Plex
Lets MCP clients browse and search your Plex media libraries.
What is Plex?
Plex is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to lets mcp clients browse and search your plex media libraries.
Lets MCP clients browse and search your Plex media libraries.
This server falls under the Business Applications category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- Lets MCP clients browse and search your Plex media libraries
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
Manual Installation
npx plexConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use Plex
plex-mcp is an MCP server that gives AI assistants direct access to your Plex media server, exposing over 40 tools for browsing libraries, searching content, managing playlists, inspecting playback sessions, and editing metadata. It lets you interact with your entire movie, TV show, and music collection through natural language without opening the Plex app, and supports both stdio (for Claude Desktop) and HTTP modes for flexible deployment.
Prerequisites
- A running Plex Media Server accessible on your network
- A Plex authentication token (retrieved from your Plex account settings or Plex Web app network requests)
- Node.js 18 or later, OR Docker for containerized deployment
- An MCP-compatible client such as Claude Desktop
Find your Plex token
Your Plex token authenticates requests to your media server. Find it in Plex Web: play any item, open developer tools, look at the network requests for an X-Plex-Token query parameter. Alternatively find it in your Plex account settings under 'Authorized Devices'.
Run with Docker in stdio mode
The recommended deployment for Claude Desktop uses Docker in stdio mode. Pass your Plex server URL and token as environment variables.
docker run -i --rm \
-e PLEX_URL=http://192.168.1.50:32400 \
-e PLEX_TOKEN=your-plex-token \
carldog/plex-mcpConfigure Claude Desktop
Add plex-mcp to your Claude Desktop configuration using the Docker stdio command. Replace the PLEX_URL with your actual server address.
{
"mcpServers": {
"plex": {
"command": "docker",
"args": [
"run", "-i", "--rm",
"-e", "PLEX_URL=http://192.168.1.50:32400",
"-e", "PLEX_TOKEN=your-plex-token",
"carldog/plex-mcp"
]
}
}
}Or run locally with Node.js
Clone the repository and run directly with Node.js if you prefer not to use Docker.
git clone https://github.com/CarlDog/plex-mcp.git
cd plex-mcp
npm install
PLEX_URL=http://192.168.1.50:32400 PLEX_TOKEN=your-plex-token npm run devRestart Claude Desktop
Restart Claude Desktop to load the new MCP server. You should now be able to query your Plex library directly from Claude.
Plex Examples
Client configuration
Claude Desktop config using Docker stdio mode to connect to a local Plex server.
{
"mcpServers": {
"plex": {
"command": "docker",
"args": [
"run", "-i", "--rm",
"-e", "PLEX_URL=http://192.168.1.50:32400",
"-e", "PLEX_TOKEN=your-plex-token",
"carldog/plex-mcp"
]
}
}
}Prompts to try
Example natural-language prompts to interact with your Plex media library.
- "What movies were recently added to my Plex library?"
- "Search for all episodes of The Wire in my TV library"
- "What is currently playing on Plex and who is watching it?"
- "Create a playlist of all my unwatched sci-fi movies"
- "Mark all episodes of Season 1 of Breaking Bad as watched"
- "Show me my On Deck items — what should I watch next?"Troubleshooting Plex
Connection refused or timeout when connecting to Plex
Verify PLEX_URL is the correct local network address and port (default 32400). If running Docker, the container's network may not reach your host's local IP — try using host networking: add --network host to the docker run command.
401 Unauthorized errors from the Plex API
Your PLEX_TOKEN is invalid or expired. Retrieve a fresh token from Plex Web by inspecting network requests while the app is open. The token appears as X-Plex-Token in API request URLs.
Docker image not found (carldog/plex-mcp)
If the pre-built image is not available, build it locally: git clone https://github.com/CarlDog/plex-mcp.git && cd plex-mcp && docker build -t plex-mcp . and then use plex-mcp as the image name in your config.
Frequently Asked Questions about Plex
What is Plex?
Plex is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that lets mcp clients browse and search your plex media libraries. It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install Plex?
Follow the installation instructions on the Plex GitHub repository. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and add the server config to your AI client.
Which AI clients work with Plex?
Plex works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is Plex free to use?
Yes, Plex is open source and available under the ISC License license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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Browse More Business Applications MCP Servers
Explore all business applications servers available in the MCPgee directory. Each server includes setup guides for Claude, Cursor, and VS Code.
Set Up Plex in Your Editor
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Quick Config Preview
Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json or .cursor/mcp.json
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