Media indexing never finishes and seems to repeatedly scan the same files

Plex Media Server Desktops & Laptops
1

Server Version#: 1.41.1.9057-af5eaea7a
Player Version#: N/A
OS: Ubuntu 22.04

I’ve never finished setting up the server because the media scanner runs for days at a time but never finishes. I have let it go as long as 5 days, I think that should be long enough to index 5414 files on a i7-11700. I don’t know what logs would be helpful here, but here is the results of grep Recall /var/lib/plexmediaserver/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server/Logs/*:

grep output 
Plex Media Scanner Matcher.3.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:33:49.836 [140516301463296] DEBUG - Scanner: found local sidecar subtitle "/storage/Video/TV/The Office (US)/Season 03/S03E20 Product Recall.en.srt"
Plex Media Scanner Matcher.3.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:33:49.836 [140516301463296] DEBUG - [FFMPEG] - Opening '/storage/Video/TV/The Office (US)/Season 03/S03E20 Product Recall.en.srt' for reading
Plex Media Server.1.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:31:58.412 [139722514295608] DEBUG - IntroDetector: Initializing for "/storage/Video/TV/The Office (US)/Season 03/S03E20 Product Recall.mkv" (4775)
Plex Media Server.1.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:32:02.322 [139722514295608] DEBUG - Updating part with ID=4607 [/storage/Video/TV/The Office (US)/Season 03/S03E20 Product Recall.mkv]
Plex Media Server.1.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:32:02.325 [139722514295608] DEBUG - Doing expensive tags write for 'Product Recall' because something changed.
Plex Media Server.1.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:32:02.447 [139774426803000] INFO - Library section 4 (TV Shows) will be updated because of a change in "/storage/Video/TV/The Office (US)/Season 03/S03E20 Product Recall.mkv"
Plex Media Server.1.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:33:02.459 [139774426803000] INFO - Library section 4 (TV Shows) will be updated because of a change in "/storage/Video/TV/The Office (US)/Season 03/S03E20 Product Recall.mkv"
Plex Media Server.2.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:31:02.386 [139774426803000] INFO - Library section 4 (TV Shows) will be updated because of a change in "/storage/Video/TV/The Office (US)/Season 03/S03E20 Product Recall.mkv"
Plex Media Server.2.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:31:39.608 [139723882019640] DEBUG - Updating metadata item (save) (Product Recall) with ID 4775
Plex Media Server.2.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:31:42.735 [139722533096248] DEBUG - Loaded metadata for Product Recall (ID 4775) in 3ms
Plex Media Server.2.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:31:44.455 [139722538457912] DEBUG - Loaded metadata for Product Recall (ID 4775) in 6ms
Plex Media Server.2.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:31:52.455 [139722516405048] DEBUG - [CreditsDetectionManager] Doing expensive tags write for 'Product Recall' because something changed.
Plex Media Server.3.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:29:02.693 [139774426803000] INFO - Library section 4 (TV Shows) will be updated because of a change in "/storage/Video/TV/The Office (US)/Season 03/S03E20 Product Recall.mkv"
Plex Media Server.3.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:29:34.980 [139723882019640] DEBUG - Updating metadata item (save) (Product Recall) with ID 4775
Plex Media Server.3.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:29:38.061 [139722575035192] DEBUG - Loaded metadata for Product Recall (ID 4775) in 3ms
Plex Media Server.3.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:29:39.803 [139722577144632] DEBUG - Loaded metadata for Product Recall (ID 4775) in 5ms
Plex Media Server.3.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:29:47.483 [139722561456952] DEBUG - [CreditsDetectionManager] Doing expensive tags write for 'Product Recall' because something changed.
Plex Media Server.3.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:29:53.563 [139722559347512] DEBUG - IntroDetector: Initializing for "/storage/Video/TV/The Office (US)/Season 03/S03E20 Product Recall.mkv" (4775)
Plex Media Server.3.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:29:57.275 [139722559347512] DEBUG - Updating part with ID=4607 [/storage/Video/TV/The Office (US)/Season 03/S03E20 Product Recall.mkv]
Plex Media Server.3.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:29:57.293 [139722559347512] DEBUG - Doing expensive tags write for 'Product Recall' because something changed.
Plex Media Server.3.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:30:02.167 [139774426803000] INFO - Library section 4 (TV Shows) will be updated because of a change in "/storage/Video/TV/The Office (US)/Season 03/S03E20 Product Recall.mkv"
Plex Media Server.4.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:27:29.806 [139722766666552] DEBUG - Updating metadata item (save) (Product Recall) with ID 4775
Plex Media Server.4.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:27:32.879 [139722612288312] DEBUG - Loaded metadata for Product Recall (ID 4775) in 3ms
Plex Media Server.4.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:27:34.684 [139722614397752] DEBUG - Loaded metadata for Product Recall (ID 4775) in 7ms
Plex Media Server.4.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:27:41.742 [139722605681464] DEBUG - [CreditsDetectionManager] Doing expensive tags write for 'Product Recall' because something changed.
Plex Media Server.4.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:27:47.902 [139722603572024] DEBUG - IntroDetector: Initializing for "/storage/Video/TV/The Office (US)/Season 03/S03E20 Product Recall.mkv" (4775)
Plex Media Server.4.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:27:51.621 [139722603572024] DEBUG - Updating part with ID=4607 [/storage/Video/TV/The Office (US)/Season 03/S03E20 Product Recall.mkv]
Plex Media Server.4.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:27:51.624 [139722603572024] DEBUG - Doing expensive tags write for 'Product Recall' because something changed.
Plex Media Server.4.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:28:02.048 [139774426803000] INFO - Library section 4 (TV Shows) will be updated because of a change in "/storage/Video/TV/The Office (US)/Season 03/S03E20 Product Recall.mkv"
Plex Media Server.5.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:25:45.565 [139723882019640] DEBUG - Updating metadata item (save) (Product Recall) with ID 4775
Plex Media Server.5.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:25:48.705 [139722653055800] DEBUG - Loaded metadata for Product Recall (ID 4775) in 3ms
Plex Media Server.5.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:25:50.457 [139722659384120] DEBUG - Loaded metadata for Product Recall (ID 4775) in 8ms
Plex Media Server.5.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:25:58.411 [139722650946360] DEBUG - [CreditsDetectionManager] Doing expensive tags write for 'Product Recall' because something changed.
Plex Media Server.5.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:26:02.410 [139774426803000] INFO - Library section 4 (TV Shows) will be updated because of a change in "/storage/Video/TV/The Office (US)/Season 03/S03E20 Product Recall.mkv"
Plex Media Server.5.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:26:04.558 [139722648836920] DEBUG - IntroDetector: Initializing for "/storage/Video/TV/The Office (US)/Season 03/S03E20 Product Recall.mkv" (4775)
Plex Media Server.5.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:26:08.602 [139722648836920] DEBUG - Updating part with ID=4607 [/storage/Video/TV/The Office (US)/Season 03/S03E20 Product Recall.mkv]
Plex Media Server.5.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:26:08.606 [139722648836920] DEBUG - Doing expensive tags write for 'Product Recall' because something changed.
Plex Media Server.5.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:27:02.160 [139774426803000] INFO - Library section 4 (TV Shows) will be updated because of a change in "/storage/Video/TV/The Office (US)/Season 03/S03E20 Product Recall.mkv"
Plex Media Server.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:33:45.326 [139722533096248] DEBUG - Updating metadata item (save) (Product Recall) with ID 4775
Plex Media Server.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:33:48.423 [139722500373304] DEBUG - Loaded metadata for Product Recall (ID 4775) in 3ms
Plex Media Server.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:33:50.093 [139722498263864] DEBUG - Loaded metadata for Product Recall (ID 4775) in 3ms
Plex Media Server.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:33:56.985 [139722474175288] DEBUG - IntroDetector: Initializing for "/storage/Video/TV/The Office (US)/Season 03/S03E20 Product Recall.mkv" (4775)
Plex Media Server.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:33:57.172 [139722489502520] DEBUG - [CreditsDetectionManager] Doing expensive tags write for 'Product Recall' because something changed.
Plex Media Server.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:33:57.938 [139722474175288] DEBUG - Updating part with ID=4607 [/storage/Video/TV/The Office (US)/Season 03/S03E20 Product Recall.mkv]
Plex Media Server.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:33:57.940 [139722474175288] DEBUG - Doing expensive tags write for 'Product Recall' because something changed.
Plex Media Server.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:34:02.318 [139774426803000] INFO - Library section 4 (TV Shows) will be updated because of a change in "/storage/Video/TV/The Office (US)/Season 03/S03E20 Product Recall.mkv"
Plex Media Server.log:Nov 11, 2024 09:35:01.395 [139774426803000] INFO - Library section 4 (TV Shows) will be updated because of a change in "/storage/Video/TV/The Office (US)/Season 03/S03E20 Product Recall.mkv"

Notice there is a Library section 4 (TV Shows) will be updated because of a change in entry every 60 seconds. This happens for dozens of other files.

How do I get this server to calm down and stop re-scanning my entire library?

2

Do you have a script running, or some other application with access to those directories, which might be touching those files periodically, causing their timestamps to change? That would be enough to trigger a scan by Plex Media Server, if you have automatic scans enabled. Speaking of, you might try turning off automatic scans for your server as a test.

image
image535×136 18.9 KB

If the behavior described above stops occurring, that would imply that something is modifying the files in some way which triggers Plex’s scanning.

3

That particular file has a last modified timestamp of 8 years ago, so I don’t think another script is modifying it. There are scripts that do directory scanning, but those are just looking for new files

4

Do you have anything that sets or changes permissions?

5

Try disabling automatic scanning (both of the settings above) and see if it calms down. If it you can troubleshoot further down the file modification path. Or try disabling your scripts temporarily. It appears that something is causing Plex to believe a change has taken place.

6

Some folks in the forum use Torrents.

Torrents will continuously stimulate (and irritate) PMS because of their writing activity.

If using Torrents, do not have then writing in the monitored areas.
Instead, have them only deposit the finalized media (Writing once)

7

See Plex Linux 1.31.2.6739 constantly scanning - #10 by ChuckPa for the correct way to do that

8

This topic was automatically closed 90 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.