pgsql-jellyfin/docs/LINUX_PATH_ISSUE_SUMMARY.md

Summary: Linux Paths Showing on Windows

✅ Root Cause Identified

Your database is correctly storing virtual paths:

%MetadataPath%\People\D\David L.M. McIntyre\folder.jpg

However, the logs show Linux paths:

/var/lib/jellyfin/metadata/People/D/David L.M. McIntyre/folder.jpg

Why? The system.xml configuration file contains Linux paths that are used to expand the virtual %MetadataPath% placeholder.

📂 Files to Check

1. system.xml (Most likely culprit)

Location: C:\ProgramData\jellyfin\config\system.xml

Look for:

<MetadataPath>/var/lib/jellyfin/metadata</MetadataPath>

Should be:

<MetadataPath></MetadataPath>

or

<MetadataPath>C:\ProgramData\jellyfin\data\metadata</MetadataPath>

2. encoding.xml (If transcoding shows Linux paths)

Location: C:\ProgramData\jellyfin\config\encoding.xml

Look for:

<TranscodingTempPath>/var/tmp/jellyfin</TranscodingTempPath>

Should be empty or a Windows path.

3. database.xml (Less common)

Location: C:\ProgramData\jellyfin\config\database.xml

Check for any Linux paths in connection strings or options.

🔧 How to Fix

Option 1: Use PowerShell Script (Automated - Recommended)

# Check what needs to be fixed (safe, no changes)
.\FixJellyfinPaths.ps1 -DryRun

# Apply fixes (with confirmation prompt)
.\FixJellyfinPaths.ps1

# Apply fixes without prompts
.\FixJellyfinPaths.ps1 -Force

# Custom paths
.\FixJellyfinPaths.ps1 -ConfigPath "D:\Jellyfin\config" -DataPath "D:\Jellyfin\data"

Option 2: Edit system.xml Manually

1. Stop Jellyfin
2. Open C:\ProgramData\jellyfin\config\system.xml
3. Find <MetadataPath> and change from Linux path to empty or Windows path
4. Save
5. Start Jellyfin

Option 3: Via Dashboard (UI)

1. Dashboard → Advanced → Paths
2. Clear or update the Metadata path field
3. Save
4. Restart Jellyfin

🧪 How the Path Resolution Works

Database Stores:  %MetadataPath%\People\D\David L.M. McIntyre\folder.jpg
                            ↓
                  (Expand virtual path)
                            ↓
system.xml has:   /var/lib/jellyfin/metadata  ← PROBLEM!
                            ↓
                  (Combine paths)
                            ↓
Final Path:       /var/lib/jellyfin/metadata\People\D\David L.M. McIntyre\folder.jpg
                  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ (Linux path from config!)

After Fix:

Database Stores:  %MetadataPath%\People\D\David L.M. McIntyre\folder.jpg
                            ↓
                  (Expand virtual path)
                            ↓
system.xml has:   (empty) → Use default: C:\ProgramData\jellyfin\data\metadata
                            ↓
                  (Combine paths)
                            ↓
Final Path:       C:\ProgramData\jellyfin\data\metadata\People\D\David L.M. McIntyre\folder.jpg
                  ✓ Correct Windows path!

📍 Code Locations

The path expansion happens in:

1. ServerConfigurationManager.cs:78-84

   private void UpdateMetadataPath()
   {
       ((ServerApplicationPaths)ApplicationPaths).InternalMetadataPath = 
           string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(Configuration.MetadataPath)
               ? ApplicationPaths.DefaultInternalMetadataPath
               : Configuration.MetadataPath;  // ← Uses system.xml value
   }
   

2. ServerApplicationPaths.cs:63

   public string PeoplePath => Path.Combine(InternalMetadataPath, "People");
   

🔍 Verification

After applying the fix, check the logs. The error should change from:

[WRN] Image not found at "/var/lib/jellyfin/metadata/People/..."

To:

[WRN] Image not found at "C:\ProgramData\jellyfin\data\metadata\People\..."

(The file might still not exist, but at least the path will be correct!)

📝 Prevention

When migrating from Linux to Windows in the future:

1. Don't copy system.xml directly
2. Let Jellyfin generate a new config file
3. Or manually edit paths before starting Jellyfin
4. Use empty values for paths to let Jellyfin use OS-appropriate defaults

🎯 TL;DR

• ✅ Database is correct (uses %MetadataPath%)
• ❌ system.xml has Linux paths
• 🔧 Fix: Clear <MetadataPath> in system.xml
• 🔄 Restart Jellyfin