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https://github.com/mrsilver76/plex-autoshutdown

A simple script which will check that no-one is using Plex before shutting down the server it is running on
https://github.com/mrsilver76/plex-autoshutdown

linux plex plex-media-server windows

Last synced: 4 months ago
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A simple script which will check that no-one is using Plex before shutting down the server it is running on

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README 

          
# Plex Autoshutdown



Windows Linux Unlicense 



*A simple script that automatically shuts down your Plex server when no one is using it.*



This script checks for active streams and other activity before powering off the machine, making it useful for servers that do not need to run 24/7 and sit idle for long periods (typically overnight).



**There are two scripts, one for Windows and one for Linux.** The Linux version may also work on macOS, but this has not been tested. Contributions from macOS users are welcome.



## 🧰 Features



* 🖥️ Works on Windows and Linux (and possibly macOS)

* ⚙️ Easy to set up, there is only one option that you _**must**_ configure.

* 🎬 Will not shut down a server if there are active Plex streams (audio or video).

* 📥 Will not shut down a server if there are active Plex downloads.

* 📺 Will not shut down a server if live TV is being watched or recorded.

* 🧩 Will not shut down a server if certain processes (Plex related or not) are running.

* 🏠 Will not shutdown a server if certain devices are active on the network (e.g. a smart TV or streaming device).

* ⏳ Will not force a server to shut down for a configurable period of time after power up.

* 🧪 Test mode to verify the logic without accidentally powering off your server.



## 📦 Download



1. Download the latest version from the [Releases page](https://github.com/mrsilver76/plex-autoshutdown/releases) page. Both archives contain the same files. The `.zip` file is generally easiest for Windows users, while Linux users will typically use the `.tar.gz` version.

2. Decompress the file. On Windows, you should right-click on the file and select "Extract All...". On Linux you should use the `gunzip` command.

4. Use the file ending in `.bat` for Windows and the file ending `.sh` for Linux.



## ⚙️ Configuration



To configure the script, open it up in your preferred text editor. For Windows, Notepad will do. For Linux, I recommend [nano](https://www.nano-editor.org/) which usually comes preinstalled with most distributions.



### Basic configuration options



**Only one setting is required to get this script running. You can leave everything else as-is and the script will work perfectly fine.**



- **`PLEX_TOKEN`**  

  The script uses the Plex API in order to determine whether or not anything is streaming. To do this, it needs a token to use for authentication. Plex provides instructions on how to find the token for your Plex server [here](https://support.plex.tv/articles/204059436-finding-an-authentication-token-x-plex-token/). 



  You should modify this line to include your token (capitalisation is important). If you provide an invalid token then the script will display an error and stop. The default token in the code (`abcd1234efgh5678`) is invalid and will never work.



> [!CAUTION]

> You should never share your Plex token with anyone else.



### Optional advanced configuration options



You do not have to edit any of these settings. The script works fine with the defaults and these options are only for fine-tuning behaviour.



- **`MIN_UPTIME`**  

  This is the minimum amount of time (in seconds) that a server must have been running (the “uptime”) before the script will work. The default (and recommended) value is `7200` which equates to 2 hours.



  Using `7200` as an example, if you turn back on your Plex server at (say) 1am, then it will not attempt to turn the server back off again until 3am, even if you stop using it at 1:30am.



> [!IMPORTANT]

> If you set this value too low, then your server may turn off very quickly after you have turned it back on.



- **`BLOCKING_PROCESSES`**  

  A semi-colon (`;`) separated list of processes that will block shutdown if they are running. This can be used to delay shutdown until certain tasks finish, whether Plex-related or not. Multiple processes can be listed, and the script will prevent shutdown if any are running.



>[!NOTE]

>The default script includes `Plex Transcoder` to prevent the server from shutting down while Plex is transcoding, even if the Plex API incorrectly reports no activity.



- **`BLOCKING_ADDRESSES`**  

  A semi-colon (`;`) separated list of devices that will block shutdown if they are active. Each entry can be an IP address or hostname (e.g. `192.168.0.20;SAMSUNG-TV`). Devices on this list are considered "in use" if they respond to a network [ping](https://www.lifewire.com/ping-command-2618099). Multiple devices can be listed, and the script will prevent shutdown if any respond.



>[!TIP]

>If you are using IP addresses, assign a static IP to each device (via your router) to prevent the address from changing.



## ▶️ Running the script



The script must be placed and run on your Plex server (the same machine Plex is installed on) to correctly detect streams, downloads, processes running and other activity. 



On Linux, you will need to make it executable first by using `chmod +x plex-autoshutdown.sh`.



⚠️ **Before scheduling the script to run automatically, run it in test mode to ensure everything works as expected.**


Test mode performs all the same checks as normal mode but will not shut down your server, letting you safely experiment with settings and scenarios.



To use test mode, append any of `/t`, `/test`, `-t`, or `--test` to the command line, irrespective of your operating system:



- Windows: `plex-autoshutdown.bat /test`

- Linux: `plex-autoshutdown.sh -t`



Once you've confirmed that the script works as expected, you need to configure your operating system to run the script multiple times over the night. This is to ensure that if the shutdown is blocked because something is being streamed or downloaded, then it will try again at a later time.



## 🪟 Automatic scheduling (Windows)



These instructions assume that you want to turn your server off from between midnight and 6am and that you will check the server status every 15 minutes.



> [!IMPORTANT]

> If you check the server status too frequently then there is a higher chance that the server will power off whilst you are picking something else to play.



You need to set up a scheduled task to run the script:



- Click on “Start”, type “Task” and select “Task Scheduler”.

- Click on “Create Task”.

- Set the Name to: “Plex Autoshutdown”.

- Set the Description to: “Automatically shut down this server if Plex is not running”.

- If you run Plex without logging a user in, then you will need to enable “Run whether user is logged in or not”.

- Click on the “Trigger” tab.

- Click on “New”.

- Set Begin the Task to: On a schedule.

- Set Settings to Daily, Start at 00:00, Recur every 1 day.

- Click on “OK”.

- Set “Repeat Task” to “every 15 minutes” for a duration of “6 hours” (you’ll need to type this in as the drop-down won’t have it)

- Set “Enabled” to ticked.

- Click on “Actions”.

- Click on “New”.

- Set “Action” to “Start a program”.

- Set Program/Script to the name and location of the script. Use the “Browse” button to locate it.

- Click on “OK”.

- Click on “Conditions”.

- Ensure that “Wake the computer to run this task” is turned off.

- Click on “OK”.



## 🐧 Automatic scheduling (Linux)



These instructions assume that you want to turn your server off from between midnight and 5:45am and that you will check the server status every 15 minutes.



> [!IMPORTANT]

> If you check the server status too frequently then there is a higher chance that the server will power off whilst you are picking something else to play.



You need to set up a cron to run this task:



- Type `crontab -e`

- Add the following line to the bottom of the crontab file: `0,15,30,45 0-5 * * * /path/to/plex-autoshutdown.sh >/dev/null`

- Make sure you change `/path/to/plex-autoshutdown.sh` to the correct full path and location.

- Save the file.



As the script outputs messages, this will be emailed to you. The use of `>/dev/null` ensures that this does not happen but you can also redirect it to a file if you wish.



## 🔌 Automatic power on



Once you have the script set up to shut down your server at night, you also need some way to start the server back up again in the morning.



The easiest way is to change your BIOS settings to power on the server at a specific time. To access the BIOS, you will usually need to press a key such as Del, F1, F2, F10 or Esc immediately after powering on. If you’re unsure which key to use for your computer or motherboard, check the manufacturer’s instructions or search online.



You can usually find the power-on scheduling option in your BIOS under a "Power" or "Advanced" menu, often called something like "Resume by RTC Alarm", "Wake on RTC", or "Wake on Alarm". If you don’t see it, check any "Power Management" or "ACPI" sections. 



> [!TIP]

> - Turn on “automatic power on after power loss” in the BIOS so the server will restart automatically if the electricity goes out.

> - Ensure Plex tasks don’t try to run while the server is off! Schedule them to start about 5 minutes after it powers on.



## 📝 Logging



The script outputs information to the terminal or console, showing whether any streams, downloads, live TV, blocking processes, or devices were detected, and what decisions the script made. This information can be useful for review or debugging. **Most of the time you won't need this output**, which is why the instructions either do nothing with it (on Windows) or redirect it to `/dev/null` (on Linux).



If you do decide you need to review the output (e.g. to troubleshoot an issue), you can redirect the output to a file by appending a redirect to the end of the command:



- Windows: `plex-autoshutdown.bat >> "C:\path\to\logs\autoshutdown.log" 2>&1`

- Linux: `./plex-autoshutdown.sh >> /path/to/logs/autoshutdown.log 2>&1`



Make sure you use `>>` and not `>`, as the latter will overwrite the log file every time the script is run.



## ⚠️ Known issues



- The Plex API may continue reporting that content is being streamed for several minutes after playback stops. There is no workaround for this.

- The Plex API may fail to report active transcoding. The workaround for this is the inclusion of the `Plex Transcoder` entry in the `BLOCKING_PROCESSES` setting.

- The script will not work if "Secured connections" is set to "Required" within Plex. This is a possible future development (subject to demand).



## 🛟 Questions/problems?



Please raise an issue at https://github.com/mrsilver76/plex-autoshutdown/issues.



## 💡 Future development: open but unplanned



This script currently meets the needs it was designed for, and no major new features are planned at this time. However, the project remains open to community suggestions and improvements. If you have ideas or see ways to enhance the tool, please feel free to submit a [feature request](https://github.com/mrsilver76/plex-autoshutdown/issues).



Some other improvements I'm thinking about, but won't implement unless there is demand, are:



- **Support for secured connections.** This would enable the script to work even if "Secured connections" is set to "Required" within the Plex server.

- **Support for non-pingable devices.** Allow specification of a port number which can then be used to probe a device that ignores `ping` requests.

- **Migrate Windows script to PowerShell.** Replace the current batch implementation with PowerShell to improve reliability, maintainability and access to modern Windows features.

- **Configurable behavior when Plex is unreachable/down.** Allow the script to either exit and leave the server running or proceed with shutdown when Plex cannot be contacted.

- **Report number of streams rather than just checking for 0.** Instead of only detecting whether there are zero streams, report how many active streams are running so you can decide based on count thresholds. 

- **Output to logs instead of screen.** Remove the need to redirect output by allowing configuration in the script to output logs to terminal, file, both or none. Handle log rotation automatically.

- **Sleep option, instead of power down.** Provide an option to put the server into sleep/standby rather than fully powering it down when no active streams are detected. 



## 📝 Attribution

- Plex is a registered trademark of Plex, Inc. This tool is not affiliated with or endorsed by Plex, Inc.

- With thanks to [https://www.plexopedia.com/plex-media-server/api/](https://www.plexopedia.com/plex-media-server/api/) for Plex API documentation.



## 🕰️ Version history



### 1.3 (14th March 2026)

- Added connectivity tests to check if Plex is running and the supplied token is valid.

- Added validation that the supplied Plex token is not blank or set to the placeholder.

- Improved the formatting of the output to make troubleshooting and logging easier.

- Adjusted the logic so all checks run even if earlier ones fail, making it easier to see every reason shutdown might be blocked.

- Added support for blocking shutdown if certain processes are running.

- Added support for blocking shutdown if certain devices are on the network (e.g. a television).

- Added a test mode to enable verification of the logic without shutting down the server.

- Removed use of deprecated `wmic` command and replaced it with PowerShell for uptime checks (Windows). 

- Updated the documentation.



### 1.2 (28th March 2025)

- Added support for blocking shutdown if live TV is being recorded or viewed.

- Error messages now differentiate between transcoding and downloading when reporting why a shutdown is being blocked.

- Fixed a bug where the temporary file wasn't always removed after the script finishes.



### 1.1 (3rd November 2024)

- Added support for blocking shutdown if content is being transcoded or downloaded.

- Swapped the configuration variables so that the mandatory one is at the top.

- Cleaned up the documentation.



### 1.0 (19th October 2024)

- Initial release.