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Installing Agents & Scanners ​

Both Shoko Metadata and Shoko Relay do not come with an installer. Please follow the manual installation instructions below. This guide assumes you've installed Plex into the default install directory, so make adjustments as needed to fit your installation.

Shoko Metadata and Shoko Relay are not stand-alone plugins; they depend on having Shoko Server installed, configured, and running. If you haven't done so, Download Shoko Server from our main website and use the Installing Shoko Server guide to properly install and configure Shoko Server.

Nvidia Shield Compatibility

Detailed here, these plugins will not function when running Plex Media Server v1.41.0 or newer on an Nvidia Shield device. It is possible to sideload an older PMS build to continue to use third-party plugins, but that will not be covered here.

Shoko Relay or Shoko Metadata? ​

Shoko Relay began as a fork/PR of Shoko Metadata, intended to introduce features that were absent in the original. Over time, as more adjustments were made, it developed its own unique set of functionalities. This development was due to differing opinions on what the plugin should include, leading to the creation of Shoko Relay. You can read a list of the Changes from Shoko Metadata to decide which plugin you'd like to use.

Both plugins are outstanding for media playback; the decision essentially comes down to identifying which plugin best suits your needs.

Important

Make sure Plex Media Server is stopped before attempting to install the Agents and Scanners. Otherwise, a restart may be necessary to make them work and appear in your Library settings.

Windows ​

Installing on Windows is pretty straightforward and requires minimal editing on your part. If you run into any issues, retrace your steps and if you're still stuck, feel free to ask for help on our Discord server.

VSCode

We recommend doing the edits listed below in VSCode or similar as Python is space-sensitive and extra or missing spaces can break the file.

Shoko Relay ​

Before you continue, make sure that you have Shoko Server installed and running with your anime collection fully recognized.

Install ​

  1. Download and Extract the Plugin
    • Download the Shoko Relay bundle.
    • Extract the .zip file. You should have a folder named ShokoRelay.bundle after extraction.
  2. Move the Plugin Folder
    • Move the ShokoRelay.bundle folder to the following directory:
      cmd
      %LOCALAPPDATA%\Plex Media Server\Plug-ins
  3. Install the Series Scanner
    • Note that Shoko Relay does not include a movie scanner (movies will work with it).
    • Navigate to the following directory:
      cmd
      %LOCALAPPDATA%\Plex Media Server\Plug-ins\ShokoRelay.bundle\Contents
    • Move the Scanners folder into the following directory:
      cmd
      %LOCALAPPDATA%\Plex Media Server

Editing Shoko Relay Scanner ​

  1. Navigate to the Plex Series Scanners Directory:
    cmd
    %LOCALAPPDATA%\Plex Media Server\Scanners\Series
  2. Open the Shoko Relay Scanner.py File
  3. Configure the Series Scanner
    • Make adjustments to the Prefs section to align it with your Shoko configuration.
    • For most users, you'll only need to update the username and password fields:
      py
      Prefs = {
    'Hostname': '127.0.0.1',
    'Port': 8111,
    'Username': 'username',
    'Password': 'password',
    'SingleSeasonOrdering': False
}

Please see the Series Scanner Advanced Settings section for more information on the advanced settings available for the series scanner.

Shoko Metadata ​

Before you continue, make sure that you have Shoko Server installed and running with your anime collection fully recognized.

Install ​

  1. Download and Extract the Plugin
    • Download the Shoko Metadata plugin.
    • Extract the .zip file. You should have a folder named ShokoMetadata.bundle-1.5.1 after extraction.
  2. Rename the Folder
    • The extracted folder will have a suffix, remove it by renaming the folder to:
      cmd
      ShokoMetadata.bundle
  3. Move the Plugin Folder
    • Move the ShokoMetadata.bundle folder to the following directory:
      cmd
      %LOCALAPPDATA%\Plex Media Server\Plug-ins
  4. Install the Scanners
    • If you haven't installed custom scanners before, you may need to manually create a Scanners folder in the Plex Media Server directory.
    • Navigate to the following directory:
      cmd
      %LOCALAPPDATA%\Plex Media Server\Plug-ins\ShokoMetadata.bundle\Contents\Resources
    • Move the Movie and Series scanner folders into the following directory:
      cmd
      %LOCALAPPDATA%\Plex Media Server\Scanners

Editing Shoko Movie Scanner ​

  1. Navigate to the Plex Movies Scanners directory:
    cmd
    %LOCALAPPDATA%\Plex Media Server\Scanners\Movies
  2. Open the Shoko Movie Scanner.py File
  3. Configure the Movies Scanner
    • Make adjustments to the Prefs section to align it with your Shoko configuration.
    • For most users, you'll only need to update the username and password fields:
      py
      Prefs = {
    'Hostname': '127.0.0.1',
    'Port': 8111,
    'Username': 'username',
    'Password': 'password',
}

Editing Shoko Series Scanner ​

  1. Navigate to the Plex Series Scanners Directory:
    cmd
    %LOCALAPPDATA%\Plex Media Server\Scanners\Series
  2. Open the Shoko Series Scanner.py File
  3. Configure the Series Scanner
    • Make adjustments to the Prefs section to align it with your Shoko configuration.
    • For most users, you'll only need to update the username and password fields:
      py
      Prefs = {
    'Hostname': '127.0.0.1',
    'Port': 8111,
    'Username': 'username',
    'Password': 'password',
    'IncludeSpecials': True,
    'IncludeOther': True,
    'SingleSeasonOrdering': False
}

Please see the Series Scanner Advanced Settings section for more information on the advanced settings available for the series scanner.

Linux ​

Getting everything configured on Linux is a bit more involved than on Windows, but it's still relatively simple. If you run into any issues, retrace your steps and if you're still stuck, feel free to ask for help on our Discord server.

Prerequisite Steps ​

First, we will assign an environment variable $PLEX_HOME that will point to the base directory for your Plex content. This will make it easier to follow the guide, regardless of the Plex installation method.

Below are the three most common installation methods, and what you need to do for each one before you continue with the rest of the guide.

Custom Installations

If you installed Plex using another method, then please assign the variable to your own, and make sure to use the correct user when executing the steps listed below.

Bare-Metal Variable ​

Sign in with the user responsible for running PMS (replace <username> with the according username) and assign the variable:

sh
sudo -u <username> -s /bin/sh
export PLEX_HOME="/var/lib/plex/Plex Media Server"

Some distributions may install Plex to a different base directory, or if you're running a custom install of Plex, then either make sure or tweak the above variable to lead to your Plex Media Server directory. If the above variable is not set correctly, then the guide will fail at the first step.

Snap (plexmediaserver) Variable ​

Sign in as root on your host-system and assign the variable:

sh
sudo -s /bin/sh
export PLEX_HOME="/var/snap/plexmediaserver/common/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server"

Docker (plexinc/pms-docker) ​

Variable Selection

This section assumes you're using the official docker image (plexinc/pms-docker). If you're using any other image, (e.g. linuxserver/plex), then either make sure or tweak the above variable to lead to your Plex Media Server directory. If the above variable is not set correctly, then the guide will fail at the first step.

Attach to the running PMS container (replace <container name> accordingly) and and assign the variable:

sh
docker exec -it <container name> /bin/sh
export PLEX_HOME="/config/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server"

Shoko Relay ​

Before you continue, make sure that you have Shoko Server installed and running with your anime collection fully recognized.

Install ​

  1. Navigate to the Plug-ins Directory
    • Open a terminal and navigate to the Plug-ins directory of your Plex installation:
      sh
      cd "${PLEX_HOME}/Plug-ins";
  2. Download and Extract the Bundle
    • Use one of the following commands to download and extract the latest Shoko Relay bundle from GitHub:
      sh
      curl -L https://github.com/natyusha/ShokoRelay.bundle/releases/latest/download/ShokoRelay.bundle.tar.gz | tar -xzf -
      sh
      wget -O - https://github.com/natyusha/ShokoRelay.bundle/releases/latest/download/ShokoRelay.bundle.tar.gz | tar -xzf -
  3. Move the Series Scanner
    • Copy the Scanners folder from the extracted bundle to the ${PLEX_HOME} directory:
      sh
      cp -R ShokoRelay.bundle/Contents/Scanners ../

Editing Shoko Relay Scanner ​

  1. Open the Shoko Relay Scanner.py File
    sh
    ${EDITOR:-nano} "${PLEX_HOME}/Scanners/Series/Shoko Relay Scanner.py"
  2. Configure the Series Scanner
    • Make adjustments to the Prefs section to align it with your Shoko configuration.
    • For most users, you'll only need to update the username and password fields:
      py
      Prefs = {
    'Hostname': '127.0.0.1',
    'Port': 8111,
    'Username': 'username',
    'Password': 'password',
    'SingleSeasonOrdering': False
}

Please see the Series Scanner Advanced Settings section for more information on the advanced settings available for the relay scanner.

Shoko Metadata ​

Before you continue, make sure that you have Shoko Server installed and running with your anime collection fully recognized.

Install ​

  1. Navigate to the Plug-ins Directory
    • Open a terminal and navigate to the Plug-ins directory of your Plex installation:
      sh
      cd "${PLEX_HOME}/Plug-ins";
  2. Download and Extract the Bundle
    • Use one of the following commands to download and extract the latest Shoko Metadata bundle from GitHub:
      sh
      curl -L https://github.com/Cazzar/ShokoMetadata.bundle/archive/master.tar.gz | tar -xzf -
      sh
      wget -O - https://github.com/Cazzar/ShokoMetadata.bundle/archive/master.tar.gz | tar -xzf -
  3. Rename the Folder
    • The extracted folder will have a suffix, remove it by renaming the folder:
      sh
      mv ShokoMetadata.bundle-master ShokoMetadata.bundle
  4. Ensure that the Scanners Directory Exists
    • Make sure the Scanners directory exists in the base Plex Media Server directory:
      sh
      mkdir -p "${PLEX_HOME}/Scanners"
  5. Move the Scanners
    • Copy the scanners from the extracted bundle to the Scanners directory:
      sh
      cp -R ShokoMetadata.bundle/Contents/Resources/* ../Scanners/

Editing Shoko Movie Scanner ​

  1. Open the Shoko Movie Scanner.py file:
    sh
    ${EDITOR:-nano} "${PLEX_HOME}/Scanners/Series/Shoko Movie Scanner.py"
  2. Configure the Movies Scanner
    • Make adjustments to the Prefs section to align it with your Shoko configuration.
    • For most users, you'll only need to update the username and password fields:
      py
      Prefs = {
    'Hostname': '127.0.0.1',
    'Port': 8111,
    'Username': 'username',
    'Password': 'password',
}

Editing Shoko Series Scanner ​

  1. Open the Shoko Series Scanner.py file:
    sh
    ${EDITOR:-nano} "${PLEX_HOME}/Scanners/Series/Shoko Series Scanner.py"
  2. Configure the Series Scanner
    • Make adjustments to the Prefs section to align it with your Shoko configuration.
    • For most users, you'll only need to update the username and password fields:
      py
      Prefs = {
    'Hostname': '127.0.0.1',
    'Port': 8111,
    'Username': 'username',
    'Password': 'password',
    'IncludeSpecials': True,
    'IncludeOther': True,
    'SingleSeasonOrdering': False
}

Series Scanner Advanced Settings ​

You may have noticed that the series scanner provides a broader range of options compared to the movie scanner. These additional options are detailed below.

OptionDescription

IncludeSpecials Metadata Only

Files marked as specials in Shoko will be shown in the series as part of Season 0.

IncludeOther Metadata Only

Files marked as other in Shoko will be shown in the series as part of Season 0.

SingleSeasonOrdering

Episodes are no longer separated by seasons when matched with TMDB. All normal episodes are put into Season 1, specials into Season 0, and with Relay others into Negative Seasons.