# Plexmatch episode offset

**URL:** <https://forums.plex.tv/t/plexmatch-episode-offset/890964>\
**Category:** Feature Suggestions\
**Tags:** scanner-agent-dev, library-management\
**Created:** [September 30, 2024, 6:04pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plexmatch-episode-offset/890964 "2024-09-30T18:04:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![efalsken](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/efalsken/32/177174_2.png) [@efalsken](https://forums.plex.tv/u/efalsken)\
**Post date:** [September 30, 2024, 6:04pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plexmatch-episode-offset/890964/1 "2024-09-30T18:04:52Z")

</div>

I know it’s possible to override episode numbering with the plexmatch file:

```auto
ep: 01: S01E12-Welcome [F1119374].mkv
ep: 02: S01E13-It's Too Late [2621C515].mkv
ep: 03: S01E14-Glad to Be Here [10F43D93].mkv

```

It would be quite nice to be able to specify an offset for the entire folder:

```auto
episode: -11

```

or, from the current pattern syntax:

```auto
episode: 12-24,-11

```

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![DTR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc348/32.png) [@DTR](https://forums.plex.tv/u/DTR)\
**Post date:** [September 30, 2024, 6:23pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plexmatch-episode-offset/890964/2 "2024-09-30T18:23:42Z")

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That should already be possible with the pattern syntax. With your file name examples, something like this should work:

```make
Pattern: S{se}E{ep,12-24,-11}-*

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![efalsken](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/efalsken/32/177174_2.png) [@efalsken](https://forums.plex.tv/u/efalsken)\
**Post date:** [September 30, 2024, 7:01pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plexmatch-episode-offset/890964/3 "2024-09-30T19:01:55Z")

</div>

Yes, but using the Pattern syntax requires you to know the whole file name pattern. I’m trying to do something generic that would work across many different series. I expect that it will be given a low priority.

Specifically, a lot of newer anime are showing up that are sometimes “Season 2” and sometimes “Season 1 Part 2” so they need an episode numbering fix to line up correctly depending on how they’re entered into TVDB. I’d rather not have to put in the exact naming pattern for every different series.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![tom80H](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/tom80h/32/19753_2.png) [@tom80H](https://forums.plex.tv/u/tom80H)\
**Post date:** [September 30, 2024, 10:41pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plexmatch-episode-offset/890964/4 "2024-09-30T22:41:51Z")

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So… what exactly are you trying to achieve?  
I can see the point of giving a hint about a file’s season/episode number not matching the selected episode order – and therefore allowing Plex to compensate for ash (without renaming the files themselves).

Just not sure what you’re trying to achieve by having a “generic instruction” to offset the episode number across multiple shows.  
If you’re using a custom episode order – why not have a single plexmatch file with a single-line pattern as shared by DTR. That’s of course assuming your files follow some kind of naming schema across an entire series.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![BrutuZ](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/brutuz/32/96472_2.png) [@BrutuZ](https://forums.plex.tv/u/BrutuZ)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2025, 12:05am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plexmatch-episode-offset/890964/5 "2025-07-11T00:05:07Z")

</div>

For when databases (in particular the one you choose and the one the source chooses) have conflicting opinions on whether the 2nd Part / Cour of a show is a continuation of a previous season or a new one.

I might use TVDB on Plex, and their call is that `Cool Show - Awesome Arc - Part 2` starts as Season 02.  
The source, on the other hand, might use TMDB to number their files, and TMDB made the call that entry is a continuation and starts from `S01E13` instead.