Why Is Plex Not Matching on one server but is on another

Plex Media Server Metadata & Adding Files
1

Server Version#: 1.42.2.10156
Player Version#: 4.147.1

I have two plex servers each pointing to the exact same libraries. Both are ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS running the same PMS versions yet one server has the errors below logged each day and the other server does not. I don’t understand why they are not both encountering the error.

 Found ERROR: Nov 19, 2025 21:09:38.093 [124465736637240] ERROR - [MetadataAgent/tv.plex.metadata.agents] Match request for 'Laid (2024)' returned no metadata
 Found ERROR: Nov 19, 2025 21:09:38.206 [124465736637240] ERROR - [MetadataAgent/tv.plex.metadata.agents] Match request for 'Salvation' returned no metadata
 Found ERROR: Nov 19, 2025 21:09:38.323 [124465736637240] ERROR - [MetadataAgent/tv.plex.metadata.agents] Match request for 'Sharp Objects' returned no metadata
 Found ERROR: Nov 19, 2025 21:09:38.458 [124465736637240] ERROR - [MetadataAgent/tv.plex.metadata.agents] Match request for 'The UnXplained Special Presentation' returned no metadata

I’ve done a fix match on the error server and the metadata seems to be correct and identical to the other server yet the errors persist each day.

2
  1. Possibly different DNS server are used by the two machines. One might prohibiting access to the metadata server of Plex. Try forcing them to use 1.1.1.1 or 8.8.8.8 instead
  2. Maybe different metadata agents have been selected for the two libraries?
3
  1. Both get the dns server from the router, which points to google’s 8.8.8.8
  2. Both have the same agent and scanner, Plex Movie, but I did notice that the one that doesn’t have the error does not have prefer local metadata checked, the other one does.
4

Crap, let me correct that. I looked at the Movie libraries, the error is on the TV libraries. Both have the scanner set to Plex TV Series and the agent to Plex Series and the local metadata settings are the same.

5

Check the paths added to plex, and file naming. If you have /sd01/media/tvshows/a/A-Team and one library points to /sd01/media/tvshow and the second points to /sd01/media/tvshow/a you will get different matching. Same with file names.

6

The mounts are NFS mounts and in fact the paths are different for the two machines.

Machine with no error has /mnt/Elements20T/TV/Laid/Season 2/Laid - S02E04 - Episode 4 WEBDL-1080p.mkv

Machine with error has /mnt/nfs/Elements20T/TV/Laid/Season 2/Laid - S02E04 - Episode 4 WEBDL-1080p.mkv

Though I’m befuddled as to why the paths would matter since the two PMS installs aren’t talking to each other.

7

Paths and what is setup in your add folder section of your library impact how the server parses TV show names.

As time passes the parse/scanner Plex uses evolves. Some things that used to match may not if the naming is bad, and things that used to not match may match. File structure, naming and permissions are the most common issues we see. Can you post a copy of your server logs?

8

Plex Media Server Logs_2025-11-20_10-34-32.zip (6.1 MB)

These are from the machine that is give the errors in the log. Let me know if you need the other machine’s logs too.

9

Can you please provide a screenshot of the add folder section of the library?

Edit: I am not seeing anything major in the logs. I didnt see the server startup logs anywhere in the zip you provided. So restarting it may not be a bad idea. I see there are 2 similar shows, might want to pull both out and Plex dance them.

Suggestion. Remove the 2 similar shows from your library, re-scan the library, empty trash, clean bundles, reboot the server. Wait 5 minutes, add shows back to library, scan library. Wait for scan to finish and wait an extra 5 minutes. Then post the new logs.

Edit of the Edit: Make sure that the prefer local metadata is disabled.

10

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image735×541 27.9 KB

Not sure about which two similar shows you are talking about. Is it one of the four that are named in the errors?

11

/mnt/nfs/Elements20T/TV/Laid and /mnt/nfs/Elements20T/TV/Laid (2024)

12

OK did the dance etc. The new logs are attached. Before the dance the two shows were merged in the 2024 show on Plex, now they are separate a 2011 and a 2024 show in Plex. (I fixed the folder name of the 2011 show to include the year).

Plex Media Server Logs_2025-11-20_12-33-40.zip (5.4 MB)

13
  1. You are using a docker container, not bare metal Linux
  2. Docker isnt configured to use host networking
  3. Nov 20, 2025 12:23:18.188 [127336979786552] WARN - [HttpClient/HCl#2e] HTTP error requesting GET https://172-17-0-1.c5a4020e6b284ebdb52cf9d9b1610538.plex.direct:32400 (60, SSL peer certificate or SSH remote key was not OK) (SSL: no alternative certificate subject name matches target host name '172-17-0-1.c5a4020e6b284ebdb52cf9d9b1610538.plex.direct') shows some kind of certificate issue
  4. I am seeing plex find and match the Laid show. Can you double check matching is still an issue?
14
  1. No, plex is bare metal. No docker. Now I do have a bunch of supporting stuff like tautulli, radarr, sonarr, etc that are all in docker containers using bridge mode but both of my plex installs are bare metal and are not on the hosts that have those docker containers.
  2. The containers I use are configured for the default bridge.
  3. No clue what this means since it’s a certificate on plex’s end
  4. I don’t see any errors in the logs but those errors show up daily at 21:09 so I really won’t know until after whatever runs at that time happens tonite since it’s apparently some job plex runs.
15

Looks like it’s fixed, no errors in the log for either Plex instance last night.

Thanks!