pgsql-jellyfin/docs/FIX_SYSTEM_XML_PATHS.md

Check and Fix system.xml MetadataPath on Windows

Problem

Even though database stores %MetadataPath%\People, the logs show Linux paths. This means system.xml has a Linux path configured for MetadataPath.

Where to Check

1. Check your system.xml file

Location: C:\ProgramData\jellyfin\config\system.xml (or your config directory)

Look for this line:

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

2. What it should be

Option A: Empty (Use default)

<MetadataPath></MetadataPath>

or

<MetadataPath/>

Option B: Windows path

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

How to Fix

Method 1: Via Jellyfin Dashboard (Recommended)

1. Open Jellyfin Dashboard
2. Go to Advanced → Paths
3. Look for Metadata path
4. Clear it (to use default) or set it to a Windows path
5. Save
6. Restart Jellyfin

Method 2: Edit system.xml Manually

1. Stop Jellyfin service/application
2. Open C:\ProgramData\jellyfin\config\system.xml in a text editor
3. Find the <MetadataPath> line
4. Change from:

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

   To:

   <MetadataPath></MetadataPath>
   

   or

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

5. Save the file
6. Start Jellyfin

Method 3: PowerShell Script (Automated)

# Path to your Jellyfin config directory
$configPath = "C:\ProgramData\jellyfin\config\system.xml"

# Backup first
Copy-Item $configPath "$configPath.backup.$(Get-Date -Format 'yyyyMMdd_HHmmss')"

# Read the XML
[xml]$xml = Get-Content $configPath

# Check current MetadataPath
Write-Host "Current MetadataPath: $($xml.ServerConfiguration.MetadataPath)"

# Update to empty (use default) or set a Windows path
$xml.ServerConfiguration.MetadataPath = ""
# Or set to specific path:
# $xml.ServerConfiguration.MetadataPath = "C:\ProgramData\jellyfin\data\metadata"

# Save
$xml.Save($configPath)

Write-Host "Updated MetadataPath to: $($xml.ServerConfiguration.MetadataPath)"
Write-Host "Please restart Jellyfin for changes to take effect"

Or use the automated script:

.\FixJellyfinPaths.ps1 -DryRun   # Preview changes
.\FixJellyfinPaths.ps1            # Apply fixes

Verification

After fixing, check the logs to see if the Linux paths are gone.

The error should change from:

[WRN] Image not found at "/var/lib/jellyfin/metadata/People/D/David L.M. McIntyre/folder.jpg"

To:

[WRN] Image not found at "C:\ProgramData\jellyfin\data\metadata\People\D\David L.M. McIntyre\folder.jpg"

Why This Happens

1. Database stores: %MetadataPath%\People\D\David L.M. McIntyre\folder.jpg
2. Jellyfin expands %MetadataPath% using the value from system.xml
3. If system.xml has /var/lib/jellyfin/metadata, the expanded path becomes: /var/lib/jellyfin/metadata\People\D\David L.M. McIntyre\folder.jpg
4. This creates a mixed Linux/Windows path that doesn't exist

Other Files to Check

If the issue persists, also check:

1. encoding.xml - For TranscodingTempPath
2. network.xml - For any path configurations
3. database.xml - Though this is less likely to have path issues

Root Cause

When you migrated from Linux to Windows, the system.xml configuration file was copied over with Linux paths intact. The database correctly stores virtual paths (%MetadataPath%), but the virtual path is expanded using the incorrect Linux path from the config file.