Manage libraries

Manage library roots from Settings → Library folders. Kinosail reads each root from the read-only media mount and indexes supported media into the local catalog.

Add or remove a root

1. Open Settings as an Owner.
2. In Library folders, confirm Media mount.
3. Enter an existing folder in Folder inside media mount. Use a relative path such as Movies.
4. Select Add folder.

Kinosail rejects absolute paths, missing folders, symlink-resolved paths outside the media mount, and overlapping roots. A root of . covers the whole media mount. Do not add a parent and child root together.

Select Remove beside a root to stop discovery from that root. This does not delete files. Move or delete host files with host tools, never through Kinosail.

Run and schedule discovery

Open Settings → Library discovery. Select Run library scan now after you copy media. Kinosail also watches for changes where the host permits it.

The page reports Watching for changes or Polling for changes. Choose a Safety scan schedule and select Save schedule:

• Environment default;
• Off;
• Every 5 minutes;
• Every 15 minutes; or
• Hourly.

Safety scans repair missed file-system events on network mounts, containers, and supported desktop hosts. Wait for a copy to finish before you scan. A scan can run in the background while you browse.

Refresh metadata and markers

Kinosail uses local NFO files, embedded tags, folder artwork, and media facts first. If TMDB is configured, select Refresh missing metadata in Library discovery. TMDB requests leave the Server and follow the provider’s terms and attribution requirements.

Open Settings → Playback segment analysis and select Analyze playback segments now to detect intro, recap, commercial, outro, and credits markers. Enable the matching Skip … automatically choices in Settings → Playback only after you review the results.

Diagnose an item that is missing or wrong

1. Confirm the file exists under the host media path.
2. Confirm its folder is a configured relative root.
3. Confirm the container user can read it.
4. Select Run library scan now.
5. Review the count and last scan in Settings → System.
6. If metadata is wrong, check local names and tags before enabling external enrichment.

Do not make /media writable. Do not add a second database or a sidecar scanner. Kinosail’s one-container boundary keeps the web interface, API, background work, SQLite state, and media tools together.

Source of truth

Sources: internal/server/settings_library.go, internal/server/settings_http.go, internal/server/library.go, packages/library/scan.go, and README.md.