How Plexbot works

You need a free Plex account to use Plexbot. Plex is the app you watch with, on your phone, TV, computer or in a browser. You don't need Plex Pass or any subscription.

1. Create a free Plex account at plex.tv/sign-up. If you already have one, use it.
2. Get an invite code from the admin. Plexbot is invite-only.
3. Sign in here with Plex using the button at the top, then enter your invite code. It's checked straight away, so there's no extra approval step.
4. That's it. Plexbot is added to your Plex account automatically with Movies, Animated Movies, TV Shows, Anime and Cartoons. Open the Plex app and choose Plexbot ("New kid on the block--chain") from the server list.

• We never see your password. When you click "Sign in with Plex" you sign in on Plex's own website (plex.tv). Plexbot only receives your Plex username, email address and account ID, which is what's needed to share the libraries with you.
• Everything is encrypted. This site only works over HTTPS, so everything between your browser and Plexbot is encrypted. Your login cookie is locked to secure connections and can't be read by other sites' scripts.
• Streams are encrypted too. Plex connects to the server over a secure (TLS) connection with its own certificate, the same technology your bank uses.
• Donations go through Ko-fi. Card and PayPal details are handled by Ko-fi and never reach this server.
• What the admin can see: your Plex username and email, what you request, and what you play on Plexbot (that's how the "popular right now" lists work). Nothing about your other Plex servers, and nothing outside Plexbot.
• You can leave at any time: remove the Plexbot server in your Plex settings, or ask the admin to remove you.

1. Open Requests (also on your home page) and sign in with the same Plex account.
2. Search for the title. If it's already on Plexbot it's marked Available, so just open Plex and watch it.
3. Click Request. For a series, choose the seasons you want, or all of them.
4. Done. You'll get a message when it's ready if you've set up notifications on your profile (Discord or email, see below). The message says which library to find it in.

Limits so everyone gets a fair share: 3 movies a day and 5 seasons a week per person.

Plexbot can tell you the moment your request is ready, by email, on Discord, or both. Choose on your profile under "When a request is ready".

Email

Tick Email. It goes to your Plex account email unless you type a different address. If the first one lands in spam, mark it "Not spam".

Discord

1. Join the Plexbot Discord server using this invite link. Stay in it, because the bot can only message server members.
2. Find your Discord user ID, a long number such as 123456789012345678. It is not your username.
   • Computer: Settings (⚙️ next to your name) → Advanced → turn on Developer Mode. Then right-click your name or picture → Copy User ID.
   • Phone: tap your picture → Settings → App Settings → Advanced → turn on Developer Mode. Then go back to your profile, tap ⋯ → Copy User ID.
3. Paste it on your profile in "Discord user ID", tick Discord, and pick how you'd like to hear:
   • Private message from the Plexbot bot: only you see it. Recommended.
   • @Mention me in the #newly-added channel: a public ping in the channel where new arrivals are posted.
4. Allow private messages (only needed for the first choice). In Discord, open the Plexbot server's menu (tap or click the server name) → Privacy Settings → turn on Direct Messages. If the bot can't reach you, you'll be @mentioned in #newly-added instead, so you won't miss anything.
5. Click Save. Your first private message may show up under Message Requests. Accept it and the rest will go straight to your DMs.

Untick everything on your profile to stop notifications. The #newly-added channel also shows everything new on Plexbot, requested or not.

What	Usual wait	Why
Movie (HD)	about 30 minutes to 2 hours	Found, downloaded, then converted for smooth streaming on every device.
Movie (4K)	about 1 hour, up to 8 for some releases	Many 4K releases are ready in about an hour. Others have to be converted first, which takes longer because 4K files are so big.
A season of a series (HD)	about 30 minutes per episode, so a season in roughly 4 to 12 hours	Episodes appear one by one as each finishes. You don't have to wait for the whole season.
A season of a series (4K)	about 2 hours per episode, so a full season in roughly 1 to 3 days	4K episodes take the longest to convert. Episode 1 is usually ready within a couple of hours.
Older or rare titles	can take days	Plexbot keeps looking until a good-quality copy turns up.
Not out yet	when it's released	See below.

Some releases are already in a streaming-friendly format and are added in minutes instead. Requests are handled one at a time in the order they come in, and always before any server housekeeping. If several big requests arrive at once, yours may wait a little for its turn.

Anyone can request anything that's been announced: upcoming movies, next season of a show, a series that's still airing. Your request is queued, and Plexbot checks automatically until a good-quality copy is available. It skips blurry cinema recordings. As soon as one appears it's added and you get your message. For a show that's still airing, each new episode is added as it comes out.

• Phone / tablet: the free Plex app (Android, iPhone / iPad).
• TV: install Plex on your smart TV, Fire Stick, Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast with Google TV, Xbox or PlayStation, and sign in with the same account.
• Computer: just use app.plex.tv in your browser.
• Subtitles and audio languages are built into the files. Turn them on or off with the speech-bubble or settings button in the player.

Do I need Plex Pass or a "Remote Watch Pass"?
No. Plex charges for streaming from someone else's server away from home unless the server owner has Plex Pass. Plexbot's server has a lifetime Plex Pass, which covers everyone it's shared with, so you can watch on your phone, at work or on holiday with just a free account. If the Plex app ever asks you to pay to watch Plexbot, ask in #need-help.

Do I have to pay?
It's pay what you can. Plexbot costs about $225 a month to run, so chip in whatever you can afford, perhaps part of what you save by not needing other streaming services. You can do this from your profile. Everyone gets the same access, whatever they give.

I signed in but don't see Plexbot in my Plex app.
Give it a minute, then fully close and reopen the app. If it still isn't there, sign out of the Plex app and back in, or ask in #need-help.

It keeps buffering or looks blurry.
In the Plex player's settings, set quality to Original or Maximum on Wi-Fi. The server can only convert a couple of streams at a time, so Original quality is smoother for everyone. On mobile data, pick around 8 Mbps.

I can't find something that should be there.
Check the other libraries. Animated films are under Animated Movies, Japanese and Chinese animation under Anime, western cartoons under Cartoons. Or search across everything with the magnifying glass.

Something's wrong with a file (bad audio, missing subtitles, wrong episode).
Tell the admin in #need-help with the title and episode, and it'll be replaced.

Can I share my account or give my invite code to someone?
Please don't. Ask the admin for a new code for anyone you'd like to bring in.

My request says "Processing" for a long time.
It's still looking for a good copy, which is normal for new, old or rare titles. It'll be added automatically when found.

Is there anything to read?
Some members have a comics reader. If it's on for you, it shows on your home page.

Any questions at all, from setup to a broken file to a title that won't show up, can come straight to the admin in the #need-help channel on the Plexbot Discord server.

💬 Join the Discord server