pgsql-jellyfin/docs/STARTUP_JSON_WEBDIR_FIX.md

Fix: startup.json Still Has Wrong WebDir

Problem

After fixing the code, startup.json is still created with:

"WebDir": "C:/ProgramData/jellyfin/wwwroot"

Instead of:

"WebDir": "wwwroot"

Root Cause

The fix in StartupHelpers.cs (line 141) only affects newly created files. If startup.json already exists in one of these locations, it won't be recreated:

1. Current directory: D:\Projects\pgsql-jellyfin\startup.json
2. Application directory: bin\Debug\net11.0\startup.json
3. Config directory: bin\Debug\net11.0\config\startup.json

Solutions

Solution 1: Delete Existing startup.json (Quickest)

Delete the existing startup.json file and let Jellyfin recreate it with correct values:

# Find and delete startup.json files
Remove-Item -Path ".\startup.json" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Remove-Item -Path ".\bin\Debug\net11.0\startup.json" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Remove-Item -Path ".\bin\Debug\net11.0\config\startup.json" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Remove-Item -Path ".\bin\Release\net11.0\startup.json" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Remove-Item -Path ".\bin\Release\net11.0\config\startup.json" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

Write-Host "Deleted existing startup.json files. Run Jellyfin to recreate with correct paths."

Solution 2: Edit Existing startup.json Manually

1. Find the file: startup.json
2. Open in a text editor
3. Change:

   "WebDir": "C:/ProgramData/jellyfin/wwwroot"
   

   To:

   "WebDir": "wwwroot"
   

4. Save

Solution 3: PowerShell Script to Fix All Instances

# Fix WebDir in all startup.json files

$files = Get-ChildItem -Path . -Recurse -Filter "startup.json" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

foreach ($file in $files) {
    Write-Host "Checking: $($file.FullName)"
    
    $content = Get-Content $file.FullName -Raw
    
    # Check if it has the wrong path
    if ($content -match '"WebDir":\s*"C:/ProgramData/jellyfin/wwwroot"') {
        Write-Host "  -> Found incorrect WebDir, fixing..." -ForegroundColor Yellow
        
        # Backup
        Copy-Item $file.FullName "$($file.FullName).backup"
        
        # Fix it
        $newContent = $content -replace '"WebDir":\s*"C:/ProgramData/jellyfin/wwwroot"', '"WebDir": "wwwroot"'
        Set-Content -Path $file.FullName -Value $newContent
        
        Write-Host "  -> Fixed! (Backup created)" -ForegroundColor Green
    } else {
        Write-Host "  -> Already correct" -ForegroundColor Green
    }
}

Write-Host ""
Write-Host "Done! Rebuild and run Jellyfin." -ForegroundColor Cyan

Solution 4: Add Code to Auto-Fix on Startup (Most Robust)

Add code to automatically update incorrect paths when loading the config file. This ensures old config files are fixed automatically.

I can implement this in StartupHelpers.cs if you want.

Verification

After applying a fix, check your startup.json:

Get-Content startup.json | Select-String "WebDir"

Should show:

"WebDir": "wwwroot"

Not:

"WebDir": "C:/ProgramData/jellyfin/wwwroot"

Why This Matters

Using relative path "wwwroot" instead of absolute path:

• ✅ Makes installation portable
• ✅ Works regardless of where Jellyfin is installed
• ✅ Matches the template file startup.json.windows
• ✅ Consistent with other platforms

Next Steps

1. Choose a solution above (I recommend Solution 1 - delete and recreate)
2. Rebuild the project
3. Run Jellyfin
4. Verify the new startup.json has "WebDir": "wwwroot"

Would you like me to implement Solution 4 (auto-fix code) to prevent this issue in the future?