TinyMediaManager Integration with Jellyfin

TinyMediaManager (TMM) is a powerful media management tool that can significantly improve your Jellyfin experience by providing rich metadata, artwork, and proper organization for your media library. This guide covers the proper workflow for using TMM with Jellyfin to ensure optimal metadata handling and library organization.

What is TinyMediaManager?

TinyMediaManager is a media management tool written in Java that helps organize and manage your movie and TV show collections. It automatically downloads metadata, artwork, trailers, and subtitles from various online sources, making your media library more presentable and informative.

Key Features:

• Automatic metadata scraping from multiple sources (TMDB, IMDB, etc.)
• Artwork download (posters, fanart, logos, etc.)
• Trailer and subtitle download
• NFO file generation for media players
• Batch renaming and organization
• Duplicate detection
• Media file validation

The Proper Workflow: TMM First, Then Jellyfin

⚠️ Important: Always process your media with TinyMediaManager BEFORE adding it to your Jellyfin library. This ensures proper metadata handling and prevents conflicts.

Why This Order Matters:

1. Metadata Integrity: TMM generates comprehensive metadata that Jellyfin can read and use
2. Artwork Quality: TMM downloads high-quality artwork that enhances your Jellyfin experience
3. File Organization: TMM can properly rename and organize files according to best practices
4. Conflict Prevention: Processing files after they're in Jellyfin can cause library conflicts

Step-by-Step Workflow

Step 1: Set Up TinyMediaManager

1. Download and install TinyMediaManager from tinymediamanager.org
2. Configure your media sources (movie and TV show directories)
3. Set up your preferred metadata providers (TMDB, IMDB, etc.)
4. Configure artwork preferences and quality settings

Step 2: Process Your Media Collection

For New Media:

1. Add new media files to your designated staging directory
2. Point TMM to scan the staging directory
3. Let TMM download metadata and artwork
4. Review and correct any mismatched or missing information
5. Use TMM's rename function to ensure proper file naming
6. Move the processed files to your Jellyfin media directory

For Existing Collections:

1. Backup your current library before processing
2. Point TMM to your existing media directories
3. Run a full library scan
4. Review and update metadata as needed
5. Let TMM organize files according to your preferences

Step 3: Configure Jellyfin Integration

1. Ensure Jellyfin is set to read NFO files for metadata
2. Configure Jellyfin to use local artwork when available
3. Set up your Jellyfin libraries to point to your TMM-processed directories
4. Run initial library scans in Jellyfin

Best Practices

File Naming Convention

TMM can automatically rename files to follow these conventions:

• Movies: Movie Title (Year)/Movie Title (Year).ext
• TV Shows: TV Show Name/Season XX/TV Show Name - SXXEXX - Episode Title.ext

Metadata Configuration

• Enable NFO file generation in TMM
• Set artwork to download in multiple sizes
• Configure trailer downloads if desired
• Enable subtitle downloads for better accessibility

Regular Maintenance

• Run TMM scans periodically for new content
• Update metadata for older content as databases improve
• Clean up duplicate or corrupted files using TMM's tools

Common Issues and Solutions

Metadata Conflicts

• Problem: Jellyfin and TMM show different metadata
• Solution: Ensure Jellyfin is configured to prioritize NFO files over online scraping

Missing Artwork

• Problem: Some artwork doesn't appear in Jellyfin
• Solution: Check TMM's artwork settings and ensure Jellyfin has read permissions

Slow Library Updates

• Problem: Jellyfin takes long to update after TMM processing
• Solution: Use Jellyfin's "Replace All Metadata" option for processed folders

Advanced Configuration

Automated Workflow

You can set up an automated workflow using:

1. File watchers to detect new media
2. TMM command-line tools for automated processing
3. Jellyfin API for library refresh triggers

Docker Integration

If running Jellyfin in Docker:

1. Mount your TMM-processed directories as volumes
2. Ensure proper file permissions between host and container
3. Use shared storage for both TMM and Jellyfin access

Troubleshooting

Permission Issues

Ensure both TMM and Jellyfin have proper read/write permissions to your media directories.

Database Corruption

If TMM's database becomes corrupted:

1. Backup your current TMM database
2. Clean install TMM
3. Re-import your media libraries
4. Restore custom settings

Performance Optimization

• Allocate sufficient RAM to TMM (minimum 2GB recommended)
• Use SSD storage for TMM's database and cache
• Process large libraries in batches

Conclusion

Following the proper workflow of using TinyMediaManager before adding media to Jellyfin ensures a smooth, well-organized media library experience. The key is to always process metadata and organization first with TMM, then let Jellyfin consume the properly formatted content. This approach maximizes the benefits of both tools while minimizing conflicts and issues.