| name | setup-mcp |
| description | Configure the Plex Collection Creator MCP server so Claude Code can drive a Plex library (collections, posters, TMDB accuracy). Use when a user wants to set up, connect, or troubleshoot the MCP server, or add it to their Claude Code / MCP client config. |
Set up the MCP server
Goal: get the plex-collection-creator MCP server connected to an MCP client
(e.g. Claude Code) so the user can manage Plex conversationally.
1. Install dependencies
npm install
Node 22+ is required (.nvmrc / engines). On some very new Node releases
the native better-sqlite3 build can still fail — but the MCP server runs
standalone without SQLite, so you can install just the JS deps:
npm install --ignore-scripts
2. Get Plex connection details
The server resolves Plex two ways:
- Standalone (recommended) —
PLEX_URL + PLEX_TOKEN env vars. No web
setup or database needed.
- Reuse the web app — if those env vars are unset, it falls back to the
connection saved by the web app (requires [[setup-app]] done first).
Find the token: Plex → any item → "Get Info" → "View XML", copy the
X-Plex-Token from the URL
(guide).
PLEX_URL is usually http://<server-ip>:32400.
TMDB_API_KEY is optional — only the tmdb_* accuracy tools need it
(free key).
3. Add to the MCP client
For Claude Code, write .mcp.json in the project (or add to ~/.claude.json):
{
"mcpServers": {
"plex-collection-creator": {
"command": "npm",
"args": ["run", "--silent", "mcp"],
"cwd": "/absolute/path/to/plex-collection-creator",
"env": {
"PLEX_URL": "http://localhost:32400",
"PLEX_TOKEN": "<plex-token>",
"TMDB_API_KEY": "<tmdb-key>"
}
}
}
}
npm run mcp runs tsx src/lib/mcp/server.ts over stdio.
4. Verify
Troubleshooting
- "No Plex connection configured" — set
PLEX_URL + PLEX_TOKEN, or run
[[setup-app]] and connect a server.
- TMDB tools error — set
TMDB_API_KEY.
- Server not appearing — check the
cwd path is absolute and reload /mcp.
When connected, point the user at [[organize-collections]] and
[[audit-library]] for what to do next.
