Once Plekt is running, claim the instance and follow Guided Setup. A media server is optional during onboarding, so you can configure metadata, private lists, or backups before connecting Plex, Emby, or Jellyfin. Trakt, metadata providers, webhooks, and remote backups can also be added after the core connection is healthy.
Claim the instance
On a fresh install with no administrator password, Plekt shows:
Claim this Plekt instance
Create the administrator username and password there.
Claiming is a one-time action and should only be done by the person who controls the server.
After claiming, Plekt opens the resumable setup guide.
You can reopen it from the Reopen Onboarding link in Settings → Tools.
If you forget the administrator password
Plekt keeps administrator login local to the instance and does not send email reset links.
If you can still sign in, change it under Settings → General → Account.
If you are locked out, stop Plekt, set a new ADMIN_PASSWORD in the host or container
environment, and restart it. If the password was previously changed inside Plekt, remove
only the authManagedInApp property from data/config.json first so the environment value can
be applied. The old password cannot be recovered from its stored hash.
A setup step can be skipped and completed later; the guide does not replace the individual settings pages.
Complete the guided setup
Follow the stages in order when possible. Each step explains what it configures and can be skipped if you are not ready to set it up yet:
- Overview — confirm the instance is running and see which optional services are available.
- Trakt — optionally connect Trakt or import an existing history archive.
- Metadata — add a TMDB key first; add TheTVDB, Fanart.tv, OMDb, or YouTube when you need their additional data.
- Media servers — optionally connect and test Plex, Emby, Jellyfin, or more than one server.
- Webhooks — configure Emby or Jellyfin event delivery. The in-app guide recommends the Plekt Jellyfin plugin and also explains the webhook alternative; use only one sender. Plex’s built-in WebSocket channel does not need a manual webhook.
- Backup — schedule local backups and optionally configure a Backblaze B2 mirror.
- Import & sync — watch the import and delivery status rather than starting another full sync immediately.
- Options — choose watched-flag handling in Sync Tuning. Require review sends provider Mark Played events without a reliable completion time to Manual Watch review; Fast Local-Network Sync is available only for trusted local networks. Sync Up Next to media apps is enabled by default and coalesces queue additions, removals, reorderings, and progress changes into a background push to Plex, Emby, and Jellyfin, including when the Dashboard is closed.
- Review — confirm each step and open the dashboard.
The Media servers stage is part of Guided Setup. If you skip it, return later through Settings → Media servers rather than repeating an onboarding step here.
Confirm the first sync
The dashboard is the quickest health check after a server is connected.
It separates Now Playing, a mixed Up Next queue containing resume items and released TV episodes, and completed TV and movie history rows. Before a media server is connected, use the setup steps and Settings to confirm the instance itself is healthy.
The sidebar sync indicator is only a summary.
For the reason behind a result, open Sync Activity and inspect the source, destination, outcome, and message.
If history is missing, check the media-server connection.
Then check troubleshooting.
If an event is recorded but not delivered, use the Sync Activity guide before running a whole-library repair.