Refresh library

Use this action to tell Plex to scan one of its libraries for new and updated media. This is handy when you add files outside of Plex’s regular scan schedule and want them to show up right away.

Using this action from the user interface

If you prefer building automations and scripts visually, Home Assistant walks you through this action step by step. You pick what to target, tweak a few options, and save. No YAML knowledge required.

To refresh a Plex library from an automation or a script:

1. Go to Settings > Automations & scenes.
2. Open an existing automation or script, or select Create automation > Create new automation.
3. If you’re setting up a new automation, add a trigger in the When section. Scripts don’t need a trigger. They run when something else calls them.
4. In the Then do section, select Add action.
5. From the search box, search for and select Plex Media Server: Refresh library.
6. Enter the Library name you want to refresh.
7. Optional: If you have more than one Plex server, enter the Server name to choose which one to use.
8. Select Save.

This action does not support targets. In the UI, you are not prompted to choose an area, device, entity, or label.

Options in the UI

Using this action in YAML

If you work directly in YAML, or you want to know exactly what Home Assistant does under the hood, this section has the technical reference. It lists the field names you use in YAML, their types, and which ones are required. For how an automation or a script is built in YAML, refer to Automations in YAML and Scripts.

In YAML, refer to this action as plex.refresh_library. A basic example looks like this:

action: plex.refresh_library
data:
  library_name: "TV Shows"

This scans the TV Shows library for new and updated media.

Options in YAML

Good to know

• Plex scans your libraries on its own schedule. Use this action when you want a scan to happen right away, for example after a new download lands on your media drive.
• The library name must match the name of a library on your Plex server exactly.

Try it yourself

Ready to test this? Open Settings > Tools > Actions, search for this action, fill in the fields, and select Perform action. You see what happens on your actual entitiesAn entity represents a sensor, actor, or function in Home Assistant. Entities are used to monitor physical properties or to control other entities. An entity is usually part of a device or a service. [Learn more] without writing a line of YAML.

More examples

Real scenarios where this action shows up in automations and scripts. Copy any example and adapt it to your setup. In the visual editor, select the UI options listed in the example or paste the YAML code.

Automation: refresh the library every night

Keep your Plex library up to date by scanning it once a day, while everyone is asleep.

• Trigger: Time, 03:00
• Action: Plex Media Server: Refresh library
  • Library name: TV Shows

alias: "Refresh the Plex TV library nightly"
triggers:
  - trigger: time
    at: "03:00:00"
actions:
  - action: plex.refresh_library
    data:
      library_name: "TV Shows"

Still stuck?

To test the action on its own, run it in the automation editor with Run action, and check the message that it shows. To see what the action did when the automation ran, open the trace of that run. For details, refer to Testing automations. For common problems and their solutions, refer to Troubleshooting automations.

If that doesn’t help, the Home Assistant community is quick to help: join Discord for real-time chat, post on the community forum with the action you’re calling and what you expected to happen, or share on our subreddit /r/homeassistant.