Plex Continually Losing Remote Connection / Library Sync

Plex Media Server Remote Access
1
  1. Server presence keeps dropping — stale registration data on Plex.tv

    • Server version: PMS 1.43.4.10903-e5521bd8c

    • Player version: Irrelevant — connectivity failures occur on all external players regardless of platform/version. Internal players experience library sharing issues only.

    • Server: ScumPlex V3, running in Docker (LinuxServer.io image) via Container Station on a QNAP NAS, kernel 5.10.60-qnap

    • Server is fully functional locally and via direct IP — streaming works, all clients get 200s, libraries intact

    • presence on Plex.tv flips to 0 within minutes of toggling Remote Access

    • Pubsub websocket (pubsub.plex.tv) returns 403 to the server after initial connection succeeds for ~20 seconds

    • Plex.tv api/resources shows stale metadata that doesn’t match the actual server:

      • productVersion shows 1.43.2.10687-563d026ea (actual: 1.43.4.10903-e5521bd8c)
      • platformVersion shows 6.8.0-139-generic (actual: 5.10.60-qnap)
      • lastSeenAt hasn’t updated in hours despite the server being online

    • Unclaiming and re-claiming the server temporarily fixes the metadata — correct version/kernel appears briefly — but Plex.tv reverts to the stale data within minutes

    • The stale kernel (6.8.0-139-generic) doesn’t match any machine on our network

    • A phantom server entry was accidentally created during a container recreation (fresh claim code on existing config dir) and was deleted via the API, but the stale metadata persists

    • plex.tv/api/servers.xml shows size="0" (zero servers) while api/resources shows the server with owned="1" — inconsistent

    • Toggling Remote Access (disable → enable) temporarily restores presence=1 via HTTP registration, but it decays without an active pubsub websocket

    • Timeline aligns with the September pubsub/plex.direct infrastructure issues — started experiencing problems around Sept 10–12

    • All port forwarding is correctly in place — TCP 32400 forwarded to the NAS, confirmed working with external clients. No CGNAT, no double NAT, no UPnP. Manual port mapping mode enabled in Plex with port 32400 specified. External clients can connect directly via public IP.

    • Some shared libraries are not appearing correctly for users — Movies and Series are shared but not showing in all locations (they do show in some). Have tried clearing client cache with no effect. This may be related to the stale server registration data on Plex.tv.

      Question: Can Plex.tv support purge the cached server profile so fresh registration data sticks? Happy to provide the machine identifier privately if needed. There may also be a requirement to refresh my cert?

Disclaimer - my technical knowledge is somewhat low, I had assistance writing this