Plex Prerolls

Plex Prerolls is a Python-based tool to automate management of preroll (intro/trailer) listings for Plex Media Server. It builds Plex-compatible preroll lists on a schedule, can glob local files to remote Plex paths, and can auto-generate prerolls from media metadata via Plex webhooks.

Key Features

• Multiple scheduling types: always, date_range (with wildcards), weekly, monthly; selectable entries are aggregated at run time
• Weighting and disable_always options to influence random selection probability and section precedence
• Path globbing to translate local filesystem paths to Plex-visible remote paths for bulk preroll inclusion
• Docker-friendly with a provided container image and docker-compose support; recommended deployment via container
• Webhook ingestion and auto-generation of prerolls (recently added media) using Plex webhooks, YouTube assets, and configurable rendering/storage
• Configurable filesystem layout and config.yaml-driven settings; runtime exposes an HTTP endpoint for webhook callbacks
• Logging to a file and configurable cron/scheduling frequency for periodic execution

Use Cases

• Schedule themed or seasonal prerolls (holidays, events) with date_range and weight controls
• Auto-generate trailer-style prerolls for recently added items using Plex webhooks to drive generation
• Maintain a curated or randomized set of prerolls for large Plex libraries using path globbing and weighted lists

Limitations and Considerations

• Auto-generation and path globbing require the prerolls service to run on the same host or have access to the Plex filesystem view
• Plex webhook features require a Plex Pass subscription to deliver webhooks to the application
• Generating prerolls from online sources relies on external tools and cookies (e.g., YouTube extraction) which must be configured and maintained
• There is no built-in graphical management UI; configuration is file-based (config.yaml) and operated via container/CLI

Plex Prerolls is a focused utility for administrators who want deterministic and automated control over Plex preroll behavior. It is optimized for container deployment and for setups where the service can access Plex media paths and webhook events.