Add and manage libraries

Silo is in active development before 1.0. These guides are updated frequently.

A library is a set of media folders with its own metadata settings. Manage libraries in the web app as a server administrator.

Add a library

1. Prepare your folders. In Docker, find the path inside the container, for example /mnt/media/movies.
2. Open Admin > Libraries and select Add Library.
3. Enter a name and choose Movies, Series, or Mixed. Add the folder under Folders. You can add more than one folder for the same type.
4. Review Metadata Language and Provider Priority. Where providers have no text in that language, Silo uses the fallback language. Local metadata is on by default and always comes first. TMDB and TVDB are installed by default. Keep the providers you want checked, most preferred first. To add another provider, install its plugin.
5. Save the library. Use its Scan action, then watch its scan status.

When the scan finishes, open the library and play one title.

Choose a library type

Use Movies for films, Series for episodic video, or Mixed to scan both in one library. Silo decides whether each item in a Mixed library is a movie or an episode from its folders and filename, so separate libraries give more predictable results.

In a Mixed library, put every episode in a Season 01 or Specials folder. Silo checks each file in this order:

1. A file inside a season folder is an episode.
2. A file in a folder with a TMDB or IMDb ID, such as Movie Name (2024) {tmdb-12345}, is a movie. A TVDB ID alone doesn’t count.
3. A file with a season and episode code, such as S01E02 or 1x02, is an episode.
4. Any other file is a movie.

So a file named only by air date, or only E03, outside a season folder is a movie in a Mixed library. A season pack folder such as Show.Name.S01.COMPLETE needs a show folder around it.

Client	Mixed video libraries
Web	Creates and browses Mixed libraries
Android phone and tablet	Classifies Mixed as a Video library
iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV	Mixed libraries are included under Movies and Series

Audiobook, ebook, and comic libraries are Beta. See the audiobook library setup and ebook and comic setup. For Podcasts and Music, see Podcasts and music.

Files are missing

Make sure the host disk or network mount is available before scanning again. A folder that exists but is empty often means a disconnected drive.

For Docker, compare MEDIA_ROOT with the folder entered in Silo. If the host’s /srv/media/movies is mounted at /mnt/media/movies, enter /mnt/media/movies in Silo. Silo also needs read permission on the files and permission to open their parent folders.

Silo adds only the video file types it supports. Remux DVD and Blu-ray folders and .iso images into a single file first.

If files are found but identified incorrectly, rename them using the naming guide or use Match Item.

Resolve ambiguous roots

Set the type and title of a folder Silo can’t classify on its own under Ambiguous Roots. Silo lists a folder there when its names don’t settle what it holds, for example episode files that don’t name their show, or a folder and file that name different titles, as in On Fire (2024)/Soul on Fire (2025) [WEBDL-1080p].mkv. For a title conflict like that one, you can instead add a provider ID to the folder name.

1. Open Admin > Libraries and expand Ambiguous Roots, below the list of libraries.
2. Choose the library. Each folder is listed under Root with the Type Silo guessed, its Confidence, and the number of Files. To find a folder, filter by path, title, or sample file.
3. Select Override beside the folder. If its files already belong to several items, saving an override requires splitting them first: select Resolve to open the item, then choose Split Versions from the item’s More menu (⋮). In Split Versions, the title search uses the library of the files you select. If they’re in more than one library, choose a Library first.
4. Set Type to Movie or Series. Fill in Title and Year, or a TMDB ID, IMDb ID, or TVDB ID if you know it. Note is for your own record of why.
5. Select Save Override, then scan the library. Saving doesn’t scan; the folder changes at the next scan, and later scans keep the override.

Remove Override in the same dialog returns the folder to automatic detection.

Scan or refresh

Scan finds new and changed files in the library folders. Refresh Metadata asks metadata providers again about items already in the library. Scan for a new file or an edited NFO file; refresh for an updated description or poster from an online provider.

After the first scan, Silo watches library folders on local disks and scans a new or changed file within seconds, so you rarely need Scan. For a library on a network share, set up an autoscan source after a normal scan succeeds. Keep libraries up to date covers both.

Hide or remove a library

Turn off Enabled to hide a library from browsing and skip its scans, for example while a media disk is offline.

Delete library removes the library from Silo and can’t be undone. Back up first if you might want it back. Deleting and recreating a library doesn’t fix a failed scan.