Smart Collections

A clean-room, simple Emby plugin project for server-managed smart collections.

This repository is intentionally a new project. It starts with a small admin surface and safe collection creation so the product can grow deliberately without carrying over old complexity.

Goals

• Keep the plugin simple.
• Make all behavior server-admin controlled.
• Avoid per-user setup screens and hidden personal workflows.
• Preview before creating anything.
• Never overwrite same-named user-created collections unless the plugin has registered ownership.

Current MVP

• Emby plugin identity: Smart Collections
• Admin page exposed in Emby's sidebar/main menu
• Preview uses current form values without persisting settings
• Preview results are selectable with Select All, Select None, selected count, and create confirmation
• Streaming service collections such as Streaming: Netflix, Streaming: Disney+, and Streaming: Prime Video, backed by TMDb Watch Providers when a TMDb key is configured and falling back to Emby studio metadata when needed
• Premieres collection for current new-release/PVOD/streaming movies plus shows whose new season started recently
• Manual create/update only creates checked collections
• Scheduled task registered as Smart Collections but disabled by default for safe testing
• Managed-registry safety: only updates collections this plugin owns, and skips same-name unmanaged collections
• Built-in generated posters for Premieres and the default streaming-service collections; posters are original abstract artwork, not third-party service logos
• First-run guardrails: defaults to 2+ items per streaming service and at most 50 streaming collections; Premieres has no item cap by default within its 60-day release window
• No personal playlist/user-menu features
• TMDb API key is optional but recommended for real region-aware streaming availability

Build

dotnet restore Emby.SmartCollections.Plugin.csproj
dotnet build Emby.SmartCollections.Plugin.csproj --configuration Release
node --check Configuration/admin.js

The output DLL is written to:

bin/Release/netstandard2.0/Emby.SmartCollections.Plugin.dll

Architecture

See docs/ARCHITECTURE.md for routes, admin UI flow, safety rules, and the Premieres selection logic.

Direction

Keep each new rule local-first and previewable. Add collection rules only when the admin UX stays clear and every destructive create/update path remains registry-protected.

License

MIT