Invites
The invite system is one of Streamarr's core features, enabling you to onboard new users to your Plex server with fine-grained control over access and expiration.
Invites require Enable Sign Up to be enabled in Settings.
Overview
Invites allow existing users to generate invitation codes that new users can redeem to:
Create a Streamarr account
Get added to your Plex server with configured library access
Optionally receive other permissions (Live TV, Downloads, etc.)
The invite system supports:
Usage Limits — Control how many times an invite can be used
Expiration — Set invites to expire after a specific time
Library Access — Choose which Plex libraries are shared
Feature Access — Toggle Downloads, Live TV, and Plex Home access
QR Codes — Shareable QR codes for easy mobile redemption
Creating Invites
Basic Invite
To create a basic invite:
Navigate to Invites
Click Create Invite
Click Create to generate the invite
The invite will use default settings with:
Single use
No expiration
Default library access
Advanced Invite Options
Users with Advanced Invites permission can configure:
Usage Limit
How many times the invite can be redeemed before becoming inactive:
Single Use — One redemption (default)
Custom — Specify a number (e.g., 5 uses)
Unlimited — No usage limit
Expiration
When the invite should expire:
Never — No expiration
Days — Expire after X days
Weeks — Expire after X weeks
Months — Expire after X months
Expired invites are automatically marked and cannot be redeemed.
Shared Libraries
Which Plex libraries the invited user will have access to:
Server Default — Use the default from Settings
All Libraries — All enabled libraries
Specific Libraries — Select individual libraries to share
Feature Access
Toggle additional features for invited users:
Downloads
Access to download management
Live TV
Access to Plex Live TV (if available)
Plex Home
Add user to Plex Home instead of as a friend
Plex Home creates a managed user under your Plex account, which is useful for family members. Regular invites add users as "friends" to your Plex server.
Invite Statuses
Active
Invite can be redeemed
Redeemed
Invite has been fully used (reached usage limit)
Expired
Invite has passed its expiration date
Inactive
Invite was manually deactivated
Sharing Invites
Invite Link
Each invite has a unique URL that can be shared:
Copy the link and send it to the person you want to invite.
QR Code
For easy mobile sharing, each invite has a QR code:
Click on an invite to view details
Click Show QR Code
The user can scan the QR code with their phone camera
QR codes link directly to the signup page with the invite code pre-filled.
QR codes are cached on the server and cleaned up automatically after the invite expires.
Redemption Flow
When a user clicks an invite link:
Code Validation — The invite code is checked for validity
Plex Sign-In — User signs in with their Plex account (or creates a local account)
Account Creation — Streamarr account is created
Plex Server Access — User is added to your Plex server with configured libraries
Confirmation — User is redirected to the Streamarr dashboard
Auto-Accept
If the redeeming user is already signed into Plex, Streamarr attempts to automatically accept the Plex server invite on their behalf, making the process seamless.
Managing Invites
Viewing Invites
The Invites page shows all invites with:
Invite code
Status (Active, Redeemed, Expired, Inactive)
Usage count / limit
Expiration date
Created by
Redeemed by (list of users)
You can filter by:
Status
Creator
Date range
Editing Invites
Click on an invite to view details and:
Copy the invite link
View/download QR code
See redemption history
Toggle between Active/Inactive status
Modify usage limit, expiration, and library access (with Advanced Invites permission)
Reactivating invites:
Toggle between Active/Inactive at any time
Increase usage limit on a redeemed invite to automatically reactivate it
Expired invites (past their date) cannot be redeemed even if manually set to Active
Invite Quotas
Admins can limit how many invites users can create:
Default Quotas
Configure in Settings → Users → Default Invite Quotas:
Quota Limit — Maximum invites per period
Quota Days — Period duration (e.g., 30 days)
Per-User Quotas
Override default quotas for individual users in their user settings.
Quota Exemptions
Users with Manage Users or Manage Invites permissions are exempt from invite quotas.
Trial Period Integration
If Trial Period is enabled:
Users who sign up via invite are placed in trial status
Trial users cannot create invites until the trial period ends
Trial duration is configured in Settings
This helps prevent abuse while allowing you to evaluate new users before granting full access.
Security Considerations
Invite Code Format
Invite codes are randomly generated 8-character alphanumeric strings. This provides sufficient entropy to prevent guessing while remaining easy to share.
Rate Limiting
The signup endpoint has rate limiting to prevent abuse. If an IP address makes too many requests, they will be temporarily blocked.
Plex Account Verification
When a user redeems an invite:
They must authenticate with a valid Plex account (unless creating a local user)
The system verifies they don't already have access to your Plex server
Existing users are redirected to sign in instead of sign up
Troubleshooting
"Invite code not found"
Check that the invite code was copied correctly
Verify the invite hasn't been deleted
"Invite code is not active"
The invite may have been deactivated
Or the invite has been fully redeemed (reached usage limit)
"Invite code has expired"
The invite passed its expiration date
Create a new invite for the user
"You already have access to this Plex server"
The user already has a Streamarr account or Plex server access
Direct them to the sign-in page instead
User not appearing on Plex server
Plex invite operations require the internal Python service
Check application logs for errors from the Plex Sync service
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