plex-strm-assistant

Enables .strm file playback in Plex. Plex dropped native .strm support, so this tool bridges the gap with two components:

• strm-proxy: a lightweight HTTP server that reads a .strm file and returns a 302 redirect to the URL inside it.
• SQLite triggers: installed once into the Plex database. Whenever Plex scans a .strm file, the trigger rewrites the stored path to a proxy URL (http://strm-proxy:3000/...). Rescans are handled automatically, so no re-patching is needed.

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Quick start (Docker Compose)

This is the recommended setup. Plex and the proxy run in the same Compose file and share a Docker network, so the proxy is reachable at strm-proxy without exposing an IP address.

Prerequisites: Docker with the Compose plugin.

1. Create the project folder

mkdir plex-strm && cd plex-strm
mkdir strm plex-config

• strm/ holds your .strm files (see .strm file format below)
• plex-config/ persists the Plex configuration and database

2. Create docker-compose.yml

All proxy settings have sensible defaults built into the image, so no environment configuration is needed for this layout:

services:
  strm-proxy:
    image: liveinaus/plex-strm-assistant
    container_name: strm-proxy
    environment:
      - SKIP_SETUP=${SKIP_SETUP:-false}
    volumes:
      - ./strm:/strm:ro
      - ./plex-config:/plex-config
    ports:
      - '3000:3000'
    restart: unless-stopped

  plex:
    image: lscr.io/linuxserver/plex:latest
    container_name: plex
    ports:
      - '32400:32400'
    environment:
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
      - TZ=Australia/Sydney
      - VERSION=docker
      - PLEX_CLAIM=${PLEX_CLAIM:-}
    volumes:
      - ./plex-config:/config
      - ./strm:/media/strm:ro
    restart: unless-stopped

Tip: to link Plex to your account, get a claim token from plex.tv/claim (valid for 4 minutes) and start with PLEX_CLAIM=claim-xxxx docker compose up plex.

3. Start Plex alone and let it initialise

Plex needs to create its database before the triggers can be installed:

docker compose up -d plex

Open http://localhost:32400/web and complete the initial setup wizard. Then stop Plex:

docker compose stop plex

Important: Plex must be stopped for the next step. Writing to the Plex database while Plex is running risks database corruption.

4. Start the proxy to install the triggers

docker compose up strm-proxy

Wait for this output, which confirms the triggers are installed:

strm-proxy | Setup complete. Plex rescans and new .strm files are now handled automatically.
strm-proxy | strm-proxy on :3000  root: /strm

Press Ctrl+C to stop it.

5. Start everything

docker compose up -d

In Plex, add a library pointing at /media/strm and run a scan. Files will be playable immediately.

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.strm file format

Each .strm file contains a single HTTP/HTTPS URL:

https://example.com/path/to/video.mp4

Organise them under strm/ the same way you would real media files:

strm/
  Movies/
    Big Buck Bunny (2008)/
      Big Buck Bunny (2008).strm
  TV Shows/
    Some Show/
      Season 01/
        Some Show - S01E01.strm

New .strm files are picked up automatically on the next Plex scan. No proxy restart is required.

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Restarting the proxy

The triggers only need to be installed once. To restart the proxy at any time without stopping Plex, set SKIP_SETUP=true so trigger installation is skipped:

SKIP_SETUP=true docker compose up -d strm-proxy

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Configuration

All variables are optional. The defaults match the Quick start layout, so you only need these if your mount paths or hostnames differ.

Variable	Default	Description
PORT	3000	Port the proxy listens on (also used to build stored proxy URLs)
STRM_PROXY_HOST	strm-proxy	Hostname used in proxy URLs stored in the Plex DB
STRM_ROOT	/strm	Mount point for .strm files inside the proxy container
CONTAINER_PREFIX	/media/strm	Path where .strm files are mounted inside the Plex container
DB_PATH	/plex-config/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server/Plug-in Support/Databases/com.plexapp.plugins.library.db	Full path to the Plex database inside the proxy container
SKIP_SETUP	false	Set to true to skip trigger installation (safe while Plex is running)

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Alternative setups

Standalone (Plex runs elsewhere)

If Plex is already running outside of Docker Compose, run the proxy on its own. Set STRM_PROXY_HOST to a hostname or IP reachable by both the Plex server and your Plex clients. The first-run order still applies: stop Plex before the first start of the proxy so the triggers can be installed safely.

docker run -d \
  --name strm-proxy \
  -p 3000:3000 \
  -v /path/to/your/strm:/strm:ro \
  -v /path/to/plex/config:/plex-config \
  -e STRM_PROXY_HOST=<hostname-or-ip> \
  liveinaus/plex-strm-assistant

Multiple .strm directories

If your .strm files live in separate directories, mount each one as a subdirectory under /strm. The trigger matches everything under the prefix recursively, so no code changes are needed.

docker run -d \
  --name strm-proxy \
  -p 3000:3000 \
  -v /path/to/movies-strm:/strm/Movies:ro \
  -v /path/to/tv-strm:/strm/TV:ro \
  -v /path/to/plex/config:/plex-config \
  -e STRM_PROXY_HOST=<hostname-or-ip> \
  liveinaus/plex-strm-assistant

Mount the same directories into Plex under /media/strm/Movies and /media/strm/TV respectively so the paths align.

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Troubleshooting

Proxy logs "Waiting for Plex DB"

The proxy could not find the Plex database at DB_PATH. Make sure Plex has been started at least once (step 3 of the Quick start) and that the Plex config directory is mounted at /plex-config in the proxy container.

"Database disk image is malformed"

If Plex reports this, recover the database:

# Stop Plex first
DB="/path/to/plex/config/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server/Plug-in Support/Databases/com.plexapp.plugins.library.db"
sqlite3 "$DB" ".recover" | sqlite3 "${DB}.fresh"
mv "$DB" "${DB}.dead" && mv "${DB}.fresh" "$DB"
rm -f "${DB}-wal" "${DB}-shm"
# Start Plex again

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Roadmap

• HTTP proxy that resolves .strm files to stream URLs via 302 redirect
• SQLite triggers to survive Plex rescans automatically
• Inject H.264/AAC codec metadata to force direct play (no transcoding)
• Docker container that installs triggers on start, then runs the proxy
• Multi-platform image (amd64, arm64)
• Safe first-run handling: waits for the Plex DB, SKIP_SETUP flag for restarts
• Disable unnecessary Plex processing on .strm items (analysis, thumbnail generation, etc.)
• Follow 302 redirects from the source URL before returning to Plex, enabling compatibility with services that require a redirect step (e.g. 115 Drive)

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Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Whether it's a bug fix, a new feature, or an idea from the roadmap, feel free to open an issue or submit a pull request.

If you'd like to get more involved and collaborate on the project long-term, reach out via GitHub. All skill levels are welcome.

github.com/liveinaus/plex-strm-assistant

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Support

If this project saves you some time, a GitHub star would be appreciated! github.com/liveinaus/plex-strm-assistant

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Disclaimer

This project is an independent, community-built tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or supported by Plex Inc. in any way.

Using this tool involves writing directly to the Plex SQLite database and modifying internal data structures. This may conflict with Plex's Terms of Service or void any support entitlements. Use it at your own risk.

The author accepts no responsibility for data loss, database corruption, account suspension, or any other consequence arising from the use of this software.

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Licence

MIT: free to use and modify. You must retain the copyright notice and a link back to this repository in any copies or derivatives. See LICENSE for the full text.