JellTogether

Interactive Jellyfin watch party plugin for synced viewing.

A high-performance watch party plugin focusing on synchrony and social interaction.

Compatibility

• Jellyfin target ABI: 10.11.8.0
• .NET target: net9.0
• Current plugin version: 1.3.2.0

Installation

Add the JellTogether plugin repository in Jellyfin:

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/GameProductions/jelltogether/refs/heads/main/repository.json

Then install JellTogether from Jellyfin Dashboard > Plugins > Catalog. If Jellyfin has cached an older repository response, refresh the plugin catalog or restart Jellyfin before retrying.

Access

• Jellyfin menu: open JellTogether from the regular main menu or from the server dashboard plugin area.
• Direct companion URL: /jelltogether/Companion
• Jellyfin invite URL format: /jelltogether/Invite/YOURCODE
• Optional public companion URL format: https://your-domain.example/jelltogether/Companion?code=YOURCODE

Server owners can set their own public Jellyfin URL and public companion URL inside the JellTogether companion.

Global Settings

Administrators can configure JellTogether from the Jellyfin plugin settings page.

Important settings:

• Public Jellyfin URL: external base URL used when generating companion links.
• Generated companion URL: public companion entrypoint based on the public Jellyfin URL.
• Library access: limits which Jellyfin libraries can be searched from room queues.
• System defaults: queue voting, participant queue adds, participant invite creation, Android TV playback targeting, room persistence, and invite expiration.
• Discord Stage: bot token, Stage channel selection, setup guidance, and connection testing.

Discord Stage Setup

JellTogether can sync the current watch party title to a Discord Stage channel topic. This feature requires a Discord bot that you create and invite to the Discord server containing the Stage channel.

Requirements:

• Create your own Discord application and bot in the Discord Developer Portal.
• Invite the bot to the Discord server that owns the Stage channel.
• Grant the bot permission to view channels and manage the selected Stage channel.
• Use a Discord Stage channel ID, not a text or voice channel ID.

Token storage options:

• Easy setup: paste the bot token into JellTogether global settings. The token is hidden in the UI, but it is stored in Jellyfin plugin configuration.
• More secure setup: set JELLTOGETHER_DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN on the Jellyfin server or container and restart Jellyfin. When this environment variable is present, JellTogether uses it instead of any UI-saved token and disables token editing in settings.

After the bot token is available, use global settings to test the Discord connection and select or enter the Stage channel ID.

Playback Requirements

JellTogether starts playback through Jellyfin remote control. For a device to appear as a usable playback target:

• The participant must have an active Jellyfin client session.
• The client must allow remote control.
• The client usually needs media controls available. If a device appears but cannot be controlled, start any media briefly in that client, pause it, then refresh targets.
• Android TV clients can be allowed through the global Android TV playback targeting option when they expose remote control.
• The room owner, co-host, or a participant with playback-control permission must start playback.

When playback fails or only starts on some devices, JellTogether shows a playback diagnostics modal with target eligibility and command-attempt details. Full diagnostic identifiers are shown only to room owners and co-hosts.

Room Features

• Public and private watch party rooms.
• Invite links, invite codes, optional invite expiration, and generated QR codes.
• Join approval, join locking, kick, ban, unban, and delegated participant management.
• Per-participant permissions for chat, playback control, queue adds, and participant management.
• Host/co-host theater controls for queued Jellyfin media.
• Queue voting, queue reordering, queue clearing, and selectable season/series/collection queue additions.
• Chat replies, mentions, message reactions, floating reactions, polls, theory board notes, and recap stats.
• Seat assignment and Jellyfin profile image display when available.

Features

• Persistent room management
• Thread-safe session handling
• Social chat and floating reactions
• Immersive VR Mode (WebXR)
• Live Polls and Theory Boards
• Collaborative media queueing
• Discord Stage integration

Troubleshooting

• Plugin install returns 500: confirm the version listed in repository.json has a matching GitHub release asset and checksum.
• No playback targets: open Jellyfin on the target device, sign in as the room participant, enable remote control in the client, and refresh playback targets.
• Target says media control unavailable: start playback manually in the target Jellyfin client for a few seconds, pause it, then try again.
• Discord Stage picker is empty: confirm the bot token is valid, the bot is invited to the correct server, and the bot can view the Stage channel.
• Discord test fails to manage topic: grant the bot role permission to manage the selected Stage channel.

Development

Build locally:

dotnet build

Create release metadata and package:

python3 generate_repo.py

The release package should be uploaded to a GitHub release named vX.Y.Z.0 with asset name jelltogether_X.Y.Z.0.zip, matching the generated repository.json entry.