Who wants Netflix when you might have Plex, the media server software program that runs regionally and allows you to stream your personal native video information? I’ve been internet hosting my very own Plex server on a Raspberry Pi 5 for just a few years now, and it’s principally run with no hitch.
But like taking your automobile to a mechanic even when nothing’s clearly improper with it, you must periodically look underneath Plex’s hood to see if it wants the equal of an oil change. The factor is, I’m no knowledgeable in the case of streaming video. I do know (roughly) what an MKV video container is, and I understand how to arrange my Plex media libraries, however I’m clueless in the case of the ins and outs of video transcoding.
In brief, I need assistance, and—you guessed it—I turned to AI, and particularly I turned to Gemini. (I may have turned to ChatGPT or Claude, too, however for the second I’m a Google AI Pro subscriber.)
Like another instrument, LLM fashions like Gemini are good at some issues and horrible at others. A chainsaw is nice for pruning a tree, nevertheless it’s not the proper instrument for slicing a marriage cake. By the identical token, LLMs are likely to suck at life teaching and real inventive writing (they’d relatively simply plagiarize), however they excel at analyzing reams of error logs, and for a Plex checkup, that’s exactly the ability that’s wanted.
Now, there are just a few methods to let an LLM decide over your Plex set up. One means is to inform it your primary setup (Windows, Mac, or Linux) and let it feed you terminal instructions to pluck out the proper log information, which you then paste into the chatbox. It works, and it’s comparatively protected, because you’re not truly letting ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini free in your system. But it’s additionally gradual and tedious—your CTRL-C and CTRL-V fingers will shortly tire. (If you do favor sticking with an AI chatbox, I’ve a customized GPT system immediate for you under.)
Instead, I selected to go cutting-edge. I’ve been taking part in with Google Antigravity, the Google-made IDE (built-in improvement surroundings) that lets Gemini and different LLMs (together with Claude) do the coding for you, guided by your natural-language prompts. Yep, we’re speaking vibe coding.
I fired up Antigravity and gave Gemini a immediate: Can you give my Plex server a check-up?
Google Antigravity is only one such AI-driven IDE. OpenAI has Codex (including the recently released Codex for macOS), and Claude Code and Cursor are different examples. With Antigravity, you can provide Gemini entry to a “workspace” on the goal system (typically a number of directories that you simply’ve designated), and together with your steering, it’s going to learn information inside the workspace and might even—gulp! — execute terminal instructions. Gemini may also take into consideration what it desires to do and current you with an “implementation plan” earlier than truly doing it.
The diploma of Gemini’s autonomy in Antigravity is as much as you; for instance, you possibly can have it request your approval earlier than each terminal command, or in case you’re keen to take your fingers off the wheel, there’s an “always allow” setting that lets Gemini go to city, executing shell instructions at will. Google recommends the safer “always approve” setting, and I are likely to agree.
Anyway, again to Plex. I’d beforehand arrange a Plex workspace on my Raspberry Pi for Antigravity’s use. (I exploit a selected subdirectory as a staging space full with “git” model management, good for retracing your coding steps in case of a foul-up.) I fired up Antigravity, opened my Plex workspace, and gave Gemini 3 Flash (a sooner and cheaper “regular” model of Gemini, versus the pricier high-grade Gemini Pro 3 mannequin) a immediate: Can you give my Plex server a check-up?
Further studying: Plex’s lifetime subscription plan is getting a massive price hike
Gemini went quiet for a second (“Thinking…”) and got here again with a plan. It would verify my Raspberry Pi’s vitals—CPU temperature and cargo, reminiscence utilization, storage availability—in addition to verify a half-dozen Plex logs, poke on the Plex database, test-drive my server’s transcoding and networking efficiency, after which guarantee my exterior storage drives had been correctly mounted and delivering first rate information throughput. Essentially, we’re speaking a full-on Plex bodily.
After trying over the plan, I clicked the blue Proceed button, and off Gemini went, snippets of terminal instructions flying round as I sometimes clicked the “Approve” button.
Like a physician recognizing a worrying take a look at end result throughout a routine examination, Gemini’s Plex verify had unearthed a vital system problem.
(This is an effective time to notice that in doing this evaluation, I used to be giving Gemini full entry to all my Plex media information. Needless to say, you’ll wish to fastidiously contemplate whether or not you’re snug with that prospect.)
About 5 minutes later, Gemini got here again with its analysis, and my eyes popped open on the outcomes. It reported that my Plex server itself was A-OK (“peak athletic condition!” it stated, leaning into the check-up metaphor); however like a physician recognizing a worrying take a look at end result throughout a routine examination, Gemini’s Plex verify had unearthed a vital system problem: proof of a failing SD storage card.
Now, this stunned me as a result of I’d already—or so I believed—migrated from booting my Raspberry Pi from that fragile SD card to a much more robust NVMe storage module. But Gemini discovered scores of I/O errors originating from the outdated SD card that I believed I’d changed. It’s preliminary speculation: my Raspberry Pi would possibly nonetheless be utilizing the flimsy SD card for bootup duties.
Um, say what? Had I fully forgotten emigrate important system information from the SD card even after investing in a brand new NVMe and spending a weekend putting in it? (Groan.)
Like any apprehensive affected person, I sought out a second opinion. In a brand new Antigravity occasion, I summoned the massive weapons—Claude Opus 4.5—and dumped Gemini 3 Flash’s prognosis into the chatbox. “Take a look at this Plex checkup report, is it true,” I requested?
Clause dove in (“Thinking,” once more), peeked into extra system logs, and got here again with a reassuring reply: No, my Raspberry Pi wasn’t booting off the outdated SD Card. But it was nonetheless checking the cardboard since I’d left it plugged into my system, and people checks had been clogging my logs with I/O errors. In different phrases, Gemini noticed yellow flags within the Pi’s bloodwork and jumped to a dire—and fortunate for me, incorrect—conclusion.
Armed with this data, I took the main points again to Gemini and requested it to reassess. It quickly got here again; sure, my Pi was booting off the NVMe drive, as anticipated, and sure, the still-connected SD card was the supply of all of the I/O errors.
Gemini’s total Plex analysis? B+, it stated (I had requested for a letter grade). Vitals look good, the plumbing’s in good form, however that outdated SD card is sort of a splinter within the Pi’s toe, it stated. Yank it on the first alternative. Oh, and possibly clear Plex’s transcoder cache in case of any stray buffering.
So, there you go: a recipe for normal AI-guided Plex checkups, good for recognizing silent Plex server illnesses. Give it a shot—you would possibly uncover one thing surprising, too.
And if you wish to strive a Plex server once-over utilizing a customized GPT in a chatbox, right here’s that system immediate I promised—and sure, it’s courtesy of Gemini itself, prompted by me:
# Plex Diagnostic Expert - Custom GPT System Prompt
You are the **Plex Diagnostic Expert**, a specialised AI assistant designed to assist Plex Media Server customers troubleshoot playback points, server instability, and library corruption with out requiring superior technical data or specialised instruments.
## 🎯 Primary Goal
Your mission is to information the consumer by way of a structured diagnostic "checkup" of their Plex server by requesting particular log snippets and decoding the leads to plain English.
---
## 🛠 Interaction Workflow
### Phase 1: Environment Discovery
First, ask the consumer:
1. **What platform is Plex working on?** (e.g., Windows, Mac, Linux, Docker/Unraid, Synology).
2. **What is the primary problem?** (e.g., "Buffering," "Server unavailable," "Files not appearing").
### Phase 2: Log Retrieval Guide
Provide the consumer with the trail to their logs based mostly on their platform.
**Common Paths:**
- **Windows**: `%LOCALAPPDATA%Plex Media ServerLogs`
- **Linux**: `/var/lib/plexmediaserver/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server/Logs`
- **Docker**: `[Config Path]/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server/Logs`
- **Synology**: `/volume1/Plex/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server/Logs`
**Instructions for User:**
"Open `Plex Media Server.log`. Scroll to the very bottom, copy the last 100 lines, and paste them here."
### Phase 3: The Diagnostic Checkup
Once logs are offered, analyze them for the next "Vital Signs":
1. **Heartbeat (Core Stability)**: Search for `Database corrupt`, `CRITICAL`, or `Error`.
2. **Circulation (Transcoding)**: Search for `Speed =>`.
- **Diagnosis**: If pace > 1.0, the server is wholesome. If pace ... > Analyze).
- **Check Disk Space** (A full drive is the #1 explanation for "Unknown Errors").
## ⚠️ Constraint
**DO NOT** ask the consumer to run complicated terminal instructions except they establish as a "Power User." Stick to file-system paths and copy-pasting textual content.This story is a part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best media-streaming devices.