MediaVault v1.7.1

A sleek desktop media manager for Windows with TMDB/OMDB metadata, poster art, episode tracking, watchlist, and streaming availability.

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Running from source

Prerequisites: Node.js v18 or newer

npm install
npm start

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Building the Windows installer (.exe)

Step 1 — Create the app icon

electron-builder requires assets/icon.ico for the Windows installer. An SVG source is already at assets/icon.svg.

Convert it to .ico at one of these free sites:

• https://convertico.com
• https://icoconvert.com

Save the result as assets/icon.ico (256×256 multi-resolution recommended).

Step 2 — Install dependencies

npm install

Step 3 — Build

npm run build

Output:

dist/
  MediaVault-Setup-1.7.1.exe

Important: the version shown in-app (Settings → bottom of toolbar) is read live from package.json via Electron's app.getVersion(). Bumping the version field here and rebuilding (npm run build) is all that's needed — there is no separate version string to update anywhere else.

Step 4 — Install

Run MediaVault-Setup-1.7.1.exe. The installer lets you choose the install directory, creates a Desktop shortcut and a Start Menu entry under MediaVault.

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What the installer includes

• Installs to C:\Program Files\MediaVault\ (or your chosen path)
• Desktop shortcut + Start Menu shortcut
• Standard Add/Remove Programs uninstaller
• Writes HKCU\Software\MediaVault version key (removed on uninstall)

User data location

C:\Users\<you>\.mediavault\
  library.json      ← library, watchlist, settings (no API keys)
  keys.enc          ← API keys, encrypted via OS credential store
  cache\            ← poster art, headshots, metadata

This folder is never touched by the installer or uninstaller.

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API Keys

• TMDB (free): https://www.themoviedb.org/settings/api
• OMDB (free): https://www.omdbapi.com/apikey.aspx

Enter both in Settings → API Keys after first launch.

API keys are stored encrypted using Electron's safeStorage (OS credential store). They are never written to library.json or localStorage.

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Quick start

1. Launch MediaVault
2. Settings → API Keys → enter TMDB and OMDB keys
3. Click Add Folder → select your Movies folder, then TV Shows folder
4. Metadata and poster art download automatically in the background

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Build troubleshooting

"icon.ico not found" → Create assets/icon.ico (Step 1 above)

"cannot find module electron" → Run npm install first

Build fails on macOS/Linux targeting Windows → Install Wine:

• macOS: brew install wine
• Ubuntu: sudo apt install wine
• Then run: npm run build -- --win

App opens and immediately closes → Run from terminal to see the error: "C:\Program Files\MediaVault\MediaVault.exe"