PMS in Docker does not accept PLEX_CLAIM after it was signed out

Plex Media Server NAS & Devices
1

As suggested I changed my password today and chose the option to sign out connected devices. Then I had problems reclaiming my PMS running in a Docker container on a NAS.

Claiming via the UI was not possible because PMS is not running locally (and I couldn’t get an SSH tunnel to work).
Then I remembered how I first claimed the server, via the PLEX_CLAIM environment variable. This is even documented on What if Your Plex Account Requires a Password Reset? | Plex Support . But that didn’t work for me, PMS still wasn’t claimed after starting it with this variable.

I had to go through the steps in Why am I locked out of Server Settings and how do I get in? | Plex Support to completely “unclaim” the server, only then the PLEX_CLAIM environment variable worked.

In the Preferences.xml file I could see the following data:

  • PlexOnlineHome was not in the file.
  • PlexOnlineToken was there with an empty value.
  • PlexOnlineMail still had my email address.
  • PlexOnlineUsername still had my user name.

So it looks like the sign out process leaves some data behind which prevents PMS from using PLEX_CLAIM. After removing all that attributes PLEX_CLAIM worked fine.

Please change PMS so that PLEX_CLAIM works after a forced logout, without having to manually modify files!
Additionlly please add that information to What if Your Plex Account Requires a Password Reset? | Plex Support !

2

Strange but I run PMS in a Docker image and I have no PLEX_CLAIM envvar at all! When all this happened all I did was change my Plex password. Never had to reclaim my server. I don’t even recall claiming my server initially. All things work including streaming locally and streaming to my friends.

¯_(ツ)_/¯

3

Using PLEX_CLAIM is just one way to claim your server. Maybe you did it some other way.

4

If so I don’t remember. Seems to me if PLEX_CLAIM is required in the Docker container, it’s required. And if it’s not required it need not be specified.

5

It’s not required. But it’s an officially documented way to claim a PMS in a Docker container. I found a problem with it and reported that. That’s all my post is about.

6

I’am having the same problem, where did you find the Preference.xml file?
I can’t find it yet :sob:

7

The following worked fo rme:

Jupiter:docker exec -it plex cat config/Library/Application\ Support/Plex\ Media\ Server/Preferences.xml

I think you can copy that file, make tweaks and then map it into the Docker container.

Mine already had:

Jupiter:grep PlexOnline /tmp/file
PublishServerOnPlexOnlineKey="1"
PlexOnlineToken="<token>"
PlexOnlineUsername="Andrew_DeFaria"
PlexOnlineMail="<email address>"
PlexOnlineHome="0"

Guess that explains why I don’t have a PLEX_CLAIM environment variable. Note that my Docker container supposedly totally overlays my Plex installation such that I can run Plex in a Docker container or as the Plex Synology App. Since I was first using the latter I guess it just configured in there my Token which would explain why I didn’t need to screw with that.

8

The Preference.xml file is in /config/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server.

/config/ is the folder that you should have mapped to some local path. Check your Docker container config to find that path.

9

Thank you for the reply, i’ve finaly found it.
But my problem was somewere else, for some reasons my docker could not resolve plex.tv or anything else, so restarting all the kubernate environment to reset the settings fixed the issue.

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