PlexDBRepair.sh

Interactive Plex database check/repair script for Linux & Docker (Unraid-friendly).
Runs safe, offline integrity checks using Plex’s own SQLite binary, backs up your DB, offers light repair (REINDEX/VACUUM), can dump/rebuild if corruption is detected, and fixes permissions for common install types.

💾 Safety first: Every run creates a timestamped backup in ~/plex-db-backups/.

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✨ Features

• Works with:
  • Standard Linux Plex Install (systemd / bare-metal)
  • Plex Official Docker (plexinc/pms-docker)
  • binhex-plex (popular on Unraid)
  • Custom Plex Path (Docker or bare metal)
• Performs offline PRAGMA integrity_check / quick_check
• Optional REINDEX; VACUUM; light maintenance
• Dump & rebuild path for corrupted DBs
• Fixes ownership/perms:
  • binhex: respects PUID/PGID
  • official image: respects PLEX_UID/PLEX_GID or host owner
  • bare-metal: uses service user
• Verifies /config is read-write
• Tails Docker and Plex logs at the end

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📦 Requirements

• Linux (Unraid or any standard distro)
• bash, docker (for Docker installs), systemd (for bare-metal service control)
• Run as root (needed to stop services/containers and fix permissions)

Why not plain sqlite3? Plex uses custom FTS tokenizers/collations. The script uses the Plex SQLite binary bundled with Plex to avoid errors like unknown tokenizer: collating.

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🔧 Installation

Save the script as PlexDBRepair.sh:

# In your repo or on the host:
chmod +x PlexDBRepair.sh

(If you’re on Windows, ensure LF line endings.)

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▶️ Usage

sudo ./PlexDBRepair.sh

Pick your setup at the menu:

Plex DB Repair / Maintenance
Choose your setup:
  1) Standard Linux Plex Install (systemd/bare metal)
  2) Plex Official Docker (plexinc/pms-docker)
  3) binhex-plex (Docker, Unraid)
  4) Custom Plex Path
Enter choice [1-4]:

The script will:

1. Stop Plex (service or container)
2. Back up DB files (com.plexapp.plugins.library.db*)
3. Run integrity_check and quick_check
4. Offer light repair (REINDEX; VACUUM;)
5. If corruption is detected, offer dump & rebuild
6. Fix permissions and verify /config mount (Docker)
7. Restart Plex and show recent logs

Backups are stored at:

~/plex-db-backups/YYYY-MM-DD_HHMMSS/

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🧠 What It Touches

• Database path (varies by install):
  • Docker: <CONFIG>/Plex Media Server/Plug-in Support/Databases/com.plexapp.plugins.library.db
  • Bare-metal: <CONFIG>/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server/Plug-in Support/Databases/...
• Plex SQLite binary:
  • Bare-metal: /usr/lib/plexmediaserver/Resources/Plug-ins-*/Plex SQLite
  • Docker: auto-copied from the container to <CONFIG>/databasetools/plex_sqlite if missing
• Permissions:
  • binhex: chown -R $PUID:$PGID "<CONFIG>/Plex Media Server"
  • official: chown -R $PLEX_UID:$PLEX_GID (or host path owner)
  • bare-metal: chown to service user (e.g., plex)
  • Files *.db{-wal,-shm} cleaned before restart

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🧩 Notes for Unraid

• binhex containers typically set PUID=99, PGID=100 (nobody:users). The script detects these.
• Ensure your appdata share is writable and not mounted read-only.
• If library updates still stall after a clean DB:

  • Consider bumping inotify watches:

    echo 'sysctl -w fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288' >> /boot/config/go
    # reboot to persist

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🛠️ Troubleshooting

• attempt to write a readonly database
  Ownership/perms wrong after offline work. The script’s Fix permissions step addresses this. Also confirm /config is rw=true.

• unknown tokenizer: collating
  That’s plain sqlite3. Use Plex SQLite (the script handles this automatically).

• Container won’t restart / config mount is ro
  Check the Docker template for a :ro on /config and remove it. The script prints the RW status.

• Severe corruption
  Use the dump & rebuild flow. If the dump fails, you may need table-by-table salvage (open an issue with your logs).

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🙋 FAQ

• Is it safe?
  Yes. The script always makes a timestamped backup before touching your DB.

• Will it delete my metadata or libraries?
  No. It only operates on the Plex library database files and standard temp pages (-wal/-shm). A dump/rebuild recreates the DB content from your existing DB.

• Can I run this while Plex is running?
  No. It stops Plex to ensure a clean, offline DB.

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📝 Contributing

PRs welcome! Ideas:

• Optional cache/bundles cleanup step
• Inotify tuning toggle
• Non-systemd service support improvements

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⚖️ License

Add your preferred license (MIT/Apache-2.0/etc.) and include a LICENSE file in this repo.

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🚨 Disclaimer

This script is provided “as is” without warranty. You’re responsible for your system. Always keep backups (the script creates one per run, but you should also back up your Plex config regularly).