Prepare media folders and filenames

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

Keep movies and series in separate folders, give each title its own folder named Title (Year), and number episodes S01E01. Silo also reads most names produced by Sonarr, Radarr, FileBot, Plex, and Jellyfin, so you rarely need to rename an existing collection.

Library folders

Silo reads media from a folder on its filesystem. It cannot use an s3://, https://, or file:// URL as a library folder.

With the default Docker setup, MEDIA_ROOT=/srv/media maps the host’s media to /mnt/media in the container:

Folder on the host	Folder entered in Silo
`/srv/media/movies`	`/mnt/media/movies`
`/srv/media/tv`	`/mnt/media/tv`

Mount network shares on the host first, and make sure Silo can read the files, before you add the library.

File types

Silo adds video files with these extensions, in upper or lower case:

Format	Extensions
Matroska and WebM	`.mkv`, `.webm`
MP4 and QuickTime	`.mp4`, `.m4v`, `.mov`, `.3gp`, `.3g2`, `.f4v`
AVI	`.avi`, `.divx`
MPEG transport stream	`.ts`, `.m2ts`, `.mts`
MPEG program stream	`.mpg`, `.mpeg`
Windows Media	`.wmv`, `.asf`
Flash video	`.flv`
Ogg	`.ogv`, `.ogm`

Silo doesn’t add video files with any other extension.

Remux a DVD or Blu-ray title into a single file, such as an .mkv, before you add it. Silo doesn’t support DVD .vob files, .iso disc images, or the .m2ts files in a Blu-ray or AVCHD BDMV/STREAM folder, and doesn’t add them to your library. A disc splits one movie into several files next to its menus and extras, so Silo would show each piece as its own title.

RealMedia files (.rm and .rmvb) aren’t supported either. Convert them to one of the formats above to add them.

Movies

Use one folder per movie, especially when you have posters, subtitles, extras, or several versions:

movies/
  Movie Name (2024)/
    Movie Name (2024).mkv
    Movie Name (2024).en.srt
    poster.jpg

Silo uses poster.jpg only while Local metadata (NFO + artwork) is on for the library, which it is by default. See artwork names.

Loose files such as movies/Movie Name (2024).mkv also work, as do release-style names like Movie.Name.2024.1080p.BluRay.mkv, names without a year like Movie.Name.1080p.BluRay.x264-GROUP.mkv, and a year in square brackets, as in Movie Name [2024] 720p.mkv. Silo removes resolution, source, and codec details from the search title. Brackets and dots that belong to the title, as in [REC] or S.W.A.T., stay.

Inside a folder that names the movie, the file name can be anything, such as a disc rip’s title00.mkv. A folder names the movie when it has a year (Movie Name (2024)), a provider ID, or a release name with a year (Movie.Name.2024.1080p.BluRay). In any other folder, title00.mkv becomes a title called “title00”.

Series

Give every show its own folder, with a folder per season:

tv/
  Show Name (2024)/
    Season 01/
      Show Name - S01E01.mkv
      Show Name - S01E02.mkv
    Specials/
      Show Name - S00E01.mkv

Use S01E01 for ordinary episodes and S00E01 for specials. Text after the episode number, such as an episode title or release details, is fine.

Season folders can also be named Season.01, Season_01, Season1, or S01, or use another language’s word for season, such as Staffel 1, Temporada 1, or Saison 1. The number can come first, as a plain number or an ordinal (3.Staffel, 2nd Season), and text after it is fine (Season 01 - Arc Name). Specials or Special holds season 0.

Episodes can also sit directly in the show folder when each name has a code such as S01E03, for example Show Name/Show Name S01E03.mkv. A season pack folder such as Show.Name.S01.COMPLETE works inside the show’s folder, and in a Series library also on its own as the show folder.

Audiobook folders are covered in the Beta audiobook guide.

Provider IDs

If a title matches the wrong entry, add its provider ID to the folder name or the file name:

Movie Name (2024) {tmdb-12345}
Show Name (2024) {tvdb-12345}
Movie Name (2024) {imdb-tt1234567}

Replace the sample numbers with the real ID for your title. Silo reads TMDB, TVDB, and IMDb IDs. It never reads a bare number as an ID.

A movie can carry the ID in its file name instead, as in Movie Name (2024)/Movie Name (2024) {tmdb-12345}.mkv. A show needs the ID in the show folder’s name; an ID in an episode’s file name doesn’t identify the show.

If an NFO file beside the media names a provider ID, Silo uses that ID instead of one in the folder or file name.

Also supported

Silo reads these forms as well.

Kind	Examples
Other episode numbering	`1x03`, `S01xE03`, `s01.e03`, `S 01 E 03`, `Season 1 Episode 3`, `2009x03`
Episode-only names inside a season folder	`Season 02/E03.mkv`, `Season 02/03 - Episode Title.mkv`, `Season 02/003.Episode.Title.mkv`, `S02/Episode 03.mkv`, `Specials/E01.mkv`
Release numbering after the episode	`Show Name - S01E01.001 - Pilot [Bluray-1080p].mkv` is `S01E01`
Several episodes in one file	`S01E01-E03`, `S01E01-03`, `S01E01E02`, `1x01x02`, `2009x03-E15`
Air dates	`Show Name - 2024-02-15.mkv`, `Show.Name.2024.02.15.mkv`; underscores and spaces also work as separators
Season folder names	`Season 01`, `Season.01`, `Season_01`, `S01`, `1st Season`, `Specials`, and `Staffel`, `Stagione`, `Saison`, `Sæson`, `Säsong`, `Temporada`, `Seizoen`, `Kausi`, `Sezon`, `Sezona`, `Sezóna`, `Sezonul`, `Serie`, `Série`, `Seria`, `Séria`, `시즌`, `シーズン`, `сезон`, or `Series` with a number
Provider IDs in other styles	`(tmdb-12345)`, `{tmdb=12345}`, `[tmdbid=12345]`, `[tmdbid-12345]`, `[imdbid-tt1234567]`, `[tvdbid=12345]`, `[tt1234567]`, or a folder name ending in an IMDb ID, as in `Movie Name tt1234567`
Editions	`{edition-Director's Cut}`, or words such as `Extended`, `Theatrical`, or `Director's Cut` in the name
Multipart movies	`Movie Name (2024) cd1.mkv`, `disc2`, `part1`, `pt2`

A file named for several episodes, such as S01E03-E05, appears under each episode in its range, and each of those episodes plays the file. Finishing the file marks every episode in the range watched. If you stop partway, your place is saved on the first episode. A file covers at most 11 episodes: its first and the 10 after it.

After you upgrade from a version that listed only the first episode, existing files like this stay that way until Silo scans the library again. The daily library scan does that on its own. If you’ve turned it off, scan the library.

Editions and multipart files of one movie are grouped under the same title.

A season folder named only with a number, such as 01, works inside a show folder in a Series library. In a Mixed library it counts only when the file names have a code such as S01E03.

A folder directly in a library folder named Series, Serie, Série, Seria, or Séria with a number and then other words, such as Series 7 Documentary, is a show, not a season. It’s still a season when only a year or release details follow the number (Series 2 (2019), Series 2 1080p). It’s also a season when its file names start with a different show’s title, as in a library folder for one show that holds Series 5 Matt Smith/Doctor Who S05E03.mkv. Inside a show folder, Series 5 Matt Smith is season 5.

Episode numbers without a season

Put files numbered only by episode in a season folder, or add the season to the name. Without either, Silo has to work out the season:

A three-digit number that makes up the whole name, or is joined by dots or underscores, is read as season and episode. Show.Name.103.mkv is season 1 episode 3, and Show Name/301.mkv is season 3 episode 1. Set off by spaces or dashes, the number is an episode number on its own: Show Name 103.mkv is episode 103.
In a Series library, Show Name/E03.mkv, Show Name/03.mkv, and [Group] Show Name - 136 [720p].mkv are episodes with no season. Silo links such a file when its number matches exactly one season 1 episode, or when its name has an episode title that matches exactly one episode in the series. Otherwise the file isn’t linked to an episode, and it never becomes a special. Rename it with its season to fix it.
A season folder wins over a three-digit number that disagrees with it: Season 21/301.mkv is season 21 episode 301. A season in the file name wins over the folder: Season 02/Show Name S01E05.mkv is season 1 episode 5.

Episode numbers can have up to five digits.

Files named by air date, such as Show Name - 2026-04-24 - Episode Title.mkv, link to the episode that aired that day. If several episodes aired that day, Silo picks one in this order:

The episode whose title matches the text after the date. Case and punctuation don’t matter.
The episode in the file’s season folder, such as Season 2026 or Specials.
If the name has no episode title, the ordinary episode rather than a same-day special. A generic title such as Episode 12, or the Unknown some renamers write, counts as no title.

If that still leaves more than one episode, the file stays unlinked. For example, Season 2026/Show Name - 2026-04-24.mkv stays unlinked when two season 2026 episodes aired that day. Rename it with season and episode to link it.

Day-first dates such as 24.04.2026 aren’t read as air dates.

Show folders

Give each show its own folder. The folder’s name wins over the file name, so Show Name/Pilot - S01E01.mkv belongs to Show Name.

Files placed directly in a library folder take their show from their own names, so Show.One.S01E01.mkv and Show.Two.S01E01.mkv can sit side by side there. In any other folder, such as tv/Downloads/, Silo treats the folder as one show. To keep several shows in one folder without show folders, add that folder as its own library folder.

A folder named only with a number directly in a library folder, such as tv/86/, is a show, not a season.

Sidecars and extras

Keep NFO files and posters beside the item they describe. Subtitle files can sit beside the video or in a Subs or Subtitles folder next to it. See Local metadata for what Silo reads, and Subtitle file names for how to mark a subtitle’s language.

Put extras in a folder inside the movie’s or show’s folder, or inside a season folder. Silo recognizes these folder names, in any letter case and with ., _, or - in place of spaces:

Trailers or Trailer, Teasers or Teaser
Featurettes or Featurette, Behind the Scenes
Deleted Scenes or Deleted Scene, Clips or Clip
Bloopers, Interviews, Scenes, Shorts
Extras, Extra, or Other

An extra can also sit beside the movie file with a suffix, as in Movie Name (2024)-trailer.mkv. The suffixes are -trailer, -teaser, -featurette, -clip, -behindthescenes, -bloopers, -deleted, -deletedscene, -interview, -scene, -short, -extra, and -other. A . works in place of the -.

Extras appear in the title’s Extras section and are never offered as versions. A show’s extras show up at the next scan after its first episode is in your library. In a series, a file in the show’s own Extras or Extra folder with a name like S00E01 is a special, and S01E01 goes to season 1. In any other extras folder, including a season folder’s Extras, an episode number is part of the extra’s name.

An extras folder name doesn’t count at the top of a library, or in a folder that holds several shows, such as Kids/Shorts/: Silo scans its files as ordinary titles. A folder named like an extras folder that holds episodes in season folders, such as Shorts/Season 01/Shorts S01E01.mkv, is a show.

Subtitle file names

Name each subtitle file after its video, then add words between the video’s name and the extension to describe the track. Letter case doesn’t matter, so movie name (2024).EN.srt belongs to Movie Name (2024).mkv. Silo reads .srt, .vtt, .ass, .ssa, and .sub files, but skips a VobSub .sub that has an .idx file beside it. The words can come in any order, so Movie Name (2024).en.sdh.srt and Movie Name (2024).sdh.en.srt are the same track.

Word in the name	What it sets
A language code or English language name, such as `en`, `eng`, `pt-BR`, or `English`	The track’s language
`forced`	A forced subtitle, which covers only selected dialogue or on-screen text
`sdh` or `cc`	Subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing (SDH). In the web app, the item page lists these tracks as HI
`hi`	Hindi when no other word names a language, as in `Movie Name (2024).hi.srt`. With another language, as in `Movie Name (2024).en.hi.srt`, it marks the track as SDH

Silo skips words that aren’t languages when it looks for the language, so Movie Name (2024).ai.hr.srt is Croatian. When two words name a language, Silo uses the first. A file with no language word, such as Movie Name (2024).srt, has no language set.

Subtitles in a Subs folder

Silo also reads a Subs or Subtitles folder beside the video, in any letter case:

Files in it named after the video, such as Subs/Movie Name (2024).en.srt, work as they do beside the video.
In a folder inside it named after the video, every subtitle file belongs to that video, such as Subs/Show Name S01E01/2_English.srt. A track number and underscore at the start of the name are skipped. Silo reads the language and flags only when every word in the rest of the name is a language, forced, sdh, cc, or hi. Otherwise the track has no language set.
In a Movies library, a file named only for a language and flags, such as Subs/English.srt or Subs/English.sdh.srt, belongs to the movie when it’s the only movie in its folder. Silo leaves these files out when the folder holds several versions or parts of a movie, or in a TV library.

Leave files out of a scan

Put one of these files in a folder to keep its content out of Silo:

File	What Silo skips
`.nomedia`	The folder and everything below it
`.ignore`	Empty, the folder and everything below it. With lines in it, the files and folders matching each line, using the same patterns as `.gitignore`, as in Jellyfin
`.siloignore`	The files and folders matching each line, as in Plex’s `.plexignore`. Each line is a pattern relative to the folder, and `` doesn’t reach into subfolders, so write `Season 2/.mkv` for files in a subfolder

Silo doesn’t read .plexignore itself. Lines starting with # are comments in .ignore and .siloignore.

If you add an ignore file to a folder that was already scanned, the next scan treats its titles like deleted files: they disappear from the apps and are removed from the library later.

Silo also skips these folders on its own in every library: @eaDir, @Recycle, #recycle, .recyclebin, $RECYCLE.BIN, .trash, .deleted, .inbound, and .downloads. In a Movies library it also skips Sample, Samples, Subs, and Subtitles folders, and sample files such as Sample.mkv, when it looks for videos. It still reads the subtitles in Subs and Subtitles folders.

If a title isn’t identified

Fix the names, or correct the title in Silo, when a layout gives Silo too little to go on:

Episode files that don’t name their show, in a folder that doesn’t name it either. Put them in a show folder.
A folder and a file that name different titles, as in On Fire (2024)/Soul on Fire (2025).mkv. Add a provider ID to the folder.
A disc rip such as title00.mkv in a folder that doesn’t name the movie. Rename the folder, or use Match Item.
Episodes numbered in an order the provider doesn’t use, such as absolute or DVD order, without matching episode titles. Rename them with season and episode.

Folders Silo can’t classify on its own are listed under Ambiguous Roots, where you can set their type and title.

Renaming and moving files

Test a naming change on one title before renaming a whole collection. If files disappear after a network mount drops, restore the mount and check the path; don’t delete the library or move the files.

Paths sent by another service must map to the folder Silo sees. For example, an import reported as /tv/Show Name may need a rewrite to /mnt/media/tv/Show Name. Set the rewrite on the Autoscan source.