PlexCache-D 3.2.0 Beta - testing discussion

[StudioNirin]

PlexCache-D Docker Setup for Unraid (Beta Testing)

@Brandon-Haney
Figured it was time I got around to opening this up to reddit etc for some more beta testers, so figured id increase the release version to 3.0.1 with all the new changes you made and then put up a reddit post for people to try it out. If you're happy with that?

Updated new thread for the current beta version as theres been a lot of changes since the previous. I think all this information is still correct for people doing installs and upgrades. I am doing this from my phone though so will update when im on pc.

Unraid Subreddit post - https://www.reddit.com/r/unRAID/comments/1sg7jor/plexcacher_update_beta_plexcached_fully/

Before You Start

IMPORTANT: If you're currently running the CLI version of PlexCache via User Scripts or cron, disable those scheduled runs first to avoid conflicts. Running both the Docker scheduler and CLI scripts simultaneously can cause race conditions and duplicate file operations.

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IMPORTANT: IF you are already running a Plexcache-D docker container, you don't need to do any of this - if you're on the :Latest repo then you're already on the most recent beta version.

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Quick Install with Template

The easiest way to install is using the pre-configured Docker template:

1. Download plexcache-d.xml
2. Place it in /boot/config/plugins/dockerMan/templates-user/ on your Unraid server
3. Go to Docker → Add Container → Select "plexcache-d" from the template dropdown
4. Adjust paths for your setup and click Apply

Or continue below for manual configuration.

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Docker Container Settings

Basic Settings

Setting	Value
Name	plexcache-d
Repository	ghcr.io/studionirin/plexcache-d:latest
Network Type	Bridge
Privileged	Off
WebUI	http://[IP]:[PORT:5757]

Required Mappings

Name	Host Value	Container Value	Type	Description
Config	/mnt/user/appdata/plexcache-d	/config	Path	Config & data persistence
Cache	/mnt/cache_downloads/	/mnt/cache	Path	Your cache drive
Array	/mnt/user0	/mnt/user0	Path	Array direct access
User	/mnt/user	/mnt/user	Path	User share access
PUID	99	PUID	Variable	User ID (99=nobody on Unraid)
PGID	100	PGID	Variable	Group ID (100=users on Unraid)
TZ	Europe/London	TZ	Variable	Your timezone
Port	5757	5757	Port	Web UI

Optional Mappings (Native Unraid Notifications)

Name	Host Value	Container Value	Type	Description
Unraid Notify Script	/usr/local/emhttp	/usr/local/emhttp	Path (ro)	Unraid's notify script
Notifications	/tmp/notifications	/tmp/notifications	Path	Unraid's notification queue

Note: Without these optional mounts, notifications fall back to webhook-only mode.

Path Notes

Adjust the host paths to match your setup:

• Config: Create this folder for persistent config storage (e.g., /mnt/user/appdata/plexcache-d)
• Cache: Your cache-enabled share where media files are cached (e.g., /mnt/cache_downloads/ or /mnt/cache/)
• Array: Direct array access (bypasses cache), needed for .plexcached backup files
• User: User share access for Plex path resolution

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First Run

1. Start the container
2. Access the Web UI at http://your-server-ip:5757
3. The Setup Wizard will automatically launch to configure:
   • Plex connection (URL + token via OAuth "Get Token" button)
   • Library selection and path mappings
   • User selection for OnDeck/Watchlist monitoring
   • Cache behavior settings

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Path Mappings Configuration

During setup, you'll configure path mappings. These tell PlexCache how to translate Plex's media paths to the container's paths.

Example Configuration:

Plex Path	Cache Path	Array Path	Host Cache Path
/data/media/movies	/mnt/cache/media/movies	/mnt/user0/media/movies	/mnt/cache_downloads/media/movies
/data/media/tv	/mnt/cache/media/tv	/mnt/user0/media/tv	/mnt/cache_downloads/media/tv

• Plex Path: The path Plex reports for your media (check Plex library settings)
• Cache Path: Where the file lives on your cache drive (inside the container)
• Array Path: Where the .plexcached backup lives on the array (inside the container)
• Host Cache Path: The actual host path for the mover exclude file (see below)

Docker Path Translation (Important!)

If your cache mount differs between host and container (e.g., host /mnt/cache_downloads → container /mnt/cache), you must configure Host Cache Path in Settings → Paths for each mapping.

This ensures the mover exclude file contains paths that the Unraid mover recognizes. Without this, the mover may incorrectly move your cached files back to the array.

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Unraid Mover Integration (CA Mover Tuning)

If using the CA Mover Tuning plugin to prevent the mover from touching cached files:

1. Go to Settings → Scheduler → CA Mover Tuning

2. Set the File Exclusion Path to:

   [Your Config Path]/unraid_mover_exclusions.txt
   

   Example: /mnt/user/appdata/plexcache-d/unraid_mover_exclusions.txt

PlexCache automatically maintains this file with all currently cached media paths.

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After Setup

Dashboard

• Shows cache status, OnDeck/Watchlist counts, and system health
• "Run Now" button for manual cache operations (with dry-run option)
• Recent activity feed showing cached/restored files

Settings → Schedule

• Configure automatic runs (replaces your old cron/User Script)
• Interval-based or cron expression scheduling
• Dry-run and verbose options

Settings → Cache

• Cache Limit: Maximum drive usage for caching (e.g., 500GB or 75%)
• Eviction Mode: Smart (priority-based), FIFO (oldest first), or None
• Eviction Threshold: When to start evicting (% of cache limit)
• Minimum Priority: Only evict files below this score (OnDeck ~90, Watchlist ~70)

Settings → Notifications

• Configure webhook URL (Discord, Slack, or generic)
• Select notification types: Summary, Activity, Errors, Warnings
• Enable native Unraid notifications (requires optional mounts above)

Maintenance

• View cache health status
• Fix unprotected files or orphaned backups
• Clean up stale tracking entries

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Migrating from CLI Version

If you're migrating from the CLI version:

1. Copy your CLI files to /mnt/user/appdata/plexcache-d/import/:

   • plexcache_settings.json
   • unraid_mover_exclusions.txt (or plexcache_mover_files_to_exclude.txt)
   • data/ folder (timestamps, trackers, etc.)

2. Start the container and access the Setup Wizard

3. The wizard will detect your import files and offer to migrate them automatically

4. After import, verify your Plex connection (URL may differ in Docker)

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Migrating from Alpha Version

If you're migrating from the Brandon 'Alpha' test version:

1. Open up (edit) your docker container composer

2. Change the repo to - ghcr.io/studionirin/plexcache-d:latest

3. I changed the container name to plexcache-d and also the appdata folder to plexcache-d but you don't need to do either of these things really. If you do change the folder name make sure to also change the reference in the container compose file.

4. Hit apply and everything should just work.

[StudioNirin]

If you write up an issue and show your current paths on the docker container along with the paths you use for plex container we can try and help. Its probably just a mismatch somewhere.

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On Fri, 10 Apr 2026, 09:49 Tolagarf, ***@***.***> wrote: I appreciate the work being done and like what I'm seeing, however I'm struggling getting all my paths to work and hence can't really test anything until that's fixed. I desperately need help with this, do you have a forum or Discord where I might find solutions? — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#135 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AA4T22IW6U5EOLO3JPSG6UL4VCYTFAVCNFSM6AAAAACXRQSFGKVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43URDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHMYTMNJRGQYDENQ> . You are receiving this because you authored the thread.Message ID: ***@***.*** com>

[StudioNirin]

@Brandon-Haney

Is there a reason to avoid caching 10+ episodes at a time, or is this just due to a placeholder in the code? I guess 10 is probably sufficient but I have a fair bit of space and so set it to 12. Some users might want to go higher maybe? I don't see a reason to have a limit offhand, but maybe a small warning underneath saying "setting this value too high may result in high storage demands" or something.

What do you think?

Finally, after like a month of experimenting with FileFlows (and then having to start from scratch and setting up a bunch of custom tdarr nodes instead) my server is finally finished with its renaming and re-organising of all my media files, so I can actually have plexcache running properly. I may actually be able to find time to be helpful for a change haha.

[Brandon-Haney]

Yea we should remove this, no need to limit it so low.