Emby

The Emby integration connects SharpTools Bridge to an Emby Server and exposes supported Emby player sessions as devices for dashboards and rules.

What You'll Need

• An Emby Server reachable from Bridge on the local network.
• An Emby username and password, or an API key from the Emby dashboard.
• Emby player apps connected to the server.

Setup

1. Open the Bridge admin UI.
2. Select Add Device.
3. Choose Emby.
4. Select a discovered Emby Server or enter its local URL manually.
5. Choose Sign In and enter your Emby username and password. API key setup is also available for advanced or recovery scenarios.
6. Open or start playback on Emby clients that do not appear automatically, then refresh the player list.
7. Choose which Emby players should sync to SharpTools.

When using Sign In, Bridge exchanges the password for an access token and does not store the password. Tokens and API keys are stored in Bridge's local secret storage.

Player Resources and Capabilities

Bridge creates one media player device for each usable Emby session or client. Default names include the integration name, such as Emby Chrome, so generic client names remain recognizable in the device list.

Every player reports Media Playback status. Additional capabilities are included only when the current Emby client reports support for them:

• Media Track Control for next and previous track.
• Audio Volume and Audio Mute.
• Audio Track Data for current media details and artwork.
• Audio Notification when the client supports launching media.

Available commands can include play, pause, stop, seek, next or previous track, volume, mute, and play track. The exact command list varies by client.

Discovery and Refresh Behavior

Bridge uses local Emby server discovery when available and supports manual server URLs when discovery cannot cross Docker, VLAN, or firewall boundaries.

Player resources come from sessions reported by the Emby Server. Some clients only appear while awake, connected, or actively playing. Bridge listens for Emby websocket updates and also refreshes sessions periodically. Previously discovered players are remembered as stopped when their active session disappears.

Managing Emby

From the Emby integration settings, you can:

• Refresh players and update Cloud Sync selections.
• Connect another Emby Server.
• Update sign-in or API key credentials.
• Remove a configured server.
• Restore players that were previously forgotten.

Removing and Restoring Players

Removing an Emby player deletes its local Bridge device and adds the player to the server's ignored-player list. If Emby reports that player again, Bridge does not automatically recreate it. This keeps clients you intentionally removed from repeatedly returning to the device list.

To restore an ignored player:

1. Open Integrations and select Emby.
2. Open the ... menu and choose Manage Emby Servers.
3. Select the server that reported the player.
4. Choose Manage Ignored Players.
5. Select the player and confirm Allow Player.

Allowing the player removes it from the ignore list. If it is currently active or appears again later, Bridge can recreate it and let you select it for Cloud Sync.

Notes and Limitations

• Player capabilities depend on the commands reported by each Emby client.
• Idle sessions with no media and no supported controls are not exposed as player devices.
• Some clients provide playback state but do not allow every remote-control command.
• API key setup is intended mainly for advanced or recovery scenarios. Use username and password sign-in when possible.

Troubleshooting

If discovery does not find the server, enter the local Emby Server URL manually and confirm Bridge can reach it.

If a player is missing, open the Emby app or start playback, then refresh the player list. Review the Emby integration logs for authentication, session, websocket, or command errors.