Customization

Most of a SoundChex install is configured from the admin panel; a handful of things live in .env on the server. This page maps where everything is.

The admin panel

PageWhat it controls
Library settingsWatch folders, scanning behaviour — see Libraries & scanning
Metadata sourcesAPI keys and per-source enablement — see Metadata & integrations
ServicesStart/stop/logs for the background workers (macOS; other platforms run them natively — see Background workers)
Server transferCopying the library between machines — see Moving & backups
Device reportsWhat each connected device logged and reported back — the first stop when a phone misbehaves and isn't in the room

People

Accounts, roles, profiles and rating caps are covered in Profiles & kids mode. Each profile personalises its own history, resume points, watchlist and highlights.

Server-side knobs (.env)

KeyWhat it does
APP_URLThe address the server advertises to devices — port included. Wrong or portless, and phones can't find the server.
APP_ENVproduction once the server is reachable from the internet: HTTPS URL generation on, detailed error pages off.
LIBRARY_WATCH_FOLDERSWatch folders as comma-separated absolute paths — the .env alternative to the admin page.

After changing .env: php artisan config:clear.

Your files stay yours

Customization never means lock-in: the library keeps the folder conventions Plex, Jellyfin and Emby read, enrichment snapshots what it replaces, and originals are never deleted. Every choice here is reversible.