Dashboard showing blank user

This problem started occurring about 10 days ago.

When playing media from a server running on the same box (via docker), playback is now reported as the “Local” user rather than as my logged-in user. Sometimes relogging will show the proper user for a single play, but then will revert back to the blank user. This occurs both on web client and windows client playback.

This doesn’t happen on other devices on the local network, even though they’re “allowed without auth”

This messes up my media logging and playback statistics.

what exactly do you mean by “Local” user?

It’s the “blank” profile picture/name user that appears in the dashboard. The play is reported as from user ID “0”, which usually means it’s an unauthenticated user on a local network.

It won’t let me upload an image but here: Imgur: The magic of the Internet

I suppose this is to be expected when configuring the server to not require authentication on certain IPs / networks.

From https://support.plex.tv/articles/200430283-network/

List of IP addresses and networks that are allowed without auth

Warning! : Any app connecting to the server this way without being signed in will be treated as the admin/owner. That means access to all libraries as well as the ability to change server settings. We strongly encourage using Plex apps that allow signing in to accounts to ensure the highest security for your computer and network.

It is a recent issue, and localhost is always allowed unauthorized even without that setting, so it shouldn’t have an impact here.

I think you’re mixing up two different concepts.
You can specify LAN networks to tell Plex which subnets should be considered local.
Listing IP addresses / networks to not require authentication is something different – even on the machine that’s hosting your server you’ll need to authenticate once the server is claimed. Else you’ll still be able to access the web app but you won’t see any of the hosted media.

I think you’re a bit hung up on me calling it the Local user? The bottom line is Plex is not reporting the user watching the media.

Judging by your screenshot you are not signed into plex and are watching anonymously. You have to sign into plex to have it record who is watching what on the dashboard.

Screenshot from 2024-03-24 23-45-12

I just tested this myself (watching something while not being signed in) and I get the same blank user screenshot you provided above.

Screenshot from 2024-03-24 23-48-34

I agree this is most often how you’d see that, but as stated in my original post I am logged in (both for the Windows client and web client).

I’ll believe you and assume that is true.

I’d then suggest going to https://app.plex.tv/desktop/#!/settings/devices/all and removing your clients (windows & web) and then try again after signing. Maybe something funky is happening with the auth and the clients which this might help with.

No luck, unfortunately, it works for a little bit (same as described in op) then back to this Imgur: The magic of the Internet

Any other support possible?

Bump for support