setup-mcp

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:

1. Standalone (recommended) — PLEX_URL + PLEX_TOKEN env vars. No web setup or database needed.
2. 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

• Quick local check (no client needed):

  PLEX_URL=... PLEX_TOKEN=... npm run mcp
  

  It should print MCP server running on stdio to stderr (Ctrl-C to stop).
• In Claude Code: reload MCP servers (/mcp), confirm plex-collection-creator is connected, then ask "list my Plex libraries" (calls list_libraries).

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.