in the terminal. Your data is preserved.

Q: How do I completely reset? Run docker compose down -v to remove all data and start fresh.


This is a personal project and not associated with or created by Plex. I just love their app and wanted to make something to help me create collections.


License

MIT

About

AI-powered collection creator for Plex Media Server

Resources

License

Stars

Watchers

Forks

Packages

 
 
 

Contributors