Exclude working files from Jellyfin scans deliberately

Define the boundary of the library

A media directory may contain finished files, temporary renders, project notes and source material. Decide which of those belong in the viewing library before changing the scanner. Exclusion controls library discovery; it is not a password, an access-rights decision or a replacement for filesystem permissions. Sensitive material should have an appropriate storage and account policy of its own.

Write two short lists: items that must appear and items that must remain outside the library. Include a finished video near an unfinished one so the rule has a meaningful boundary. Work on your own files and keep their original locations recorded. The aim is a predictable scan, not a broad filename cleanup that happens to conceal a problem.

Choose a directory or pattern rule

Jellyfin documents an empty .ignore file for excluding a directory and its descendants. In 10.11 and later, a non-empty .ignore instead supplies patterns. This version distinction matters when a previously ignored folder contains a note or other unexpected text. Inspect existing marker files before upgrading or reusing a layout from an older installation.

Prefer the smallest clear boundary. A dedicated work-in-progress directory can be easier to explain than a broad extension rule scattered through a mixed collection. When a pattern is necessary, describe it in plain language first, including the location from which it applies. Preserve the earlier marker so the change can be reversed without reconstructing its contents from memory.

Prove the rule with positive and negative samples

Create a review matrix containing each sample path, expected inclusion and reason. Include a near match that should stay visible. For an owned production project, that could mean keeping a final presentation while excluding its temporary render directory. These are original planning examples; the exact result must be checked against the documented pattern syntax and the installed server.

After updating the marker, refresh or rescan as the Jellyfin guide requires. Compare the visible results with the matrix. If the final file disappears, narrow the rule before expanding it to more folders. If the temporary file remains, inspect the marker's real filename and contents, the server version and the folder being scanned. Avoid compensating for an uncertain rule by deleting source files.

For a deliberately simple original pattern example, a non-empty marker containing work/ should target that named subdirectory. Review work/draft.mp4 as an excluded sample and final.mp4 beside it as an included sample; preserve both files. This example is a proposed local check using the documented syntax, not a reported scan result.

1. Preserve the current marker and choose copied owned-media samples.
2. Write one expected inclusion and one expected exclusion with exact relative paths.
3. Apply one narrow marker change and refresh or rescan.
4. Compare both outcomes; restore the earlier marker if the boundary is wrong.

Keep exclusions maintainable

Store the reason for each exclusion outside a marker whose empty state has functional meaning. A note placed inside an intentionally empty marker changes its role on current releases. Keep the human explanation in a separate library maintenance document, with the version and date of the last sample review.

Recheck the matrix after a major server update or a change to the production folder structure. A once-correct rule can become wrong when a finished-media directory is moved beneath an excluded parent. Retire obsolete exclusions deliberately. Completion means that both required and unwanted samples behave as intended, with a reversible record of the choice; it does not mean the files are secured against other applications.

Related reading

Questions answered

Sources & further reading

Official references for the subjects discussed. Service terms and device software can change.

• https://jellyfin.org/docs/general/server/media/excluding-directory/